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Point-and-Shoot Cameras

Top 10 Digital 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.

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