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Compact cameras with a big screen

By Leonard Goh
February 25, 2008
We all know that familiar moment where, after taking a group photo, everyone crowds around you and tries to get a glimpse of the picture. But the screen is so small anyone could have missed out the details. To your horror, you discover that Uncle Larry's eyes are closed only after you have made the print. Oh well. Give these five compacts some consideration. With a larger screen, viewing and framing a picture are going to be far easier.

Click here for a feature comparison table.
1.  Sony Cyber-shot T200
 
CNET Asia rating: 7.4 out of 10
The good: Great design; nice, large 3.5-inch screen; touchscreen.
The bad: Iffy accuracy for Smile Shutter; no custom white balance; slight noise even at ISO 400.
The bottom line: It's a perfect camera for someone who prizes style and gimmicky features over performance and control.

Screen size: 3.5 inch

Review | See full specs | Rate this
2.  Canon Digital IXUS 860 IS
 
CNET Asia rating: 8 out of 10
The good: Impressive performance and image quality; optical image stabilization; face detection.
The bad: No manual exposure controls; no optical viewfinder.
The bottom line: While the Canon Digital IXUS 860 IS doesn't have an optical viewfinder or manual exposure controls, it captures beautiful images with its wide, 3.8x optical zoom lens and ranks among the top compact cameras we've seen.

Screen size: 3 inch

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3.  Nikon Coolpix S51c
 
CNET Asia rating: 7 out of 10
The good: Built-in wireless 802.11b/g; easy-to-use scrollwheel; decent image quality.
The bad: Pokey performance; no built-in Internet browser.
The bottom line: If Wi-Fi is what you need in a camera, this is it since there isn't much competition. But if you don't want Wi-Fi, the wireless-less S51 might be what you need instead.

Screen size: 3 inch

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4.  Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX55
 
CNET Asia rating: 6.6 out of 10
The good: Compact, lightweight design; wide-angle 3.6x optical zoom lens; optical image stabilization.
The bad: Mediocre image quality.
The bottom line: The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX55 is a cute compact camera that sports a nice wide-angle lens, but its so-so image quality keeps it from reaching its full potential.

Screen size: 3 inch

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5.  Samsung i85
 
This camera not only takes pictures, it also has a built-in PMP (portable media player) that lets you play MP3s, watch videos, and even read text files on the road. For travelers, this 8.2-megapixel point-and-shoot has a World Tour Guide function as well. The i85 comes with the usual fare of face detection, anti-shake reduction, 5x optical zoom and other features you expect from a Samsung camera.

Screen size: 3 inch

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