The Canon PowerShot G12 is the 2010 version of Canon’s premium compact camera, aimed at the DSLR owner looking for a backup model or the enthusiast who wants DSLR functionality without the added size and weight. The new Canon G12 inherits most of the core features of its predecessor, the G11 – 10-megapixel CCD sensor, 2.8 inch vari-angle LCD screen, 5x, 28-140mm equivalent zoom lens, RAW image capture, optical viewfinder, 4.2fps burst mode, flash hotshoe, 1cm macro mode, ISO 80-3200 and full range of manual shooting modes.

Brand new additions to the G12 include 720p HD video recording, a front control dial, hybrid image stabilisation system, multi-aspect shooting, High Dynamic Range mode, an electronic level, SDXC card compatibility and an optional Lens Filter Adapter.

The top has dials that transport older shooters to the good old days of film cameras. The only thing missing is a crank to rewind film! On the far left, you can adjust exposure compensation with a small dial, then move past the hot shoe and tweak ISO (auto through 3200) with another dial. Sitting atop that one is the main mode dial. Here are your key shooting options including Smart Auto, PASM, two custom settings, low light, high speed, scene and movie. Nearby is the power button and shutter, surrounded by the zoom-toggle switch.

The one new choice of note is HDR — High Dynamic Range — which we’ll discuss shortly. The movie option is a definite upgrade, with the camera now taking 720p HD video, versus VGA (640 x 480) video on the G11. It also captures stereo audio, which adds fuller sound to your clips. Surprisingly there’s no direct red video button as found on so many 2010 digicams. Canon should re-jigger that with the G13 — or whatever the next model will be called.

Still, given its target audience what’s here will be relatively self-evident; the top plate housing the same half-penny sized wheel for adjusting exposure (+/- 2EV) as found on the G11, along with a hotshoe for an accessory flash (in addition to the built in bulb), plus a larger wheel for adjusting the ISO speed in 1/3 stop increments (80-3200 at full resolution) upon which is mounted the smaller shooting mode dial, resembling the upper tier of a wedding cake. The new Auto ISO feature allows the maximum ISO speed to be set, therefore specifying what ISO range the G12 will use if you leave it up to its own devices.

Another remarkable feature of the Samsung NX100 is its unique control. In combination with new lenses with the so-called i-Function support, the Samsung NX100 camera offers a noticeably practical and unique ease of use. A bit of electronics and the newest firmware ensure for an extra piece of communication between lens and body. This communication makes it possible to adjust the camera settings manually via the lens. And that’s exactly as simple as it sounds. By pushing the i-Fn button on the lens, a tab appears in the display of the Samsung NX100 with a series of settings. Selection is done by turning the lens’ ring and this is activated by the same i-Fn button. Sublime!

JPEGs captured with the NX100 look fine in iPhoto, Aperture, Photoshop, and everywhere else on the Mac, which is no big surprise. Even though they are technically unsupported, iPhoto and Aperture can open raw files from the NX100, But they are unwieldy at best, showing odd color that’s more trouble than they’re worth to correct. Actually, it’s surprising that the Mac recognizes them at all. Photoshop CS5 and Photoshop Elements 9 were undaunted, however, and handled the raw files well.

As for the MPEG-4 movies captured by the NX100, QuickTime Player displayed them well, with smooth playback and audio. Aperture didn’t seem bothered by the format either during playback, but it did have a problem properly displaying the movie thumbnails in browsing mode. iPhoto didn’t care for the movie format at all, and it refused to import the files claiming that they were an unrecognized format. Fortunately, iMovie was a bit more forgiving and imported the clips without hesitation.

Though the NX100 shares the same APS-C-sized sensor as the NX10, the NX100′s has been tweaked to give it a higher maximum ISO rating (6400 as opposed to 3200). Video recording makes an appearance at 720p, with the company stating that 1080p recording is something that will come in the future with the development of a new sensor.

Controls are reasonably simple, with a full PASM-equipped mode dial at the top, and a scattering of buttons down the back. As for connectivity options, there’s no built-in flash, but there is a hotshoe at the back of the camera, plus a smart shoe into which an electronic viewfinder or optional GPS tagging unit can be attached. Obviously, photographers can only use one of these devices at a time.

Complementing the front screen is the equally as fun to use face-detection feature. Turn it on, and you can make your mug look sharper than everything else in the photograph, instantly making you look like a celebrity, albeit not even on the D-List. If you don’t want to be the lone focus of the photo, however, you can set it to multiple face detect, so in a group shot, the person unfortunate to stand at the back, or the one unfortunate to stand beside a mestiza, will not have to look like a shadow.

Contrary to the candid shot is Blink Detect. Turn it on, and the PL101 will automatically take a second shot when it detects that the subject has blinked. Pretty impressive, but sadly, you can’t expect photos to be totally blink-free. Unless you have the flash on, subjects won’t know that a safety shot is being taken, so for all they care, they can have their eyes closed while the camera takes the safety shot, making the shot doubly embarrassing (or doubly funny). Also, the camera only takes 2 pictures in succession, so if your group doesn’t get it right the second time, you’re screwed.

Which shouldn’t be a huge hassle because if anything, camwhores are great at taking pictures and being the subject of their pictures; they can hold that smile just as good as they hold a camera with an outstretch arm and take a photo of themselves from the most flattering of angles.

With the PL101, all they need to do is to hold that smile. Because the 1.5 inch LCD takes care of the angles, and the wizardry of the Face Detect takes care of what little else that may matter to the camwhore. They can even stand the camera on any flat surface and angle it so that they don’t have to crouch in all together to make sure everyone – or even just herself – fit in the frame perfectly. Why such hullabaloo to camwhores? It’s because the PL101, with its for-play features and that all-too-welcoming tune that plays upon turning it on, is clearly made for them.

It’s not for the socialite or for whom looks matter. It’s not for the hardcore gadgeteer for whom the make and the form matter. It’s not for the photography enthusiast for whom extra nifty features matter. It’s for the camwhore who likes to look cute in photos that they themselves took.

Why put up with just the one when everything goes better with two? We’re talking LCD screens. The latest glossy addition to Samsung’s burgeoning range of so far unique ’2View’ cameras, coming after the ST500 and ST600, the 14.2 megapixel ST100 features not only a comparatively huge 3.5-inch, high resolution 1152k dot resolution version with a widescreen aspect ratio at the back, but additionally a small 4:3 ratio 1.8-inch screen at the front.

It also has movie capability, which shoots at 30fps and 1280 by 720 pixels and a variety of different shooting modes, from the Smart mode which recognises a scene and chooses all the settings for you to the Program mode, which allows you to select things like the ISO setting and change the exposure compensation. There are numerous face detection modes, one of which will take a photo when it sees a smile – this actually works very well as you can sit frowning all day and it will not shoot, but as soon as you smile, it sends out a pre-flash and gets a shot. There’s also another mode which detects blinks and takes 2 shots to avoid closed eyes on a shot. There are many such features on the ST100 to make it a fun camera to use; there are even two fisheye effects to choose from!

The camera also contains an internal motion sensor which can be used to detect when you move the camera in a specific direction. This allows you to quickly switch between shooting modes by moving the camera in different directions. If you press the mode change button and tilt forward, you’re in Movie Mode, tilt backwards, it’s in Program and to the left, Smart Auto. This really does save time and button presses when you want change scene.

It’s the same size and ratio of LCD we were used to finding adorning the rear of digital cameras at the dawn of the millennium. The second smaller screen is not only potentially useful for lining up self-portraits with greater accuracy, by displaying the image before the lens or a cutesy animation it could also distract never-stay-still pets and kids long enough for you to get that quick snap. Other key spec includes High Definition video capture – here the usual 1280×720 pixels at 30 frames per second (with additional 15fps option) – plus a broader than average light sensitivity range stretching from ISO80 to ISO3200, should you want to risk low light shooting without flash.

Samsung ST100 key features include:

• 14.2 Megapixels
• Internal Schneider KREUZNACH 5x Optical Zoom Lens
• 3.5-inch TFT Touchscreen LCD
• 1.8-inch Front LCD screen
• High Sensitivity) up to ISO 3200
• 720p HD video capture (30 fps, H.264 format)
• Smart Gesture User Interface (UI)
• Smart Face Recognition (Up to 6 people manually and 14 people automatically)
• Dual Image Stabilization system (OIS + DIS)
• HDMI output
• Stereo Microphone
• microSD/SDHC memory card slot
• Li-ion battery pack

The ST600 has undergone a minor redesign. Unlike the ST550, which has a more angular frame, the ST600 has curved edges, giving it a sleeker look. On the top is a button to activate the front LCD, though the Samsung press release indicates that you can also tap the display to turn it on.

The front screen on the new Samsung camera is bumped up to 1.8 inches from 1.5 inches on its predecessor. This will make it easier for users to frame self-portraits. Like the ST550, the ST600′s front display can show various information such as the shooting option used and timer. Samsung has, however, added more new features to the shooter. For example, the cartoon animation is now accompanied by sound to make it more attractive to kids. There is also a Jump Mode, which prompts the subjects to jump and the camera will snap three consecutive images of the people in mid air. The Couple Mode detects two faces and automatically snaps a shot when it sees the two faces tilted toward each other.

Samsung ST600 key features include:

• 14.2 Megapixels
• Schneider KREUZNACH 5x Optical Zoom Lens / 27mm Wide
• 3.5-inch TFT Touchscreen LCD
• 1.8-inch Front LCD screen
• High Sensitivity up to ISO 3200
• 720p HD video capture (30 fps, H.264 format)
• Smart Gesture User Interface (UI)
• Smart Face Recognition (Up to 6 people manually and 14 people automatically)
• Dual IS; Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) + Digital Image Stabilization (DIS)
• HDMI output
• Stereo Microphone
• microSD/SDHC card slot