New pocket cameras offer plenty to (point and) shoot about

In recent articles I've been writing about advancements made in different kinds of cameras: in one column I wrote about the new long lens/crossover point and shoot cameras, and last time I compared the cameras of two new smart phones. This week I'm going to continue in the same vein by writing about some updated features in the newest pocket cameras. This time, however, I will look only at point and shoots with short zoom lenses, and I'll mention four models that may well interest you. Why discuss short zoom cameras? Doesn't everyone want the longest zoom possible? No! Cameras with the 3x zoom lenses have some of the best macro capabilities out there and as a group would be a front runner for the "most outstanding all-around camera" award, if there were such a thing!

Let me show you what I mean. My favorite everyday camera for some five years now has been a Casio Exilim Z57 with 5 MP and a 3x zoom, a very fast start-up and recycle time, and an excellent macro. Because it's small, it's with me all the time, banging around in my pocket or my purse, allowing me to get up unobtrusively close to and explore subjects that capture my interest. Even though I've started looking for a replacement that can match my Casio's capabilities, let me remind you of what kinds of photos a versatile little camera with just a 3x zoom can take:

• Indoor action shots with flash: In the photos included, I caught my dachshund Zinger, on the right, play wrestling with her younger brother, Budget. They bat and pretend bite each other, race wildly around the house and dog surf on all the oriental scatter rugs (obviously how the rugs got their name!). In this photo, the flash stopped the action, but if you choose a camera that advertises "low light" capabilities, you will also be able to take excellent photos of active children and adults indoors in bright light without flash. You may get some blurring, but it will add to the sense of motion.

• Outdoor scenics: I took the picture of this unusual cloud formation at Greenwich Point near the little curve of the beach (in front of the bell tower) seen at the bottom of the photo. Island Beach is straight ahead in the distance. This wide-angle shot with a tricky exposure would be a challenge for any camera, but the 3x zoom handled it, as it does all scenics, very well, don't you think?

• Personal people shots: I took this shot of my daughter-in-law Indira's hands folded behind her back when we were at Greenwich Point. You can see how well suited a 3x zoom lens is to getting up close and personal -- I was so glad I captred this! Some moments you can only catch with a small camera because a bigger camera changes your relationship with your subject.

• Macro photos: The image you see of the single flower in front of a swirling background could fool you into believing that the flower is large. But, in fact, it was smaller than the nail on my little finger, poking its head up out of a crowd of blossoms, framed by the decorative glass ball in the garden of a friend. A longer point and shoot zoom lens would most likely have not allowed me to get so close to the flower. I love the tiny world that the 3x macro zoom brings to light.

There are many short-zoom cameras on the market; all have different bundles of features. Here are some recently upgraded features to consider if you are investing in a new short zoom camera:

• YouTube upload -- Records your videos in the YouTube format, making it easy to upload your videos to the Internet. The newer technology is easier and faster.

• PictBridge enabled -- allows you to send your photos, often at the stroke of one button, wirelessly to your PictBridge enabled printer without going through your computer.

• HD (high definition) 4 - 8 GB memory card capability -- Allows your images to be shown on an HD TV; a large memory card, HD or not, gives you the capacity to record and store huge numbers of still and moving images on your camera. The biggest memory card will get the best performance out of your camera in terms of speed of operation and recovery time between shots.

• Video or movie capability/sound or no sound -- Research carefully the difference between videos vs. movies in your point and shoot camera; look at the speed, resolution, sound and image quality promised because the capability and results vary greatly from camera to camera.

• Face detection/smile and/or motion detection -- Make sure these modes are optional, because it's not always a good thing for a camera to decide when to take your picture, based on when your subjects smile or move, but if your picture-taking timing is off, these modes are for you.

• Wide-angle vs. macro -- Make sure that the bent horizon look that many super-wide angle zooms produce is what you want before you invest in it. Play with the macro and wide-angle modes of several cameras before buying one because each will have its own distinctive wide-angle and macro capabilities.

• Sweep panorama mode -- Seems glamorous, but test it out first. Many cameras have panorama modes that allow you to take consecutive photos that get electronically "stitched" together, but the newest technology guides the way you sweep the camera -- one side to the other or up and down -- for a result that may look disappointing when reviewed on the camera's tiny LCD screen, as it also may when printed out. It's interesting to take panorama shots, but then what do you do with them? I haven't seen many panoramas hanging on walls or in albums. They are difficult to print and frame. Do research before you buy a camera just for this technology.

Here are four cameras that I've looked at recently in my search because each had features that interested me. These all retail between $149 and $199, and all go on sale from time to time. I'm not attempting to select the best one or to list all of their features. I'm just highlighting the features that I think stand out for each camera. See if there is one here that interests you.

• Sony Cybershot W350: 14 MP, takes movies in HD, 2.7 very clear LCD, 4x optical zoom, image stabilization, 26 mm wide angle, low light (ISO to 3200), macro to 1.6 inches, 243 degree sweep panorama mode.

• Canon Power Shot A3100: 12 MP, 4x optical zoom, image stabilization, 2.7 LCD, face detection software, movie VGA, low light capability, excellent external controls on back, chunkier design.

• Olympus Stylus 7030: 14 MP, 7x wide angle zoom, 2.7 LCD, AF tracking, 24 scene modes, movie, dual stabilization, art filters, panorama mode, in-camera manual, information appears all over the LCD screen when you are setting up to take a picture.

• Nikon Coolpix S3000: 12 MP, 4x optical zoom, 50 MB internal memory, small camera, video clips with sound, 17 modes, subject tracking, good screen design but it takes several button pushes to change modes and take a picture.

Many of these cameras you can "test drive" in the store if you go to a big box like Staples in Riverside, Best Buy in Norwalk or a camera store like Camera Wholesalers in Stamford. It is definitely worth the time to feel firsthand how the camera fits in your hand, how easy it is to access the menu and switch from mode to mode, how easily and well the zoom, macro and panorama modes work, and how intuitively you understand the camera, as well as how sympatically it responds to you. Some cameras feel like friends right away and some feel like enemies. When it comes to a camera you'll have in your pocket, always choose a friend!