The 'compact' camera category is slowly diminishing with the ultra-compacts getting more and more common (and preferred), and other compact cameras slowly souping up their specs to superzoom levels. Still, that doesn't take anything away from the great year that 2006 was for this category. Rest assured, it wasn't easy selecting only three of the numerous great options available in the market today.
Fujifilm Finepix F30
It may not look like much, but the Fujifilm F30 boasts the best sensor for indoor and low light photography in compact cameras. The sensitive CCD in this camera is optimized for low light, which makes it the ideal camera to carry around for any kind of social occasions and get blur free photos without using the camera flash.
The reason why the F30 didn't make it as the camera of the year is its lack of features and that it tends to overexpose in bright sunlight. Maybe the next model in the series will take the crown next year.
| Dimensions | 93 x 57 x 28 mm |
| Weight | 185g |
| Type | Compact |
| Connectivity | Pict-Bridge/USB/Composite |
| Storage | xD Picture Card + Internal |
| Battery Type | Li-Ion |
| LCD Type | 2.5", 230,000 px |
| View Finder | N/A |
| Sensor | CCD |
| Effective Pixels | 6.1 Megapixels |
| ISO Sensitivity | Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 |
| Optical Zoom | 3x |
| Digital Zoom | 6.2x |
| Shutter Speed | 15-1/2000 sec |
| Aperture | F2.8 - F5.0 |
| Format | JPEG |
| Scene Modes | Snow, Text, Beach, Flower, Museum, Sunset, Fireworks, Landscape, Underwater, Night scene, Sports mode, Party/indoor, Natural light, Portrait mode, Natural light & with flash |
| White Balance | 6 positions plus manual |
| Flash | Auto, On, Red-eye reduction, Slow, Off |
| Self Timer | 2 - 10 secs |
| Video Resolution | 640x480 @ 30fps |
Video Format | AVI |
| Sound | Yes |
| Street Price | Rs. 17,750/- |
Excellent camera. Recently bought one. Flattered by the image clarity even in dark conditions. 
