Top 12 Best Pocket Zoom Digital Cameras Available

ePHOTOzine has reviewed a huge number of pocket zooms / travel zooms over the last 18 months, 15 cameras in total! Here we've highlighted the best cameras available with 10x optical zoom or more, whilst still being able to slip the camera into your pocket! Where a camera has been replaced by a newer model, or is a variation of the camera with GPS we have mentioned it in with the other cameras, thus the list being of the Top 12 Pocket Zoom Cameras... An updated version of this article can be found here.

1st Casio Exilim FH100 - extremely high speed shooting (40fps at 9 megapixels), and great image quality. The Casio Exilim FH100 is available for £209 from Amazon. (18/20)



2nd (Joint) SX220 or SX230 HS with GPS - one of the smallest available with a 14x optical zoom lens. (16.5/20) The Canon Powershot SX220 HS is available for £224 from WarehouseExpress. (16.5/20)



2nd (Joint) Casio Exilim H15 + H20G - Casio Exilim H20G is the GPS version. The H15 offers the longest battery life of any compact camera, taking 1000 shots before going flat. The Casio Exilim H15 is available for £135 from Amazon. (16.5/20)



2nd (Joint) Canon Digital IXUS 1000. Stylish metal body with 10x optical zoom lens, and 1080p HD video recording. The camera is available for £240 from WarehouseExpress. (16.5/20)



2nd (Joint) Sony Cybershot HX5 with GPS - Full HD, GPS, and Compass. The Sony Cybershot HX5 is available for £179 from WarehouseExpress. (16.5/20)



3rd (Joint) Panasonic Lumix TZ18, or alternatively available as the TZ20 with GPS built in. The Panasonic Lumix TZ18 is available for £229 from WarehouseExpress. (16/20)



3rd (Joint) Ricoh CX5 - 5fps shooting, wide-angle 10.7x optical zoom lens, and built in HDR mode combines photos to give greater dynamic range. It also features interval timer shooting, and built in electronic spirit level. The Ricoh CX5 is available for £249 from WarehouseExpress. (16/20)



3rd (Joint) Nikon Coolpix S8100 - with a 10x optical zoom lens, compact metal body, high speed shooting, and a great 3inch screen, this camera is well worth looking at. The S8100 is £219 from Amazon. (16/20)




4th (Joint) Samsung WB600 (15.5/20) - one of the first with such a large zoom, having a 15x optical zoom lens, the camera is excellent value for money. The Samsung WB600 is available for £135 from Amazon. (15.5/20)


4th (Joint) Fujifilm FinePix F300 EXR - replaces the Fujifilm FinePix F80 EXR and adds a 15x optical zoom lens - F80 still worth considering as one of the most compact 10x optical zoom cameras available. The Fujifilm FinePix F300 EXR is available for £149 from Amazon. (15.5/20)



4th (Joint) Nikon Coolpix S9100 - One of the first cameras available with a huge 18x optical zoom lens, the camera is an update to the Nikon Coolpix S8100. The Nikon Coolpix S9100 is available for £239 from WarehouseExpress. (15.5/20)



5th Pentax Optio RZ10 - features a 10x optical zoom lens, rubberised plastic body, and is one of the cheapest pocket zoom cameras, available for under £99. The Pentax Optio RZ10 is available for £94 from WarehouseExpress. (14/20)

...and finally, the Canon Powershot SX130 IS almost made it onto the list - but even though it didn't, it's still worth a look at, as it's one of the few to take AA batteries. It has a wide-angle 12x optical zoom lens and large 3 inch screen. The Canon Powershot SX130 IS is available for £139 from WarehouseExpress. (13.5/20)

For the latest pocket zoom or travel zoom cameras, have a look at our latest reviews.
An updated version of this article can be found here.