• Best Ultracompact/Compact
•  
• Best Prosumer Camera
•  
• Best dSLR
•  

Canon PowerShot S5 IS

The good: Tons of manual and automatic features; well-laid-out controls; solid body; nice LCD display.

The bad: Lacks RAW file support; redesigned lens cap still pops off too easily.

The bottom line: By today’s standards, it could do with more improvements, but it is still a good camera although it's not quite enough to upgrade if you already own a previous model.

» Read full review of the Canon PowerShot S5 IS

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9

The good: Relatively wide angle for a megazoom; tons of manual and automatic features; large, flip-up LCD; fast continuous shooting.

The bad: Small EVF; lens aberrations and vignetting; image noise and some processing artifacts; lacks hotshoe and RAW file support.

The bottom line: If you shoot primarily outdoors in daytime--especially sports, children and animals--the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9 is a great choice. The cheaper DSC-H7 has a smaller LCD, lacks infrared shooting, and has a few interface differences, but is otherwise identical.

» Read full review of the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H9

Canon PowerShot G9

The good: A cornucopia of features; zippy; built like a tank.

The bad: Relatively significant distortion at the widest angle of view; when zoomed out completely, lens intrudes into viewfinder; no optical zoom during movie capture.

The bottom line: The Canon PowerShot G9 is a solid enthusiast camera for those who want something compact to complement a dSLR.

» Read full review of the Canon PowerShot G9