Canon PowerShot SD1300 IS Digital ELPH
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The PowerShot SD1300, like its predecessors, is a top choice in the entry-level category. It has a sleek, metal body, a good (but not over-the-top) feature set, above average performance, and very good photo quality. It features a 4X, 28 - 112 mm lens with optical image stabilization, a 2.7" LCD display with good outdoor and low light visibility, auto scene selection, and a VGA movie mode. Downsides include corner blurring and highlight clipping and a few flimsy plastic parts.

Pentax Optio H90
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The Optio H90 is a uniquely styled camera with a 5X, 28 - 140 mm zoom, 2.7" LCD display, 720p movie mode, and a boatload of point-and-shoot features (it even has a few manual controls). Some of these features include auto scene selection, face/smile/blink detection, numerous special effects, and shadow/highlight improvement. Downsides include the lack of optical image stabilization, flimsy plastic parts, a poorly located I/O port, and so-so night shot and redeye test performance.

Canon PowerShot SX10 IS
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When a 12X zoom lens just isn't enough, there's the PowerShot SX10 IS. It packs a whopping 20X, 28 - 560 mm lens, which covers virtually any shooting situation that may come up. Other features include a 10 Megapixel CCD, image stabilization, a rotating LCD, full manual controls, and a nice VGA movie mode. Battery life is excellent when the camera is equipped with NiMH rechargeables, as well. Images do suffer from noise reduction artifacting as the ISO climbs, especially in low light. The SX10 also could do better in the low light focusing department, and the lack of an HD movie mode and RAW image format is disappointing.

Note: This camera has since been replaced by the PowerShot SX20 IS.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35
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The DMC-FZ35 is the long-awaited replacement to Panasonic's popular FZ28 super zoom camera. The FZ35 is what I call a "hybrid" product, capable of taking high quality stills as well as HD videos. It has the usual Panasonic suite of point-and-shoot features, including image stabilization, Intelligent Auto mode, responsive performance, and very good battery life. The FZ35 also has a nice set of manual controls, and it supports the RAW image format. The camera also supports HD movie recording, though the AVCHD Lite codec isn't easy to work with (though M-JPEG is available too). You can use the zoom lens and image stabilization while recording a video, and sound is recorded in stereo. The FZ35 isn't perfect, though: images are a bit noisy, the LCD and EVF are neither large nor sharp, and the AF-assist lamp is easy to block -- to name a few things.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7
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The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 (known in some countries as the TZ1) builds on what made the ZS3/TZ7 so great, and makes it even better -- for the most part. You get a better image stabilization system, manual controls, faster autofocus, improved sharpening, and a built-in GPS with a database of half million landmarks. That's on top of the 25 - 300 mm Leica lens, 3-inch ultra-sharp LCD, handy Intelligent Auto mode, and HD movie mode that it inherited from the ZS3. The bad news is that the increase in resolution has lowered the image quality, especially once the ISO starts to climb. It's definitely not great for low light shooting, but for travel and everyday photos, it's still a good choice.

Canon PowerShot G11
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The PowerShot G11 is Canon's flagship fixed-lens camera. It offers very good photo quality (with better than average low light performance), a full suite of manual controls, a rotating, high resolution LCD display, snappy performance, and very good battery life. The G11 is also quite expandable, with support for a teleconverter lens, external flash, and remote shutter release cable. Downsides include cluttered controls, disappointing continuous shooting and movie modes, and the departure of handy features that were on previous models.

Olympus E-620
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The E-620 takes nearly all of the features from the more expensive Olympus E-30, and puts them into a compact body. Those features include a 12.3 Megapixel Live MOS sensor, image stabilization (for all lenses), a rotating 2.7" LCD display, live view (with lots of bells and whistles), art filters, and support for a battery grip. The E-620 has plenty of manual controls, including four types of bracketing, RAW support, and the ability to fine-tune things like white balance, metering, and focus. The E-620 is also the only D-SLR to feature backlit buttons. Downsides include the tendency to underexpose and clip highlights, a bit more noisy than the best D-SLRs in this class, sluggish contrast detect AF in live view mode, and a small optical viewfinder.

Olympus E-PL1
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The E-PL1 is Olympus' consumer-level Micro Four Thirds camera. In many ways, it's better than its more expensive siblings. It features a 12 Megapixel Live MOS sensor, live view on a 2.7" LCD display, lots of point-and-shoot features (plus manual controls), and HD movie recording. And did I mention the built-in flash -- something that the E-P1 and E-P2 don't have. Downsides include the camera's tendency to clip highlights, slow autofocus speeds, a weak flash, and a few movie mode annoyances. Despite that, it's a worthy interchangeable lens camera.

Pentax K-x
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The Pentax K-x is an inexpensive digital SLR that doesn't skimp on features (well, except for one). It's compact, well-designed, and easy to use. Photo quality is very good -- especially at high ISOs -- though the camera does tend to clip highlights at times. The K-x also features sensor-shift image stabilization, tons of manual controls and custom functions, a great burst mode, and a 720p movie mode. And did I mention that it uses AA batteries? Downsides include the lack of focus point illumination in the viewfinder, so-so LCD quality, and a dated user interface.

Canon EOS-50D
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The EOS-50D is a fairly minor update to the very popular EOS-40D. Highlights include a 15.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor, support for EF and EF-S lenses, a super high resolution 3-inch LCD display, full manual controls, three different RAW sites, and very good performance. The 50D's noise performance is top-notch, as are its continuous shooting abilities. Downsides include the 50D's occasional highlight clipping, and overall soft look to its images.

Canon EOS Rebel T2i
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While the EOS Rebel T2i isn't the cheapest entry-level D-SLR on the market, it's certainly one of the best. Packing a whopping 18 Megapixel CMOS sensor, this camera is capable of taking very good quality photos (especially at high sensitivities), and recording 1080p videos. Another highlight is its spectacular 3-inch LCD display, which packs over a million pixels. The camera has several auto modes, and a good set of manual controls. As I mentioned, photo quality is very good, though you'll need a good lens to get the most out of the camera. Downsides include so-so outdoor LCD visibility, an average continuous shooting mode, and redeye.

Nikon D5000
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The D5000 is the baby brother to the stellar Nikon D90. The two cameras share the same 12 Megapixel CMOS sensor, and both have first-rate high ISO performance. The D5000 supports all Nikkor lenses, though only AF-S and AF-I lenses will support autofocus. Other features include a rotating (but low res) 2.7" LCD display, full manual controls, and a plethora of easy to use point-and-shoot features. The camera supports live view, but the autofocus performance in that mode is poor. While the D5000 can record movies at 720p, the quality isn't wonderful.

Nikon D90
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The D90 is an excellent camera that bridges the gap between entry-level and midrange D-SLRs. It features a 12.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor with top-notch high ISO performance, a beautiful 3-inch LCD with live view, plenty of manual controls, and a high definition (720p) movie mode. Other niceties include HDMI output, support for an optional GPS receiver, and best-in-class battery life. The only real downsides are slow autofocus in live view mode and a poor bundled RAW editor.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-G2
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The Lumix DMC-G2 is a fairly compact interchangeable lens camera that uses the Micro Four Thirds lens mount. It shares much in common with its predecessor, with the big changes being the addition of a touchscreen LCD (which retains the ability to flip to the side and rotate) and a 720p movie mode. The G2 has an easy-to-use Intelligent Auto mode (which does just about everything for you) plus full manual controls. Camera performance is first rate, and photo quality is good, but not quite as nice as D-SLRs that use larger sensors. Redeye and highlight clipping were also issues, and the continuous shooting mode was unremarkable.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1
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The Lumix DMC-GF1 is a lot like the DMC-G1, but in a much more compact body. Top features include an Intelligent Auto mode, full manual controls, a large, ultra-sharp LCD, and an HD Movie mode. Like the G1, the live view experience is second-to-none, with super-fast autofocus, face detection, and good visibility. Photo quality is very good as well, with the main complaints being occasional highlight clipping and redeye. A few other negatives include the GF1's fairly weak built-in flash, video codec that is difficult to work with, and a few ergonomic annoyances.

Canon EOS-5D Mark II
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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.

Canon EOS-7D
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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.

Nikon D300
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The D300 is a phenomenal digital SLR, and perhaps the best one in its class. It features a 12 Megapixel CMOS sensor, live view on a stunning 3-inch LCD display, a dust reduction system, impressive performance and build quality, and much more. Being a D-SLR, the D300 can be expanded to your heart's content, with a wireless transmitter and battery grip being the notable accessories. The only real weak spots are soft, occasionally overexposed images, a few missing live view features, and its hefty price.

Note: This camera has been replaced by the D300s.

Nikon D700
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The D700 is Nikon's "budget" full frame camera. Featuring a 12 Megapixel FX-format CMOS sensor, the D700 produces photos of stunning quality. With most Nikon lenses, you have no focal length conversion to worry about. With DX-format lenses, there's a 1.5X conversion ratio, and the camera shoots at a lower resolution, as well. As you'd expect, the D700 is packed with manual controls, and it's a pretty complex camera, too. Other nice features on it include an ultra-sharp 3-inch LCD, a built-in flash, HDMI output, and a handy virtual horizon feature.

Olympus E-30
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The Olympus E-30 is a solid and very capable midrange D-SLR. It features a 12 Megapixel Live MOS sensor, image stabilization, a rotating 2.7" LCD display, and snappy performance. Other nice features include live view, a pitch/level meter, nine different aspect ratios, and the ability to take multiple exposures. The E-30 also has built-in support for wireless flash control, and excellent battery life.

Pentax K-7
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The Pentax K-7 is a midrange D-SLR offering build quality and features that you'd expect to find on a camera costing hundreds more. It's built like a tank, with a metal body, and full weather sealing. Image quality is very good, it provides image stabilization for nearly every Pentax lens, the LCD is large and very sharp, performance is snappy, and battery life is strong. Some of its unique features include TAv and Sv exposure modes, composition adjustment, numerous types of bracketing, and an electronic level. The K-7 can also record HD movie clips (though this feature could use some work). Downsides include the tendency to underexpose, sluggish autofocus performance in live view, and an ancient-looking menu system.