Battery Life One thing I love about Sony Cybershot DSC-W1 is battery system. The camera supports standard AA batteries like those from Energizer. This is pretty rare in digital cameras – most cameras need to use a proprietary battery. The ability to support AA batteries is great because you need not worry about batteries running out – AA batteries are easily found in any convenience store. Shortcomings There are some quirks I noticed in Sony DSC-W1. Though not serious problems, they did serve to mar my experience with this camera somewhat. What are these quirks? They include:

* Lack of a panorama-assist mode * Lock of white-balance calibration options * No way to adjust camera's automatic power-down time. * Lack of a good photo editor in bundled software Conclusion I do hope this review of Sony Cybershot DSC-W1 has been of help to you. If you’re looking for a good travel camera to take fun shots with, this Sony model is tough to beat. I personally own a Canon PowerShot S500, but I’d also recommend this Sony because many of my friends have been raving about it.

Casio Exilim EX-Z55 The Casio Exilim EX-Z55 is a very compact 5 megapixel point-and-shoot camera. It comes with 3x optical zoom and has great battery life. I did find that photo quality outdoors is a bit poor though.

Pentax Optio S5i The Pentax Optio S5i is a stylish ultra-compact camera with a 5 megapixel resolution and 3x optical zoom. This camera takes good pictures but its extremely small size may be a problem for large hands. It also boasts a useful preset button for accessing your most frequently used feature.

Canon PowerShot SD20 The Canon PowerShot SD20 series comes in a variety of funky color (including midnight blue, garnet, zen gray and silver). Obviously targeted at young and hip, it boasts a 5 megapixel resolution and a full set of interesting camera options.

Kodak EasyShare DX7630 The Kodak EasyShare DX7630 boasts a 6.1 megapixel resolution and 3x optical zoom. A generous 2.2 inch LCD screen and nice manual controls keep this high on sales charts.

Konica Minolta DiMAGE G600 One of highest resolution ultracompact cameras in this list, Konica Minolta DiMAGE G600 offers a 6.3 megapixel resolution and a 3x optical zoom. The start-up time is an amazing 1.3 seconds – very fast indeed, compared to other compact cameras. Interesting buy if you aren’t very much of a Canon or Sony fan.

Conclusion We’ve covered a lot of ultracompact cameras is above list. If you place me in a camera store, I’d probably pick Canon PowerShot S500 or Kodak EasyShare LS743 as my favorites. Your own mileage may vary, of course. Remember to do your homework before settling for a camera – understand your needs and expectations first, before shelling out cash. Happy shopping!