Choose the Perfect Camera

Whether you're a beginner, a sports fanatic, or a serious photographer, we'll point you to just the right digital camera and give you tips on how to get the most out of it.

Paul Jasper

Paul Jasper is a technology consultant and freelance writer based in San Francisco; Eric Butterfield is an associate editor and Tracey Capen is an executive editor for PC World.

Different digital cameras suit different people and different users. Whether you're a beginner or longtime shutterbug, a sports fanatic or a nature lover, an inveterate traveler or an underwater paparazzo, you'll find a camera just right for you in our overview of models designed to meet particular needs. And don't miss our tips covering online photo sharing, scene modes, swiveling LCDs, and more.

In this article:

The Starter Camera

The Family Camera

The Travel Camera

The All-Weather Camera

The Vanity Camera

The Sports Camera

The Backcountry Camera

The Backup Camera

The Advanced Camera

Digital Photo Tips

More Photo Tips

The Starter Camera

The best camera for beginners is a point-and-shoot that is simple--but that offers some manual controls so the user doesn't quickly outgrow it. Both of these cameras provide an easy introduction to digital photography. Plus, they're reasonably priced yet include a few advanced features found on more expensive models, without overwhelming novices.

HP Photosmart R717

Price: $300

The 6.2-megapixel Photosmart R717 has a 3X optical zoom and a built-in help system that supplies basic instructions and tips on how to get going faster. The camera's Image Advice feature suggests remedies on particular shots, and you can also fix flash-induced red eye--without having to edit the image on your PC.

There are plenty of advanced settings to help you get even better shots. The adaptive lighting feature brightens a photo's darker areas. Automatic exposure bracketing lets you take three pictures at successive exposure levels and then choose the best result. The camera's aperture priority mode enables you to control the depth of field.

Printing and sharing photos is easy: You tag them for later printing or e-mailing as you review them on the LCD. And when you connect the R717 to your computer or printer, the camera already knows how to handle the images.

Canon PowerShot A520

Price: $300

The Canon PowerShot A520 is surprisingly affordable, considering its features and optional lenses. Aside from the fully automatic mode, you get 13 scene modes for shooting everything from foliage to fireworks. The manual mode allows you to adjust both shutter speed and aperture for maximum control.

The A520 has a 4X optical zoom lens--unusual for a 4-megapixel unit at this price; options include wide-angle and telephoto converters, a close-up lens, and an external flash unit. And at 8 ounces (including the battery) this model is light enough to carry everywhere.

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The Family Camera

In addition to being simple enough for inexperienced shooters, a family camera should offer practical features such as a camera dock (to simplify image transfers to a PC) and software that makes setting up an online photo gallery easy.

Kodak EasyShare Z740

Price: $380 camera only ($480 with printer dock)

For families that are always on the go, Kodak's EasyShare Z740 makes sharing photos through prints, e-mail, and Web sites simple and quick. For $100 extra, the camera comes with the Printer Dock Series 3, a portable dye-sublimation printer that makes 4-by-6-inch prints.

The camera has an automatic mode, or choose from 17 scene modes; the generous 10X optical zoom helps you capture your child scoring a winning goal from the far end of the field.

Using the camera's share button to tag each of your shots, you can make 4-by-6-inch prints simply by inserting the camera into the printer's docking station and pressing its print button. When you connect the printer to your PC, pressing the transfer button fires up the EasyShare software, which you use for uploading photos, sending copies by e-mail, or adding images to an online album at the EasyShare Gallery Web site (formerly Ofoto).

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The Travel Camera

If you don't want to stroll the Champs Elysées with a heavy single-lens-reflex camera hanging around your neck like a digital-age albatross, choose a camera that's lightweight but doesn't skimp on features. These two models offer travelers the flexibility they need to accurately capture a variety of settings. The big LCD doesn't hurt, either.

Fujifilm FinePix F10

Price: $370

Weighing just 5.5 ounces, Fujifilm's FinePix F10 is tiny and easy to carry on the road. Despite its diminutive size, you get a 3X optical zoom and a large, 2.5-inch LCD. Regrettably, there's no optical viewfinder, which would come in handy when bright sunlight obscures the LCD.

The F10 is particularly well suited for shooting in dimly lit cathedrals and museums--venues where flash photography is often frowned upon: The 6.3-megapixel sensor has an unusually high sensitivity range (topping out at ISO 1600); I was able to capture some nice-looking shots at a concert using a high ISO and no flash. For snorkeling or diving, Fujifilm sells an optional waterproof housing ($179) that promises to protect the camera at depths as great as 130 feet.

To charge the lithium ion battery, you plug the AC power adapter into the F10's mini-USB port. This simple design makes for easy packing in your bag. The F10 is also straightforward to operate, though having only five scene modes may displease some beginners. Images looked sharp and attractive in our lab tests, scoring higher than the SLRs reviewed here.

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Canon PowerShot G6

Price: $600

Serious photographers relish travel for its opportunities to create works of art. Though the Canon PowerShot G6's silver body doesn't look like hard-core camera gear, it has all the features you need for photo artistry. Thanks partly to the unit's 7.1-megapixel sensor, shots will have enough detail for framing and enlarging. The 4X optical zoom gives you the flexibility to switch to wide-angle mode for big monuments and scenery, and to telephoto mode for more intimate shots of people and architectural highlights. Auto-exposure bracketing helps you make the most of the available lighting. The G6 is best suited to photographers who are familiar with single-lens reflex cameras: Its shooting modes mimic those of an SLR, and the only scene modes you get are for portraits, landscapes, and night shots.

Like many advanced cameras, the G6 offers a good range of accessories, though that can translate into more equipment to haul on your travels. The hot shoe can accept a flash gun when you need a more powerful light source than the built-in flash. Among recently tested cameras, the G6 earned one of the highest scores for its photos taken with a built-in flash.

An optional lens adapter tube (about $45) lets you fit converters that can capture a much wider angle ($150), increase the telephoto range to 6X ($100), or reduce the focusing distance for close-ups of small flowers or insects ($90). The camera comes with a wireless remote, so you can put yourself in pictures of exotic locales.

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The All-Weather Camera

Water and digital cameras' electronics generally don't mix well. If you are likely to be taking pictures while singing in the rain, you'll want to have a camera whose body is well prepared to resist the elements.

Olympus Stylus 500

Price: $350

If you live in the rainy Northwest or frequently travel to wet climes, a water-resistant camera can free you to shoot at will without worrying about damaging your camera. The Stylus 500 from Olympus offers protection from soggy conditions, though it's not intended for use underwater. This 5-megapixel, general-purpose shooter with 3X optical zoom has a sturdy metal body; rubber seals insulate the battery and media compartments; and a circular barrier that slides into place to seal the lens when you're finished shooting. The camera's water-resistant microphone and speaker let you record and play back voice notes to accompany your photos. And you can set the white balance for cloudy conditions, though we'd have appreciated getting more scene modes that adjust for inclement weather.

For shutterbugs who plan to get really wet, Olympus sells a $145 underwater housing that promises further protection while sailing or during dives down to 131 feet. Among the camera's 20 scene modes are two for use with the housing: one for wide-angle shots of underwater landscapes, and another for close-ups of fish and plant life.

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The Vanity Camera

Oh, you're so vain. If looking good with your camera is more important than getting the best possible picture quality, choose a model whose sleek design makes a fashion statement. These thin units are very lightweight and comfortable to carry in a pocket.

Casio Exilim EX-Z57

Price: $380

The thinnest of digital cameras can be just as fashionable as a fancy mobile phone or an IPod. Take the ultraslim Casio Exilim EX-Z57, which shoots at 5 megapixels. Weighing just 5.2 ounces, it's light enough to carry comfortably in a shirt pocket. And its stylish alloy body is sure to turn heads, especially when the 3X zoom lens pops out of its extremely thin chassis.

The big, 2.7-inch LCD fills the back of the camera, scarcely leaving room for the controls. You use the LCD both to frame your shots (there's no optical viewfinder) and to show off your snaps to others.

Even at rest, the EX-Z57 looks sexy. It can play a slide show while sitting in the included cradle and charging its batteries. Touching a button on the cradle transfers new photos to your PC, and you can even set it to generate album pages from the camera to your Web site. The EX-Z57 has 23 scene modes for subjects from food to fireworks.

As is typical for such a small camera, though, image quality was mediocre on most of the shots in our tests. Its outdoor images, however, earned higher marks than the output of most other cameras here. There are six settings for white balance under various lighting conditions.

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The Sports Camera

Fast-moving subjects can be difficult to capture. You need a camera that reacts speedily to freeze the action and has a strong enough zoom to get close to athletes moving quickly in the distance.

Olympus C-5500 SportZoom

Price: $320

The moderately priced, 8.6-ounce, 5.1-megapixel Olympus C-5500 SportZoom fits the bill for capturing fast movement, with a 5X zoom lens that will take you close to the action from the sidelines.

Although the C-5500 has a sports mode that uses a fast shutter speed to stop movement, you can also use its shutter-priority mode to set shutter speed as fast as 1/1500 second; however, you may need to increase the camera's sensitivity (up to ISO 400) to compensate.

Freezing the action entirely isn't always desirable. Slower shutter speeds can give the impression of movement: Panning with a subject like a race car will blur the background and the rotating wheels, but a point-and-shoot camera is unlikely to have the fast, accurate focusing and quick shutter response needed to make it work. In our informal testing, the C-5500's focusing was usually swift enough to get good results, though it sometimes failed to lock on immediately. Use continuous burst mode to snap multiple frames, to help ensure that you get a good shot.

In continuous-focus mode, the camera focuses on a moving subject even when it's not in the center of the frame.

Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT

Price: $1000

Photographers with a bigger budget will get higher-quality images and superior control from a digital SLR, such as the 8-megapixel Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT. The camera body alone costs $900, or you can buy a $1000 kit that includes a 28mm-to-88mm zoom lens. Either way, you'll need a longer zoom lens (such as Canon's lightweight, 55mm-to-200mm zoom, priced at $270) to fill the frame with action in the distance.

As with point-and-shoots, shutter speed is a top priority when photographing sports. The Rebel XT delivers even better results than the Olympus C-5500 SportZoom because you can really freeze action at its fastest shutter speed of 1/4000 second. Most of the cameras here that are equipped with a fixed lens (meaning you can't swap lenses) cannot capture more than 2 frames per second in a burst, and they stop at 5 frames. In contrast, the Rebel XT is rated to take up to 14 shots at 3 fps, though we took 20 shots at that speed using high-speed CompactFlash media. Athletes and racehorses stay sharp even when they're running toward you, thanks to the camera's predictive focusing. In addition, you can crank the Rebel XT's sensitivity up to as high as ISO 1600 for shooting indoor games and nighttime contests.

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The Backcountry Camera

Hiking trails are a gold mine for photographers, but finding a camera that can handle both the rough environment and the demanding shooting conditions is a challenge. You don't want to load down your pack with a heavy single-lens-reflex unit, yet you want all the power an SLR delivers. These three advanced models have a wide enough lens to capture big-sky vistas and an optional teleconverter for homing in on wildlife. And because a crowded backpack can be rough on any camera, we picked sturdy models.

Canon PowerShot S70

Price: $500

The Canon PowerShot S70 has a compact design and weighs just 8.1 ounces. It also has a sliding front cover that protects the entire lens assembly--not just the glass--when the camera is not in use. Its automatic settings, including auto-exposure bracketing, make the S70 very responsive. But more-advanced photographers will appreciate its many manual features, such as shutter speed and aperture priority modes. The 7.1-megapixel CCD records plenty of detail.

You need a wide-angle lens to capture the full breadth of stunning views, and the S70's zoom lens reaches the equivalent of 28mm on a 35mm film camera. To capture wildlife without frightening them off, look for a camera with a long zoom. The S70 has a 3.6X optical zoom (up to 100mm); an optional $100 teleconverter will extend your range up to 200mm. For closeups, the S70's macro mode lets you focus on small plants and insects as close as 1.6 inches away. The optional waterproof housing ($240) is rated to protect the camera to a depth of 130 feet.

In outdoor tests, the S70 produced very sharp photos with accurate colors. The only point-and-shoot to earn a better overall score for image quality was the Fujifilm F10.

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Olympus C-7070 Wide Zoom

Price: $500

Another 7.1-megapixel model, the 13.5-ounce Olympus C-7070 Wide Zoom has a sturdy magnesium alloy body that's much bulkier than the Canon's. The 1.8-inch LCD flips up and rotates, helping you shoot from interesting angles, and then stows away neatly to protect against scratches. The C-7070's 4X optical zoom extends from 27mm to 110mm, so it can handle both broad vistas and far-away details in the great outdoors. In addition, the camera's f/2.8-to-f/11 aperture range is impressive compared with the more typical range of f/2.8 to f/8.0. You can add a telephoto converter to boost the optical zoom up to 12X for wildlife shots, but that extra costs $320 (including the required adapter tube).

You shouldn't have to carry spare batteries except on long camping trips: The C-7070's lithium ion battery exceeded 500 shots on one charge in our test. Using the optional battery holder might double that number.

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Snapshot: Nikon Coolpix 8400

Nikon Coolpix 8400 the $900 Nikon Coolpix 8400's 3.5X lens starts at 24mm--the widest angle achieved by any camera in its class. This 8-megapixel unit's tough black magnesium alloy body weighs 14.1 ounces, making it just a shade heavier than the Olympus C-7070 Wide Zoom--and potentially a bit of a burden on long-distance hikes. Its 1.8-inch LCD swivels, and the electronic viewfinder lets you see through the lens.

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The Backup Camera

Playing second fiddle to a single-lens-reflex or advanced camera (see page 122) isn't easy. A good backup camera needs to deliver many of the big dog's features in a lightweight chassis. Both of the models discussed here achieve this, and they also captured some of the sharpest images we've seen from recently tested point-and-shoot cameras.

Canon PowerShot SD500

Price: $500

A bulky fixed-lens model or SLR isn't practical to carry everywhere. A compact alternative is Canon's PowerShot SD500--it impressed us with the excellent quality of the photos it captured in our tests.

The SD500's tough metal body weighs just 6 ounces and fits comfortably into a shirt pocket or purse. It powers up quickly, and there's no noticeable lag when you push the shutter release. The 3X optical zoom and 2-inch LCD help you frame your shots easily. And you can switch to an optical viewfinder when you're following a moving target, for example.

The camera's nine autofocus points lock onto subjects swiftly. In our tests, the 7.1-megapixel sensor let the SD500 capture plenty of detail, but shots taken with the built-in flash scored lower than the pictures taken by most of the other models mentioned here.

The PowerShot SD500 has a fully automatic mode and nine scene modes--including settings for portraits, night scenes, and indoor shots, as well as for underwater and fireworks. The manual mode permits you to set white balance, ISO sensitivity, and exposure compensation. But while the camera's aperture range of f/2.8 to f/13 is the widest we've seen on such a small camera, you can't set the aperture or shutter speed manually.

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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W7

Price: $450

At 6.9 ounces, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W7 makes a good pinch hitter. Its 7.2-megapixel sensor records onto a Sony Memory Stick; but if you don't have one handy, you can save shots to the camera's 32MB of built-in memory. The DSC-W7's generous 2.5-inch display is more than large enough for composing your shots (and showing them off once you've taken them), and there's still enough room on the back for an optical viewfinder. The camera's 3X optical zoom takes you close to the action, and its seven scene modes help you snap subjects under different lighting conditions--twilight portraits, candlelit dinners, and beach trips, for example. Unlike the Canon SD500's manual mode, the DSC-W7's permits you to set the unit's shutter speed and aperture.

The DSC-W7 comes with a charger for its two AA nickel metal hydride batteries, but you can drop in a pair of disposable cells in an emergency. The camera also has a broad range of accessories, including several screw-on conversion lenses. The $130 Super Telephoto lens, for example, offers 2.6X magnification; the 1.7X telephoto lens costs $100.

In our lab tests, the DSC-W7 performed well all around, and its built-in flash easily outperformed the PowerShot SD500's. Our only disappointment was that, when we transferred our informal test shots to a PC, we had to rotate our portrait shots manually because the DSC-W7 lacks the orientation sensor we're accustomed to in Canon, HP, and Kodak cameras; those cameras tag images with data that the accompanying software then reads, enabling it to rotate the images appropriately when you upload them to your PC. Third-party software such as Adobe Photoshop can read this data, too, and will rotate the images accordingly.

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The Advanced Camera

For people who take their photography seriously, a single-lens-reflex model is truly the tool of choice. SLRs can accommodate a variety of fast lenses for shooting portraits, sports, and so on. A large optical viewfinder helps when focusing manually, and the manual controls exceed those offered by cameras that have a built-in lens. Also, SLRs usually have a wider range of shutter speeds and aperture settings than do non-SLRs. The only drawbacks are their larger sizes and higher prices.

Nikon D70

Price: $1100 (with lens)

The 6.1-megapixel Nikon D70 is solidly constructed and comes with a 3.9X zoom lens (equivalent to 27mm to 105mm on a 35mm film camera) that's good for portraits and wide-angle landscape photography. If you already have a film-based Nikon with a set of lenses, you can pick up the D70 body alone for less than $1000 and reuse the lenses you have.

You get seven fully automatic scene modes, such as for portraits and night scenes. But the point of getting an SLR is to exercise manual control--over shutter speed, aperture, white balance, sharpening, contrast, and color settings--and that's what the D70 lets you do. The D70's automatic bracketing permits you to take three shots in succession, with varying exposure or white balance settings, and then select the best one. Many of these adjustments have dedicated controls, and using them is more convenient than diving into the menus on an LCD, as cameras with a fixed lens often require. The Nikon D70 also lets you record files in both JPEG and RAW formats at the same time.

You can typically push the light sensitivity and exposure time on a digital SLR higher than a fixed-lens model allows, so you can shoot night-time cityscapes or indoor portraits with nothing more than the ambient light. The D70's ISO range goes as high as 1600. The camera has a built-in flash that's useful for capturing casual portraits or for filling in dark shadows on a subject's face in bright sunlight; it also has a hot shoe for when you need to attach a more powerful light source.

The D70's rechargeable battery was still going strong when we stopped testing it after 500 shots. Such stamina could come in handy: In continuous mode, the D70 can shoot more than 100 frames at 3 fps.

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Canon EOS 20D

Price: $1450 (with lens)

The 8.2-megapixel Canon EOS 20D offers professional-level features and speed. For example, in the camera's continuous mode, you can shoot up to 5 frames per second for a maximum of 23 shots. The 20D focuses quickly, and its nine autofocus points glow red in the viewfinder when you've locked onto a subject. The predictive focus is fast enough to track a race car as it rushes toward you. The 20D also can take advantage of the fastest CompactFlash cards, which is especially important when you record images simultaneously in both JPEG and RAW formats. Recording RAW files saves the full 12 bits of data per pixel, versus 8 bits per pixel for JPEG files, giving you more data to work with later in image-editing software. But because cameras don't apply their built-in processing--such as sharpening or white balance correction--to RAW files, editing RAW images on a PC can mean more work than tweaking a JPEG image. Typically a JPEG image will suffice for your needs, but it's helpful to have the RAW file when the image requires a lot of editing.

The 20D also has a sensitivity range of ISO 100 to 3200--that's broader than the range of most fixed-lens cameras and far exceeds the Nikon D70's range of ISO 200 to 1600. The extra sensitivity to light at ISO 3200 could come in handy for stopping motion in fairly low natural light. In addition to standard shutter-priority, aperture-priority and full-manual shooting modes, you get seven automatic modes. Most notable is an auto-depth setting that automatically selects foreground subjects using nine focal points, and then chooses a small enough aperture to keep all subjects in focus. This setting worked well in shots of groups of people at various distances from the lens, situations where regular focusing invariably locked onto the background or onto just one of the subjects.

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Digital Photo Tips

Here and on the next page are some short tips on digital photography. For more, check out our Digital Cameras Info Center.

Put Yourself in the Shot

Joining your family in a group photo is easy with a wireless shutter release. Instead of relying on the camera's self-timer, you decide when to shoot. The Canon PowerShot G6, for example, has such an option.

Tracey Capen

Snap Smart on the Go

While traveling, you want to be ready for any photo-taking opportunity that crops up. When you're far from home--or from a convenience store for that matter--a little preparedness can go a long way.

MP3 Player Storage: If you own an IPod and haven't stuffed it full of music files, you can use that empty space to store photos. For example, Belkin makes two devices that transfer files to an IPod: Its Digital Camera Link ($80) moves images from a digital camera via a USB cable, while its Media Reader ($100) transfers files from a media card. Apple offers a similar accessory--the $29 IPod Camera Connector--but it works only with the IPod Photo.

Power: Always carry a second set of rechargeable batteries. If your travels involve lots of driving, you can use that time to recharge your camera's batteries; some camera makers offer car adapters for doing so. Alternatively, you can use a DC-to-AC power inverter to power your battery charger and other devices; one such device is the Xantrex XPower Micro Inverter 175. If you're visiting a country that doesn't use 120-volt power, you'll need either a universal power adapter or a battery charger that includes one, like the Maha PowerEx MH-C204W, which charges AA NiMH batteries.

Eric Butterfield

Share Your Photos Online

If you take pictures mainly to show them to friends and family, an online photo-sharing site is a good resource.

Kodak, HP, and other camera manufacturers provide software for uploading photos to online albums. Both Kodak's EasyShare and HP's Instant Share software make it easy to post images and then e-mail a link to friends, but Kodak's service added a couple hurdles for recipients: To print photos I received via Kodak EasyShare, I first had to create a sign-in and download Kodak Print@Home software. Unfortunately, the software would not work with my regular browser, Mozilla Firefox; I had to use Internet Explorer.

Other online services, including Snapfish and Flickr, allow you to share photos--often free of charge. Some services also provide a chat feature, a blogging tool, or camera-phone support. For a more detailed comparison of options, see our May Next Gear article, "Better Photo Sharing".

Eric Butterfield

More Photo Tips

Here are more tips to improve your digital photography.

Set the Scene Mode

Scene modes can be your best bet for capturing a pleasing shot with a simple point-and-shoot camera--or if you haven't yet mastered your fancier camera's manual controls. The array of scene modes varies from camera to camera, but most models have a similar base set.

Portrait mode: Uses a wider aperture and spot-focus to make the person look sharply focused against a blurred background; a fill flash prevents harsh shadows on your subject's face. A few cameras also adjust color balance for more accurate skin tones.

Landscape mode: Sets the focus to infinity and uses the minimum aperture for maximum depth of field.

Macro/close-up mode: Often depicted with a flower icon; lets you place the lens close to a small subject.

Sports mode: A fast shutter speed freezes movement; continuous shooting mode is usually specified.

Kids and pets mode: Uses a fast shutter because small creatures may not follow your directives to stay still.

Nighttime: Uses a slow shutter to better capture dim evening light; hold the camera very still.

Fireworks: Focus is set to infinity, and the shutter to a slow speed; using a tripod is recommended.

Other modes: Some cameras have foliage, snow, and underwater modes. The Casio EX-Z57 has one for sunsets; it emphasizes red hues.

Eric Butterfield

Swiveling LCD: Unique Angles

A few camera vendors, including Olympus and Canon, put a swiveling LCD on some higher-end models. My Olympus C-5060, for example, has an LCD that rotates up and spins 180 degrees as does the LCD on the Olympus C-7070 Wide Zoom. I love this feature: At parties I face the LCD downward, and then hold the camera over my head to get a bird's-eye shot. This feature is equally useful for wildflower photography. Facing the LCD upward, I don't have lie on my belly to get great shots of tiny alpine flowers.

Tracey Capen

Get High-Quality Video

In addition to taking photographs, most digital cameras can record video. They won't match the quality of a camcorder; but if you plan to record a lot of video clips, you should look for a model capable of recording at a high resolution and high frame rate. For example, the Nikon Coolpix 8400 can record at 640 by 480 pixels (many models max out at just 320 by 240) at 30 frames per second. Video recorded at a lower frame rate may not look as good when played back: For example, when recording video at 640 by 480, the Kodak Z740 captures 13 frames per second. Also, some cameras don't record audio while capturing video at higher resolutions, and few models will zoom while recording video.

Eric Butterfield