Best 5 digital

cameras

Nikon 7000

The good: Excellent performance for its class; great viewfinder; control locations and operations streamlined over previous Nikon dSLRs; double SDXC-compatible card slots.

The bad: No 1080/30p video.

The bottom line: An excellent dSLR for experienced shooters or Nikon professionals looking for a relatively cheap option, the Nikon D7000 delivers on almost all counts, including the company's best shooting design to date.

Canon EOS Rebel T3i

The good: The Canon EOS Rebel T3i delivers excellent video capabilities and image and video quality.

The bad: If you shoot both still and video, the T3i's controls can be frustrating to operate, and it's not terribly fast for burst shooting sports, kids, or pets.

The bottom line: For the money, the Canon EOS Rebel T3i is a great choice for dSLR videographers--though the cheaper T2i can still suffice if you don't need the articulated LCD--and it's a solid choice for creative still shooters. But though the image quality and general shooting performance are top-notch, if you're upgrading to capture sports, kids, or pets, the T3i may not be able to keep up.

Cannon PowerShot S95

The good: Attractive and well-designed; capable of producing very nice photos; complete set of manual controls; solid 720p video.

The bad: On the slow side, with subpar battery life; no low-compression JPEG option.

The bottom line: Though we'd like it to perform better, dSLR shooters looking for a sidekick camera will find the Canon PowerShot S95's top-flight photos and a full manual feature set worth the tradeoff of its compact size.

Sony Alpha NEX-7 with 18-55mm lens

The good: The Sony Alpha NEX-7 delivers excellent raw photo and solid video quality in a package that's beautifully and functionally designed, yet relatively compact. Though expensive for an essentially nonprofessional camera, it doesn't seem overpriced.

The bad: As with many competing products, the camera's JPEG algorithms need some optimization, some aspects of operation feel a little laggy, and it's missing some useful features.

The bottom line: With a lot to like and just a little to dislike, the Sony Alpha NEX-7 comes up a winner, albeit an expensive one.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V

The good: The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V is overflowing with shooting features, and has excellent photo and video quality and solid shooting performance.

The bad: The HX9V might actually be too much camera for some users and there are a couple of minor design issues.

The bottom line: Feature junkies in search of a compact megazoom should get the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX9V

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