Olympus FE-300

The Olympus FE-300 distinguishes itself as one of the lightest, least expensive 12 megapixel cameras currently available. Unfortunately, its pictures pale in comparison to those from some higher end, lower resolution cameras. Measuring about 0.9 inch thick and weighing just 4.9 ounces with battery and xD-Picture Card, the FE-300 fits easily into nearly any pants or shirt pocket.

Despite its small design, the camera sports surprisingly accessible controls, with large, flat buttons that rest comfortably even under large thumbs. It lacks a viewfinder, but the camera's 2.5 inch LCD screen can be read clearly from nearly any angle. It includes a modest 35 to 105mm equivalent f/2.8-4.7 3x optical zoom lens. A wider wide angle would be nice, but this zoom range is typical for a camera this size and price.

While the FE-300 lacks manual exposure controls, it offers an otherwise pleasant selection of features. Olympus' new Perfect Shot Preview mode stands out among these features as one of the most useful aspects of the camera.

This mode lets you preview how your picture will look under four different EV compensation or white balance settings. If you shoot in awkward lighting, Perfect Shot Preview can really help you take a proper shot without a lot of trial and error or menu hunting.

You can even preview how movie clips will look at different quality settings and frame rates, though the highest quality 30fps VGA movie mode will almost always be your best choice. White balance and ISO sensitivity settings offer some control over your photos. In addition, the camera comes with 14 scene presets to complement its automatic, program auto, ISO boosting or shutter quickening digital stabilization, and movie modes. Finally, like most current digital cameras.

The FE-300 includes a face detection mode that can find your friends' faces and adjusts focus and exposure based on them when shooting portraits or group shots. The camera's menu lets you set sensitivity as high as ISO 6400, but lowers the pixel resolution to 3.1 megapixels when you shoot at ISO 3,200 or ISO 6,400.