Ricoh Caplio R6

I have been trying to find a compact, point-and-shoot camera with big zoom for some time now. To me, the critical issue is size. Any camera that can't be comfortably put in my jeans front pocket is a no-no.

As can be expected, this leaves me with very few choices. Super-zoom cameras are usually huge, and small cameras with big zoom usually receive poor reviews. From web research, I sort of decided that the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 would be the one for me. It has a 10X zoom and reasonably small dimensions.

But when I got hold of one in my hands, I realised that it wouldn't be my choice. Yes, I can put it in my jeans front pocket. But walking around with this bulky thing wouldn't be too comfortable.

Finally, I bought the Ricoh Caplio R6, which is a very small camera with a 7X zoom. I'll be using it as my main camera for the Italy trip.