Olympus Evolt E-510 - with a live-preview LCD...........

While many digital SLRs priced under $1000 have severely limited features, Olympus's Evolt E-510 bucks the trend. Priced at $900 with a standard lens (as of August 8, 2007), this 10.2-megapixel camera is designed for photo enthusiasts who have a basic command of photographic technique and want a camera that can handle almost any situation. And though its multitude of features might make it a bit daunting to some, the E-510 is a solid, flexible camera that takes very good pictures under most conditions.

Together, the camera and its standard 14mm-to-42mm zoom lens weigh less than 2 pounds. The E-510 doesn't feel flimsy, however. The body is well-built, and the grip felt comfortable in my hand. Even with the new 40mm-to-150mm telephoto zoom lens (available as part of the $1000 two-lens bundle), you won't feel weighed down.

When you're ready to start taking pictures, the shutter and exposure compensation buttons are easy to find, and the big control dial on top invites you to select the shooting mode you want. The dial offers five dedicated scene modes (portrait, landscape, macro, sports, and night portrait), and thirteen other modes--designed to account for shooting situations that range from fireworks to documents to panoramas--are accessible via menus.

Unlike some digital SLRs in its class, the E-510 has a great many features built in. For example, in addition to offering exposure bracketing--the ability to take multiple versions of a picture at different settings, thereby raising your chances of capturing a properly exposed image under difficult lighting conditions--this model can bracket shots for flash and white balance. You also get two levels of image stabilization to help minimize camera shake, a depth-of-field preview button, multiple metering modes (including a spot meter), and a dust-removal feature that vibrates the sensor when you turn the camera on. Additional extras include variable flash strength, mirror lockup capability (to minimize camera shake further), and support for both CompactFlash and XD Picture Card formats.

The E-510's Live View mode, which lets you use the 2.5-inch LCD as a viewfinder, is especially handy when you can't position your eye on the viewfinder to get the shot. It's not really designed to be used all the time, however; overuse can heat up the camera's sensor and introduce noise into your images.

My primary complaint about the camera is that the interface to some of the advanced features is a bit clunky, but that's counterbalanced by the fact that access to the primary features is intuitive and easy. Another drawback is the absence of focus switches on the Olympus lenses; to adjust a lens's focus, you need to change the autofocus setting in the camera. But aside from these minor issues, the E-510 has all of the basic functionality that an entry-level or serious shooter needs.

Features wouldn't be worth much if the E-510's pictures weren't of high quality, and Olympus didn't disappoint in this respect either. Color fidelity and saturation were very good, and the E-510 handled most shooting conditions easily. At lower ISO ranges, the E-510's images show very little noise; as you reach and exceed ISO 800, color noise begins to appear, though it's no worse than on other cameras of a similar price.

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Sony Alpha DSLR-A300 Digital SLR Camera - real-time Live View LCD............

Like competing compact digital SLRs designed for users stepping up from the point-and-shoot realm, the 10.2-megapixel Sony Alpha DSLR-A300 has Live View functions--but it enjoys an edge over its rivals in that its flexible Live View LCD works in real time. Priced at $700 (available in a kit only, with a 18mm-to-70mm lens; price as of 6/10/08), the A300 doesn't come cheap, but this camera's tilt-screen tricks may make it attractive to stealth shooters and to people who want to capture unique images.


The 2.7-inch Live View screen offers optional real-time viewing, so you can compose images using your LCD just as you would with a point-and-shoot camera. A mechanical switch allows you to toggle back and forth between using the Live View LCD or the viewfinder for composing. Because the Alpha DSLR-A300's Live View (as on the Alpha DSLR-A350) uses a separate mirror and sensor to transmit what it sees, Live View mode imposes no slowdown on the sensor's handling of the actual images as you shoot. If you prefer to use the traditional viewfinder, though, Sony's works just fine; its eyecup and diopter comfortably fit my eye.

Thanks to the Live View mode, composing shots of subjects at ground level was a breeze, since I didn't have to crouch down onto the ground to look through the viewfinder. Though both the LCD's quality and Live View won me over, I was a little disappointed to see that it folds out and extends only vertically. The design allowed me to point the lens around a corner periscope-style, but only in that one way. I can imagine how constructing a sturdy, fully swiveling screen might be difficult, but here's hoping that Sony will achieve such a thing in future models.

The A300 weighs just 0.2 ounces more than the Nikon D60, but it seems a bit heavy at 16.3 ounces; still, the camera's ergonomic design gives it a solid and balanced feel in the hand.

If you put your fingers on the camera's grip, they won't get in the way of the bundled 18mm-to-70mm lens (f/3.5-5.6, effective 35mm focal length of 27mm to 105mm) or block the pop-up flash. Commonly used settings are accessible from the top of the camera for quick access. Menu controls are available on the back, and all settings are viewable on screen.

I found the camera intuitive to use. The A300 offers a 3-frames-per-second burst mode for sports and other fast-moving action, but that mode steps down to 2 frames per second if you use Live View. The camera will also let you get close for macro shots. It has dial settings for landscape, portraits, and sunsets, and offers in-camera image stabilization. Several cool pre-shooting, image-enhancement features--including saturation, nighttime, and black-and-white settings--are easily accessible within the menu.

The noise-reduction and dynamic range expansion settings made quite a difference during long exposures at high ISOs (which range from 100 to 3200). That said, I observed a good deal of noise in shots not employing noise reduction; I also noticed some artifacting along high-contrast edges, a bit more than I would like in a high-quality image file. Even so, in the final evaluation of PC World Test Center tests, this model earned a score of Superior for its overall image quality, including its excellent flash exposures.

Manual settings are easy to dial up, as are the aperture- and shutter-priority modes. I particularly liked the A300's Exposure Shift setting, which novice photographers may find valuable: First, you set what you perceive as a proper exposure, and then, with the shift function, you can make equivalent exposures using different combinations of shutter speeds and apertures. White-balance settings are similarly simple to adjust and customize via the menu, and the camera will also shoot bracketing for white balance, which allows you to see multiple takes of ambient color in your shots so you can pick the ones you like best.

The Sony Alpha DSLR-A300's smooth Live View handling makes this model worth consideration for anyone graduating from a point-and-shoot camera. That this model offers advanced features in a fun-to-use, uncomplicated form should only make for more photographic joy.

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Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Digital SLR Camera - Powerful and versatile entry-level...........

The 12-megapixel Canon Digital Rebel XSi, which targets entry-level digital SLR shooters, has all the features that novices expect--as well as an alluring array of advanced options that will appeal to more seasoned photographers. Priced at $900 (with kit lens, price as of 6/10/08), this camera may be the most expensive choice in its field, but it also offers the most versatility.

When purchased as part of a kit, this model comes with an 18mm-to-55mm IS lens (f/3.5-5.6), which provides image stabilization and a respectable 35mm focal length range of 29mm to 88mm. The camera can handle up to 3.5 frames per second in burst mode.

The Digital Rebel XSi has a solid feel, with a textured grip that makes it easy to hold one-handed. A roomy 3-inch Live View LCD sits on the back of the camera, but it isn't a high-resolution LCD as some higher-end digital SLRs have. On top of the camera is a dial that offers the usual portrait, sports, landscape, and macro modes, along with aperture priority, shutter priority, or manual operation. All essential exposure settings display clearly on the bright LCD, and are also visible through the viewfinder; this arrangement allows you to compose and shoot easily, whichever way you prefer.

The Digital Rebel's Live View mode allows you to compose shots on screen and employs the sensor for both image preview and capture duties, so what you see on the screen is what the camera is actually recording. This setup has its benefits, but given the display's limitation of 30 frames per second, the performance of Canon's Live View is slower in comparison to the Sony A350's flashy tilt screen, which works in real time (thanks to the inclusion of a second sensor for rendering the live preview). Canon's Live View mode lets you zoom in on your image as you're composing it; you also can check on the focus in specific areas, a feature I appreciated when out in the field.

Essential camera settings are quick and easy to change, but I found accessing some of the more advanced options daunting. Though many features await you in the Custom Functions menus, they require some drilling to get to. The good news is that Canon has incorporated the useful My Menu feature from the EOS 40D, which lets you group and save your frequently used settings. If you prefer a little extra insurance, shoot with bracketing enabled, either for white balance or for exposure.

Another feature on the mode dial, A-Dep, is particularly useful when you're taking pictures of small groups. A-Dep assesses the scene in three spots and adjusts the depth of field so that your subjects are all in focus. Advanced shooters will appreciate that the Rebel has spot metering and Highlight Tone Priority in its arsenal; the latter lets you retain a bit more detail in highlights, though you lose ISO 100 when you do so. A noise-reduction mode helps control noise at high ISOs.

I found the Digital Rebel XSi's Picture Styles genuinely effective; Landscape, for example, greens up foliage. Other in-camera adjustment parameters include saturation, contrast, sharpness, and monochrome adjustments that allow you to customize the look of black-and-white images.

In tests, pictures were sharp (the XSi topped our current field of cameras in this area) and well exposed (another area where this model came out ahead). Images showed very little noise in shadows and minimal artifacting along high-contrast edges.

The Canon Digital Rebel XSi stands out as a versatile digital SLR that is easily navigable on the surface but also offers powerful options, some that you may never even get to. Once you get the hang of the basics, this camera has the depth to take things further.

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Do You Want To Know It? Top 10 Point-and-Shoot Cameras

Easy to use, point-and-shoot cameras are a great choice for the casual photographer. Ratings and rankings can change due to pricing and technology changes, so check back frequently for the latest info.

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Olympus EVolt E-300 - This rugged SLR is fast and can shoot in long bursts

This rugged SLR is fast and can shoot in long bursts, but it requires specific lenses.

The Olympus EVolt E-300 digital SLR ($900 with lens, $800 otherwise) comes with a slew of creative features. Once you master them--particularly the exposure controls--you can take some truly dazzling photos. Digital photographers looking to move beyond a simple point-and-shoot model likely won't be disappointed by the EVolt E-300's strengths, though it does have some distinct weaknesses.

The EVolt's design is eye-catching. There's no hump on the top of the camera--the signature mark of all SLRs for the past 45 years. Olympus moved the viewfinder's optical path to the left side of the body, which makes the camera slightly shorter than most other digital SLRs. Though it isn't a significant savings in size, the flat-top design does seem to help the EVolt slide in and out of an overstuffed camera bag more easily. Our shipping Olympus has a polished look and feel. Its solid, bricklike body feels as if you could pound nails with it. The dials turn smoothly and easily, and the body fits firmly in two hands.

The E-300 will easily serve photographers of any skill level--convenient for those times when you have to hand your camera to someone who's comfortable with only point-and-shoot models. In addition to full automatic exposure mode, the E-300 has a selection of preset scene modes that quickly adjust your settings to specific situations. The E-300 provides a total of 15 scene modes in its menus; five of them also are located on its dial.

In the past we've praised Olympus cameras for their intuitive menus, but the E-300 takes a slight step backward. The submenus are not as well labeled as those of the Olympus C-8080 we tested previously, and working out the location of the camera's many settings takes some time. For example, the camera's white-balance controls are spread across three of the five menu sublevels. And you can't customize the menus as extensively as you can the Nikon D70's, for example, or even those of some earlier Olympus models.

On the plus side, the Olympus responds more quickly as you use it. Many of the key exposure controls change rapidly with the press of a dedicated button and a spin of the camera's selector dial. Also, I especially like the Olympus's status screen on its 1.8-inch LCD. It's easy to read, with blue letters on a black background, and it tied in nicely to the camera's controls.

For our formal image-quality tests, we took some shots in the camera's default fully automatic mode. It's a good test of a camera's ability to capture details and accurate color, before you add your exposure-correction preferences. The E-300's images looked similar to those from Canon's semiprofessional EOS 20D: a bit underexposed, with colors that were slightly less saturated than the hues of the original subject. (Some digital photographers prefer default settings that produce slightly underexposed images that allow them to make adjustments on a PC without losing details, as would happen in overexposed areas.) In tests with automatic mode, the E-300 earned very high image quality scores--significantly higher than those of the Nikon D70s--and scored well for color accuracy when we used a custom white balance and manually adjusted the exposure settings (though here the D70s earned similarly high scores).

The EVolt E-300 has an 8.2-megapixel CCD--higher than on a few other affordably priced SLRs, such as the Nikon D70s and the Pentax *ist DS, which have a 6.1-megapixel CCD. In our test photo, the Olympus reproduced better fine-line details than the Nikon D70s--in fact, its output was comparable to that of the much more expensive, semiprofessional 8.2-megapixel Canon EOS 20D. The Olympus's high-resolution CCD will come in handy if you often crop and enlarge pictures to the practical limits of the images.

One innovative feature of the E-300 is a dust filter that sits between the shutter and the sensor and that vibrates to release dust particles. Dust specks in images shot by digital SLRs are a common problem, partly because changing lenses on an SLR exposes the camera's interior to dust (see "The Dirt on Digital SLRs' Dust").

On the downside, in our new test that evaluates how much digital noise cameras introduce to images, the EVolt E-300 produced noisier images at ISO 1600 than the other SLRs we tested.

In burst mode, the Olympus proved almost indefatigable. Capturing images in its second-best JPEG setting, the Olympus consistently fired off at about 2.5 frames per second, stopping only when I ran out of space on my CompactFlash card. At the highest JPEG setting, the camera is rated to take 12 consecutive frames. By contrast, burst mode on the SD Card-based Pentax *ist DS was less consistent, with the frames-per-second speed revving up and down, but averaging roughly 1.5 fps.

Unfortunately, the E-300 requires specific lenses. Unlike the digital SLRs from Canon, Nikon, and Pentax, there is no massive base of existing 35mm film camera lenses to choose from. If you're starting from scratch, buying clean used lenses for these cameras could save you a significant amount of money, but you don't have this option with the E-300. And while Olympus's selection of Zuiko Digital lenses is pretty good, it's still a fairly new line and doesn't have nearly the breadth of the competition. The Zuiko lens we received has a focal ring that is connected by wire to an electronic motor. By comparison, the focal rings on the other tested SLR lenses move glass inside the lens mechanically. The E-300's method lacks the tactile feedback the other lenses provide when focusing manually, though we did find the E-300's mechanism helpful for fine-tuning the autofocus.

Upshot: Though the lenses available are limited, the E-300 delivers high image quality, and its features are well suited to photographers of all skill levels.

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Olympus C-7070 Wide Zoom - Olympus boosts its rugged, wide-angle digital camera to 7 megapixels

Olympus boosts its rugged, wide-angle digital camera to 7 megapixels.
It would be easy to classify the Olympus C-7070 Wide Zoom as a simple case of keeping up with the Joneses. A near twin to the older C-5060 that it replaces, the C-7070's bump in resolution from the now pedestrian 5 megapixels up to a more desirable 7.1 megapixels keeps it competitive with the slew of recently released 7- and 8-megapixel cameras. But Olympus has also added numerous refinements to the C-5060's prodigious collection of creative controls and made the C-7070 noticeably easier to use.

I will confess at this point that I own the C-5060, having purchased it based on our own Best Buy recommendation. Smaller and lighter than an SLR, the C-5060 made a good choice for the back-country and travel photography I do. The new C-7070 has all of the qualities that made its predecessor attractive, including a well-thought-out selection of control buttons and menus, plus extras like dual-media support (XD-Picture Card and CompactFlash) and a swiveling LCD--the latter being especially useful for shooting low-lying wildflowers.

The C-7070's refinements include the capability to capture RAW and JPEG images at the same time--useful if you want to display your work immediately, then go back and process the RAW files at a later time. The scene mode function is improved somewhat--though there are no longer individual settings on the mode dial, they are still easily selected by picking from a list on the LCD. Each scene mode choice now displays a sample image, helpful for less-experienced photographers.

Two completely new features are the in-camera red-eye fix and the so-called oracle auto focus, a function that might help sports photographers. It works like this: After you set the exposure lock on a moving subject, oracle AF tries to predict the correct distance to the subject at the time you actually press the trigger. To test this, I shot cars moving down a city street using either traditional autofocus or the oracle AF setting. I can't say that oracle AF was more successful in freezing my desired subject.

The focal length of the camera remains unchanged. The 4X optical zoom starts at the 35mm equivalent of 27mm--ideal for interior and landscape shooting. The f-stop range, however, is a little better on the newer model: f2.8 to f11 versus f2.8 to f8. That's helpful for a little more depth of field, but it would have been more useful if Olympus had made the lens faster--the now ancient C-5050 started at f1.8, and there were complaints from users when the C-5060 went to f2.8.

My expectations for the C-7070's image quality were not matched by the results of PC World's lab tests and my less-formal shots. Though it received an overall score of Very Good, the C-7070's image sharpness was only marginally better than that of the C-5060's images. Like a number of 7-megapixel models I've seen recently, there was a distinct falloff in sharpness when I viewed the C-7070's shots at 100 percent in Photoshop. Test images also had somewhat more noise than I expect to see in this level of camera. It's not objectionable in a standard 8 by 10 print, but will likely be pronounced if you crop and enlarge much.

Upshot: Though image quality is not quite what you'd expect, the C-7070 is still one of the most powerful and flexible advanced digital cameras available.
Olympus C-7070 Wide Zoom

7.1 megapixels, 3072 by 2304 maximum resolution, 27mm to 110mm focal range (35mm equivalent), f2.6 to f11 maximum aperture range, shutter speeds from 16 seconds to 1/4000 second, optical and LCD viewfinders, USB connection, XD-Picture Card and CompactFlash slots, rechargeable lithium ion battery, 13.5 ounces with battery, Olympus Master software. One-year parts and labor warranty, 13-hour weekday toll-free support.
$600
888/553-4448

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Fujifilm FinePix S8100fd Digital Camera - lightweight

This lightweight model has a zoom lens that plays well at both wide-angle and telephoto extremes.

The Fujifilm FinePix S8100fd offers a host of advanced features at an affordable $400 price, but its biggest strength is the versatile 18X zoom lens. It covers a 35mm film camera's range--specifically, the equivalent of 27mm to 486mm--providing true wide-angle and extreme telephoto capability in a single compact unit. (However, in our roundup of megazooms, the Olympus SP-570 UZ had the greatest range: 26mm to 520mm.)

On a spring trip to Lake Tahoe, I found the wide angle to be excellent for sweeping mountain backdrops, while the long telephoto let me pick out details in the distance and get up close to wildlife. The camera's dual image stabilization was effective at reducing the chance of blur in zoom shots and at capturing moving targets, such as birds in flight. It works by shifting the sensor to compensate for unsteady hands and by raising the sensitivity to allow for shorter exposure times.

The S8100fd's automatic face detection optimized the focus and exposure in my portraits well, even when I was zooming from a distance. And its automatic red-eye removal took the guesswork out of flash photography. For users who want maximum control, the camera also provides exposure compensation, aperture- and shutter-priority settings, and full manual focus and exposure controls.

Despite the relatively low exposure range of F2.8 to F8.0, the camera tended towards large apertures for my scenic shots. I liked being able to reduce this myself, to achieve a longer depth of focus in pictures with foreground subjects against the lake and mountains.

The color fidelity of my photos sometimes disappointed me. Images with large areas of green trees and grass often looked unnatural. However, the S8100fd performed well in our lab tests, where our judges saw good color reproduction. Exposure accuracy was exceptional in natural light, but could have been better using the built-in flash. Images weren't as sharp as you might expect from the camera's 10-megapixel sensor.

The S8100fd offers several continuous shooting modes, including two high-speed settings that record at a lower resolution. You can record up to 33 frames at either 7 frames per second for 5-megapixel images or 13.5 fps for 3 megapixels, which might be useful for stopping the action in sports and wildlife shots. The camera records only standard-definition video at up to 30 fps.

Rubber surfaces on the front and rear of the handgrip make the lightweight S8100fd comfortable to hold and operate. The conveniently arranged controls generally work well, although it's sometimes easy to forget to select the image stabilization and face detection buttons on top of the camera. The 2.5-inch LCD is sufficiently clear and bright for composing most shots, but its colors didn't seem very natural. Because I wore the camera by its neck strap, I tended to use the electronic viewfinder often--it's hard to shoot with arms outstretched while you have it tethered to your neck. Bumping up the refresh rate from 30 fps to the optional 60 fps improved the viewfinder's stability, but it still felt like trying to focus on a fuzzy TV.

A set of batteries lasted for a good 459 shots in our lab tests, but they drained more quickly than I expected during my everyday use. Fortunately, the camera runs off regular AA alkaline batteries, so it was easy to find replacements during my trip.

The Fujifilm FinePix S8100fd is a good all-rounder at a reasonable price. It offers plenty of automated assistance, but lets you tweak settings manually when necessary. It makes a good choice for anyone seeking a single camera for all occasions.

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Casio Exilim Pro EX-F1 Digital Camera - good

This model shoots full-resolution bursts at up to 60 frames per second.

You've seen photos that freeze the action as a baseball hits the bat, a race car bounces over a curb, fireworks burst in the sky, or a droplet splashes into a glass of milk. Even a hobbyist photographer can take shots like these easily with the Casio Exilim Pro EX-F1, which captures up to 60 fps (frames per second) and offers several ways to exploit this unique ability.

On a trip to the ballpark, I loved the mode that prerecords frames as you half-press the shutter release. The camera saves the images only when you click the button the rest of the way. I could easily set up a shot and wait for the action. If the hitter missed the ball, no problem--I just released the button and tried again next time.

When I caught a hit, I could review the sequence on the bright 2.8-inch LCD to choose the clearest shots of the ball hitting the bat and bouncing away. However, I found I often missed the next play while I was busy selecting the images, or even while waiting for all 60 images to be stored on my SDHC media card.

The EX-F1 also makes shooting video a joy. It can record full 1080i HD video as well as video in standard TV format. However, I had most fun at the baseball game filming high-speed video. The camera can shoot reduced resolutions at up to 1200 fps, but 300 fps is plenty to reveal the slow-motion contortions of a pitcher throwing the ball.

If the image-stabilized, 12X-zoom makes sports photography a breeze, the camera's automatic face detection ensures that portraits are in focus and accurately exposed; you get a full set of manual modes, too. The built-in flash has two light sources--a regular strobe and an LED source for longer bursts. You can also attach an external flash to the hot shoe. One drawback: The wide-angle view is too narrow for dramatic scenery shots or large family portraits.

The camera has a solid feel, with mostly sensible controls and feedback, but I often hit the three buttons to the left of the lens by mistake. I like that you can configure the ring around the lens to adjust the focus, zoom, or frame rate. I usually hate electronic viewfinders, but I frequently found myself using the tiny screen to compose shots accurately, despite its lack of realism.

The sensor's 6-megapixel resolution may seem low these days, but it's a reasonable compromise to achieve the camera's high frame rates. Image quality stood up very well to models with 8 megapixels or more in our lab tests, showing fine exposure and low levels of distortion. The chunky lithium ion cell pumped out enough power to cope with all 500 of our battery test shots. That's important because you can use a lot of juice just waiting for the right moment, let alone shooting many shots in succession.

At $1000, the Casio EX-F1 isn't cheap. But for subjects such as sports and wildlife photography, where high frame rates and HD video stand out, it could be worth every penny.

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Canon EOS Digital Rebel XSi Digital SLR Camera - powerful

Powerful and versatile entry-level digital SLR camera offers terrific image quality.

The 12-megapixel Canon Digital Rebel XSi, which targets entry-level digital SLR shooters, has all the features that novices expect--as well as an alluring array of advanced options that will appeal to more seasoned photographers. Priced at $900 (with kit lens, price as of 6/10/08), this camera may be the most expensive choice in its field, but it also offers the most versatility.

When purchased as part of a kit, this model comes with an 18mm-to-55mm IS lens (f/3.5-5.6), which provides image stabilization and a respectable 35mm focal length range of 29mm to 88mm. The camera can handle up to 3.5 frames per second in burst mode.

The Digital Rebel XSi has a solid feel, with a textured grip that makes it easy to hold one-handed. A roomy 3-inch Live View LCD sits on the back of the camera, but it isn't a high-resolution LCD as some higher-end digital SLRs have. On top of the camera is a dial that offers the usual portrait, sports, landscape, and macro modes, along with aperture priority, shutter priority, or manual operation. All essential exposure settings display clearly on the bright LCD, and are also visible through the viewfinder; this arrangement allows you to compose and shoot easily, whichever way you prefer.

The Digital Rebel's Live View mode allows you to compose shots on screen and employs the sensor for both image preview and capture duties, so what you see on the screen is what the camera is actually recording. This setup has its benefits, but given the display's limitation of 30 frames per second, the performance of Canon's Live View is slower in comparison to the Sony A350's flashy tilt screen, which works in real time (thanks to the inclusion of a second sensor for rendering the live preview). Canon's Live View mode lets you zoom in on your image as you're composing it; you also can check on the focus in specific areas, a feature I appreciated when out in the field.

Essential camera settings are quick and easy to change, but I found accessing some of the more advanced options daunting. Though many features await you in the Custom Functions menus, they require some drilling to get to. The good news is that Canon has incorporated the useful My Menu feature from the EOS 40D, which lets you group and save your frequently used settings. If you prefer a little extra insurance, shoot with bracketing enabled, either for white balance or for exposure.

Another feature on the mode dial, A-Dep, is particularly useful when you're taking pictures of small groups. A-Dep assesses the scene in three spots and adjusts the depth of field so that your subjects are all in focus. Advanced shooters will appreciate that the Rebel has spot metering and Highlight Tone Priority in its arsenal; the latter lets you retain a bit more detail in highlights, though you lose ISO 100 when you do so. A noise-reduction mode helps control noise at high ISOs.

I found the Digital Rebel XSi's Picture Styles genuinely effective; Landscape, for example, greens up foliage. Other in-camera adjustment parameters include saturation, contrast, sharpness, and monochrome adjustments that allow you to customize the look of black-and-white images.

In tests, pictures were sharp (the XSi topped our current field of cameras in this area) and well exposed (another area where this model came out ahead). Images showed very little noise in shadows and minimal artifacting along high-contrast edges.

The Canon Digital Rebel XSi stands out as a versatile digital SLR that is easily navigable on the surface but also offers powerful options, some that you may never even get to. Once you get the hang of the basics, this camera has the depth to take things further.

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Panasonic Lumix FX500 Digital Camera - touch screen

The touch-screen FX500 won't replace your digital SLR, but it's a classy little camera that handles a lot.

The 10-megapixel Panasonic Lumix FX500 has sophistication written all over it. Its brushed metallic surface, well-placed, slim flash, and 25mm-to-125mm Leica 5X optical zoom lens are appealing, but the marquee feature of this $400 point-and-shoot camera is its 3-inch touch-screen display, which is sure to be controversial with photography purists who would otherwise be attracted to its manual settings.

The touch screen is bright enough for viewing in almost all lighting conditions, and it's not so hair-trigger that it invites accidental selections. You can use it to access some of the camera's menu settings more easily, as well as to zoom in and out on photos you've taken. For some operations you must use it, though casual snapshooters may be disappointed that it does not supplant more menu options. (Besides the touch screen, the FX500 has a four-way toggle switch you can use to reach particular settings.)

If you touch a subject on the touch screen, the camera will focus on the selection--a novel and quite effective approach. The zoom-and-drag options for viewing images on the screen are another nifty feature. You can touch an area of the screen and then either zoom in on the selection or drag it around on the touch screen. It's a convenient way to check sharpness, facial expressions, and other details at 100 percent of actual image size. Tapping arrows on the touch screen lets you move the entire image around.

The touch screen eliminates some of the tedious drilling-down that many cameras force you to perform to get to settings such as scene modes and playback options. That's good news because the FX500 offers 21 preset scene modes, including portrait, party, soft skin, and starry sky. The beach and snow modes will help keep your highlights where you want them in those environments; and flower enthusiasts and the detail-obsessed will find the camera's macro mode awe-inspiring.

All of that touch-screen action may be a bit draining. In our lab tests, the FX500's rechargeable lithium ion battery was good for 240 shots on a single charge--not too shabby, but far short of the 300 or more shots per charge that some more energy-efficient point-and-shoot models offer.

My only serious gripe with this sleek-but-expensive little camera relates to its manual settings. The FX500 saves all images in JPEG format; there's no RAW option. Also, to adjust manual settings, aperture priority, and shutter priority you have to use scroll bars on the touch screen. Even people with fine motor control of their hands may find this process frustrating unless they resort to using the FX500's included stylus; without it, I labored to obtain the aperture and shutter speed combinations I wanted.

Carrying the stylus cramps your style, but attaching it to the camera strap and stuffing it into your bag could damage the FX500's beautiful screen. Fortunately, the camera's excellent Intelligent Auto mode and subject autofocus tracking kept me covered without my having to think too much, and the icons on the touch screen helped me switch modes quickly and accurately.

You can shoot video (in either wide screen or the more traditional 4:3 ratio), with metering, quality, and frame-rate options; and you can extract individual frames as photos. The FX500 lets you record up to 2GB of continuous video footage, but you can't zoom in or out while shooting, so compose carefully beforehand.

Among the FX500's additional features are two burst modes, bracketing, long exposures, spot metering, a choice of aspect ratios, customizable white balance, and an ISO range of from 100 to 6400. In my tests, some inevitable noise was visible at higher ISOs, but I saw few if any artifacts in high-contrast edges. Image quality was a mixed bag in our lab testing: The FX500 produced sharp images, but didn't distinguish itself in our flash-exposure and normal-exposure tests.

The camera's responsiveness was excellent, with almost no lag time between when I pressed the shutter and when pictures wrote to the card, even at the highest quality setting. This characteristic, combined with the FX500's quick, accurate autofocus and exposure, makes the camera very satisfying to shoot with.

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