Panasonic’s ZS3 - the flagship to the TZ series that created the compact ultrazoom market - is epitome of the do-everything, take-anywhere camera. Its huge 12x zoom lens will cover just about any scene you might encounter while traveling, from wildlife or architectural features off in the distance to wide landscapes or huge building interiors. The 25mm wide-angle lens is among the widest available among digital cameras, and will allow you to take pictures of sweeping vistas or large landmarks that simply won’t fit into the frame of most cameras.

The ZS3 features above-average low-light ability. Its image stabilization systems works to reduce camera shake blur for night and indoor situations, and its high ISO mode is decent at freezing motion without too much noise.

If you’re looking to record a few videos on your trip as well, the ZS3 will let you leave the camcorder at home - the ZS3 packs a 1280x720, 60fps video mode (720p60) that does significantly better video than almost any videocamera in this price range or size.

The ZS3 comes in at just 7.3oz and 1.3 inches thick, making it one of the lightest and most compact cameras around, even in the compact ultrazoom category. It can take 300 shots on a single battery charge, which should be good for a few days of travel.

The ZS1 is a lower-end version of the ZS3, missing some of the niceties such as 720p HD video and a 3” LCD screen in exchange for a more affordable sub-$200 price.

In the still photography areas, the ZS1 is just as capable, featuring the same 25-300mm 12x zoom that offers both a large range and fantastic wide-angle capability. High-ISO capability is slightly below that of the ZS3, but it still employs the same image stabilization and is a solid low-light performer.

The ZS1 does video as well, albeit at a lower 848x480, 30fps resolution (still better than most videocameras).

The ZS1 is the same size and weight as the ZS3, making it equally as easy to take around anywhere. The ZS1 can take 320 shots on a single battery charge, which should be good for a few days of travel.

Though widely known in the world of consumer electronics, Samsung is fairly new to the digital camera market, and the HZ10W is Samsung’s first offering in the compact ultrazoom category (along with the higher-end HZ15W, which has a slightly higher pixel count and LCD size - not worth it).

The HZ10W offers a 10x zoom lens, with an incredible 24mm wide-angle lens - currently the widest there is, this side of a DSLR with a specialty lens. If you’re looking to record videos of your travels, the HZ10W has got you covered as well with a 1280x720, 30fps (720p30) HD video mode.

The HZ10W is a decent low-light performer - heavy noise reduction smooths out a lot of detail, even at lower ISOs used in daylight. For still scenes (building interiors or cityscapes, for example), however, the HZ10W uses a dual image stabilization technology that combines the standard lens-based stabilization with a digital-alignment stabilization method that greatly excels at reducing camera shake blur.

It also comes in a fairly small 1.4 inch thick frame, allowing you to easily take the HZ10W just about anywhere. The 270-shot battery life should be good enough to last a short to medium-length trip on one charge.

Though it’s perhaps the most widely-known brand in photography, Canon was late to the compact ultrazoom game, and the SX200 is a camera that plays catch-up to the likes of Panasonic’s ZS3 and ZS1. While the SX200 is bested in areas such as wide-angle capability, high-ISO ability, size, and price, it’s still a good performer in its own right.

Boasting a 28-336mm (12x) lens, the SX200 can cover almost any situation you might come across. With average ISO performance and image stabilization, it’s a competent camera for low light situations. The SX200 can also do 720p30 HD video as well.

It’s a little bulkier and heavier than the ZS models, at 1.5in thick and 7.8 oz, but is still a pocketable camera that can be taken anywhere with ease. The 280-shot battery life should be good enough to last a short to medium-length trip on one charge.