Inbox:Even as digital cameras have become more sophisticated, their form hasn't changed markedly in the last few years. Digital SLRs still look like pug-nosed SLRs, and the compact cameras are still, well, compact, writes Mike Butcher.
What has fundamentally changed is that compact cameras have taken a leaf out of the supermodel code of conduct, hit the diet and headed towards a size-zero appearance. This has resulted in the kind of camera you can take to a wedding and not ruin the line of a suit or bulk-out a handbag.
The 7.1 megapixel Canon Ixus 70 (€370) is one of the latest in Canon's compact range. As usual, Canon exhibits great industrial design with its Ixus range. Unfortunately, looking much like all the other Ixus cameras for the last two years does not really cut it these days.
At 19mm thick, the camera does have super slim proportions and its insides pack a reasonable punch, being capable of performing face recognition on up to nine people.
Unfortunately Canon's normally minute attention to detail has been left behind, with an unremarkable zoom and picture performance.
The Sony Cybershot DSC-T100 (€360) at a slightly portlier 22mm exhibits Sony's usual flair in the compact camera market and makes up for its relative larger girth with a slide-down lens guard, 5x optical lens, High-Definition output and in-camera retouching.
Add to that a larger than average 3in screen and a very handy low-light capability (ISO 3200 - quite unusual in this market) and you have a very useful little camera. At 8.1 megapixels it will capture crisp pictures at even the wettest of weddings.
Also good at low-light pictures (though at ISO 1600, not quite as good) is the Fuijifilm Z5fd (€220) which has sleek, black good looks and face recognition to boot. Don't be fooled by the slightly lower megapixel count of 6.3, as pictures are still bright and crisp. It's also a thin 20mm.
You would not expect Nikon to ignore this market and to address it they have the S500 compact at €325. Although it looks a little like a Canon Ixus clone, the resemblance ends there as it's a tad faster taking pictures.
It also has a handy vibration control mode to stop you from losing your pictures as well as your cool during the crucial best man's speech. An ISO setting of up to 2000 makes it great for those 7.1 megapixel evening shots too. And the 22mm width shouldn't trouble your jacket pocket too much.
Which one should you pick, though? Well, each has its strengths and weakness. The Sony Cybershot probably noses ahead given its handy lense guard, large screen, picture manipulation features and very low-light shooting.
If you want to avoid Sony's more expensive Memory Stick media format, perhaps the Nikon S500 (which takes the cheaper and more common SD card format) might suit your needs.
