Fujifilm FinePix Z20fd
$200, street • www.fujifilmusa.com
The latest Z continues what Fujifilm calls Blog mode. Really just a quick file downsizer, it's a good idea because this model packs 10MP capture. Once your pictures are a web-worthy size, you can beam them to anyone with an IrSimple-enabled device, such as a notebook computer. It also lets you do basic editing of the MPEG-4 videos it takes. The lens is a 35-105mm equivalent. And the Z20fd comes in four colors.
Olympus Stylus 1030 SW
$400, street • www.olympusamerica.com
Waterproof? Check. Shockproof? Check. Freezeproof? Yep, down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit, making the 1030 SW the perfect camera for scuba divers who also ski and play rugby. The latest in Oly's SW-series has 10.1MP capture, a 2.7-inch LCD, and a wide-angle zoom, a 3.6X 28-102mm equivalent. You can do underwater videos and make in-camera panoramas. Oh, and it's also dustproof, so you can take it on a cattle drive.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5
$350, street • www.panasonic.com
Lots of compacts take videos, but how many shoot in 1280x720-pixel frames at 30 frames per second and have widescreen format? With HD output? With optical image stabilization? With a 10X (28-280mm equivalent) zoom lens? And still fit in a pocket? Well, all of them begin with "Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ." This latest of the Travel Zooms brings capture up to 9MP, can shoot at ISO 6400, and lets rip with a burst of 2.5MP shots at 10 fps.
Samsung NV24HD
$350, street • www.samsungcamerasusa.com
The 10MP Samsung NV24HD ranks as a winner for its 24-85mm equivalent extrawide zoom, 720p video capture with HD output, optical image stabilization, and too-cool good looks. Then there's its 2.5-inch active-matrix organic LED (AM-OLED) instead of a conventional LCD. AM-OLEDs are thinner, have wider color gamut, and use much less power. You'll see them some day in TVs. (P.S. Samsung makes TVs, too.)
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T300
$400, street • www.sonystyle.com
Face detection is old already. But Sony adds a new wrinkle on the 10.1MP Cyber-shot DSC-T300 with smile detection. The Smile Shutter will take a shot when it detects a smile -- and it can be set for adult or child priority. It has an internally zooming 5X 33-165mm equivalent lens, and a huge 3.5-inch, touch-screen LCD that lets you jot messages on pictures (or maybe draw frown lines).
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