Top 5 (according to CNET.com):
1. Canon EOS 5D Mark II
The good: Excellent performance and photo quality; good video capture capabilities and quality.
The bad: No built-in wireless controller; large spot meter; no built-in flash; more direct controls would be nice; AF system could use an update.
The bottom line: A great follow-up to the 5D and top-flight full-frame camera, the Canon EOS 5D Mark II delivers the fluid shooting experience and fine photos you expect from a professional model.
2. Nikon D5000
The good: Very good photo quality; fast; video capture; articulated LCD; nice kit lens.
The bad: Small, dim viewfinder; middling video quality; too easy to accidentally change focus points.
The bottom line: Though it falls short in its design, the Nikon D5000 delivers a nice feature set, speedy performance, and great photo quality for the money.
3. Canon PowerShot S90
The good: Excellent control system for manual, semimanual shooting; fantastic wide-angle f2 lens; very good low-light photo quality.
The bad: Performance is merely average; no HD movie mode or optical zoom while recording; no optical viewfinder and a couple other design miscues.
The bottom line: As long as you’re not expecting dSLR speed in a tiny body, the Canon PowerShot S90 is an excellent compact camera for advanced amateurs
4. Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1
The good: Excellent photo quality and performance for its class; comfortable, streamlined design; interchangeable lenses.
The bad: EVF costs extra; can’t use EVF and hot-shoe flash simultaneously.
The bottom line: The best interchangeable-lens compact we’ve see thus far, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 delivers great photo quality and performance in an enthusiast-friendly shooting experience. Like competitors, however, the lack of an optical viewfinder limits its usability for photographing action.
5. Kodak EasyShare Z915 (blue)
The good: Very good feature-to-price ratio; comfortable, sturdy design; fast performance for its class.
The bad: Photos can look overprocessed and noisy viewed at 100 percent; small LCD.
The bottom line: The pocket megazoom Kodak EasyShare Z915 is a good camera for those looking to step up from a fully automatic compact camera to something with more manual controls and a longer lens.
Others:
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1
The good: Well-designed; several fun, useful features; good low-light and overall performance.
The bad: Mixed photo quality.
The bottom line: The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1 is a great, fast-performing snapshot camera that falters on photo quality.
Samsung DualView TL225 (orange/black)
The good: Large automatic shooting feature set; responsive touch-screen navigation; unique dual-screen design.
The bad: Adapter needed for HDMI output; microSD card requirement might irk some; touch-screen interface not for everyone; battery charges in camera; whole screen not used for framing shots at full resolution.
The bottom line: The technology-packed Samsung DualView TL225 is the ultimate ultracompact for those who like to be in front of the camera more than they like being behind it.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 (silver)
The good: Well designed; very good performance, photo, and video quality.
The bad: Expensive; soft photos.
The bottom line: A full-featured waterproof/shockproof pocket point-and-shoot, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1 is a near-perfect rugged camera for everyday use.
Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III
The good: Very low noise, high quality images; 21.1 megapixels; live view shooting; pro-level build-quality and performance.
The bad: High price tag; heavy body; no AF in live view mode.
The bottom line: The 1Ds Mark III marks another high-end success for Canon, though you’ll need a lot of spare cash if you want to own this ground-breaking camera.
Nikon D90 (with 18-105mm lens)
The good: First-rate performance; solid, well-constructed body with nice viewfinder; video capture capability; great photo quality.
The bad: Middling kit lens; poor HDMI output implementation.
The bottom line: Like the D80 before it, the Nikon D90 delivers an excellent dSLR for the money.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1K
The good: Interchangeable lenses; comfortable to use; well constructed; excellent low-ISO photo quality; very nice 720p video; fast autofocus; 10X zoom kit lens; flip-and-twist LCD; mic input.
The bad: Expensive; middling high ISO sensitivity image quality for the price; slow kit lens; EVF implementation makes burst shooting difficult.
The bottom line: If you’re willing to pay a premium to be on the cutting edge of digital photography and video, and as long as you don’t shoot sports or in dark venues, then you’ll likely love the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH1. But if you’re simply attracted by the not-to-be-underestimated flexibility of interchangeable lenses with autofocus and depth-of-field control for video, wait for the price to fall a few hundred bucks.
Canon PowerShot SX1 IS
The good: Relatively fast; good HD video; raw file support.
The bad: Big; quirky interface; some image artifacts.
The bottom line: A top megazoom option, the Canon PowerShot SX1 IS offers a 20x zoom lens and HD video, which you can’t get in a similarly priced dSLR, and delivers more features and slightly better performance and photo quality than the cheaper SX10 IS.
Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR
The good: Excellent photo quality; lots of useful features; very good dynamic range and high ISO performance in EXR modes; takes SDHC and xD cards.
The bad: Basic Movie mode for its price; limited aperture settings; menu systems take some getting used to.
The bottom line: Don’t let its new sensor technology scare you off: the Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR is an excellent compact camera with shooting features for just about every type of user.
