Since you found this page you're probably
trying to find the right digital camera. To help you
with your shopping, I've put a list of my favorite
cameras on this page. Keep in mind these are only cameras
I've reviewed, so it's not a complete list. This is
as close as you're going to get to a specific recommendation
from me, so enjoy!
Those of you who follow this page
may notice that cameras "fall off the list".
This isn't because they suddenly became bad cameras.
Rather, it's usually because the camera is no longer
available in stores. To see a list of those cameras,
check out our Hall
of Fame. For more help in choosing a
camera, please visit our forums.
Please do not e-mail me asking for a recommendation!
The PowerShot ELPH 100 HS continues Canon's tradition of offering very good entry-level cameras. This latest ELPH retains the compact and stylish design of its predecessor, and adds a new "high sensitivity system", which gives it slightly better high ISO performance than other compact cameras. Other features include a 4X (28 - 140 mm) zoom lens, optical image stabilization, a 3-inch LCD display, and plenty of point-and-shoot features. The ELPH 100 HS also records Full HD video, though don't expect it to replace your camcorder. Other issues include slightly noisy images at low ISOs, a weak flash, and a few design annoyances.
While we'd love to have more cameras listed in this price range, we are limited to reviewing products that our readers are most interested in, which are a bit more expensive. You can get a general idea about what brands to are worth looking at by seeing which of their more expensive models we recommend.
The PowerShot S100 improves upon its predecessor in several ways. Its switch to a CMOS sensor allows for fast continuous shooting and Full HD movie recording. The lens has been bumped from 28 - 105 to 24 - 120 mm. And it now has a built-in GPS! That's on top of all the things that made the S95 great, which include its fast lens, manual controls, customizable buttons and lens ring, beautiful 3-inch LCD, and professional-looking, compact body. Photo quality is very good, with a full stop noise advantage over your typical compact. Downsides include highlight clipping and redeye, choppy videos, below average battery life, and a slow maximum aperture at the telephoto end of the lens.
The Lumix DMC-FZ47 is a midrange super zoom camera. It features a nice 24X, 25 - 600 mm Leica lens, which covers virtually every shooting situation imaginable. Other features include optical image stabilization (of course), full manual controls plus the best auto mode in the business, lots of scene modes and special effects, and Full HD video recording with stereo sound. Downsides are few, and include somewhat noisy images, color cast issues in artificial light, the lack of RAW support, and a few bundle annoyances.
The PowerShot G12 is a relatively minor upgrade to the popular PowerShot G11 from 2009. New features include an improved image stabilization system, a front control dial, 720p video recording (albeit at 24 fps), faster continuous shooting, and a new HDR mode. What hasn't changed? The G12's 5X, 28 - 140 mm lens, rotating 2.8" LCD, full manual controls, and impressive photo quality. Downsides include the lack of optical zoom in movie mode, a somewhat cluttered control layout, the ability to see the lens through the optical viewfinder at wide-angle, and the fact that the manual is now in PDF format.
The DMC-FZ150 shares a lot in common with its little brother, the FZ47. That includes a 24X zoom lens with image stabilization, a 3-inch LCD display and electronic viewfinder, a great auto mode as well as manual controls, and Full HD video recording. What makes the FZ150 more impressive than the FZ47 is the fact that its LCD flips to the side and rotate, its movies are recorded at 1080/60p, and it offers both a hot shoe and external mic input. It also offers support for the RAW image format, and can shoot continuously at 12 frames/second. Downsides are similar to those of the FZ47: highlight clipping and color casts (in artificial lighting) in your photos, a so-so EVF, and the fact that the full manual is on a CD-ROM.
The Lumix DMC-LX5 is the follow-up to one of the most popular low light cameras on the market (the LX3). It features a high sensitivity 10 Megapixel CCD, a fast F2.0-3.3, 24 - 90 mm lens, optical image stabilization, a beautiful 3-inch LCD display, full manual controls (plus a do-everything Intelligent Auto mode), 720p video recording, and tons of optional extras. What needs improvement? The LX5's JPEG quality could be better (when compared to RAW), there's some mild corner blurring, highlight clipping, and purple fringing, the burst mode is nothing to write home about, its controls are a bit cluttered, and the full manual is in PDF format.
The Rebel T3i isn't a huge upgrade over the T2i that came before it, but it brings a highly desirable feature to Canon's entry-level line-up: a flip-out, rotating LCD display. This is also one of the nicest screens you'll find on a D-SLR, with 1.04 million pixels. Other nice things on the T3i include very good photo quality (especially with lenses other than what comes in the box), generally fast performance, plenty of manual controls (plus some handy auto modes), and Full HD video recording. Negatives include somewhat soft images (mainly due to the kit lenses), redeye, slow contrast detect AF in live view mode, and below average battery life.
You might think that Nikon's entry-level digital SLR is devoid of modern features, but quite the opposite -- it's fully loaded. You get a 14 Megapixel CMOS sensor with great high ISO performance, responsive performance (in most cases), a large (but not terribly sharp) LCD, manual controls plus the most user-friendly interface you'll find, and Full HD movie capability. It is missing a few things, such as bracketing and support for autofocus on older Nikkor lenses. Other negatives include very slow autofocus in live view mode, soft photos, a so-so movie mode, and a relatively lousy bundle. Despite its flaws, the D3100 offers a lot of bang for the buck.
The E-PL3 is essentially a more compact version of the higher-end E-P3 that's listed further down this page. It shares the same 12.3 Megapixel Live MOS sensor, Micro Four Thirds lens mount, super-fast AF system, Full HD movie mode, and expandability of its more expensive sibling. Other features include a tilting 3-inch LCD display, sensor-shift image stabilization, plenty of manual and automatic controls, fun Art Filters, and fast continuous shooting. Downsides include some visible noise at the base ISO, the lack of a built-in flash (a small external one is included), so-so low light focusing, and a few design annoyances.
The Lumix DMC-G3 is a compact, SLR-styled interchangeable lens camera that replaces the DMC-G2. New features include an even smaller body, a new 16 Megapixel sensor, faster autofocus performance, enhanced touchscreen functionality and Full HD video recording. The G3 retains the rotating 3-inch touchscreen of its predecessor, and offers a fancy Intelligent Auto mode and full manual controls. The G3's photo quality was good, though slightly soft and underexposed at default settings. Noise levels are low until you reach the highest sensitivities. The G3's flash is on the weak side, battery life is below average, and I don't care for how Panasonic axed the EVF eye sensor and external mic input.
The Pentax K-r offers more bang for the buck than any other entry-level digital SLR on the market. It offers very good photo quality, above average performance, tons of features (including lots of custom functions), special effects galore, 720p movie recording, and support for both lithium-ion and AA batteries (though you'll need a $35 accessory for the latter). Downsides include frequent underexposure and highlight clipping, the lack of continuous AF or manual controls in movie mode, and occasional redeye.
The Nikon D5100 is an impressive "premium" entry-level camera. It features a 16.2 Megapixel CMOS sensor, a 3-inch LCD that flips to the side and rotates (a big improvement from the flip-down display on the D5000), plenty of manual controls, several fun special effects, and Full HD movie recording. Performance is very good, except in live view mode, where you to deal with sluggish contrast detect autofocus. The D5100's photo quality is very good, even at ISOs. The only real issues were softness (due to the kit lens, most likely) and brownish color casts in artificial light. Some other things I didn't care for were the slow and noisy focusing in movie mode, a few poorly located controls, and the fact that only recent Nikon lenses will support autofocus.
The Olympus E-P3 is a rangefinder-style interchangeable lens camera that uses the Micro Four Thirds standard. Its 12.3 Megapixel Live MOS sensor produces very good photo quality, and the built-in image stabilizer reduces the risk of blurry photos. Other features include a beautiful 3-inch touchscreen OLED display, super fast autofocus, tons of manual controls, customizable buttons, and Full HD video recording. Oh, and unlike its predecessors, the E-P3 has a built-in flash! Beginners need not be intimidated, either, as the camera has an easy-to-use Auto mode. Downsides include some mild detail loss at low ISOs, difficulty viewing the OLED screen outdoors, and low light focusing that's just okay.
The Lumix DMC-GH2 is Panasonic's top-of-the-line Micro Four Thirds camera. It may look and operate a lot like the DMC-G2, but Panasonic has thrown in a 16 Megapixel Live MOS sensor, faster autofocus performance and continuous shooting, a wider ISO range, and 1080/60i video recording with full-time AF and manual controls. Photo quality was good, though the GH2 suffers from the same underexposure, highlight clipping, and redeye problems as its siblings. Those with a sharp eye may notice some artifacting at the Full HD video setting, as well. Even so, if you want a true hybrid interchangeable lens camera, the GH2 is one of the best.
It may look like a regular digital SLR, but the Sony Alpha SLT-A55 is anything but. Thanks to its unique translucent mirror design, the A55 is capable of continuous shooting at 10 frames/second (while focusing between each photo!), recording Full HD video with continuous AF, and offering fast autofocus in live view. Other niceties include very good 16 Megapixel photos, sensor-shift image stabilization, a beautiful 3-inch rotating LCD and large electronic viewfinder (no optical viewfinder here!), and lots of cool point-and-shoot features (don't worry, it has manual controls too). That said, the camera does tend to overexpose, the widescreen LCD isn't suited for still photos (which are taken at 3:2), the EVF has a strong rainbow effect, and movie recording time drops dramatically if you have image stabilization turned on.
The 5D Mark II isn't just a full-frame
digital SLR -- it's also capable of recording
Full HD video, as well. Since its full
frame, you can use any Canon EF-mount lens
that you want, with no focal length conversion
ratio to deal with. The camera isn't made
for beginners -- you won't find any scene
modes here. What you will find are full
manual controls for every possible camera
function. The 5D's movie feature lets your
record 1080p video with full manual control (via
a recent firmware update). As you'd expect
from a camera in this price range, both photo
and video quality are stellar.
The EOS-7D is sort of a hybrid between
the EOS-50D and the EOS-5D Mark II. You
get the size and APS-C sensor of the 50D,
with the high end features and Full HD
movie mode of the 5D. It has great build
quality, super-fast performance, a large,
unique optical viewfinder, and a very customizable
interface. Photo quality is excellent for
the most part, though the camera does tend
to overexpose a bit, and it clips highlights
more than I'd like. Despite a very short
list of flaws, the EOS-7D is a top-notch
digital SLR that should not be passed up.
In most respects, the EOS-60D is an impressive upgrade from the 50D that came before it. It offers an 18 Megapixel CMOS sensor that produces very good photo quality, though you'll want to use a decent quality lens for best results. The camera also features a high resolution 3-inch LCD display that can flip to the side and rotate, plus a good-sized optical viewfinder. There are plenty of manual controls to be found (including three RAW sizes), 5 fps continuous shooting, an electronic level, wireless flash control, and Full HD movie recording. Downsides include a plastic body (versus metal on the 50D), some highlight clipping and redeye, mediocre kit lenses, and sluggish contrast detect autofocus in live view mode (though other options are available).
Not to be confused with the D700 above, the Nikon D7000 is a full-featured digital SLR with an APS-C-size (DX format) sensor. The D7000 is loaded with features, which include a solid, partially-sealed body, a beautiful 3-inch LCD and large optical viewfinder, tons of manual controls, superb performance, an electronic level, and Full HD video recording. Photo quality is very good, though the camera tends to overexpose. Despite that, and a few minor flaws, the D7000 is an impressive camera in the midrange D-SLR space.
Sony Alpha NEX-7 Specs | Review | Compare Prices | Buy from Amazon.com
The NEX-7 is a premium interchangeable lens camera that doesn't skimp on features. It has a whopping 24 Megapixel APS-C sensor, an articulating, high-res 3-inch LCD, and a beautiful OLED electronic viewfinder -- all in a relatively compact package. Being a "NEX", the camera uses Sony's relatively new E-mount lenses, though it supports classic A-mount lenses as well via an optional adapter. The camera is loaded with features, including sweep panorama, HDR, anti motion blur, and full manual controls. It performs well in all respects, has a nice burst mode, and better than average battery life. Photo quality is very good, even at high ISOs where you wouldn't expect it. The camera is also capable of recording Full HD video at either 60i or 60p, with stereo sound and continuous AF. It's not the cheapest camera, but it's arguably one of the best ILC's out there.
