Reasonably priced. 18X zoom. Wide-angle lens. Super Macro mode.

Autofocus is slow, especially at maximum zoom. Flash shots are overexposed. Dual image stabilization creates blurry images. Noise is apparent in images above ISO 400.

The S8100fd's price is in line with that of other superzoom models, but its image quality and features come up a bit short.

With superb image quality, face detection, image stabilization, and manual exposure settings, this entry-level point-and-shoot offers a lot for a little.

Low price. Excellent image quality. Broad feature set including manual exposure settings.

Bulky, boring design.

With excellent image quality, face detection, image stabilization, and manual exposure settings, this entry-level point-and-shoot offers a lot for a little.

The Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX37 can record gorgeous HD video but also produces underwhelming still images.

Very compact. Records HD video (1,280 by 720 at 30 frames per second). Solid controls. Fast boot-up and recycle times.

Moderate amount of color fringing. Subpar sharpness for a 10-megapixel camera. Noticeable shutter lag. LCD shows considerable motion blur.

Fujifilm's FinePix Z200fd delivers fashion and features, but not image quality.

What Canon's SD990 IS lacks in glamorous features, it makes up for in speed and brilliant images.

Excellent image quality. Full manual operation. Speedy boot and recycle times. Very little shutter lag.

Expensive. Somewhat bulky. Can't record high-def video. Just average noise scores.

Canon's speedy A1000 IS captures beautiful images and features a foolproof Easy Mode, which actually prevents beginners from adjusting advanced settings.

Great image quality for the price. Handy "Easy Mode" prevents you from accidentally changing settings. Fast recycle/boot-up times with little shutter lag.

Bulky. Viewfinder clips part of your images. High amounts of noise even at low ISO settings.

This innovative shooter is loaded with features, among them a 20X zoom lens. It's a worthy purchase for just about anyone who wants to get closer to the action.

Easily adjustable 20X zoom lens. Perfect Shot Preview. Shadow adjustment.

Image quality is inconsistent. Limited video. Irksome lens-focusing sound.

Even though its image quality isn't quite as consistent as that of competing models, this superzoom boasts plenty of useful features that make it worth considering.

Vivid colors and high-definition video capture help make up for boring design and a convoluted menu system in this EasyShare camera.

Takes very good indoor and outdoor still images. Can capture HD video (1,280-by-720 at 30 fps). Relatively low noise in high ISO shots.

Dull design. 3-inch touch screen is very dim. Not all controls are touch-screen-based. Poor battery performance. No HDMI-out for video playback.

The Nikon Coolpix S210 is a slim, attractive camera, but it pumps out soft, noisy images riddled with color fringing.

Thin. Light. Good-looking.

Poor image quality. Subpar resolution for an 8-megapixel camera. Very noticeable color fringing. Significant shutter lag.

The Nikon Coolpix S600 is a capable and speedy basic point-and-shooter, but at $300, it should offer more than a bare-bones feature set and so-so performance.

Slim body. Lightning-fast boot-up time. Variety of useful in-camera editing options.

Expensive. Limited feature set. Long lag time between shots. Daylight shots slightly muted. Significant barrel distortion. Mediocre face-detection performance.

The Nikon Coolpix S600 is a capable and speedy basic point-and-shooter. But at $300, it should offer more than a bare-bones feature set and so-so performance.