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AND THE WINNER
IS...
Olympus Stylus 300 Digital $399
Water and humidity have been the bane of digital cameras—until now.
Why It's Cool: The Stylus is the first high-quality, high-resolution, weatherproof digital camera. Thanks to beefy rubber gaskets, this shooter will tolerate not just a few drops of rain but sustained spraying and even brief immersion—take it whitewater rafting. >> Less than four inches long and just under
six ounces, with a round-cornered all-aluminum body, the camera is stylish and ultraportable. >> It stores images on xD-Picture Cards, a proprietary format that Olympus promises will eventually be available with a whopping one gigabyte of memory, room enough for 500 medium-quality shots. >> The Stylus comes with a fast charger.
Hmmm... It takes a bit of practice to open and operate the clamshell cover with one hand. >> The tiny LCD monitor is muddy and hard to read, and many of its icons look alike. >> Kiss your existing collection of memory cards goodbye—you'll need to pony up for yet another proprietary storage format.
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(1) Leica Digilux $895
The Digilux gives you that magnum-photo-agency-war-correspondent look—and the best pictures of any consumer digital on the market.
Why It's Cool: With its Warsaw Pact aesthetics, the Digilux might look out of date. But it's got a fast (f/2), ultra-sharp lens; a hefty 3.9-megapixel sensor; and the quickest shutter on the market (up to four frames per second in continuous-shooting mode). >> The giant two-and-a-half-inch LCD monitor makes judging your picture's quality a snap.
Hmmm... At 5.0 by 3.3 by 2.6 inches and 16 ounces, the Digilux is a relative behemoth—probably not the kind of thing you want to drag along on your next bike tour.
(2) Pentax Optio 430RS $792
Meet the Porsche Carrera of digitals.
Why It's Cool: It's diminutive, but still a serious camera—with a rugged stainless-steel body, a respectable 4-megapixel sensor, and myriad exposure options, including time-lapse filmmaking. >> Ergonomically, the Optio is well designed, with an oversize mode dial on the top panel and Game Boy-style controls on the back. It's a pleasure to hold and use. >> The lithium-ion battery is good for roughly 250 medium-resolution shots per charge, and there are 11 megs of built-in memory—a lifesaver if your card fills up at a crucial moment.
Hmmm... It makes decent 30-second QuickTime movies, but sans sound.
(3) Nikon Coolpix 3100 $349
It does a lot for a little.
Why It's Cool: The cute, chunky, 3.2-megapixel Coolpix is jammed with features, including 14 custom image settings (such as "dusk/dawn") and numerous options for picture-doctoring. >> The menus displayed on the Nikon's bright LCD monitor are extensive but simple to navigate—not once did I crack open the manual. >> With its ergonomic battery bulge, the 3100 is easily the most grabbable digital out there—reassuring when you're dangling from a top rope at Joshua.
Hmmm... The plastic body won't survive serious abuse.
(4) Canon PowerShot S230 Digital Elph $499
A reworked classic gets a faster trigger and higher resolution—but stays tiny.
Why It's Cool: Canon beefed up its beloved Digital Elph with some serious guts: a 3.2-megapixel sensor and new, hyperfast autofocus system. In other words, when your kayaking buddy lines up for that big drop, you're not going to wind up with just a waterfall shot. >> With a burly stainless-steel body, the S230 is the kind of shooter you can drop into the top of a backpack. >> Note to budding Teton Gravity Researchers: With aftermarket CompactFlash cards available at up to a formidable 512 megabytes, you can record several videos of up to three minutes each, with sound. >> Bob Ballard more your style? An optional underwater housing ($150) will let you take your Elph down to 100 feet.
Hmmm... The S230 has a rather paltry 2x optical zoom.
(5) Minolta Dimage XI $599
Last year's super-svelte Gear of the Year winner gets an update.
Why It's Cool: Minolta started with what is arguably the smallest full-featured digicam in existence—the DiMAGE X—and beefed up its resolution from two to 3.2 megapixels. >> Many of the menus have been simplified: In last year's version, deleting a picture was a seven-step process; now there's a trash button. >> An inside-the-body zoom with a periscope mirror means no protuberances when you zero in on the action—useful for keeping a low profile. >> An optional marine case ($249) means that this very urbane-looking conversation piece can also travel. >> An audio-captioning feature invites you to record up to 15 seconds of commentary about the picture you've just taken.
Hmmm... The Xi is so small and square that it can be difficult to hold, zoom, and shoot with one hand. >> The LCD monitor could be bigger, brighter, and clearer. |
(1)
Minolta Freedom Zoom 160
$300
Shoot far and clear with this little workhorse.
Why It's Cool: Size does matter, particularly when you're trying to get up close and personal with our friends in the wild kingdom. The 1.8-by-2.4-by-4.4-inch Freedom offers a hefty 160mm telephoto lens—just about the longest in the category. >> The "Area AF" autofocusing system tracks shapes in the frame to uncannily zero in on the wildebeest in the foreground and not that acacia tree behind it. >> The camera turns on, zooms in and out, and snaps the shutter with silky quietness—a blessing in dicey should-I-or-shouldn't-I shooting situations.
Hmmm... With a minimum focal length of 38mm, the Freedom's wide-angle capability isn't terribly wide. >> The lens housing protrudes a half-inch or so from the front of the camera, an obvious snag hazard.
(2) Pentax Espio 24EW $367
Point-and-shooters finally have the chance to discover what pro photographers have long known—wider is better.
Why It's Cool: "EW" stands for extra-wide, and, indeed, with a minimum focal length of 24mm, this lens is the widest available in the category. >> It zooms out to a respectable 105mm. >> An illuminated LCD readout offers a key to options and features—handy when you're shooting after sunset. >> With its all-aluminum body, the Espio ought to last longer than the average point-and-shoot.
Hmmm... By default, the lens automatically extends to a midrange focal length of around 35mm—an annoyance to those who prefer the widest setting.
(3) Yashica T4 Zoom $199
The T4—a tough camera beloved by alpinists but discontinued years ago—is back on belay.
Why It's Cool: Like its predecessor, the new T4 sports a crisp Carl Zeiss lens, but instead of a fixed-length 35mm it offers a far more versatile 28-70mm zoom. >> Pictures were noticeably sharper than those from any other point-and-shoot I tested—or have ever used, for that matter. >> The unobtrusive dark-gray housing is a welcome change from the gaudy burnished silver the rest of the industry seems to have settled on.
Hmmm... Keep it out of the snow, Conrad. Unlike its predecessor, the T4 Zoom isn't weatherproof, nor is its body all-metal; the front is aluminum, the back merely plastic. |
(1)
Sony DCR-IP55 $1,500
Handycam? Pshaw! This here's a networked imaging device.
Why It's Cool: The $15 MicroMV cassettes are 70 percent smaller than already-small MiniDV tapes but will hold an hour of broadcast-quality video. >> A retro pistol-style handgrip ingeniously stashes the battery and is ideal for tracking sports action. >> It can record in complete darkness. >> Upload clips to Sony's online photo and video sharing service using an optional Bluetooth adapter ($200) or a Bluetooth-compatible cell phone, or surf the Web using the camcorder's LCD display.
Hmmm... The record, zoom, and still-camera shutter controls are too close together. >> The battery needs frequent rechargings.
(2) Canon Elura 40MC $999
A camcorder that world travelers can appreciate—for its size and price.
Why It's Cool: At just four inches long and weighing only 13 ounces, the Elura is almost shirt-pocket small—and a good value to boot. >> I liked the upright layout and the tilt-up viewfinder, which made it easy to shoot and look around at the same time. What's more, I found the thumb-operated record button simple to operate and was impressed by the power of the 10x optical, 200x digital zoom. >> The Elura uses MiniDV tapes good for 120 minutes in long-play mode but also comes with a multimedia card for digital still photos and motion-JPEG video clips, both of which can be easily uploaded and e-mailed.
Hmmm... Though clips played back on a TV screen are sharp, the LCD monitor and the viewfinder are a little blurry. >> In playback mode, the rewind and fast-forward buttons have to be pushed repeatedly.
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