Along with its longer-than-average zoom lens, the WX10's scene modes and special features are what elevate it from "just another ultracompact camera" to "significantly more interesting than most ultracompact cameras."

The fun extras start with a few modes that you can find in other Sony point-and-shoots: , , Background Defocus, and HDR Backlight Correction. In Sweep Panorama mode, you can take an instantly-stitched-together panorama just by pressing the shutter button and panning the camera from side to side. It's especially effective when you hold the camera vertically while using the mode: That results in a 16:9 image that fills up the screen when you view it on an HDTV, and you don't have to pan a full 220 degrees to complete your shot.

Handheld Twilight, Background Defocus, and HDR Backlight Correction modes all employ similar tactics to grab better-looking shots in tricky situations. They're bracketing modes at heart: Handheld Twilight fires up to six shots in rapid succession at different exposure levels, Background Defocus simulates a focus-bracketing mode to make foreground subjects crisp and background objects blurry, and HDR Backlight Correction enhances visibility of foreground subjects by overexposing them a bit while underexposing brighter backgrounds.

In addition to a 10-frames-per-second burst mode at full resolution, you get a handful of that are limited to still images only. Along with , which require panning the camera from side to side while taking a shot, the WX10 has a new 3D Still Image option, which allows you to snap 3D images as you would normal photos. The camera takes two shots in rapid succession, and then combines them into a single .mpo image that you can view on a 3D TV set if you connect the camera via HDMI. You need a 3D TV to view the output from the 3D Sweep Panorama and 3D Still Image modes correctly, but you can view Sweep Multi-Angle shots in a simulated three dimensions by tilting the camera back and forth during image playback.

The WX10 also records 1080i high-definition video at 60 fps, which is a faster frame rate than most cameras offer, ultracompact or otherwise. Even though its video looks a bit smoother than usual, we have seen better overall video quality from competing cameras. For the camera's size, however, the WX10 packs in an impressive arsenal of shooting modes.