The 18-megapixel Canon 7D delivers high resolution stills and full HD video in a well-built camera designed for serious photographers without the desire (or budget) for a full-frame model.
The Olympus E-P1 is a kick-ass modern camera in retro-design disguise, with a compact size that finally delivers on the "micro" part of the Micro Four Thirds promise.
The Nikon D5000 is one of a handful of sub-$1000 video SLRs. Overall we found the Canon XSi did a better job shooting video, with higher definition and smoother video motion, but the Nikon was superior for still photography.
The Canon Rebel T1i is one of the first video-enabled SLRs on the market. It can shoot 15-megapixel images and record HD video at 20 frames per second. In our lab testing, it had good color accuracy but poor sharpness.
Panasonic takes the compact Micro Four Thirds format to the next level with the GF1, delivering sharp, good-looking photos from a camera that focuses quickly, accepts an optional electronic viewfinder and, best of all, fits in your jacket pocket.
The Nikon D3x is a full-frame, 24.5-megapixel camera has a list price of $7999.95 without lens. Designed for studio use, the D3x performed very well in our lab tests, but in general scored slightly lower than the D700.
The Lumix GH1 is the first micro four-thirds camera to offer the extensive camcorder-style controls and continuous auto focus that video-enabled SLRs to date have lacked.
The Sony A550 delivers several exciting and unusual capabilities, including in-camera high dynamic range images that come out very well, and a full-resolution burst mode of nearly 7 shots per second. Movie mode's missing, though, and the price is over $1000 with lens.
The Sony A900 is the company’s powerful attempt to compete with the big boys with a full-frame $2999, 24.6-megapixel resolution SLR. There are some features notably absent, though, and our lab testing turned up problems with color accuracy and image noise.
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX1 is a powerful ultrazoom camera that shoots decent pictures and good looking video, as well as being able to easily take night shots and panoramas. At around $500, It is expensive, but it does offer a lot of features.
It looks like an innocent compact SLR, but the Canon SX1 IS is actually a paparazzi-pleasing ultrazoom in sheep's clothing, with a 20x zoom plus high-def 1080p video. For the same $600, though, you could buy a highly rated interchangeable-lens SLR.
The Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 packs a lot of features into its small case: 10-megapixel resolution, a 12x zoom and high definition video. And we found that it has the performance to match, with sharp, colorful images and video.
The Cyber-shot DSC-TX7 is a small, sleek point & shoot that takes 10.2 megapixel images and which can perform a number of clever tricks, like great low-light performance and an excellent panorama mode.
The Cyber-shot DSC-TX5 is a small camera that takes high quality images with good color and plenty of detail, but which can also handle rough treatment.
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900, priced at $379.99 captures 12-megapixel images and HD video. However, photos tended to be noisy, and the small lens produced major distortion and chromatic aberration problems.
The Canon PowerShot SD970 IS is a capable 12.1-megapixel point and shoot with a 5x zoom. We found image quality was consistently very good, and movies shot at 720p were impressive.
