Fast, slim and good looking are three attributes that best describe the Canon PowerShot SD4500 IS.

Designed to take great shots in any lighting situation without the need of a tripod, the SD4500 IS uses an integrated HS System to provide excellent performance in low light situations. Aided by a 10mp high-sensitivity CMOS sensor, the DIGIC 4 processor and a 10x image stabilized zoom lens, the 4500 IS combines technology with style to capture your most important memories. There’s even a handheld night scene mode that takes multiple shots in the blink of an eye and combines them into one perfect image.

Being able to shoot multiple images in succession and grabbing the best one is a real bonus. Called best image selection, you press the shutter and the camera takes 5 2.5mp shots at high speed and you pick the one you like. Or, for sports action you can set the shutter to continuous mode and the camera will take as many full resolution images as the card can hold at 3.7fps. A real advantage when you absolutely don’t want to miss the shot.

And for hands free exposure control, let the brains of the SD4500 IS do the thinking. Featuring smart auto with scene detection technology you can let the camera choose from 28 different scene options to ensure the best exposure possible. For flash situations, there is the smart flash exposure feature that communicates with the camera and lets it know when the scene has gotten enough light and shuts itself off, providing you with perfectly exposed images every time.

HD video also benefits from Canon’s superb technology with features like zooming during shooting. With a quiet motor that won’t interrupt your stereo recording, dynamic image stabilization that keeps your images clear even at full zoom and smart auto with 21 different situations programmed in to make sure your exposure is as correct as it is during stills shooting. If slow motion is what you’re looking for, the SD4500 IS can record at 240fps and then plays it back at 30fps for dramatic effect. A good tool for inspecting your golf swing or enjoying a child or pet in action.

When it’s time to show off your images, rely on the 3” PureColor II G LCD screen to impress your friends with a clear display and a 16:9 wide screen replay for your video clips.

If you are looking for a point and shoot to supplement your DSLR, or want to avoid using a DSLR altogether, the Fuji F300EXR is worth your consideration.

Built to do most of the functions of a DSLR but slim enough to fit into your pocket, the F300EXR doesn’t take any shortcuts to accomplish this hard to manage feat. For starters, Fuji designed an auto focus system that is fast and accurate thanks to the pairing up of two important modes of auto focus, Contrast AF and Phase Detection AF, that you would expect in a DSLR. Add to that the 12mp image stabilized EXR CCD sensor that gives you plenty of options for creative control.

Set the F300EXR on EXR auto and the camera will choose which settings to use to get the best exposure out of any situation you find yourself in. Or, select from six different scene modes to get optimum results according to the scene you are shooting. There ar the three modes you may want to use for certain lighting needs. Choose from HR (high resolution) for bright scenes, DR (wide dynamic range) for more contrasty light or SN (high sensitivity and low noise) for darker environments. And finally, set the camera to manual and take advantage of each of those modes as your creativity dictates.

Another great feature of the F300EXR that makes it versatile is the 15x Fujinon lens that starts at a wide 24mm and zooms out to a distant 360mm. No more fussing with a bag full of lenses to go from landscape shots or group portraits to close ups of friends and family. There is also a 360 degree motion panorama feature that lets you sweep over a scene while shooting (vertically or horizontally) and the camera will then automatically stitch the images together to make a beautiful panorama.

If flash photography has given you uneven results in the past, the F300EXR has super intelligent flash that reads the scene and reports back to the camera when the foreground and background are evenly lit, reducing the possibility of washed out areas that usually occur from a single blast of unbalanced light.

Another bothersome problem in the absence of an optical viewfinder is the glare you get when viewing images on the LCD screen. Redesigned to offer a wider angle of view, the 3.0” High Contast, High Resolution LCD screen of the F300EXR can be tilted for better illumination. Perfect for reviewing images or HD movies while showing them off to friends.

For film buffs familiar with Fuji’s many different film types there are five different settings that mimic the emulsions used for years in film cameras.