All mySimon Digital Cameras Shopping Picks

The new 8-megapixel Fuji Finepix Z100fd (the update to last year's Finepix Z5fd) has everything we want in an ultracompact camera: Lots of optical zoom (5x), dual image stabilization, face detection (up to 10 faces at once) with automatic red-eye correction, and a large 2.7" display. Also useful for Fuji and Olympus fans: A memory card slot that accepts both xD cards (from your old Fuji and Olympus cameras) and SD cards. Prices... more

Check out the latest addition to Canon's line of budget cameras. The 8-megapixel Canon PowerShot A590 IS features 4x optical zoom, optical image stabilization, a large 2.5" LCD, and both manual and automatic shooting modes. You can also attach wide or telephoto converter lenses to it, if you feel like getting more creative. Not bad for just $179. More Canon cameras.

Coming soon from Sony: The Cyber-Shot DSC-T300, the 10-megapixel ultracompact successor to last year's popular 8-megapixel DSC-T200. Basic specs include 5x optical zoom, a gigantic 3.5" touchscreen LCD, optical image stabilization, and face detection technology. Like its predecessor, the DSC-T300 can actually detect smiles, but now it can detect multiple smiles and - get this - it can distinguish between adults and children. We're hoping next year's model will be able to detect... more

Thinking about making the leap to a digital SLR? Check out Sony's new entry-level ($700) model, the Sony Alpha DSLR-A200. The 10.2-megapixel camera has 3fps burst speed, several scene modes, in-camera image stabilization, anti-dust vibration, and a 2.7" LCD screen, on which you can see 4, 9, or 25 of your photos. (There's also an option to present automatic slide shows with fade-in/fade-out effects.) And it works with all Minolta a-mount lenses. $700 gets... more

If you've ever thought about buying a Polaroid instant camera, do it soon. Polaroid stopped making the cameras last year and there aren't too many left in stores. Also, Polaroid says it is only making enough instant camera film to last until next year, at which point it is hoping an outside company will license its technology to continue making film for instant camera fans.

Pocket-sized, feature-rich, and budget friendly. The 8-megapixel Kodak EasyShare M883 has everything we want in a camera. Its thin design means it fits comfortably in pockets and purses, while its big 3" LCD helps you frame shots more easily. Other features include 64MB of built-in memory, on-camera cropping and panorama stitching, digital image stabilization, and face detection technology, where the camera can locate up to 10 faces and automatically adjust the focus and exposure... more

Introducing the latest digital SLR camera from Olympus, the Olympus E-3, the 10.1-megapixel successor to the Olympus E-1 from several years ago. The camera is designed for entry-level professionals. Features include "the fastest autofocus in the world," continuous shooting at up to 5 frames per second, a 1/8000-second high-speed shutter, independent x/y sensor-shift stabilization, Live View mode, a large 2.5" dual-axis swivel LCD, and a dust reduction system for spot-free photos. More digital... more

We have a friend who's a professional video camera guy for a national media outlet. When we saw him over the holidays, he said, "You have to see my new camera!" We figured it would be some kind of fancy, expensive digital SLR, so we were surprised when he showed us his new 7-megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3. He explained that he wanted something that would fit in his pocket, and after doing a lot... more

According to CNET, the Canon PowerShot A570 IS is the best digital camera you can get for less than $200. (And you can now get it for less than $150.) The 7-megapixel camera offers 4x optical zoom, an optical viewfinder, and 12 scene modes, as well as optical image stabilization, face detection technology, in-camera red-eye removal, and full exposure controls. It runs on AA batteries and accepts SD, SDHC, and MMC media. More more

New from Nikon: The Nikon D300, the 12.3-megapixel successor to the popular D200. New features include a 51-point auto focus system, 2 new LiveView shooting modes (so you can frame photos using the 3" LCD monitor), a scene recognition system that helps the camera determine the subject and type of scene being shot, a self-cleaning sensor, and a 45-millisecond shutter release lag time. Plus continuous shooting up to 6fps.

Coming soon: The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T2, an 8.1-megapixel camera with 4GB of internal memory. The T2 is similar to the Sony's popular Cyber-shot T20, except the T2 has a slightly larger touchscreen LCD, a slightly smaller frame, a lot more memory, and a much higher price tag. But at least you won't have to buy memory cards. To make this even more confusing, for the price of the new T2, you can also... more

Introducing the latest Canon "prosumer" digital SLR, the 10.1-megapixel Canon EOS 40D. It's a new-and-improved version of the Canon EOS 30D, with greater resolution, a more ergonomic grip, a bigger (3") LCD, 6.5 fps continuous shooting, and a Live View mode. CNET says that although the camera offers "first-rate photo quality" and "excellent continuous-shooting performance," it "doesn't clearly outshine the Nikon D80, which costs a lot less." See all digital SLR... more

Olympus calls its new SP-560 UZ "the world's most complete compact camera," because the 13-ounce camera somehow manages to pack in an 8-megapixel sensor, an ultra-compact wide-angle lens with 18x optical zoom, face detection technology, and dual image stabilization. You can also shoot up to 15 frames per second, and if you don't like any of the 33 shooting modes, you can use full manual exposure settings for more creative control. More cameras... more

We've seen black, silver, red, purple, pink, and even orange digital cameras, but the Olympus Stylus 830 may be the first green one we've seen. (It comes in more sedate colors too.) The 8-megapixel camera combines 5x optical zoom, face detection technology, and 2 kinds of image stabilization (digital and sensor-shift) for blur-free images. And thanks to its splashproof design, you can shoot in all kinds of weather.

Last week Consumer Reports published their annual Special Electronics Issue, in which they rounded up the best TVs, laptops, cameras, and other high-tech gizmos. In the subcompact digital camera category, the editors rated the 7-megapixel Samsung L77 a "CR Best Buy" because of its 7x optical zoom, image stabilization, and good "next-shot delay" (how fast it can take the next photo). We like the "E" button that lets you add fun (and funny) special... more