Best Superzoom Cameras

Superzoom Cameras

 
Nikon COOLPIX P510 16.1 MP

$396.95
The Nikon Coolpix P510 manages to squeeze a 42x zoom lens into a body that's larger than a point-and-shoot, but much smaller than any SLR. A sharp lens, built-in GPS, and HD video capture round out the package, and are enough to make it our Editors' Choice full-size superzoom. Read Nikon COOLPIX P510 16.1 MP Review ››

---

 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V 18.2 MP

$378.00
With its Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V, Sony packs a long 20x zoom lens, Wi-Fi, and GPS into one decidedly svelte camera. It's one of the more expensive compact superzoom models you'll find, but all those features along with high performance warrant the price. Read Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX30V Review ››

---

Rugged/Waterproof Cameras

Olympus Tough TG-820 iHS

$259.95

The Olympus Tough TG-1 iHS would be a very good camera even without a tough, waterproof build. Its go-anywhere design, GPS, fast f/2 lens, and impressive high ISO performance make it our Editors' Choice for ruggedized point-and-shoot cameras. Read Olympus Tough TG-820 iHS Review››

Best Compact Interchangeable-Lens Cameras

Olympus OM-D E-M5

$1,299.99 direct with 12-50mm lens
The Olympus OM-D E-M5 is the best Micro Four Thirds camera we've tested. It's got a top-notch stabilization system, is fully weather sealed, can shoot in all types of light, and ships with a sharp and versatile kit lens. Add it all up, and you have our new Editors' Choice for high-end compact interchangeable lens cameras. Read Olympus OM-D E-M5 Review ››

---

Sony NEX-F3

$599.99 direct with 18-55mm lens
The Sony Alpha NEX-F3 is a worthy successor to the Editors' Choice NEX-C3. The latest iteration impresses with superb image quality, even at very high ISO settings, and you get a deeper handgrip, built-in flash, and support for an optional EVF. Read Sony NEX-F3 Review ››

Best Digital SLRs Camera

Nikon D4

$5,999.95 list, body only

The Nikon D4 is a pro shooter's dream, with controls galore, and a big, bright optical viewfinder. This fully loaded full-frame D-SLR rattles off shots at a quick 10 frames per second, but all of this comes with a rather high sticker price and a steep learning curve. Read Nikon D4 review ››

---

Nikon D5100 16.2MP CMOS Digital SLR

$646.95
The Nikon D5100 offers a fantastic mix of still-image and video-recording quality, along with plenty of features including top-notch in-camera effects. This well-rounded shooter is an easy Editors' Choice for under-$1,000 D-SLRs. Read Nikon D5100 Review››

---

 
Sony Alpha 77 (SLT-A77VQ)

$1,999.99 direct with 16-50mm lens

The Sony Alpha 77 pumps out 24-megapixel stills at 10.3 frames per second and records 1080p60 video with continuous autofocus. A sharp f/2.8 kit lens, Solid low-light performance, a high-quality OLED EVF, and GPS capability are the icing on the cake. Read Sony Alpha 77 (SLT-A77VQ) Review ››

Best Point-and-Shoot Cameras

Point-and-Shoot Cameras

Canon PowerShot S100

$363.95

The Canon PowerShot S100 is a worthy successor to our previous Editors' Choice high-end point-and-shoot camera, the PowerShot S95. It adds a longer zoom lens and GPS, and improves on the S95's image quality and performance. Read Canon PowerShot S100 review ››

---

 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX150

$248.00
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX150 is a svelte point-and-shoot with a long 10x zoom lens. It can slip into your pocket and capture sharp images in all kinds of light—a rare feat for a compact model, making it our top choice for midrange point-and-shoot cameras. Read Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX150 review ››

Camera with excellent image quality

Sony's New Alpha NEX-5R

Sony's Alpha NEX-5N impressed us last year with its svelte body, excellent image quality, touch-screen LCD, and support for an optional EVF. Its successor, the NEX-5R, is in many ways the same camera, with a few noticeable internal improvements—notably a faster autofocus system and built-in Wi-Fi.

The 16-megapixel sensor now has 99 phase-detection autofocus points in addition to the standard 25 contrast-detection points. This allows the camera to focus faster, and to better track objects. It equals the 10 frame per second shooting of the NEX-5N, but is now able to do so with tracking autofocus, whereas the 5N was limited to a single AF lock at that speed.

Camera with the best Zoom

 

It measures 3.8 by 3.1 inches (HD) and weighs just over a pound, which is fairly typical for an 18-135mm design. It's at its shortest at 18mm, and the barrel extends as you zoom. The front element doesn't rotate when zooming or focusing, so using a 67mm circular polarizer is no problem.

Camera with best predecessor and adds Wi-Fi

Sony's New Alpha NEX-5R

 

Sony's Alpha NEX-5N impressed us last year with its svelte body, excellent image quality, touch-screen LCD, and support for an optional EVF. Its successor, the NEX-5R, is in many ways the same camera, with a few noticeable internal improvements—notably a faster autofocus system and built-in Wi-Fi.

Samsung Galaxy Camera

Samsung had not one, but three big reveals tonight at its Unpacked event here at IFA. In addition to the much-publicized Samsung Galaxy Note II, the Korean manufacturer also took the wraps off some new Windows 8 devices, as well as the Galaxy Camera.

The Galaxy Camera basically looks as though Samsung took a point-and-shoot device and slapped a smartphone on the back. From the front? Normal camera. But turn it over and there's a 4.8-inch display that is now commonly found on many Android-based smartphones. It takes up almost all of the Galaxy Camera's back panel, but given that the device is touch-based, there's no need for extra buttons. All the bells and whistles are inside, courtesy of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.

Camera with the smallest lens

Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM

 

At just 0.9 by 2.7 inches (HD) and 4.6 ounces, the EF 40mm is one of the smallest autofocus lenses you'll find that can provide full-frame image coverage. The Pentax DA 40mm f/2.8 Limited, the kit lens for the K-01 $792.95 at Abe's of Maine mirrorless camera, is smaller, but only covers an APS-C image circle. It uses 52mm filters and has a focus-by-wire design—there's no physical connection between the focus ring and the lens barrel, so moving it when the lens is set to manual focus simply causes the STM focus motor to adjust the focus. If you usually live in autofocus mode this won't be an issue, but it doesn't have the same tactile feel as lenses where there is a physical connection for manual focus.

• Pros Extremely compact. Very sharp. Minimal distortion. Inexpensive. STM focus motor.
• Cons Focus-by-wire design. Modest f/2.8 aperture.
• Bottom Line The Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM barely juts out from your camera, but is capable of capturing some impressive images. 

I used Imatest to check the performance of the lens when paired with the full-frame EOS-1Ds Mark III $5,999.00 at Amazon Marketplace D-SLR. Even at its maximum aperture the sharpness is well in excess of the 1,800 lines per picture height that denote a sharp image. At f/2.8 it records 2,247 lines, and its sharpness increases incrementally as you stop

Fast autofocus camera, Canon EOS Rebel T4i

The Canon EOS Rebel T4i ($849)  is the successor to the Rebel T3i $899.95 at Journey Ed, a camera that suffered from very slow autofocus in Live View mode. The T4i does a much better job, especially when used with Canon's latest STM lenses. It's not without its flaws, the most glaring of which is the small pentamirror optical viewfinder. The 18-megapixel shooter doesn't manage to oust the Nikon D5100 as our Choice for digital SLRs under $1,000, but it may be better camera if you're more focused on video performance.

Design and Features
About standard when compared to other D-SLRs in its class, the T4i measures 3.9 by 5.2 by 3.1 inches and weighs 1.1 pounds without a lens. Even though the competing Pentax K-30 is a smidge smaller at 3.8 by 5.1 by 2.8 inches, it's heavier at 1.4 pounds. This is due in part to its solid glass pentaprism viewfinder, which is larger and brighter than the pentamirror found in the T4i. If you're used to using the rear LCD of a point-and-shoot to frame the size of the viewfinder it may not bother you, but users who are accustomed to the large finders in older 35mm SLRs will likely find it lacking.

Experienced shooters demand a camera that provides easy access to shooting settings. The camera's Mode Dial, which sits next to its power switch, gives you access to a number of scene modes, which configure the camera to shoot sports, landscapes, and macro images, among others. The dial also lets you use Automatic, Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual shooting modes. The T4i's control layout works, although it does feature only one control dial. You'll need to move up to the EOS 60D  to get dual dials; the Pentax K-30 is one of the few mid-range SLRs with two control dials. There are control buttons to adjust ISO, White Balance, the Drive mode, Exposure Compensation, Autofocus mode, Exposure Lock, and Autofocus Point.

There's also a Q button, which allows you to adjust many of the same settings, along with the Metering mode, from the rear LCD. You can use the physical controls to navigate, or touch the screen to change settings. The display itself is extremely sharp and bright, thanks to a 1,040k-dot resolution. It's housed on an articulating arm, so you can view it from above, behind, or face it forward for self portraits.
 

Canon PowerShot A1300IS Pocket Camera with 5x Digital Image Stabilized Zoom and HD Video Recording

This is a grab-and-go camera, it needs to be ready at a moment's notice. AA cells are great for that. And it's the camera our 10 year old will use and he's not at all good about keeping his electronic gizmoz charged, so the AA feature is a plus there. I also like the optical view finder. Holding a camera at arm's length is the norm, but heads are fairly steady, so the camera is also quite steady when used with the optical finder. It's a simple tunnel, but it is accurate and simple. I also kept in mind the fact that this is a camera in the $100 price range and there is no reason to expect lens quality, flash range, manual control or any other feature to be equal to a camera in the $200 or higher price range. So we shopped and ordered from Amazon.

GoPro HD HERO2: Motorsports Edition Camera

GoPro HD HERO2: Motorsports Edition

If you've used the original Hero, this updated version will be a real treat. The menu is so much easier to navigate - no more obtuse codes to decipher. You can use the camera without ever looking at the user manual. Other improvements include LED's on top and bottom (as well as the front,) a more informative display, higher resolution for still images - this of course includes time lapse, and a 10 photo burst mode (the camera takes a few moments to store these out.)

If you're new to the Hero line, this beats the pants of any competitor. The vast array of mounting options, both from GoPro and third party vendors make mounting this puppy anywhere a breeze. The fact that it uses SD cards (class 4 or above) keeps the cost down. and the tons of options make this a no-brainer. There's a Streaming video back being released shortly - yes - streaming video! You can add extra power using the USP port and any generic power supply (Aluratek, Belkin, or Tekkeon) for those really long shoots. The affordable replacement housing and parts are another big plus. I've seen this thing survive being tossed from a go-cart doing 50mph (It needed a new housing, but the camera was undamaged) and being knocked off a ski-helmet and tumbling down a rocky mountain face.

Panasonic Lumix TZ30, Adventurers Camera With Long Zoom

Not everyone likes to bring the current DSLR cameras traveled up or on vacation. In addition to weight, the necessity to take the lens with a wide range too troublesome.
For those of you who like a vacation but lazy carry large and heavy camera, there is a pocket digital camera with an interesting concept from Panasonic: Lumix camera line-TZ series. Even the name itself is short TZ Traveller Zoom.

Nikon Coolpix S800c, Tiny superzoom With Android

After mobile phones and tablet computers, the operating system Android is now venturing into the digital camera. Nikon COOLPIX S800c is the first compact cameras from Nikon that uses the Android operating system.

As a camera, S800c NIKKOR lens is equipped with a 10x optical zoom (25-250mm) and technology VR (Vibration Reduction) to produce images and HD video is sharp and not blurred. CMOS sensor BSI (Backside Illuminated) 16 MP and EXPEED C2 processor is ready to provide the images and the best video. S800c can also record Full HD 1080p video with stereo sound. Settings can be made using OLED touch screen measuring 3.5 inches. There is also an integrated GPS to mark the location in the photos and video.