« Return to: Top 10 Digital Cameras $500 and Over
| Rank | Camera: $500 and over | Street price (7/6/01) | Overall rating | Image quality | Ease of use | Battery life/shots | Comments |
| 1 | Best Buy Nikon Coolpix 995 | $899 | 85 | Very good | Adequate | Outstanding/363 | FEATURES: 3.34-megapixel resolution, 16MB CompactFlash media, 38mm-152mm focal range;1 USB and video output; 16.2 ounces. SUMMARY: Offers a huge, at times intimidating list of features. It captured some top-notch images, and its batteries lasted twice as long as those of the Coolpix 990. |
| 2 | Best Buy, New Epson PhotoPC 3100Z | $779 | 84 | Very good | Very good | Very good/229 | FEATURES: 3.34-megapixel resolution, 16MB CompactFlash media, 34mm-102mm focal range;1 USB and video output; 16.9 ounces. SUMMARY: An upgrade of the former Best Buy 3000Z, this new model adds an interpolated 2544 by 1904 resolution and a new print-tagging button.  |
| 3 | Olympus Camedia C-3040 Zoom | $799 | 81 | Very good | Good | Adequate/147 | FEATURES: 3.34-megapixel resolution, 16MB SmartMedia card, 35mm-105mm focal range;1 serial, USB, and video output; 13.7 ounces. SUMMARY: Boxy but stylish; produces great shots; loads of control options, but too many of them are buried in menus; supports USB Storage Class standard. |
| 4 | New Casio QV-3500EX | $599 | 81 | Very good | Adequate | Very good/223 | FEATURES: 3.3-megapixel resolution, 16MB CompactFlash media, 33mm-100mm focal range;1 serial, USB, and video output; 15.9 ounces. SUMMARY: Not especially easy to use, nor the most attractive, but it takes great shots and has a bargain price. Offers novel features for novices.  |
| 5 | Fujifilm FinePix 6800 Zoom | $899 | 80 | Very good | Adequate | Good/186 | FEATURES: 3.3-megapixel resolution, 16MB SmartMedia card, 36mm-108mm focal range;1 USB and video output; 10.3 ounces. SUMMARY: This small, Porsche-designed camera has futuristic styling and takes impressive pictures, but the menus are difficult to navigate. Can capture short movies. |
| 6 | Olympus Camedia E-10 | $1799 | 79 | Good | Very good | Limited/69 | FEATURES: 4-megapixel resolution, 32MB SmartMedia card, 35mm-140mm focal range;1 USB and video output; 40.2 ounces. SUMMARY: $200 price drop. Ultrahigh resolution, through-the-lens viewing, and extensive controls; also accepts CompactFlash media. It's heavy and remains pricey. |
| 7 | HP Photosmart 912 | $599 | 78 | Good | Very good | Adequate/155 | FEATURES: 2.24-megapixel resolution, 16MB CompactFlash media, 34mm-107mm focal range;1 USB, IRDA, and video output; 21.6 ounces. SUMMARY: A $200 price reduction propels the 912 up the chart. This model offers an SLR-like case, extensive and intuitive controls, and solid images. |
| 8 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-P1 | $699 | 78 | Good | Outstanding | Adequate/115 | FEATURES: 3.34-megapixel resolution, 8MB Memory Stick media, 39mm-117mm focal range;1 USB and video output; 8.8 ounces. SUMMARY: Innovative, pocket-size design; intuitive controls and easy-to-read menus; creates MPEG movie clips with sound; ideal for trendy snapshooters. |
| 9 | New Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S75 | $699 | 78 | Good | Good | Very good/252 | FEATURES: 3.3-megapixel resolution, 8MB Memory Stick media, 34mm-102mm focal range;1 USB and video output; 15.7 ounces. SUMMARY: A step up from a point-and-shoot model, this solid camera takes fine photos. It offers a full set of controls, though they can be confusing. |
| 10 | Toshiba PDR-M65 | $599 | 77 | Very good | Good | Very good/259 | FEATURES: 3.34-megapixel resolution, 8MB SmartMedia card, 38mm-114mm focal range;1 USB and video output; 14.3 ounces. SUMMARY: A simple camera with few fancy controls compared with other cameras that have the same resolution. Can capture sharp images, but doesn't reproduce color well. |
How We Test: Each camera's overall rating is based on price (30 percent), picture quality (20 percent), ease of use (15 percent), features (15 percent), battery life (10 percent), and support (10 percent). For all ratings, higher is better. To gauge picture quality, we take a series of shots, with and without flash, at 640 by 480 resolution and at the camera's highest resolution. We take pictures of a complex still life and of a mannequin to see how well each camera captures image details and subtle colorings such as skin tones. A panel of judges reviews the on-screen and printed photos and assigns image-quality scores; we then average those scores. Camera weights include batteries. Data based on tests designed and conducted by the PC World Test Center. All rights reserved. For more details, see "A Guide to PC World's Star Ratings."
1 35mm film equivalent.