Bryan Hastings, Tim Moynihan

For a pocketable camera, the 14-megapixel Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20 ($350 as of May 15, 2012) is about as loaded as they come. The trait that will jump out at you--literally, if you're facing the camera--is the Lumix ZS20's 20X-optical-zoom lens (24mm to 480mm). Like that zoom lens, the Lumix ZS20's laundry list of features keeps on going and going.

It's a good pocket megazoom option for manual-minded shooters, thanks to aperture-priority, shutter-priority, and full manual exposure controls. It has excellent video options, as it shoots full 1080p video at a clip of 60 frames per second. It's a touchscreen camera, but it also provides traditional buttons and dials for accessing some in-camera features more efficiently.

Sony Alpha NEX-F3 Today, entry-level interchangeable-lens cameras got a little bit more interesting. Sony unveiled the latest entry-level models in its Alpha SLT and NEX lines, and both cameras offer unique features for the money. The two new models will be available starting in June for $600 as a kit, each with an 18-55mm lens.

The 16-megapixel Alpha SLT-A37 is the new lowest-cost model in Sony's translucent-mirror SLT line, replacing last year's Alpha A35 and sitting below the Alpha A57 and Alpha A77. It has a smaller-than-most DSLR-like body with a front-mounted scroll wheel for shutter and aperture adjustments. In addition to having an ISO range of 100 to 16,000, the A37 comes with body-based stabilization, a phase-detection autofocus system that reacts quickly in burst-shooting and video-capture modes, and both an eye-level electronic viewfinder and a tiltable 2.7-inch LCD screen.

Usually, ruggedized cameras make a few compromises when it comes to optics and shooting modes. Underneath that hard, durable shell, they're commonly ho-hum cameras otherwise.

One of three Wi-Fi-enabled Samsung cameras announced at this year's CES, the WB150F ($230 as of April 26, 2012) brings connected features into the realm of pocket megazooms with an 18X-optical-zoom lens that ranges from 24mm wide-angle to 432mm telephoto. Unlike many Wi-Fi-enabled models that we've seen before, the WB150F is a versatile camera outside its wireless features, with full manual controls, a generous array of postshot filters and editing tools, and that long zoom lens to go complement its ability to upload photos and video to social-networking sites and email content directly from the camera.

Unlike most current-generation cameras, the Samsung WB150F packs a CCD sensor, which means that its 14.2-megapixel imager tops out at 720p-resolution video capture and doesn't support high-speed burst modes and exposure-bracketing HDR and low-light modes, as its CMOS rivals do. Taken as a whole, the WB150F is a versatile pocket megazoom with a lot of shooting and sharing options, but with shortcomings when it comes to quick adjustments and performance.

Nikon D3200Priced at $700 as a kit with an 18-55mm stabilized lens, the APS-C-sensored Nikon D3200 will be available in April for prospective entry-level DSLR buyers. The new camera builds on the specs found in last year's Nikon D3100, adding a much-higher-resolution 24.2-megapixel sensor, a high-ISO bump up to 6400, and a newer Expeed 3 image processor that adds an extra frame per second (to 4 fps) to the camera's burst mode.

To help novice shooters, the D3200 will include a revamped version of the Guide Mode found in the D3100, adding in-camera tutorials for shot composition, manual controls, and shooting modes. Like the D3100, the new DSLR will use an 11-point autofocus system with automatic scene recognition, and it will offer a fixed 3-inch LCD screen in addition to a through-the-lens optical viewfinder.

The very sturdy Dell Latitude XT3 is an enterprise-class laptop that comes with a twist: You can quickly fold it into a tablet PC by rotating its screen on its single central hinge. Such so-called convertible PCs often land in large organizations, including those in the health care, education, and law enforcement fields. This kind of machine needs to perform well both as a laptop and as a tablet, hold up well in hectic environments, and deliver good battery life. For the most part, Dell's third-generation Latitude XT fits the bill nicely.

The hefty but attractive midlevel model I tested sells for an equally hefty $3003 (as of April 12, 2012). The moment I picked up the XT3, I knew that it was made to take some knocks. The case is constructed of thick, stiff plastic with magnesium-alloy reinforced corners. I found almost no flex in the PC case or the display panel. Dell claims that it made the XT3 spill-resistant; I didn’t test that, but the thin rubber gaskets that line the keyboard, the screen bezel, and the perimeter of the computer’s top panel are reassuring.

Pocket-megazoom cameras have been around for a few years now, but you probably haven't seen one as small or as simple as the Canon PowerShot Elph 520 HS ($300 as of April 7, 2012). In a way, it represents a new breed of basic compact camera: Rather than cramming more megapixels into a tiny sensor, the 10-megapixel PowerShot Elph 520 HS keeps the pixel count relatively sane and jacks up the optical zoom to 12X (28mm to 336mm), an impossible-sounding level for a camera of this size.

This tiny little camera can fit comfortably in a shirt or pants pocket; at just 0.76 inch deep, it's the size of a deck of playing cards, and it's a pocket megazoom that's even smaller than many of today's 3X-optical-zoom cameras. The trade-offs for the tiny size start with the camera's manual controls for shutter and aperture--there aren't any--but this model does offer Canon's latest auto-exposure functions, scene modes, and in-camera effects.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5.The realm of mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras is getting just as diversified and tiered as the world of point-and-shoots.

At the top of the mirrorless food chain are full-featured digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) competitors such as the Panasonic Lumix GH2 and Lumix GX1, the Pentax K-01, the Sony Alpha NEX-7, and the Olympus OM-D E-M5. People looking to step up from a point-and-shoot to a camera with a bigger sensor and swappable optics can opt for smaller, more user-friendly models such as the Olympus Pen E-PL and E-PM series, the Nikon J series, the Sony NEX-C3, and the just-announced Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF5.

Much has been written about the smartphone’s detrimental impact on point-and-shoot camera sales. Not enough has been written about an even bigger casualty of today’s do-everything phones: the once-revolutionary pocket camcorder.

Look no further than the category-defining Flip: Originating just five years ago, Pure Digital’s pocket camcorder caught on as a surprise hit, became the top-selling camcorder in the United States, and attracted nearly $600 million in a buyout by Cisco. Merely two years after that sale, Cisco discontinued the Flip line--while the Flip was still the top-selling video camera on the market.

Sony Alpha SLT-A57Sony today announced its latest translucent-mirror DSLR-style camera, the Alpha SLT-A57, which will replace the Alpha SLT-A55. The 16-megapixel, APS-C-sensored Alpha A57 is priced to compete with two popular midrange digital SLR cameras, the Canon EOS Rebel T3i and the Nikon D5100.

Unlike traditional DSLR cameras and pellicle/translucent-mirror SLRs such as the Canon Pellix from the 1960s, the SLT system uses a fixed internal reflex mirror to drive a continuous phase-detection autofocus system rather than an optical viewfinder; the Alpha SLT series lacks a through-the-lens optical viewfinder. Instead, you get a 1.4-million-dot eye-level LCD viewfinder and a tilting 3-inch LCD screen.