CES 2013 preview: What's ahead for cameras and camcorders

Lots of people taking photos and videos with their smart phones, but that doesn't mean cameras are going anywhere. They are evolving, however, and we expect to see innovative new models on display at CES in January.

Some digital cameras are including smart-phone-like features and interfaces. The Nikon Coolpix S800c, the first Android camera, lets you download apps, edit photos on camera, and post them directly to social networking sites. The Samsung Galaxy camera takes it a step further, by including 3G and 4G connectivity. And it has a huge 4.8-inch LCD, great for editing pictures.

We're also now seeing Wi-Fi on advanced cameras, particularly on mirrorless, SLR-like models, such as Sony's NEX-5R, which will be at CES. Wi-Fi does have a downside, though; it can drain batteries quickly. We hope to see Wi-Fi cameras that are more efficient.

We'll also expect to see cameras with much longer zooms, like the Canon PowerShot SX50, which has 50x zoom. That's long enough to take a photo of the moon, and see the craters!

The camcorder market has been hit hard since so many people are shooting video on their smart phones. But one category, sports camcorders, is picking up the slack; these can go places you wouldn't want to take a smart phone. And advanced cameras, including SLRs, are improving their video too.

Visit our CES 2013 page at ConsumerReports.org for all our coverage.

—Terry Sullivan