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.

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.

Tablets expert Melissa J. Perenson spearheads this week's conversation on Apple's new iPad, which hits stores next week. Tim Moynihan, Nick Mediati, and Armando Rodriguez join in the fray as we also talk about the hottest new phones and tablets shown at the recently concluded Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, and explore what Microsoft Windows 8--now available in a freely downloadable Consumer Preview version--means for you.

Download the podcast (44:57).