Kodak M883

Kodak is finally luring style-savvy consumers with the launch of a rather fashionable line of digital cameras -- the M-series. The 8-megapixel Kodak EasyShare M883 features 3x zoom lens and a three-inch LCD.

The camera is housed in a slim metal body, and has 23 automatic shooting modes. This essentially means that this jewel in Kodak's M series is an all-in-one photography solution, providing high megapixel sensors with a load of useful features -- all in a slim, stylish form factor. An 8-megapixel camera gives stunning prints up to 76 � 102 cm.

To most of the consumers or amateur photographers, features like face detect focus mode, as well as ISO and white balance presets would seem to be a bonus.

Images and movies captured on the Kodak M883 can be transferred to computer over USB 2.0, helping in speedy transfers. A proprietary lithium ion rechargeable battery pack, and a charger is included in the bundle.

Also, there is something called 'digital image stabilisation', which is, at best, a poor imitation of optical image stabilisation and thus of limited use for amateur consumers.

The burst mode operates at about 1.8 frames per second and there are a handful of other image options, such as sharpness and colour as well. Kodak has not experimented much when it comes to design, but has added colours to slim camera boxes. At Rs 13,999 this is all one can hope to get.

PowerShot SX100 IS

Canon's Digital IXUS series - the premium-priced ultra-compacts - and now, the current models in the PowerShot S-series for the "family" are bound to give Kodak, Nikon, Fuji and Pentax products a tough time this season.

The new PowerShot SX100 IS is the first in a new line of Canon cameras, designed to appeal to a wider set of users. It is an 8-megapixel camera with a high quality 10x zoom, an image-stabilisation lens, a 2.5-inch wide-view display, with both automatic and manual exposure functions that will allow the more adventurous user to tackle more creative photography.

Since super zooms with 18x magnification are quite trendy these days, we wouldn't call 10x a super zoom, yet it is better than the 6x zoom of many other Canons such as the A650 IS or A720 IS.

The 36mm wide end is good for overall photography, yet true wide angle at 28mm enables more room for tight interiors and huge landscapes. The SX100 gives, like the vast range of compact camera, a moderate low-light performance.

While it's not a compact beauty, SX100 scores high in the ergonomics. It feels very comfortable and with many recessed areas to rest fingers. An automatic red eye correction feature detects and corrects red eye during image playback. For those occasions where the automatic feature doesn't detect red eye, a manual correction function is provided.

The SX100 IS uses two AA batteries. You can expect 140 shots with alkaline batteries but annoyingly, there is no battery level indicator on the display.

Although this may be a family oriented camera, any photo aficionado will enjoy it regardless of some above mentioned inherent quirks. It presently retails at Rs 19,995.