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Advanced touchscreen compacts

By Leonard Goh
September 18, 2009

Initially the touchscreen camera market was dominated by Sony with its Cyber-shot T series. However, other brands such as Nikon and Panasonic soon caught up and were quickly joined by Samsung. This year, Canon announced its first touch-operated shooter to participate in the fray. These stylish cameras may appear to cater to the fashion-conscious crowd, but these days they also are packed with loads of high-end features such as low-light sensors, accelerometers and even dual displays.

Typically, touchscreen snappers have larger LCDs and this is great for framing shots and viewing pictures. They also usually allow users to select the focusing point by tapping on the display. However, these additional functions can be taxing on the battery as they require more power to operate. Not to mention that touchscreen point-and-shoots are typically more expensive than normal compacts with similar specifications. But if you've set your mind on snagging one, here are our recommendations.

Click here for a feature comparison table.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-TX1

First take
For sleek and stylish cameras, the Sony Cyber-shot T series is one of the top choices in the market. Today, the Japanese electronics giant introduces a more powerful sub-category to this family of shooters. The 10.2-megapixel TX1 retains the same, slim profile of its siblings such as the T90, but this new model has a couple of nifty features which makes taking good pictures an easier task. Also, Sony used a new sensor, the Exmor R (first seen on the superzoom HX1), which claims to be twice as sensitive to light. How did it fare? Here are our early impressions.

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Samsung ST550

First take
When digital cameras first became popular, camera manufacturers competed aggressively in the megapixel war to stand out from one another. These days, the resolution fray has taken a backseat, with brands distinguishing themselves by unique features instead. Fujifilm recently debuted 3D imaging, Nikon surprised with an onboard projector, while Sony implemented the new Exmor R sensors in its TX1 and WX1.

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX580

If you want the best of both worlds of touchscreen and button controls, the FX580 is probably your best bet. Menus have to be called up via dedicated physical buttons, but navigation can be done onscreen. In playback mode, you can swipe your fingers across the screen to scroll between images, a la the iPhone. However, it does not have multitouch capability. With a linear lens system, Panasonic is able to cram a 5x optical zoom lens, which is widest at 25mm, into the snapper. This makes the FX580 the widest angled touchscreen camera on the market today.

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Nikon Coolpix S70

Sensor resolution	12 megapixels
Zoom range	5x optical
LCD size	3.5 inch
Max. video resolution	640 x 480 pixels
Storage type(s)	SD/SDHC
Dimensions	96.5 x 60.5 x 20 mm
Weight	140 g

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Canon Digital Ixus 200 IS

Sensor resolution	12 megapixels
Zoom range	5x optical
LCD size	3 inch
Max. video resolution	1,280 x 720 pixels
Storage type(s)	SD/SDHC
Dimensions	99.9 x 53.4 x 22.9 mm
Weight	130 g