Best of 2004
Products Reviewed
(58 items)
Digital Imaging
Digital SLR Camera
It's what photo enthusiasts were waiting for: a lightweight digital SLR that mere mortals can afford. Though the Rebel was the first sub-$1000 digital SLR, it's no longer alone. Nikon's D70 carries a similarly modest price, but the Canon is the better of the two. $999
Advanced Digital Camera
The C-8080 has a sweet combination of advanced controls and an intelligent design that makes it a pleasure to use. "Its image quality will satisfy even the pros," says Steve Sanders of Steves-Digicams.com. We agree: It earned top scores in our photo-quality tests. One knock is that the 5X zoom is short for its class. $899
Point-and-Shoot Digital Camera
The 5.1-megapixel W1 has almost everything you'd want in a point-and-shoot: low cost, small size, an impressive 2.5-inch LCD, fast startup, and a quick trigger. The photos we took looked sharp, colorful, and true-to-life. $400
Photo-Management Software
Every photo organizer we've seen brims with features--tagging, fixing, burning, and sharing. Choosing the best among a strong lot wasn't easy, but we like Photoshop Album 2's beautiful interface; its snazzy, unique tagging system; and its sophisticated online photo gallery tool. But the program is a little slower than we would like. $50
Image Editing Software
Just as it's easy to pick a Porsche as a world-class sports car, it's easy to pick Photoshop as our World Class image editor. Handy new layers management, an improved file browser, a creativity-enhancing filters browser, and expanded 16-bit editing capabilities are only a few of its improvements. A hidden gem: the Shadow/Highlights tool buried in the Image, Adjustments menu. $649
Photo Printer
In addition to printing glossy photos quickly, the Canon i960 produces sharp text and attractive color graphics on plain paper. It lets you print directly from a PictBridge-compatible digital camera, and a paper feed accommodates 4-by-6-inch photo paper. $200
Scanner
Want to make quality scans without having to master arcane software? The CanoScan 9900F delivers great-looking scans from both printed photos and transparencies. It automatically fixes dust and scratches, and its software is a breeze to use. $400
At a Glance
Produced very detailed photo prints with realistic colors. Text appeared sharp even at small sizes. No control panel.
