With the pace and volume of new compact digital camera announcements increasing exponentially, it’s hard to get a handle on what to buy at any given point in time. The newest point-and-shooters on store shelves haven’t been reviewed by all the experts, but highly rated older models are tough to find as manufacturers try to move consumers along the upgrade path. As we approach the middle of 2010, though, we have a moment to catch our breath. Spring models announced earlier in the year are finally rolling out and with no big trade shows on the horizon until the fall, it’s a good time to take stock of what your digital camera dollar will buy today.
To help you make some sense out of the madness, here’s my list of the top 10 digital cameras currently on the market, in roughly descending price order. Suggested list prices range from $400 for the first three cameras (on this page) to $110 for the least expensive (on page 4), though you’ll likely find lower street prices for many of these cameras. [Check back soon for my list of the top 10 digital SLR cameras.]
|
|
||||||
| Image Gallery: Check out photos of the Top 10 compact digital cameras of 2010. |  |
 |
||||
|
|
||||||
1. Canon PowerShot S90
Something of a cross between the Canon PowerShot G series of enthusiast compact cameras and Canon’s ever-popular Digital Elph line of sleeker, more pocketable point-and-shoot cameras, the PowerShot S90 has been a tremendous success since Canon introduced it last year. By combining a larger sensor (comparable to those of the Canon G11 or competing Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3) with a bright, wide lens (28-105mm equivalent, f/2.0-4.9), the S90 delivers great image quality and flexibility, along with higher-end features such as manual controls and raw image support. Packaged in a slim, Elph-like body measuring 3.94×2.30×1.22 inches and weighing in at just over 6 ounces, the S90 is much sleeker and more compact than other cameras with such a robust feature set. The icing on the cake is the very useful Control Ring around the base of the lens that provides quick and intuitive access to a plethora of manual settings.
[See a photo gallery of the S90 and a gallery of sample photos shot with the S90.]
[Read the review] [Check prices]
2. Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7
As an avid traveler, I’m a big fan of the compact megazoom. Panasonic pioneered the category back in 2006 with the launch of the Lumix DMC-TZ1, but it was the DMC-ZS3 that won me over to the category completely, with its extra-wide 12x zoom lens (25-300mm equivalent) and gorgeous 460,000-dot, 3-inch LCD. Panasonic was smart enough not to mess with a good thing when it introduced the successor to the ZS3, the Lumix DMC-ZS7, earlier this year. Although the ZS7 does bump resolution up from 10.1 megapixels to 12.1 megapixels (which in my opinion is unnecessary and possibly undesireable) it retains the ZS3’s extra-wide 12x zoom lens and bright, sharp LCD. In fact, the only major differences are improved autofocus speed and image stabilization, and the addition of full manual controls and a built-in GPS receiver. The GPS feature lets you quickly and easily geotag photos and identifies over 500,000 landmarks (with area information for 173 countries or regions).
[See a gallery of sample photos shot with the ZS7.]
[Read the review] [Check prices]
3. Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS2
Like the ZS7, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS2 is a follow-up to an excellent camera from last year, in this case the Lumix DMC-TS1, Panasonic’s well-received entry into the waterproof point-and-shoot market. Again, Panasonic has updated the camera without messing with success. The TS2 is now waterproof to a depth of 33 feet (up from 10 feet), shockproof against a drop of up to 6.6 feet (up from 5 feet), and adds freezeproofing down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit (both cameras are also dustproof). The TS2 also benefits from the same improved autofocus technology as the ZS7, which makes for noticeably quicker performance. Though the TS2 dubiously bumps resolution up to 14.1 megapixels, it retains most of the other admirable specs, such as the wide 28mm to 128mm equivalent lens and the ability to record AVCHD Lite HD video.
