GOING high-definition (HD) need not put a dent in your wallet anymore, thanks to the latest generation of do-it-all travel compacts that bundle sleek styling with loads of still camera functionalities.

Pegged at a price bracket just under the RM1,600 mark, these premium compact offerings have everything from wide to superzoom lenses, optical image stabilisers, 10-megapixel sensors with bright and clear three-inch LCDs. Having a camera that takes great stills and videos allows you to travel lighter as you do not need to purchase a dedicated video camera, and enjoy your travels more.

Panasonic's all-time TZ7 returns completely unchanged on the outside, save for the few minor button reassignments for the added Advanced Video Codec High-Definition (AVCHD) Lite motion picture recording function complete with 48KHz audio sampling and a new Wind Cut feature that eliminates annoying wind gustling noises.

The Leica DC Vario Elmar lens now feature a 25mm wide to a 300mm super-tele end with Panasonic's tried-and-true Mega OIS image stabilisation thrown in for pictures without the blur.

Typical of all Carl Zeiss designs, the folding Vario-Tessar lens found on the Sony Cyber-shot T500 and T77 opts for more optical quality than zoom quantity. At 165mm tele-end, the T500 still provides ample zoom for a zoom lens. Coupled with a slim, three-inch touch-screen design, the T500 is by far the sleekest HD compact on the market today.

Outdoor enthusiasts now have a choice between the Tough series from Olympus or the newer DMC-TS1 from Panasonic that incorporates AVCHD Lite recording. Both outdoor cameras are designed to withstand drops in sand and water at heights of 1.5 metres and depths of up to three metres.

Cyber-shot T500

Specifications: 10.1 megapixels, 1/2.3-inch Super HAD CCD, Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 5.8-29mm (33-165mm)

Features:

• HD movie shooting (720p) with stereo sound
• 10.1 megapixels with Super HAD CCD
• Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens with 5x optical zoom
• 3.5-inch Clear Photo LCD Plus touch screen
• In-camera retouching
• Double anti-blur solution: Optical SteadyShot and ISO 3200 high-sensitivity
• Face detection technology
• HD slideshow with Select Music Playback
• HDMI/Bravia sync

Cyber-shot DSC-T77 (Skinny T)

Specifications: 10.34 megapixels, 1/2.3-inch Super HAD CCD, Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar 6.18-24.7mm (35-140mm)

Features:

• Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar Lens with 4x optical zoom
• 3-inch full wide touchscreen LCD
• Bionz Image Processing Engine
• Double anti-blur solution: Optical SteadyShot and ISO 3200 high-sensitivity
• Smile shutter
• Improved face detection technology for children and adults
• Intelligent scene recognition
• In-camera retouching
• HD slideshow with Select Music Playback

Olympus μTOUGH-6000

Specifications: 10.3 megapixels, 1/2.3-inch CCD, xD-Picture Card*1 (16MB to 2GB)/ microSD Card, 28-102mm

Features:

• Beauty and Intelligent Auto mode
• Tap Control function
• In-camera panorama image compositing with on-screen guide for camera movement
• Pre-capture movie function to ensure fewer missed shots
• Super Macro LED to prevent blurring and ensure vivid colours at close range
• Built-in illuminator for easy framing in low light
• MASD-1 microSD adapter provided to enable recording/playback with microSD cards

Panasonic DMC-FT1

Specifications: 10.1 megapixels (12.7 total megapixels), 1/2.33-inch CCD, Leica DC Vario-Elmer 4.9-22.8mm (28-128mm in 35mm equivalent)

Features:

• Water-proof 3.0m, shock-proof 1.5m and dust-proof
• HD movie recording in AVCHD Lite with Dolby Digital Creator
• Advanced iA (Intelligent Auto) Mode with Face Recognition and Movie iA Mode
• 28mm wide-angle 4.6x optical zoom Leica DC Lens and 1/2.33-inch 12.1-megapixel high-resolution CCD
• 2.7-inch high-resolution Intelligent LCD with wide viewing angle
• Venus Engine HD with HDMI compatibility and Viera Link

Panasonic DMC-TZ7

Specifications: 10.1 megapixels (12.7 total megapixels), 1/2.33-inch CCD, Leica DC Vario-Elmar 4.1-49.2mm (25-300mm in 35mm equivalent)

Features:

• 25mm ultra wide-angle 12x optical zoom Leica DC Lens in a compact body
• HD movie recording in AVCHD Lite with Dolby Stereo Digital Creator
• Advanced iA (Intelligent Auto) Mode with Face Recognition and Movie iA Mode
• Large 3.0-inch, 460,000-dot high-resolution Intelligent LCD with wide viewing angle
• Venus Engine HD with HDMI compatibility and Viera Link

This story was first published in The New Straits Times.