Editor's Choice 2008: Ultrathin Compacts

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Casio Exilim EX-S10

Casio bills its EX-S10 as the world's smallest and thinnest 10.1-megapixel point-and-shoot -- and given that the company pioneered impossibly thin compacts, we have no reason to doubt it. (How thin? A hair over half an inch.) The camera's designers managed to fit a flat-retracting 36-108mm equivalent f/2.8-5.3 into the S10, and it shoots 30fps video up to a wide-screen 848x480 pixels. (The S10 uses a video format that can be played back, with sound, on iPods and other portable media players.)

The new Exilim doesn't have image stabilization, but it does have motion sensors. It uses them for its Auto Shutter function, which determines not only when faces are smiling but also when camera shake is at a minimum. Only then will it take the picture. (This mode also works for automated self-portraits.) Casio's included Data Transport software lets you convert computer files from programs such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint into JPEGs, then transfer them to the camera. (Suggested conversion: travel guidebooks.) A cool stainless-steel, the EX-S10 can be had in red, blue, silver, and black finishes.

At a Glance: Casio Exilim EX-S10

Best Buy: Nikon Coolpix S700

This brushed-aluminum beauty offers the highest resolution of current Nikon ultrathin compacts, 12.1 megapixels, along with a big LCD screen, optical image stabilization, and an assortment of useful Nikon image fixes -- all for well under $300. That, to us, is a deal. The 37mm-111mm (35mm equivalent) f/2.8-5.4 zoom is pretty fast for this class, at least at its widest angle of view, and the S700 helps it keep straight lines from bending with a Distortion Control function that uses software to correct any barrel distortion.

Other in-camera fixes include red-eye correction and D-Lighting, the latter improving shadow detail as needed without shoving highlights over the edge. If you fill up (or forget) your memory card, you can fall back on the S700's built-in memory, an unusually generous 52 megabytes. That's good for a few dozen shots if you reduce resolution to five megapixels. This little camera can also capture in big-screen 16:9 format.

At a Glance: Nikon Coolpix S700

Pentax Optio S12

The most pixel-packed Optio to date, the 12-megapixel S12 offers the latest version of Pentax's pioneering Auto Picture mode. This feature analyzes shooting conditions, then automatically sets the scene mode (portrait, action, landscape, etc.) it thinks is best for the subject. For those who want more creative control, the S12 has manual exposure and priority AE modes plus a green button that can be programmed to access the functions of your choice.

The Optio S12's zoom is a 37-111mm (35mm equivalent) f/2.8-5.4, and the LCD has a very wide 170-degree viewing angle, making it easier to share pictures. And the camera has face detection, of course -- in this case of a sort that teams up with automatic Dynamic Range Adjustment to maintain good exposures when the people in your pictures are backlit. This all-purpose yet pocket-sized camera records sound with its 30fps VGA video, and can even be used as a voice recorder.

At a Glance: Pentax Optio S12

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