Recommended digital cameras
There are hundreds of digital cameras available at many different types of retail outlets (online and in traditional stores), with prices ranging from $75 to several thousand dollars. (For more information on choosing the right point-and-shoot or digital SLR, see our Digital Camera Buying Guide.) Whatever your gift-giving needs, you're bound to find a good model at the right price in our digital camera Ratings (available to subscribers). Among the hundreds of cameras we've tested this year, consider:
- Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T77, $300
This subcompact, a successor to a model previously listed in our Recommended point-and-shoot digital cameras (available to subscribers), features a 4x optical zoom and 10 megapixels, compared with its sibling, the T70 (listed below), $230, which has a 3x optical zoom and 7 megapixels. It has a 3-inch touch screen but no viewfinder. Sony claims that the smile recognition is easier to use than the one on the T70. It also says that if the subject blinks, the face detection can alert you or, in some cases, take extra shots so that you have a chance to get one with the eyes open.
- Canon PowerShot SX110 IS, $300
This superzoom is a worthy successor to the discontinued-and previously recommended-SX100 IS. It has more megapixels, a 3-inch LCD, and a scroll wheel for navigating menus. It's relatively compact, but it has no viewfinder.
These previously tested models are also worth considering:
- Samsung L210, $150
- Pentax Optio M50, $130
- Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS, $180
- Casio Exilim Card EX-S10, $220
- Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T70, $230
- Canon PowerShot A590 IS, $140, CR Best Buy
- Canon PowerShot A470, $120
- Fujifilm FinePix F100fd, $300
- Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W170, $260
- Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Elph, $280
- Kodak EasyShare Z1012 IS, $240
- Pentax K200D, $600 (body only)
- Canon EOS Rebel XSi, $650
- Canon EOS 40D Digital, $1,190 (body only), CR Best Buy
Check CR's Electronics Blog for the latest information about digital cameras and digital SLRs.
