A note about Mega Pixels (MP). No longer should you choose one camera over another because it has more MP. Recently some camera manufacturers have reduced the number of MPs in order to increase low light performance. The SD400 and S90(both listed below) are two 10MP cameras that offer excellent low light performance for a P&S.

Super Budget
Panasonic Lumix LZ8K 8MP 5x Zoom Lots of features, easy to operate and image quality is excellent.

BudgetCanon PowerShot SD1300 IS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Silver) Lacks some of the frills of the other cameras but provides the Powershot reliability and excellent image quality in a variety of situations

Mid Level
Panasonic Lumix ZS7 12 MP 12x Zoom 3.0-Inch LCDHuge Zoom, HD video recording and excellent image quality in a form factor that slips into a pocket.

Between these twoCanon PowerShot SD4000 10MP 3.8x ZoomVery similar to the S90 below but with HDvideo. You lose the slick control scheme and a tiny bit of low light performance. But if you are looking for a traditional P&S form factor with excellent quality in video and stills this camera is hard to beat!

High end
Canon PowerShot S90IS 10MP 3.8x Zoom Extremely high quality images with very little noise, even at higher ISOs, almost DSLR like quality. Genius control scheme lets you have as much or as little control over manual shooting.

Hope this helps and please let me know if you have any questions.

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The megapixel race has slowed and dare I say plateaued (this is a good thing) with camera manufacturers focusing on new features and better low light performance. Sure a good number of the models announced feature 14MP but we have been there for over a year now and some models announced are still at 10MP. Don’t get starry eyed about these 14MP cameras. Personally I would take a quality 10MP sensor, or even 8MP sensor over 14MP any day.

Features that we can look forward to:

• Face tagging in camera, iPhoto and Picasa has been able to do this on your computer for sometime now but this is the first I have seen the technology actually in the camera. These cameras will recognize faces, allow in camera tagging and easy uploading to Flickr, Facebook etc.
• Related to the above – one touch sharing to popular photo sites like Facebook, Flickr, etc.
• Sony added a model that does GPS tagging, automatically geo-locating your pictures for display on a map.  Including a Compass function that shows which direction you were pointing when the picture was taken.
• Not a feature but certainly worth noting, Sony and Olympus finally bowed to pressure and their newly announced cameras all support SD cards or provide adapters for SD cards.  Previously they used their more expensive and proprietary memory Stick and xD cards respectively.
• Related to the above, a few manufactures are now actually including enough in camera memory to use.   Kodak’s Slice has 2gb of internal memory and accepts MicroSD cards (just like your phone)
• More cameras with HDvideo including 1080i and more cameras adopting either H.264 or AVCHD video formats, both are far more efficient than the typical Motion JPEG
• More cameras with built in Wifi or the newer Jet Transfer technology which allows fast wireless transfers at very short distances.

Refinements to existing technology:

• Bigger/Faster SD Cards, the new format is SDXC for your SD cards and is currently very expensive with huge capacities – 32 & 64gbs
• Better low light performance, especially at the lower MP range.  Canon started this with their excellent S90 and G11 cameras, now a few other manufactures have opted to stay at the lower MP mark of 10MP and introduce technologies that increase low light performance- backlit sensors, increased stabilization/anti-shake, smarter noise reduction algorithms.
• Face recognition for focusing and exposure- this continues to improve, reducing the chance that you will get flashed out faces with your people shots
• Intelligent Sweep Panorama- Sony here againg and they released this feature in a few models last year, now refined you hold the shutter button down and spin left/right or move the camera up.  The camera takes up to 120 pics and stiches it all together into a panorama.
• More zoom in your pocket- Over a 1/3 of the models announced have 7x zoom or higher.  And a  large majority have 5x or higher.
• Touch screen and screen resolution- More cameras with the bright and more efficient AMOLED screens and several cameras with touch screen controls

Interesting Products:

• Kodak PlaySport HD Waterproof Pocket Video Camera due out on Apr 5, 2010 – Kodak’s Zi8 has gotten excellent reviews, better quality than Flip and the Zx3 looks to continue that with a rugged, waterproof and smaller version that actually costs less!

What  have I missed? there was certainly loads of information coming out of CES- share your thoughts below or find me on twitter @camerarec

Happy Shooting!

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• 10.1 MP & RAW File format
• 2.5x wide-angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized lens
• 3.0-inch high-resolution LCD screen
• HD video capture
• Manual control options

This camera is consistently mentioned as one of THE BEST point and shoots you can buy. DPReview.com Highly recommends the camera based on its image quality and lower light performance. The noise levels are very low and almost rival some DSLRs. The wide lens plus the maximum aperture of f2.0 allows for great low light performance. Overall reviewers at both DPReview.com and Amazon are very pleased with the image quality. With the ability to capture RAW images and full manual control you have an almost DSLR like camera without the bulk. However, it is still a point and shoot, and a slightly bulky one at that so you will get noisy images at the higher ISOs and you are stuck with a lens with a fairly small amount of zoom (2.5x)- The majority of complaints concern the lack of zoom.

When you look at image quality and performance this is one of the best, if not the best point & shoot cameras you can buy.

Buy the Panasonic DMC-LX3K 10.1MP

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• 8MP
• Face Detection, Intelligent ISO, Intelligent Scene Selector & quick AutoFocus
• Easy mode and Full Manual Control

A excellent camera at a very nice price. 5x zoom with optical image stabilization and intelligent ISO combine to give you blur-free photos. Face detection and scene selectors insure that the camera settings are are correctly matched to your subject(s). And finally a really nice wide-screen movie mode at 30fps, something you don't see in other cameras at this price. This camera has excellent reviews and if you use a set of good rechargeable batteries(see note below) you can get nearly 500 shots on a pair If you have someone that is trying to learn photography this camera is not a terrible place to start as it offers full manual control.

A solid performing camera at an excellent price.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ8K 8MP

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• 14.7 MP
• 5x zoom and moderately wide angle lens
• Complete manual controls and RAW file format
• 3.0 inch LCD screen
• Excellent movie mode

The Canon G series has a strong history of excellence and the G10 continues the tradition. The G10 is marketed toward the advanced amateur, someone who enjoys having complete control over the creative process of using their camera. The ability to shoot in the RAW format and to be able to add an external flash like the Canon Speedlite 270EX Flash makes the camera a very powerful tool. Despite the wealth of features it remains an easy camera to use and work with. If you are moving up from a lower class point & shoot this camera will be a huge upgrade.

For the 96% of you on this site, this camera will be a fantastic and impressive camera to own and use. The other 4% need to just go ahead and buy a DSLR.

Buy Now!

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• 14.7 MP
• Face Self-Timer
• Easily fits in a pocket

The SD990IS is top of the line in Canon's ELPH series. Here is a 14.7 MP camera with Image Stabilization, Face Detection and highly praised image quality. A new feature that Canon has added this last year is the Face Self-Timer- automatically detects an increase in the number of faces and makes the appropriate adjustments. For instance, to include photographer’s face in a group shot, there’s no need to rush in. Just put the camera on a stand or tripod, and specify Face Self-Timer, and the camera will wait for the photographer’s face to get on-camera before it takes the shot. Two downsides- you don't get HD movies, the movies are limited to the fairly standard 640x480. and although I just mentioned the 14.7MP on the plus side I feel I need to list it in the negatives as well. The images produced by the camera are going to be large and you may find yourself running out of hard disk space quickly. Of course you can take photos at lower resolution in the camera, saving you room. And when you are in a situation where you feel every megapixels counts you can increase the resolution back up to 14.7.

An incredible number of megapixels, cool features and a stylish look that will easily fit in your pocket.

Buy the Canon Powershot SD990IS 14.7MP

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• 10 MP
• Serious 20x Zoom
• Swivel Screen and Hot Shoe
• Manual Control

This camera is NOT going to be slipping into any pockets anytime soon and it is nearing the limit of what I consider a mid-priced digital camera but you get an amazing zoom (20x), a swivel screen and a hot shoe (a place to stick external flashes like the Canon Speedlite 270EX Flash. These features are on top of plenty of very positive reviews on Amazon and Dpreview.com. This is a camera to get if you want the zoom and the control possible on a DSLR without the having to buy and change lenses. Note: there is also a very similarly named camera, the Canon PowerShot SX1IS For $200 more you get full HD recording, ability to shoot in the RAW format, ability to shoot faster 4fps versus 1.4fps and a tiny bit larger LCD screen. Unless you really want the HD save your money and buy for the SX10

Canon PowerShot SX1IS - HD Movies, Raw File, faster framerate ~$200 more.

Sony Cybershot DSC-HX1 - HD Movies, manual noise control ~$100 more. Image quality scored a 7.5/10 on Dpreview.com

If you need the a super zoom, oodles of manual controls and the ability to add an external Flash this is your camera. Actually if you need two of the three features listed this is still your camera.

Buy the Canon Powershot SX10IS 10MP

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• 10x Zoom
• HD Movie Mode
• Smart Camera Controls
• 3.0-inch LCD; Mega O.I.S. and Intelligent ISO

Just over $200 for one heck of a camera. I think I will let the review of jayzee77 at dpreview.com do most of the honors "I have been searching for years for the perfect compact point and shoot camera. I probably buy three cameras a year and resell the others. I can honestly say I have owned atleast one model camera of every major camera manufacturer. This is the best all around compact camera I have ever used." And his praise matches up with what many are saying. This camera has very high reviews on man sites. You are getting an awesome zoom (10x), Smart camera controls and auto intelligent focusing along with HD movie clips. And it will still fit in your pocket. Downsides are very small. HD clips are limited to just over 8 minutes in length and you need a faster type of SD Cardto capture smoothly. Also the microphone placement seems to be in a place that some accidentally cover with a finger while filming. All in all one of the best cameras on the entire point and shoot list regardless of price.

The reviews are consistent. This camera is currently one of the best you can buy in this price range (higher even). The huge LCD screen and HD movie clips are icing on the cake

Buy the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5K 9MP

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