Top 10 Digital Cameras Under $500

Canon PowerShot SD1100 IS Digital ELPH, $249

Canon's Digital ELPHs have always looked good. More importantly, they take fine snapshots and we've always been a fan. This affordable 8-megapixel model has optical image stabilization to take the shakes and blur out of your images. It also has a 3x optical zoom (38-114mm), a 2.5-inch LCD screen and Face Detection to ensure great people shots. Just ask your buddies to smile, please.

Nikon D40, $499

The reason we're including this still-available graybeard is the fact it's the only D-SLR with an MSRP below $500. Yes, you can still find the Canon Rebel XT even cheaper but it's really behind the times-avoid it. The 6.1-megapixel D40 is a very easy-to-use D-SLR and is perfect for anyone making the next step beyond a point-and-shoot. The response time for any D-SLR leaves P&S cameras in the dust. You'll immediately appreciate the difference.

Sony Cybershot DSC-W300, $349

This speedy point-and-shoot digicam has a whopping 13.6MP sensor so you can make huge prints or do some serious cropping. We liked playing with it. It has a 3x optical zoom (35-105mm), optical image stabilization, intelligent scene recognition for truly aim-and-forget operation along with Sony's Smile Shutter that takes a picture as soon as your subject smiles. Pretty cool stuff.

Kodak EasyShare Z812 IS, $249

Good ol' Kodak. You won't find anything scintillating from this crew but they do make decent, affordable cameras. A case in point is the 8.2MP Z812 IS with a 12x Schneider Kreuznach Variogon lens that equals 36-432mm in 35mm terms. The digicam takes solid prints, has optical image stabilization and Face Detection. A nice touch-it records 720p videos at 30 frames per second.

Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital ELPH, $279

Although this baby has been around for almost a year-ancient in digicam terms-it's still a winner. Favorite features are the wide-angle 4x optical zoom (28-112mm) and a huge 3-inch LCD screen. The wide-angle setting lets you take attractive landscapes and get more friends into group shots. And that big screen makes it easy to frame them all.

Fujifilm FinePix S8100fd, $399

Digital SLRs are great but it is a pain swapping out lenses and carrying them around. Excellent alternatives are mega-zoom digicams like the S8100fd with 18x optical zooms (27-486mm) that let you capture everything from wide-angle group shots to birds on faraway tree branches. This 10MP camera also has Face Detection and Dual Image Stabilization, a must for such severe telephoto shots.

Canon PowerShot G9, $499

If you're very serious about photography and want to stay below the $500 ceiling, the G9 goes to the top of the list. Packed with loads of manual features and the ability to take RAW images, this one is truly a shutterbug's best friend. The 12.1MP camera has a 6x zoom (35-210mm), a large 3-inch LCD, optical image stabilization, of course, Face Detection.

Nikon Coolpix P5100, $349

Although known for its D-SLRs, Nikon makes some solid point-and-shoot models such as the P5100, part of its Performance series. This 12.1-megapixel camera has a 3.5x Nikkor lens (35-123mm) along with optical vibration reduction image stabilization. Not only does it have a 2.5-inch LCD but a failsafe viewfinder in case the screen wipes out in bright sunshine.

Olympus Stylus 1030 SW, $399

If you're into the outdoors, this is your camera. It can take a serious beating since it's shockproof, waterproof, freeze-proof and crush-proof. You can drop the 10MP camera from close to 7 feet, take it underwater (down to 33 feet), trek the Arctic or step on the darn thing and it'll still keep clicking. The Stylus 1030 SW has a 3.6x zoom (28-102mm) and a 2.7-inch LCD screen rated 230K pixels.

Sony Cybershot DSC-T300, $399

We've always been a big fan of the "T" series, Sony's ultra flat and portable digicams, since the lenses don't protrude and you can carry them anywhere. The 10.1-megapixel T300 has a 5x optical zoom, a huge 3.5-inch LCD screen and Sony's usual bag of tricks including OIS and Smile Shutter. Choose red or black and say cheese.