Best Digital Cameras of 2008

2008 has certainly been an interesting year with literally hundreds of new cameras released - the majority of them all feature the same boring specifications - a standard 3x optical zoom lens, 2.5" screen, and about 8 megapixels - but if you look closely you will find the gems - increasing numbers of cameras now feature a wide angle lens, optical image stabilisation, HD video recording, and extended optical zoom. The best example of this, and in our opinion, the best digital camera of 2008, is...

The Panasonic Lumix TZ5 - it scores highly on all aspects, it offers 9 megapixels, a wide angle 10x optical zoom lens, a large 3" screen, a compact pocketable metal body, and optical image stabilisation, not only that but offers high definition video recording with optical zoom and image stabilisation. This would all be useless unless the camera backed this up with good image quality, and thankfully this camera provides that with good detail and great colour. If you had to buy only one camera this year, or indeed next, then the Panasonic Lumix TZ5 would be our choice. Read our Panasonic Lumix TZ5 Review for more information - the TZ5 is available for £176.

To find out the best digital cameras, camera phones, and prototypes of 2008 continue reading...

Best Budget Digital Camera of 2008:

The Canon Powershot A590 IS - available for £101 - this 8mp camera has it all, great image quality, 4x optical zoom lens with image stabilisation, plus manual controls for the budding photographer. Read our Canon Powershot A590 IS Review. For more budget cameras read our Top 5 Best Budget Digital Cameras of 2008.

Runners up: Sony Cybershot W130, Fujifilm FinePix F40fd.

Best Compact Digital Camera of 2008:

The Olympus Mju Stylus 1030SW - available for £213 - this 10 megapixel camera features a wide angle 3.6x optical zoom, a 2.7" LCD screen, it's waterproof, shockproof, dustproof and freezeproof. Read our Olympus Mju Stylus 1030SW Review. For more compact cameras read our Top 5 Best Compact Digital Cameras of 2008.

Runners up: Panasonic Lumix FX150, Canon Digital IXUS 980 IS

Best Ultra Zoom Digital Camera of 2008:

The Panasonic Lumix TZ5 - available for £176 - this 9 megapixel camera features a wide angle 10x optical zoom with image stabilisation, a 3" LCD screen, HD video recording with zoom, and a stylish metal body. It's packed with features and will fit in your pocket. Read our Panasonic Lumix TZ5 Review. For more great ultra zoom cameras have a look at our Top 5 Best Pocket Zoom Cameras of 2008.

Runners up: Canon Powershot SX110 IS, Ricoh R10

Best Digital SLR of 2008:

The Canon EOS 450D / Digital Rebel XSi - a 12.2 megapixel update to the 400D Digital SLR - features 3.5fps shooting, live view shooting, 9 point AF, 3" screen, SD memory card support, and Canon's dust reduction system. The 450D Body only is priced at £369, the EOS 450D with 18-55mm IS kit is £433. Read our Canon EOS 450D Review. For more great Digital SLRs have a look at the Top 5 Best Budget Digital SLRs of 2008.

Runners up: Olympus EVOLT E-420, Nikon D60

Best Camera Phone of 2008:

Already extremely popular, the Sony Ericsson Cybershot C905 takes 8 megapixel photos, features a real flash, and is available without breaking the bank, and whilst not as good at taking photos as a dedicated digital camera, the Sony C905 could make a useful second camera and shows that camera phones are catching up in quality and usability. Have a look at our sample photos.

Best Prototype of 2008:

Unfortunately this camera system won't be available till next year, but should revolutionise the digital camera market by providing an interchangeable lens camera with the dimensions of a serious compact camera! Of course I'm talking about the Olympus Micro Four Thirds Prototype. Full details can be found here when we had a look at Photokina.

Other great Digital Cameras of 2008:

For the lowest noise in a compact camera and great detail, the Fujifilm FinePix F100fd has to be commended - it takes great 12 megapixel photos, features a wide angle 5x optical zoom lens and has a compact metal body, if only it had full manual controls and a better menu system and it might have been featured above. Read our Fujifilm FinePix F100fd Review, available for £185.

The Canon Powershot SX110 IS - a personal favourite of mine - features a more compact body (compared to the SX100 IS), 9 megapixel sensor, larger 3" screen, 10x optical zoom lens with image stabilisation, Face Detection, Face Select & Track, Auto Red-Eye Correction, Motion Detection, 20 shooting modes including Easy Mode, ISO 1600 and is one of the cheapest new Canon's with manual controls. Read our Canon Powershot SX110 IS Review. The SX110 IS is available in silver or black for £175.

It can be confusing trying to decide what camera to buy, but hopefully this list of the best digital cameras of 2008 has helped steer you towards a great camera that will suit you and meet your needs. Here's to happy photographing in 2009! If you would like to see more have a look at our Top Cameras Reviewed or have a look at all of our reviews - you'll find prices, specifications and recommended cameras.

Prosumer Digital Camera Group Review

DPReview have reviewed several prosumer cameras including the Canon SX110 IS, and the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 - the camera features a wide angle 28mm 10x optical zoom lens with optical image stabilisation, 9 megapixel sensor, and 3.0" screen. The camera will be available in March in silver, black, and blue. The TZ5 also features Digital Red-eye Correction, and is available for £175

"The TZ5 ticks so many boxes that you can forgive its rather unimpressive pixel-level image quality - and to be honest you won't even see it in normal prints. The standout feature is the excellent and truly versatile 28-280mm zoom lens, but on its own that wouldn't be enough to win our love; it's the whole package that works so well: the stylish, pocketable casing, the reliable automatic systems, the clean, logical user interface and the keen pricing."

Read our Panasonic Lumix TZ5 Review
View our Panasonic Lumix TZ5 Sample Photo Gallery

Read more Panasonic Lumix TZ5 Reviews: DPInterface, Trusted Reviews, Photography BLOG, DCResource, Digital Camera Review, Cameras.co.uk, PopPhoto, DPReview, Photoxels, Cameralabs

Top 5 Pocket Zoom Cameras of 2008

1 - Panasonic TZ5	2 - Canon SX110 IS	3 - Ricoh R10

If you're looking for the best pocket zoom digital camera of 2008, then have a look at our Top 5 Pocket Zoom Digital cameras listed here - with numerous cameras to choose from you can find a unique camera for you - whether you're looking for a wide angle lens, high resolution, manual controls, optical image stabilisation or large screen. You get great image quality from these stylish pocket cameras and they would make an excellent choice for yourself or as a christmas gift. Click here for full details.

The Top 5 Pocket Zoom Digital Cameras of 2008:

1 - The Panasonic Lumix TZ5 - available for £180 - this 9 megapixel camera features a wide angle 10x optical zoom with image stabilisation, a 3" LCD screen, HD video recording with zoom, and a stylish metal body. It's packed with features and will fit in your pocket.

2 - The Canon Powershot SX110 IS - available for £165 - this 9mp camera features a 10x optical zoom lens, image stabilisation, it takes great photos and is available in silver and black. It also has manual controls, and VGA video recording.

3 - The Ricoh R10 - available for £185 - is still one of the smallest cameras with a wide angle 7.1x optical zoom lens, 3" screen, and image stabilisation.

4 - The Canon Powershot A2000 IS - available for £151 - this 10 megapixel camera is compact, offers a 6x optical zoom lens with optical image stabilisation, a large 3" screen, and can take great photos.

5 - The Panasonic Lumix FZ28 - available for £229 - replaces the excellent FZ18 - and whilst a bit bulkier than the other cameras - offers an impressive 10.1MP sensor, wide angle 18x Optical Zoom lens with image stabilisation and a 2.7" LCD screen.

If you're looking for more of the best digital cameras, then have a look at our Top 5 Compact Cameras of 2008, our Top 5 Budget Cameras of 2008, our Top Cameras Reviewed, or have a look at all of our reviews - you'll find prices, specifications and recommended cameras.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 Review

DPInterface have reviewed the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 - the camera features a wide angle 28mm 10x optical zoom lens with optical image stabilisation, 9 megapixel sensor, and 3.0" screen. The camera will be available in March in silver, black, and blue. The TZ5 also features Digital Red-eye Correction, and is available for £175

"The Panasonic Lumix TZ5 is a relatively compact camera for a super-zoom. It has a useful 10X optical zoom lens which starts at 28 mm and it comes with optical image stabilization. While there's a nice lens in front, there's a fancy LCD on the back too. The Panasonic Lumix TZ5 has a large, high-resolution 3 inch LCD, on which you can see what you're framing in almost any condtiion. Some things like the plastic doors and tripod mount could be better though."

Read our Panasonic Lumix TZ5 Review
View our Panasonic Lumix TZ5 Sample Photo Gallery

Read more Panasonic Lumix TZ5 Reviews: Trusted Reviews, Photography BLOG, DCResource, Digital Camera Review, Cameras.co.uk, PopPhoto, DPReview, Photoxels, Cameralabs

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 Review

Trusted Reviews have reviewed the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 - the camera features a wide angle 28mm 10x optical zoom lens with optical image stabilisation, 9 megapixel sensor, and 3.0" screen. The camera will be available in March in silver, black, and blue. The TZ5 also features Digital Red-eye Correction, and is available for £190

"The camera features an excellent video mode - it records HD (16:9 Aspect Ratio) 1280x720 30fps videos with sound as MOV files and has fairly good compression allowing you to record long videos. The video mode does let you use the optical zoom whilst recording, sound is also recorded even when using the zoom."

Read our Panasonic Lumix TZ5 Review
View our Panasonic Lumix TZ5 Sample Photo Gallery

Read more Panasonic Lumix TZ5 Reviews: Photography BLOG, DCResource, Digital Camera Review, Cameras.co.uk, PopPhoto, DPReview, Photoxels, Cameralabs

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 Review Online!

We've just published our review of the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 - the camera features a wide angle 28mm 10x optical zoom lens with optical image stabilisation, 9 megapixel sensor, and 3.0" screen. The camera will be available in March in silver, black, and blue. The TZ5 also features Digital Red-eye Correction, and is available for £190

"It is a well designed and solidly made camera which is tough enough to survive quite a bit of rough treatment. It handles superbly, performs exceptionally well and is a genuine pleasure to use. Apart from its zoom range it’s a bit limited in terms of creative features, but has a good range of automatic functions that produce good quality pictures in almost any situation."

Read our Panasonic Lumix TZ5 Review
View our Panasonic Lumix TZ5 Sample Photo Gallery

Read more Panasonic Lumix TZ5 Reviews: Photography BLOG, DCResource, Digital Camera Review, Cameras.co.uk, PopPhoto, DPReview, Photoxels, Cameralabs

Panasonic Lumic TZ5 Sample Photo Gallery

We've just uploaded sample photos from the new Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 - the camera features a wide angle 28mm 10x optical zoom lens with optical image stabilisation, 9 megapixel sensor, and 3.0" screen. The camera will be available in March in silver, black, and blue. The TZ5 also features Digital Red-eye Correction, and is available for £193

View our Panasonic Lumix TZ5 Sample Photo Gallery

Read more Panasonic Lumix TZ5 Reviews: Photography BLOG, DCResource, Digital Camera Review, Cameras.co.uk, PopPhoto, DPReview, Photoxels, Cameralabs