CMOS Digital cameras

The Bottom Line: Casio provides affordable, advanced high-speed shooting for the masses with the Exilim EX-FC100, but other aspects lag behind its class.

Specs: Ultracompact, 9.1 megapixels, 5 x, 2.7 in LCD display, 31.9 MB - Integrated

The Bottom Line: The Nikon D300s is a great camera, especially if you need the burst speed or slightly improved low-light focus, but if you don't care about video you might consider looking for a really good deal on a D300 and using what you save to splurge on a good lens.

Specs: SLR, 12.3 megapixels, 3 in LCD display

The Bottom Line: The Nikon D300s is a great camera, especially if you need the burst speed or slightly improved low-light focus, but if you don't care about video you might consider looking for a really good deal on a D300 and using what you save to splurge on a good lens.

Specs: SLR, 12.3 megapixels, 11.1 x, 3 in LCD display

The Bottom Line: Though it falls short in its design, the Nikon D5000 delivers a nice feature set, speedy performance, and great photo quality for the money.

Specs: SLR, 12.3 megapixels, 3 x, 2.7 in LCD display

The Bottom Line: Though it falls short in its design, the Nikon D5000 delivers a nice feature set, speedy performance, and great photo quality for the money.

Specs: SLR, 12.3 megapixels, 3 x, 2.7 in LCD display

The Bottom Line: Though it falls short in its design, the Nikon D5000 delivers a nice feature set, speedy performance, and great photo quality for the money.

Specs: SLR, 12.3 megapixels, 2.7 in LCD display

The Bottom Line: A solid, slightly better-than-basic dSLR, the Canon EOS Rebel T1i delivers photo quality and performance that adequately compensates for most of its annoyances.

Specs: SLR, 15.1 megapixels, 3 x, 3 in LCD display

The Bottom Line: A solid, slightly better-than-basic dSLR, the Canon EOS Rebel T1i delivers photo quality and performance that adequately compensates for most of its annoyances.

Specs: SLR, 15.1 megapixels, 3 in LCD display

The Bottom Line: A top megazoom option, the Canon PowerShot SX1 IS offers a 20x zoom lens and HD video, which you can't get in a similarly priced dSLR, and delivers more features and slightly better performance and photo quality than the cheaper SX10 IS.

Specs: Full body, 10 megapixels, 20 x, 2.8 in LCD display

The Bottom Line: A great follow-up to the 5D and top-flight full-frame camera, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II delivers the fluid shooting experience and fine photos you expect from a professional model.

Specs: SLR, 21.1 megapixels, 3 in LCD display