Full Exposure: Today's Best Digital Cameras
Bigger features, smaller prices--whether you're a special-occasion snapshooter or a serious shutterbug, you can find a new camera with your name on it.By Nikki Echler McDonald & Carla Thornton
Grab your shades, because the future looks bright for digital camera enthusiasts. Last year's $200 digital cameras offered less than 1 megapixel of resolution, relied on digital zooming, and sometimes lacked an LCD or memory card slot. This year, $200 buys you a 3X optical zoom and 2 megapixels--just what you need for sharp 4-by-6 snapshots. And last year, 4-megapixel cameras cost around $1000; they're now selling for as little as $400, if you're willing to settle for a stripped-down model. Even some decked-out cameras, like the Canon PowerShot G2, are priced under $800.
So as you try to decide on a digital camera, you have more choices. Whether you're a first-time buyer looking for a simple point-and-shoot camera or an advanced photographer upgrading to a more powerful model, you'll find a wide and sometimes bewildering array of cameras to choose from, at affordable prices.
In fact, the hardest part of buying a digital camera is deciding which combination of resolution, features, ease of use, and price best fits your needs. To help you sort through the options, we've divided the 16 cameras that we ran through our Test Center for this roundup into two categories: point-and-shoots and advanced models.
Point-and-shoots, as a group, forgo advanced controls in favor of simplicity, light weight, and low cost. They're ideal as the primary camera for a casual photographer or as a backup or light travel camera for an advanced user. Point-and-shoots typically have a few basic controls, such as exposure compensation (EV) and white balance. Many models also include a number of scene modes--portrait, landscape, and action shot, for example--that you can match to your shooting conditions. All of the point-and-shoots on our chart have an optical zoom lens and movie mode (the capability to capture short video clips); most also include sound. And many have one or two of a hodgepodge of advanced features. The Fujifilm FinePix 2800 Zoom, for instance, comes with a 6X optical zoom and lets you add audio clips to still pictures. So if you're looking for a specific control or option, check the specs carefully.
Advanced cameras are for experienced photographers. Harder to use, often heavier and bulkier, and usually more expensive than the point-and-shoots, advanced models allow you wide scope for creative control. With these units you can override most or all automatic settings. The advanced cameras we tested give you aperture- and shutter-priority modes and full manual exposure control. Only one of them, the Olympus C-720 Ultra Zoom, lacks manual focus. Other high-end features that many of these advanced cameras offer include special effects (black-and-white and sepia tone, for example), image sharpening, built-in histograms (graphs that let you adjust the colors in the camera), ISO sensitivity control, and memory for storing your favorite camera settings. Keep in mind that advanced cameras have full automatic settings, too, so they can function as point-and-shoots when you want them to.
For this roundup, we eliminated very-low-end and extreme-high-end cameras, focusing on models with greatest appeal to average digital camera buyers. Our collection included cameras from Canon, Fujifilm, HP, Kodak, Leica, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Sony, and Toshiba, at prices ranging from $199 to $895.
Canon's much-anticipated PowerShot G3, the successor to the company's G2, missed the party. According to Canon, the G3 should be released this December and will have the same 4-megapixel resolution as the G2, plus a longer 4X optical zoom, a larger grip, and a nine-point autofocus setting, among other new features. The G3 is expected to cost $799, the same as the G2.
We evaluated each camera for photo quality (we used a range of sample subjects in our tests of all 16 digital cameras, including a portrait, a still life, and a picture taken outdoors), battery life, ease of use, manual control, features, and price, and we ranked the top five cameras in each category in our Top 10 Digital Cameras chart.
Point-and-Shoot Cameras
1. Fujifilm FinePix 2800 Zoom
This shiny, silvery metal 2-megapixel camera takes impressive shots and packs a few nifty features for an affordable $379. It includes a whopping 6X optical zoom and a bright electronic viewfinder, which lets you see your camera settings while you compose your shots; this works well for outdoor closeups taken in bright light. (Most digital cameras force you to use the LCD screen for macro shots.) The camera's battery life is phenomenal: We snapped 492 shots on four AA alkalines--the third-longest battery life of the cameras we tested.
The FinePix 2800 Zoom consistently ranked in the top third of its class for image quality. Though the camera produced low-contrast, slightly fuzzy shots in our outdoor tests, it captured colors and details nicely overall, both on-screen and in prints.
With its boxy shape and right-hand grip, the FinePix 2800 resembles the advanced cameras. But functionally, it's a point-and-shoot, with basic exposure controls tucked away in menus. Fortunately, the menus are easy to navigate, so you can make your selections relatively quickly. A simple switch on top includes icons for shooting, playback, and menu modes only, forcing you to wade through the menus to access such commonly used features as flash, macro mode, and delete.
Unlike most point-and-shoots, the FinePix 2800 Zoom does not have any programmed scene modes for hard-to-shoot situations, but it does come with useful metering options, broad exposure compensation (11 steps in 0.3-EV increments), five flash modes, six resolution/compression options, macro and movie modes, and 30-second voice annotation. You also get a 16MB SmartMedia card and an extensive software package that includes Adobe PhotoDeluxe 4.0 for Windows users (though we'd have preferred to get the newer Adobe Elements).
Upshot: The $379 FinePix 2800 Zoom is a solid buy, offering long battery life, impressive image quality, and the convenience of through-the-lens-style viewing.
2. Nikon Coolpix 2000
At just $199, the silver-and-blue Coolpix 2000 is the least-expensive model on our chart. This small 2-megapixel camera aims for ease of use and scores with well-placed, clearly marked buttons on the back that control the self-timer; the landscape and macro modes; the built-in flash with five flash modes; the zoom; on-screen menu navigation; and the quick-review mode. A few of the buttons do double duty--for instance, the button that controls landscape and macro modes also lets you upload your photos to a PC. The four-way multiselector at the bottom lower right lets you navigate the simple on-screen menus for exposure settings, seven white balance settings, three metering options, and four levels of sharpening.
In addition to offering full-automatic and movie modes, the mode dial on the top of the camera gives you quick access to five scene modes, making it easier to take well-exposed shots in tough lighting situations. Photographers of all levels, however, may feel shortchanged by the lack of an optical viewfinder. The 1.5-inch LCD screen, though bright and sharp, can be difficult to see in direct sunlight. The camera comes with a 16MB CompactFlash card, and the 3X optical zoom is responsive and fast.
We were less impressed with the Coolpix 2000's image quality than with its ease of use. Our still-life pictures and our outdoor shots appeared a bit dark, though the camera reproduced colors and detail well. The shots of our mannequin taken with the flash were significantly worse, displaying gray, ashy skin tones and a dull, low-contrast image overall. Battery life was slightly above average: The four AA batteries lasted 349 shots before expiring.
Upshot: Simple, easy to use, and inexpensive, the Coolpix 2000 is a good choice for beginners on a tight budget.
3. Olympus D-550 Zoom
Compact but boxy, the $399 3-megapixel Olympus D-550 Zoom is not particularly light, shiny, or easy to use; but what it lacks in sex appeal, it makes up for in extra controls and superior image quality, earning the highest scores in its class. Both our indoor and outdoor photographs were evenly exposed, with accurate colors, realistic skin tones, and sharp detail. Shots we took of our mannequin, using the flash, looked a tad overexposed, but no other point-and-shoot model performed so well across-the-board in our tests.
In addition to offering standard exposure compensation, metering, and white balance settings, the D-550 Zoom has some extra features, such as in-camera sharpening and contrast controls, the ability to take panorama and two-in-one picture-in-a-picture shots, and creative image-editing tools that let you save pictures in black-and-white or sepia tones as well as reduce their file size to save space on the removable memory card (the camera comes with a 16MB SmartMedia card).
The camera is sparsely equipped with dedicated controls. A shutter button and a zoom toggle switch sit atop the camera, and a four-way arrow pad on the unit's back provides quick access to the macro mode, the flash, the self-timer, shooting modes, and a series of nested menus accessible via the Virtual Mode Dial, a carousel-style menu display that mimics the circular dial located on the top of many digital cameras. A few cryptic icons and the maze of menus--typical of Olympus digital cameras--may have you flipping back to the manual frequently to decipher all of the D-550's complex (for a point-and-shoot) features, such as the 14 different combinations of resolution and compression settings available in TIFF or JPEG format.
Upshot: For a camera that costs less than $500, the D-550 Zoom generously compensates in added controls and stellar image quality for what it lacks in high-tech sizzle and ease of use.
4. HP Photosmart 720
HP's gray-and-silver Photosmart 720 is built like a brick, with a large lens and a rubber hand grip to the right. Some users may prefer the blocky style and heavy feel--the camera weighs just over 12 ounces--but it's overkill in a point-and-shoot model. It ships with 16MB of internal memory in lieu of a removable memory card, but it also includes a slot for the tiny SD memory cards.
The 3.18-megapixel camera has a mixed bag of features. It gives some control over exposure, letting you set the white balance and exposure compensation, and it includes a multiburst mode; but it omits core features like scene and macro modes. Some of the menu selections are oddly placed: Exposure settings are under the set-up menu in playback, instead of under the shooting mode, for example. On the other hand, three buttons on top of the camera offer instant access to the flash, the self-timer, the continuous shooting mode, and the image-quality settings.
In overall image quality, the Photosmart 720 ranked near the top of our point-and-shoot group. Though the 3X optical zoom felt slow and jerky, the camera produced crisp, well-exposed images that were pleasing both on-screen and as printed photos. The close-up of our still life looked sharp, and outdoors the camera delivered accurate colors and highlights, with adequate detail in the shadows. Only the shots of our mannequin, taken without the flash, came out overexposed, with a slight yellow cast.
Upshot: The HP Photosmart 720 takes sharp, well-exposed pictures--both on-screen and in print--but for a point-and-shoot, the camera feels a bit too large and heavy to suit us.
5. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P9
With a sexy, high-tech exterior, intuitive menus and buttons, a 3X optical zoom, and near-top-of-the-line 4-megapixel resolution, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P9 would be a sure winner--if it took better pictures. Outperformed by lower-resolution, lower-priced models (it costs $599), the DSC-P9 produced mediocre printed photos, and our on-screen tests scored its dark, poorly contrasted images near the bottom. Outdoor shots were passable but failed to pick up highlights and looked flat. Shots of our mannequin taken without the flash produced washed-out skin tones, while shots taken with the flash suffused her in an unhealthy orange glow. The camera's high resolution did help it capture detail well, producing sharp shots across-the-board.
If you're willing to fine-tune your photos in an image-editing program, you might overlook these drawbacks simply because the DSC-P9 is so much fun to use. The small camera feels good in the hand, and its menus and buttons respond with satisfying beeps and clicks, reminiscent of a video game. The 1.5-inch LCD is bright and sharp, and the viewfinder is small but comfortable.
The mode dial on the roof of the camera houses the shooting, playback, scene, movie, and set-up modes, while the four-way multiselector on the camera's back provides fast access to commonly used features such as zoom, macro mode, a self-timer, and a quick-review option. Organized neatly in colorful, text-based menus are basic EV exposure compensation, white balance settings, spot metering, and compression settings. The camera includes a few extra features, too: in-camera sharpening, options for adjusting the brightness of the flash, four creative effects (solarize, black-and-white, sepia, and negative art), and stepped manual focus. It also lets you make simple cuts to movies in-camera, freeing up space on your memory card.
Upshot: The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P9 is sexy and fun to use, and it might make a good choice if you don't mind compensating for its subpar image quality with an image editor.
Advanced Cameras
1. Olympus C-4000 Zoom
At $499, the C-4000 Zoom is the least-expensive digital camera on our advanced chart, but it doesn't skimp on features. Besides offering manual control of aperture and shutter speed, the camera can shoot in black-and-white, and it has a multiburst mode. We liked the option to take TIFFs at most resolutions, and the handy virtual-dial menu made switching among shooting modes and four sets of user-saved settings easy (though the menu disappears quickly when you're trying to make a selection). A dedicated button on the back jumps you to Digital Print Order Format (DPOF) settings.
The C-4000 Zoom outshone its rivals in our image-quality tests, with the second-best overall score in the group, after the Canon PowerShot G2. Photos looked good on-screen and in print--only slight overexposure and loss of detail in flash mode brought its score down. The C-4000 Zoom's battery life of 700 shots on two CRV3 disposables is extremely impressive, though well behind the astounding 1100 shots managed by the fifth-ranked Olympus C-720 Ultra Zoom. Alas, replacement CRV3 cells cost about $10 apiece, so most photographers will probably opt for less-durable but far cheaper rechargeable batteries. (You can also use standard AA batteries in a pinch.)
The Olympus C-4000 has some rough edges, including a stubborn diopter wheel, stepped playback zooms, and cryptic menu labels. It also has an awkwardly placed thumbpad: Situated above the right top corner of the LCD, the thumbpad's directional arrows are hard to reach while you hold the camera with one hand. The camera's manual focusing mode is difficult to use, requiring a lot of button pressing to set and then cancel the setting, but the autofocus mode gives you the option of moving the center-of-focus brackets to any part of the screen.
Upshot: The C-4000 Zoom is an inexpensive choice for hobbyists who seek a feature-rich camera that takes excellent photos.
2. Canon PowerShot G2
When we first tested Canon's PowerShot G2 last year, it produced some of the best-looking photos we'd seen. This year we pitted the G2 against newer models and it won again, turning in the best photos in our tests, with rich colors and sharp details.
Although solidly packed with features and weighing just over a pound, the G2 manages to keep a fairly small footprint. The numerous buttons that sprinkle its two-tone case take time to learn, but they save trips into the menu. One of the camera's best features is its hinged 1.8-inch LCD, which can swing open like a camcorder display and point up, down, or in the same direction as the lens to allow easy self-portraits. The G2 offers all the control you could want, with an array of picture-quality settings, including a RAW mode (which saves photos without extra processing, so you can uncompress them), settings for creative shots (for producing black-and-white, sepia, and other effects), and a complete range of exposure modes, including aperture-priority, shutter-priority, and full- manual settings. For help with focusing manually, you can press a button that enlarges the center of a picture.
Because it can focus in macro mode at 2.4 inches, the 4-megapixel PowerShot G2 is also a good choice for close-up photography. Canon bundles a roomy 32MB CompactFlash card, Adobe's popular Photoshop LE, and a wireless remote.
Just a couple of gripes with this camera: The mode dial seems difficult to turn, and you have to reenter some picture settings when you switch from manual to some automatic modes. The camera's rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack saw us through 373 photographs--about average for the 16 cameras we tested.
Upshot: The $799 PowerShot G2 remains one of the best choices for photographers who value flexibility and top-notch image quality. But you may want to wait for our review of the G3.
3. Nikon Coolpix 4500
Nikon's 4-megapixel, $699 Coolpix 4500 produced some of the best prints we saw in this roundup. Our outdoor shots appeared sharp and realistic, while our indoor pictures showed only slightly oversaturated colors. The camera lost just a little detail in our still-life shot of items on an office desk, and pictures darkened somewhat--though not excessively--when displayed on a monitor.
The 4500's swivel lens, its highest-profile feature, is capable of pointing in any direction along a vertical axis, making it easy to take shots from almost any angle. Though we found manual focusing difficult, Nikon's five autofocus brackets should help--especially if you're taking close-up photos with a tripod. The 4500 shoots beautiful macros at less than an inch away and works with the widest range of add-on lenses here, including a fish-eye.
You use a toggle instead of a button to turn the Coolpix 4500 on and off, which makes booting up the camera smooth and quick. And though this is an advanced model, beginners will appreciate the 16 preset scene modes for matching a wide variety of exposures. Less friendly initially are the slightly arcane hardware controls and Nikon's confusing menu tabs. Once you get the hang of holding down the camera's buttons while turning the command dial, however, it's a snap to tap into the 4500's lode of manual settings. We also had to get accustomed to using the unit's menu selection button. It took a little practice to remember to nudge--instead of press--the button in the direction we wanted to go, but we warmed to the task.
The camera's rechargeable lithium ion battery lasted for 300 shots--below the group average of 383. And its automatic pop-up flash is located where fingers often block it.
Also disappointing was the Coolpix 4500's 1.5-inch LCD, which gets too dark outdoors for easy use. Nikon bundles its limited NikonView viewer software with the camera.
Upshot: The midsize and midprice Coolpix 4500 is ideal for novice and advanced photographers looking to share a camera, or for beginners seeking a model they can grow into.
4. Fujifilm FinePix S602 Zoom
With its film camera-like shape, Fujifilm's FinePix S602 Zoom is a professional-looking unit. Its large grip makes the 1.3-pound camera easy to hold in one hand--even while you work the top-mounted controls for flash, exposure compensation and autobracketing. One standout feature is its 6X optical zoom lens (along with a 4.4X digital zoom). The camera houses dual media slots, one for a SmartMedia memory card (a 16MB card comes bundled with the unit) and a second slot for a CompactFlash card or a high-capacity IBM Microdrive.
Five preset scene modes give novice photographers (or advanced shooters who want to take quick shots) a range of exposure options. Loads of buttons scattered over the case help you change modes, set the exposure, and accomplish other advanced tasks fairly quickly. A few controls are placed on the left side of the barrel, but memorizing them by touch isn't difficult. Focusing manually is relatively easy, thanks to a silky focusing ring and a focus-check button that can enlarge the center of the electronic viewfinder's image. If all else fails, a cancellation button quickly focuses the picture.
The S602 Zoom's electronic viewfinder shows all of the same settings as the 1.5-inch LCD. When it's too bright outdoors to read the LCD, you can perform your work in the viewfinder--a valuable convenience. You can view a just-taken shot on the LCD for as long as you want, and you can pan and zoom within it, but you'll have to laboriously delete the rejects one by one.
The camera's long list of features includes a hot-shoe sync for an external flash; a supersensitive, top-end ISO of 1600; and sound movies. You can take photos interpolated to 6 megapixels, but in our tests of image quality, we found no difference between photos taken with the interpolated resolution activated and those taken with the effective resolution of 3.1 megapixels. Fujifilm rounds out the S602 Zoom with a thorough manual (marred only by lack of an index) and a software bundle that includes Adobe PhotoDeluxe and a videoconferencing program.
The S602 Zoom ranked in the upper half of our cameras in photo quality; it captured shades and details well but gave our mannequin slightly pink skin. With four AA batteries (rechargeables are optional), it took an above-average 425 photos.
Upshot: Though low on megapixels compared to the competition, the FinePix S602 Zoom compensates with a professional feel and lots of exposure, focus, and navigational features.
5. Olympus C-720 Ultra Zoom
Heads up, nature paparazzi: A long zoom lens and longer battery life highlight the $599 Olympus C-720 Ultra Zoom. The camera's 8X optical lens is equivalent to a 320mm lens on a traditional 35mm film camera. Powered by two disposable CRV3 batteries, the Ultra Zoom held out for an amazing 1100 shots--or about 6.5 hours--in our tests, three times longer than the average. Admittedly, replacing the CRV3s at $10 a pop would be expensive, but the long-lived option might come in handy for extended outdoor photoshoots.
Unfortunately, the results of a marathon picture-taking session may not meet your expectations, unless you tweak your shots with image editing software. The 3-megapixel C-720 did a nice job in automatic mode with no-flash portraits in well-lit rooms, but it washed out flash scenes and took dark pictures outdoors.
Aside from lacking manual focus, the C-720 Ultra Zoom offers the expected options for novices and pros alike, from preset scenes on the mode dial to panorama shooting. You can access the settings for most commonly used functions via buttons or dials, a couple of which you can assign other tasks (such as white balance) that you may use more often.
Of the C-720's many features, we especially liked its ability to turn color photos into monochrome ones after taking a shot (we turned a color picture of the Golden Gate Bridge into a moody black-and-white), and its two-in-one mode, which stores two shots as one, placing half of one shot on top of the other--this could be useful for a side-by-side comparison or a before-and-after shot.
On our Annoying Features list: The stepped playback zoom lets you enlarge previously taken shots in the LCD only by fixed increments; you can't mark specific photos for deletion; and the picture information disappears after only a few seconds. The C-720's confusing picture settings improve little on those of past Olympus cameras. Unintuitive labels, such as SQ1 and SQ2, represent combinations of resolution and compression, and the LCD and menus do a poor job of helping you recall what they stand for. In fact, you must consult a chart in the user's manual on CD to determine how much compression each label represents.
Upshot: The Olympus C-720 Ultra Zoom is a nice option for users who want additional telephoto capability; but photo output could be better, and it's not the easiest camera to use.
Nikki Echler McDonald is a freelance writer in the San Francisco Bay Area. Carla Thornton is a contributing editor for PC World. Richard Baguley is a senior associate editor at PC World.
Beyond the Top 10: Canon PowerShot A200
Beyond the Top 10: Toshiba PDR-T20
Beyond the Top 10: Kodak Easyshare LS420
Beyond the Top 10: Leica Digilux 1
Beyond the Top 10: Panasonic LC5
Beyond the Top 10: Toshiba PDR-3310
High-End: Digital SLRs--The Other Option
If you're serious about your photography, you probably have a 35mm single-lens reflex film camera and a boatload of expensive lenses. Does going digital mean dumping your system and starting over? No.
Several camera manufacturers now produce digital cameras capable of using their full existing range of 35mm film lenses. We took a quick look at two options: the Canon D60 and the Nikon D100. Both of these professional-quality cameras use the same interchangeable lenses that the vendors sell for their 35mm film cousins (primarily, D-type and G-type AF Nikkor lenses for the Nikon, and EF-series lenses for the Canon).
Why Go Pro?
Cost is obviously an issue with these digital cameras: The Canon D60 runs about $2200, while the Nikon D100 is $2000, not including lenses. A good SLR film camera, by comparison, costs about $400. In addition to the wide array of available lenses, professional-quality digital cameras offer higher resolutions than high-end consumer models: Both the Canon and the Nikon take images at a resolution of greater than 6 megapixels. And because lenses designed for 35mm cameras tend to use better glass and have faster optics than lenses in less-expensive digital cameras, images taken with pro-level digital SLRs look sharper and have better color. At the highest resolution, both produce excellent 13-by-20-inch prints.
As you'd expect, the Canon D60 and the Nikon D100 give you extensive control over how your images look. Both cameras can take pictures in lower light, thanks to ISO settings up to 6400 and noise-reduction technology; both have a generous selection of metering modes (including through-the-lens metering for flashguns); and both give you greater control over how the camera interprets color. Finally, both can take pictures more quickly than a run-of-the-mill digital camera can: They have a large memory buffer that lets you take several pictures rapidly (the Canon can take three pictures in 1 second and hold eight pictures in buffer memory), without waiting for them to be written out to the CompactFlash storage card, so there's no waiting between shots. (The Canon Powershot G2 captures photos at up to 1.5 frames per second.)
One complication of using 35mm lenses with digital cameras involves the effective focal length of the lens. The digital sensor chip is smaller than a 35mm negative, so it effectively boosts the focal length of the lens, giving you a closer view of a subject. This may be a drawback for wide-angle lenses, but it's an advantage for zoom lenses, letting you get closer to the action without having to buy a longer lens.
Another interesting digital SLR, the Sigma SD9, was released too late for inclusion in this review, but we had a brief preview of the camera, the first model to use Foveon's long-anticipated X3 chip. Though we couldn't conduct a full hands-on review of the SD9, the test pictures we took were impressive.
--Richard Baguley
Compare: Print Samples
