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“On the fun scale, the Nikon Coolpix L14 scores big. It’s light enough to take anywhere and compact enough to fit anywhere, too. Controls are so simple you won’t forget them. And the menu system is the clearest and easiest to use I’ve seen. If you don’t understand an item, there’s a very easy to use help system available, too.

Digital zoom was annoyingly slow and image sharpness too soft for our taste. But color rendition was exemplary and in-camera editing features like D-Lighting really worth getting to know. Movie mode even offers a stop-motion option.”

If the attractive compact design doesn’t win you right over, the large, gorgeous LCD will. And you won’t regret it because the T100 is a very capable camera, making it easy to get great shots without too much contrast or saturation. A couple of editing tricks just add to the fun. And the payoff is a glorious slide show in high definition.

It’s easy to see why Canon PowerShots continue to be popular. Their design is user friendly and well-built, the pictures are great, and they’re easy to shoot. The Canon PowerShot A630 continues in that tradition of dependability, sporting an 8.0-megapixel CCD, a very good quality 4x optical zoom lens, and a big 2.5 inch swiveling LCD screen. It offers everything from full automatic to full manual exposure control, with a healthy set of Scene modes thrown in to make it easy to bring back great-looking photos from what might otherwise be challenging situations. 

The SD900’s performance is generally above average. Startup and shutdown speeds are above average. Shutter response is a bit faster than average but not dramatically so. Shot-to-shot cycle times and continuous-mode speeds are above average, too. The flash, which can light up an average-sized room, takes six seconds to recharge after a full-power shot, which is average for any digicam and better than average for such a powerful flash. 

It’s hard to resist the urge to grade the Kodak EasyShare C743 on a curve since this is a camera with very decent specs for a very reasonable price. But while it’s true that the Kodak C743 has a 7 megapixel imaging sensor, a 3x optical zoom, a host of helpful scene modes, and a 2.4-inch LCD for less than $160, in the end the quality of the images I captured were disappointing. In particular, low-light indoor shots…

The SD800 is a very responsive camera, with low shutter lag in daylight conditions, and excellent shot-to-shot speeds. It also sports very good battery life, a very capable Movie mode, and excellent download speed. The bright 2.5-inch color LCD monitor is excellent for framing and reviewing shots, and the overall design and layout of the SD800 IS is user-friendly and hassle-free. If you’re looking for a good take anywhere camera with great versatility and good color and tonality, the Canon SD800 IS deserves a close look.