Version: 2008
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No-brainer buys: five digital cameras you won't regret

Lori Grunin Lori Grunin, Senior Editor April 1, 2009

If Goldilocks went digital camera shopping, these models would be just right for her. Why? Because at least one of them is just about right for almost anyone, especially if you're completely confused about which model to buy. In addition to their relatively modest prices and pocket-friendly designs, they've earned the approbation of both the CNET editors and our readers. With that much going for them, how can you go wrong?

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Editors' best cameras,
New digital camera reviews,
Digital cameras forum
Product name
Price $299.95 to $499.99 $1,059.95 to $1,299.00 $277.99 $599.99 $689.95 to $699.95
CNET editors' rating
Average user rating
Review date October 28, 2008 October 02, 2008 March 03, 2008 September 03, 2008 April 28, 2008
The Bottom Line Simply put, the Canon PowerShot SD880 IS is an excellent point-and-shoot camera. Like the D80 before it, the Nikon D90 delivers an excellent dSLR for the money. The Canon PowerShot A590 IS's manual exposure controls and surprisingly sharp pictures make it a great choice for almost anyone looking for a sub-$200 shooter. Though its lens isn't as wide and suffers from many of the same lens artifacts as its competitors, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H50 is a good megazoom camera with a lot of features for experiment-minded snapshooters. Pentax's K200D entry-level SLR gives a lot of bang for the buck and has better performance than last year's model. Despite low noise and pleasingly detailed images, technically inaccurate colors keep it from capturing the gold medal for image quality.
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Features
Lens apertureF/2.8-5.8
F/3.5-5.6
F/2.6-5.5
F/2.7-4.5
F/3.5-5.6
Optical zoom4 x
5.8 x
4 x
15 x
3 x
Light sensitivityISO 100
ISO 200
ISO 400
ISO 800
ISO 1600
ISO auto
ISO 3200 (2Mpix)
ISO 100-6400
ISO 80
ISO 100
ISO 200
ISO 400
ISO 800
ISO 1600
ISO auto
ISO 80
ISO 100
ISO 200
ISO 400
ISO 800
ISO 1000
ISO 1600
ISO 3200
ISO auto
ISO 100-1600
Display (projector) technologyTFT active matrix
TFT active matrix
TFT active matrix
TFT active matrix
TFT active matrix
Video input typeDigital camera
Digital camera
Digital camera
Digital camera
Digital camera
Weight5.5 oz
1.4 lbs
6.2 oz
14.6 oz
1.4 lbs
Effective sensor resolution10,000,000 pixels
12,300,000 pixels
8,000,000 pixels
9,100,000 pixels
10,200,000 pixels
Still image formatJPEG
JPEG
NEF (RAW)
RAW + JPEG
JPEG
JPEG
RAW
JPEG
RAW + JPEG
Display (projector) diagonal size3 in
3 in
2.5 in
3 in
2.7 in
Manual focusAutomatic
Manual
Automatic
Manual
Automatic
Manual
Automatic
Manual
Automatic
Full specifications Full specifications Full specifications Full specifications Full specifications Full specifications
Buying choices