It's difficult — but not impossible — to find a snapshot camera with the chops to capture scenic vacation vistas or real-estate interiors.
Putting a lens with a wide-angle view in a compact camera is a technological challenge for a variety of reasons, but digital camera manufacturers have been slowly chipping away at the problem.
There are two wide angle front-runners: the Samsung NV24HD and the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3, both offering the 35mm equivalent of 24mm lenses at their widest. Panasonic's Lumix range has several other models close behind with 25mm lenses. Then your choices open up with more vendors offering 28mm lenses — like the Fujifilm FinePix F100fd — which was until recently the best wide angle lens option you could hope for on a compact camera.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3 
The LX3 is a good camera with an excellent feature set that positions it way beyond any conventional point-and-shoot on the retail shelves today.
Canon Digital IXUS 870 IS
Though the 870 IS isn't perfect, it still remains an excellent compact camera. With a wide angle lens and super-fast image processing times, the IXUS is an ideal combination of style and substance.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5
Though it's not perfect, the TZ5's compact midrange megazoom feature set puts it in a class with its sibling, the TZ4, and delivers a satisfying shooting experience.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX100
If you absolutely must have a 12-megapixel compact camera, the DMC-FX100 isn't a bad choice, but you can find better performing cameras with lower pixel counts for the same money.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX38
A great compact camera with a wide-angle lens, the FX38 has a few quibbles that prevent it from being an excellent point-and-shoot.
Canon Digital IXUS 860 IS
While the Canon IXUS 860 IS doesn't have an optical viewfinder or manual exposure controls, it captures beautiful images with its wide, 3.8x optical zoom lens and ranks among the top compact cameras we've seen.
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Lothar Metzner
19/09/2008 09:35 PM
Hello, when will you review the Lumix FX180 in detail? I want to know if it is as good as a CANON compat. I really like the wide angle plus zoom range, plus manual mode, but really want to know if the Venus IV engine is as good as a Canon G10 or other Digic IV. Regards, Lothar.
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