Dave's Picks

A no-nonsense pocket camera with an 8x zoom that's fun to shoot... (more)

A no-nonsense pocket camera with an 8x zoom that's fun to shoot
We tend to review more enthusiast digital cameras than easy pocket designs, but every once in a while we get a simple digital camera that inspires our creativity despite its lack of controls. The Canon PowerShot 310 HS struck a particular chord with its 8x zoom and nice, big high-res LCD, and reasonable set of Canon Scene modes. We found it a lot of fun to use, and its simplicity actually encouraged our creativity! Click here to see what was so special about the Canon 310 HS! (minimize)

A long zoom, touchscreen digital camera that slips into a small pocket... (more)

A long zoom, touchscreen digital camera that slips into a small pocket
Designed to take on the smartphone, the Canon 510 HS includes a blend of features to attract the savvy photographer. First, this digital camera has a 12x zoom lens with an impressive range from 28-336mm equivalent. Next, the Canon 510 employs a touchscreen so users can do just about everything without pressing a single button. Though we had a little trouble with the touchscreen at first, an aha! moment struck us and we learned to simply press a little harder on the screen, since the Canon 510 HS uses a different technology for its touchscreen, probably on purpose. Click here to read our Canon 510 HS review! (minimize)

Pocket long zooms don't get much better than this... (more)

Pocket long zooms don't get much better than this
Canon takes a quality pocket long zoom and adds both a GPS radio and Full HD video for a more complete package. The resulting Canon PowerShot SX230 delivers good image quality and pretty nice video quality as well, while maintaining that impressive 14x, 28-392mm zoom lens. We found some minor trouble with chromatic aberration, unsurprising at this focal length, but otherwise enjoyed the Canon SX230, indoors and out. It'll make an excellent travel camera, thanks to the wide and long zoom, as well as the GPS to match your photos to a map, and it offers as much automation or manual control as you could want. Click here for our review of the Canon SX230 HS! (minimize)

High-quality travel zoom appeals to enthusiasts and novices alike... (more)

High-quality travel zoom appeals to enthusiasts and novices alike
There's nothing like a pocket travel zoom digital camera when you want to get creative shot on vacation. The PowerShot SX260 HS is Canon's best attempt yet at meeting the needs of both the point-and-shooter and the enthusiast photographer, regardless of the destination. Its 20x zoom has great optical quality, and combined with its 12-megapixel sensor the Canon SX260's image quality is good enough to output a 16 x 20-inch print! What with the built-in GPS, we wish it had a little better battery life, but overall the Canon SX260 is looking pretty good. Click here for our Canon SX260 HS review! (minimize)

Excellence returns to the Panasonic megazoom line... (more)

Excellence returns to the Panasonic megazoom line
Can image quality rise with a reduction in resolution? Apparently so, as the 12-megapixel Panasonic FZ150 dramatically proves. We roundly criticized the FZ150's 14-megapixel predecessor as quite a step back when compared to Panasonic's other ultrazoom digital cameras, but they're back with a significantly improved design that puts them back in the winner's circle. The FZ150's excellent optics, 3-inch LCD, and solid build are now matched with a fine sensor and image processor that's worth writing about. Click here for more on the Panasonic FZ150! (minimize)

Optimized for stills and video, the Panasonic GH2 is a surprisingly capable camera... (more)

Optimized for stills and video, the Panasonic GH2 is a surprisingly capable camera
Though most of today's digital SLRs and CSCs can do video, only a few are made for video, among them the Panasonic GH2, whose sensor and autofocus system are tuned for both stills and video. Capable of capturing 16-megapixel stills and 1080i HD video, the Panasonic GH2 has a faster sensor and a Venus Engine FHD processor, both tuned for recording video at a faster bit rate than the GH1. Autofocus for stills is blazing fast, especially for a contrast-detect system, easily rivaling SLRs in speed, and that speed is useful in the Panasonic GH2's video recording as well, as one of the few hybrid cameras that can autofocus during recording. With both an articulating, touch-sensitive LCD and a superb Electronic Viewfinder, the Panasonic GH2 offers a little more than most compact system cameras, but it's also a little larger than most, coming close in size to a small consumer SLR. Stereo recording and a high ISO of 12,800 round out the package. Panasonic's selection of excellent lenses, as well as those from other Micro Four Thirds vendors, assures a good selection of available optics, including a special 3D lens which we also try. Click here for more on the Panasonic GH2! (minimize)

A great all-in-one imaging solution for travel photographers... (more)

A great all-in-one imaging solution for travel photographers
Superzooms are rather like the Swiss Army knives of the digital camera world. Where some cameras seem tuned for a specific task, superzooms like the Sony HX200V aim to cover every possibly shooting situation. All that zoom reach means compromises must be made. Done right, you get a great travel companion. Done wrong, no amount of zoom will help you. On paper, the Sony HX200V looks impressive: a 30x zoom lens, 18 megapixel sensor, tilting display, geotagging, and more. How does its real-world performance measure up? Read our Sony HX200V review and find out! (minimize)