Best Beginner's Digital Camera

Imaging Resource Picks section. They're well known for their exhaustive testing of digital cameras. They investigate various aspects of each digital camera to help you pick the best one for your needs. But they know that sometimes you just want someone with experience to tell you which digital camera to buy. To serve that need, they've revamped their Picks to get straight to the point, listing your top digital camera choices by category.


Best Beginner's Digital Camera


Canon PowerShot A570 IS
7.1 megapixels, 4.00x zoom
$152.67




Canon's A570IS: Affordable Image Stabilization and great pictures! The Canon A570 IS stands out for its usable ISO as high as 1600 and excellent image stabilization so useful you'll always want it active. Considering you get that for just $50 over the price of the quite similar A560, it's a bargain, too. Digital zoom was a bit of a disappointment on this 7.1-megapixel digital camera, but otherwise the DIGIC III image processor provided above average performance yielding some wonderfully natural shots in a variety of settings. From the optical viewfinder to the manual modes, whenever we looked for a feature a photographer would appreciate, we found it on the Canon A570 IS. There isn't the huge LCD (with no room for a viewfinder) or extravagant zoom range (with big compromises in optical quality) or any of the frills (frames, in-camera presentations) of many less capable digicams. But if you want a compact digicam that can take pictures like a real camera, you won't go wrong with this solid player


Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8
7.2 megapixels, 12.00x zoom
$257.24



Compact long zoom has quality where it counts The 7.2 megapixel Panasonic DMC-FZ8 may not have the longest zoom on the block, but its 12x image-stabilized optical zoom has more than enough range to meet most photographers' needs. And while the telephoto lens may be the driving force behind your interest in this digital camera, the FZ8 has a long list of features that are equally as enticing. Full manual controls and fine-tuning options will please advanced shooters while an easy-to-use Simple mode and 21 Scene modes allow snapshooters to start taking pictures right out of the box. It's the prints that really turned our heads. Logical and convenient controls, intuitive user interface and good performance combine to prove that, unlike a blind date that looks good on paper but disappoints over dinner, the FZ8 is a contender in the superzoom category


Canon PowerShot SD1000 Digital ELPH
7.1 megapixels, 3.00x zoom
$177.25



The SD1000 is wonderfully simple, gorgeous to behold, and produces great images Canon's new PowerShot SD1000 Digital ELPH has a futuristic, yet retro look that is almost identical to the original, film-based ELPH, introduced back in May 1996. In addition to its compact size and eye-catching design, the 7-megapixel SD1000 has a standard 3x optical zoom with a 35mm equivalent focal range of 35-105mm, a 2.5-inch LCD, and an optical viewfinder. Exposure is automatic, and a new on-demand Auto ISO Shift feature bumps the light sensitivity up to a maximum of 800 with the push of a button. White balance options include auto, several presets, and custom (manual). The SD1000 utilizes Canon's DIGIC III processor and offers new face detection technology and in-camera red-eye correction. The Canon PowerShot SD1000 will instantly be usable for anyone already familiar with Canon compacts, and will only take a few minutes for everyone else to become quite comfortable