With its 36X optical zoom, the Nikon Coolpix P500 ($400 as of June 9, 2011) is the current ruler of the megazoom world. At 35X, only the Canon PowerShot SX30 is in close pursuit, but the SX30’s 24mm wide-angle specification is no match for the P500’s superwide 22.5mm lens–a feat that has yet to be...

It’s been only 6 months since the very compact Panasonic Lumix GF2 Micro Four-Thirds system camera hit stores, and it already has a notably smaller follow-up. Announced today, the 12-megapixel, interchangeable-lens Panasonic Lumix GF3 has a body that measures just 4.24 inches wide, 2.64 inches tall,...

A decade into the digital camera revolution, there are still lots of people who believe that more megapixels mean better cameras. But it’s more important to look for features that will help you take high quality photos quickly, like quick startup time and easy to use controls. For an all-encompassing...

The good: The Canon PowerShot Elph 300 HS is a fun-to-use ultracompact with excellent photo quality even if just left in auto. The bad: The 300 HS might be too small for some, and accessing its shooting modes other than auto is laborious. The bottom line: If you’re looking for a nice, simple...

The good: The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX9 offers excellent features for automatic snapshots and speedy shooting performance, and nice photo and video quality for its class. The bad: The WX9’s controls might be too small for some users and its photos aren’t sharp enough for pixel peepers. The bottom...