Dave's Picks

The Canon PowerShot G11 is the G10 done better... (more)

The Canon PowerShot G11 is the G10 done better
Giving ear to your most ardent supporters is always a good idea when planning new products, and that's just what Canon did with the Canon PowerShot G11. That change in focus brought back the articulating LCD that was sorely missed by many G-series fans. Canon also took a bold step and reduced the resolution from 14-megapixels to 10, all in an effort to make the Canon G11 a better low-light camera rather than an unnecessarily high-resolution design that struggled to strike a balance between noise and its suppression. Our printed results show that Canon succeeded in reducing chroma (color) noise in the Canon G11's images well enough to produce images of about the same size, but with less noise and less blurring from noise suppression overall. Lens quality is still quite excellent, with minimal chromatic aberration and excellent sharpness in the corners, also likely a result of the switch to a 10-megapixel sensor. The Canon G11 is a joy to use, with its manual EV compensation and ISO dials, articulating LCD, and extremely capable design. Click here to read our Canon PowerShot G11 Review for more on this fine camera. (minimize)

A delightful, versatile digital camera with a long zoom and plenty of charm... (more)

A delightful, versatile digital camera with a long zoom and plenty of charm
Canon's most refined entry into the pocket long-zoom digital camera category, the PowerShot SX200, features a gorgeous 12x zoom ranging from 28-336mm, but slips into a jacket pocket with ease. A big 3-inch LCD leaves no room for an optical viewfinder on the Canon SX200 but at this zoom range it would be woefully inaccurate anyway. Just packed with popular Canon features, the Canon SX200 also sports optical image stabilization, an HD movie mode, and face detection that can track your subjects around the screen even when they turn away from the camera. The usual stack of automatic modes graces the Canon SX200, but you'll be pleased to find Shutter and Aperture priority settings, as well as full Manual exposure modes. The Canon SX200 IS a good take-anywhere digital camera, great for the novice and enthusiast alike and is worth a closer look. Click here for our review of the Canon SX200 IS. (minimize)

With a few neat tricks up its sleeve, the Casio EX-H10 impresses more with its image quality... (more)

With a few neat tricks up its sleeve, the Casio EX-H10 impresses more with its image quality
As 10x zoom digital cameras go, the Casio H10 is pretty slim. It's also feature-rich, as it turns out, with a remarkably unique mode that captures and overlays an animated image on top of a still shot, taking place right inside the Casio H10. With a 3-inch LCD, a 24mm lens, and a good quality 12-megapixel sensor, the Casio H10 competes favorably against other digital cameras in this class, and its image quality at lower ISOs really impresses. A 1,000-shot battery life makes the Casio H10 an even more intriguing digital camera that would be less trouble on long trips. Click here for more on the Casio EX-H10! (minimize)

With the exception of its immediate predecessor the F1, the Casio EX-FH20 is literally a camera like no other... (more)

With the exception of its immediate predecessor the F1, the Casio EX-FH20 is literally a camera like no other
The Casio EX-FH20 opens the dimension of time to photographic exploration to a degree never before accessible to amateurs (or to all but a precious few professionals, for that matter). For so many subjects (sports action, active children, wildlife, candid street photography, to name just a few), having a camera like the Casio FH20 that lets you pick just the right 1/40 second slice of life will result in vastly more "keepers" than could be produced with any other photographic tool out there. And if you really need to get down to the nitty gritty of time and space, the Casio FH20's video modes reaching well into the hundreds of frames/second can provide amazing images and insights. To find this level of time-stopping ability in the same package as a very credible long-zoom digicam, all for under $600 at retail represents an extraordinary bargain. Read our Casio EX-FH20 review for all the details. (minimize)

A digital camera with a small form factor, great Leica lens, and impressive ease of use.... (more)

A digital camera with a small form factor, great Leica lens, and impressive ease of use.
Nearly identical to the FS25, the Panasonic FS15 is slightly smaller, and just as handsome and functional. The Panasonic FS15's improved Intelligent Auto mode, 5x Leica lens ranging from 29-145mm equivalent, and built-in optical image stabilization make it a no-brainer at the low cost. Like its brother, the Panasonic FS15's optical quality is good, and the camera processes out most of the distortion for sharper pictures center-to-corner. Click here to read our review of the Panasonic FS15, a good casual shooter for a low price. (minimize)

A high-quality Leica lens with smart, timesaving automatic features.... (more)

A high-quality Leica lens with smart, timesaving automatic features.
The Panasonic FS25 is a simple, handsome digital camera with an improved Intelligent Auto mode, a 5x Leica lens ranging from 29-145mm equivalent, and built-in optical image stabilization. It differs from the very similar FS15 only in its slightly taller stature and larger, 3-inch LCD. You can let the Panasonic FS25 do the thinking for you by activating Intelligent Auto mode, or navigate a healthy selection of exposure variables and preset Scene modes on your own. The Panasonic FS25's image quality is good, with good color performance as well. Click here for our review of the Panasonic FS25, fine Panasonic quality at a good price. (minimize)

Once again, one of the finest long zoom digital cameras on the market... (more)

Once again, one of the finest long zoom digital cameras on the market
Few long zoom digital cameras are as well-received as the Panasonic FZ line, and that trend continues with the Panasonic FZ35. As we expected, the Panasonic FZ35 is one fine digital camera, with a great lens, good image quality, and more than a few smart features. With a zoom range from 27 to 486mm, the Panasonic Lumix FZ35 will meet just about every need you have on your next outing, and do it in a small package weighing less than a pound. New to the line is HD video capture, allowing up to 1,280 x 720p movie capture, complete with stereo sound. A stack of scene modes, face detection, and several Intelligent exposure modes round out the Panasonic FZ35's features, but it's the relative speed and printed image quality of this digital camera that impressed us so. Click here for our review of the Panasonic Lumix FZ35. (minimize)

Panasonic's first Micro Four Thirds camera is a real winner!... (more)

Panasonic's first Micro Four Thirds camera is a real winner!
Our early impressions of the Panasonic G1 were quite positive, and our subsequent in-depth testing of a full production sample confirmed that it's a really excellent little camera. While it can't quite compete at high ISO shooting with the best DSLRs with larger, APS-C size sensors, we were pleasantly surprised by how good its ISO 1,600 images looked. Color and detail were also very good, and the included SilkyPix RAW processing software can pull incredible detail from the G1's RAW files. We were particularly impressed with the performance of its 14-45mm kit lens; it's one of the best-testing kit lenses we've seen to date. (We suspect Panasonic is using post-processing in the camera to correct for chromatic aberration and distortion, but for JPEG shooters, what you see is what you'll get, and what you get is just excellent.)When we first heard about the Micro Four Thirds concept, were concerned about focusing speed, but the Panasonic G1 tested pretty fast (at 0.4 second, its shutter lag is just slightly slower than that of many entry-level consumer SLR cameras) but the camera felt very responsive in our hands: We never really felt that we were missing shots due to shutter lag. The camera's design and soft-plastic body coating are also incredibly inviting: It just makes you want to pick it up and take pictures with it. All in all, the Panasonic G1 is a really excellent little camera; a very viable alternative for people looking for a smaller yet still capable alternative to carrying an SLR. (minimize)

Pocketable 25-300mm zoom range with no frills and a low price... (more)

Pocketable 25-300mm zoom range with no frills and a low price
The Panasonic ZS1 looks like a simple pocket digicam, but when you turn it on you find a very wide-angle 25mm lens that zooms optically 12 times, out to 300mm equivalent. That makes using the Panasonic ZS1 a pleasant surprise. In terms of optical and sensor quality, the Lumix ZS1 is essentially identical to the very popular and more expensive ZS3, but without a few niceties that you may or may not want (like HD video). If still photography is your only requirement, the Panasonic ZS1 is an excellent choice, and offers VGA and WVGA video as well. The Panasonic ZS1's optical image stabilization is rock solid, and low ISO images print well up to 16x20-inches without sharpening. Click here for our Express Review of the Panasonic Lumix ZS1. (minimize)

A great companion digital camera with a 25-300mm zoom that fits in a pocket... (more)

A great companion digital camera with a 25-300mm zoom that fits in a pocket
Panasonic practically created the pocket long-zoom digital camera category represented by the Lumix ZS3, and they continue to perfect it. Its 12x zoom and simple design will win you over right away, and the performance from its 10.1-megapixel sensor will make you want to take the Panasonic ZS3 along wherever you go. It's hard not to love a digital camera that takes you from a very wide 25mm out to 300mm, yet stashes in a medium-size pocket. Image stabilization makes the package even more compelling. Click here to read our Express Review of the Panasonic ZS3 to see how it measures up in image quality. (minimize)

Unique slim touchscreen with WiFi offers large storage, impressive connectivity... (more)

Unique slim touchscreen with WiFi offers large storage, impressive connectivity
Few WiFi digital cameras have everything we like to see in terms of image quality, usability, and functionality, but the Sony Cyber-shot G3 was a pleasant surprise. Slide the body open and you're wowed by the slick Sony engineering as the two shells click into their open position. On comes the wide, 3.5-inch LCD, displaying 921,000 dots, for smooth image framing and even smoother image playback. The Sony G3's onscreen buttons will have you navigating the G3 in no time; even uploading your images wirelessly from your digital camera to the service or computer of your choice. As for storage, you get 4GB built in, enough room to carry tons of images that you've shot over the years, syncing them from your computer into the Sony G3, making it a mobile photo viewer as well. Its 10.1-megapixel imager allows output of detailed 11x14-inch prints at the lower ISO settings, and even ISO 400 images are good at 8x10. Other features include a 4x optical zoom, sensitivity from ISO 80 to 3,200, Face detection, and Intelligent scene recognition. Using the Sony G3 is quite an experience. Click here for our review of the Sony Cyber-shot G3 for more on the finest WiFi digital camera we've seen to date. (minimize)

An affordable, pocketable, EASY digital camera from Sony... (more)

An affordable, pocketable, EASY digital camera from Sony
The entry-level model of their W-series digital cameras, the Sony W220 is a camera that grew on me the more I used it. I'm no fan of Sony's menu system, but once you're used to it, works well enough. When it comes to picture-taking, the Sony W220 does just fine. Like a lot of digital cameras today, the W220 is a result of the megapixel race: 12 megapixels in a consumer digital camera is just silly. Fortunately, at reasonable print sizes, output from the Sony W220 looks quite nice, despite the tiny pixels. Its "Easy" mode also delivers what many consumers want most in a camera: True "point & shoot" operation, able to capture good-looking shots under a wide range of conditions, with zero user input to determine settings, modes, etc. This makes the DSC-W220 a great digital camera for novices. The Sony W220 has its share of foibles (softness and chromatic aberration in the corners of the frame, for one), but at the end of the day, it proved itself well able to handle a lot of what the typical consumer will throw at it. Click the price link above to shop for the best price on a Cyber-shot W220, or check out our Sony W220 review for more details! (minimize)