Nerd alert. Each pixel in your camera receives light and "fires" as a certain amount of a color (red, green, blue are standard). Sometimes, pixels get confused for one reason or another and fire the wrong amount. That's noise. It shows up in your picture as a pixel that's obviously the wrong color; but since the pixels are small, it just looks "grainy." Think of it as the visual version of the "hiss" that we all loved about cassette tapes. Noise-filtering software, either in-camera or in Photoshop, smooths over the noise by identifying pixels that are obviously not the same color as their neighbors and replacing them with the "right" color. The plus side is that the noise goes away; the minus side is that detail goes away, too. DSLR's have larger sensor sizes (15x22mm up to 24x36mm for the whole sensor), and non-DSLR's have smaller sensor sizes. DSLR pixels are therefore larger and thus less likely to be confused. My Lumix has a pretty small sensor (5x7mm for the whole sensor, 1/9 of the area of the smallest DSLR). The up side of that is that it's easy to give a small sensor a large zoom with a small lens. Hence, 12x zoom is quite doable. The down side is that the small sensor is relatively noisy, and in low-light settings, the noise gets pretty bad. I figured that I could live with noise in low light, since most of my subjects only pose in sunshine. And mostly, I was right. Occasionally, though, I wish I could get a good, detailed shot of a Satyr in the woods without having to resort to a flash. Jeff

i am a big fan of canon i had a sony point & shoot and wounld never buy sony again from yahoo shopping couldn't get the link to work Digital cameras Some big-camera features come in strikingly small packages from ConsumerReports.org November 2006 More than 30 percent of U.S. households have yet to switch from film, and millions more are seeking a second, or even third digital camera, so this should be a hot holiday season for digitals. Manufacturers are responding by crowding more capabilities into smaller, lighter, more stylish models. And they're adding special twists such as water resistance, large-type icons for the eyesight challenged, and--in one case--even a slimming feature that claims to take 10 pounds off your subject's image. This guide, along with the Ratings, can help you find the right camera. Noteworthy cameras examines three new models that arrived too late for us to fully test and rate in this report. Match the size to your needs Virtually all digital cameras take decent pictures these days. In choosing one, first decide if your priority is small size or extra photographic power and flexibility. A few models strive to offer it all, but none do so without compromise. Small cameras continue to shrink and grow sleeker, and many have an LCD large enough to dominate the camera's rear side, even as their resolution keeps growing. Five megapixels is already considered minimal resolution, and 7 or 8 is offered by a small but growing band. Other features trickling down from large models to a few small ones include zoom ranges larger than 3x, image stabilization, and manual controls. One familiar feature may soon be on the endangered list: the optical viewfinder. Meanwhile, larger and more powerful cameras keep gaining new capabilities and, in some cases, growing cheaper. Some advanced compacts--cameras that offer extensive controls and higher-than-entry-level resolution while retaining the convenience of a built-in lens--rival some SLRs and weigh nearly as much. Resolution now runs between 8 and 10 megapixels, and the ability to save images as a RAW file is standard. (A RAW file contains the captured image before it has been processed by the camera's built-in software and gives you maximum flexibility in controlling things such as sharpness and color balance.) More super-zooms, with optical zoom ranges 10x or greater, feature optical or mechanical image stabilizers. Most of these cameras are bulky and weigh a pound or more. However, innovative designs make a couple of models smaller and much lighter than the rest, heralding a new day for this type of camera. SLRs, once limited to those on champagne budgets, are increasing in resolution and coming down in price; several are now available for less than $1,000. Recently, three manufacturers--Sony, Nikon, and Canon--all introduced 10-megapixel models in that price range, thereby upping the ante in the growing competition for serious photographers. CR's take. Compacts are the mainstream cameras, with the capabilities most people need, for as little as $200 for a fine performer. Choose a subcompact if you're willing to pay extra, and can accept a few compromises, to be able to carry it in your pocket. Get an advanced compact if you want lots of control over exposure and the image but prefer a built-in lens. Go for a super-zoom if you want to shoot closeups of distant subjects. Spring for an SLR if you must have it all, are willing to lug around that much weight, and can afford separate lenses. For more specifics see Types. Don't overspend on resolution Most new cameras now offer at least 5 megapixels of resolution, though a few older, 4-megapixel models may linger in stores. Buying more than 5 megapixels costs less than it used to, but you'll still pay $30 to $50 per additional megapixel for a basic compact camera and a bit more for a higher-resolution subcompact. More megapixels usually translate into more picture detail. But beyond 5 megapixels, you're unlikely to see the difference unless you crop images heavily or make poster-size prints. Even with the 8x10 prints we use for our tests, high resolution doesn't assure high overall print quality, since other factors, such as lens quality, affect the score. With small cameras, high resolution can impose trade-offs in picture quality, especially in low-light conditions. Our Ratings illustrate this: Only a third of the highest-resolution (7- or 8-megapixel) subcompacts produced excellent prints, compared with more than half the 5-megapixel models. And while a few subcompact cameras now offer ISO settings of 800 for handheld shooting in dim light, the resulting shots are often grainy and noticeably worse than those from SLRs at similar or even higher ISO settings and the best (expensive) point-and-shoots. CR's take. A 5-megapixel camera should provide all the resolution most people need. If you often crop or blow up your images into posters, get at least 7 megapixels. If you're attracted to a particular subcompact or compact because of its high ISO settings, check our Ratings or make sure you can return it at no cost if its handheld low-light performance is disappointing. If you need both high resolution (greater than 5 megapixels) and impeccable quality, focus on the advanced compacts and SLRs that had excellent print or image quality in our tests. Weigh zoom range trade-offs Another feature to consider carefully is a zoom range that's greater than the 3x found on most cameras. (A zoom lens' range is the ratio of its highest, telephoto focal length to its lowest, wide-angle length. For example, a zoom lens that's considered equivalent to a film camera's 35-mm to 105-mm lens has a range of 3x.) The wider the range, the greater the flexibility you have for composing shots. A few compacts and subcompacts now feature ranges as high as 5x, enough to make a distant figure fill the frame. Through innovative design, a few super-zoom cameras, such as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1 and Nikon Coolpix S4, even manage to squeeze a 10x zoom into a package just a couple of ounces heavier than many basic compacts and a little bigger (or pricier) than many subcompacts. Most super-zooms are double or triple the weight of smaller cameras and cost hundreds more than the best values in compacts. (The same applies, of course, to SLRs that accept any lens.) Super-zooms also have lenses that tend to bring less light into the sensor and be less sharp. CR's take. Despite recent advances in zoom technology, you shouldn't pay extra--financially or in terms of size and weight--for a zoom range greater than 3x unless you often shoot distant subjects, such as wildlife and sporting events, or need a very wide-angle lens for landscapes or group portraits. Consider reliability Overall, digital cameras have been among the most reliable products in our subscriber surveys. Fewer than 10 percent of those purchased between 2003 and 2006 had ever been repaired or had a serious problem. That said, our latest survey (see Brand repair history) found small differences in reliability between point-and-shoot cameras and same-brand SLRs. And reliability by brand differs somewhat and might help you fine-tune your buying decision. Olympus has been among the more repair-prone brands of SLR. CR's take. It doesn't pay to buy an extended warranty for a digital camera. Check whether your credit card provides coverage. Such plans, often found on gold and platinum cards, may lengthen the original warranty by up to one year. Choose your time and place Camera prices don't fluctuate seasonally, but most new models reach the market during two periods--March through May and September through November. During those times, many older models are replaced by more capable ones that often cost about the same. You can often find street prices, availability dates, in-stock status, and return policies at the Web sites of online retailers and electronics stores. In the latest subscriber survey conducted by the Consumer Reports National Research Center, online retailers fared well in our Ratings, but if you want personal service, you might want to consider shopping in brick-and-mortar stores. CR's take. To catch the wave of the latest models, buy between May and August or November and February. During these periods, older models may be discounted before they disappear. (You can tell that a camera isn't long for this world if the manufacturer offers a limited-time rebate.) Scrutinize too-good-to-be-true offers. Some dealers use them to unload refurbished cameras. If you're comfortable with refurbished and the price is right, fine. But remember that the latest model, even without a steep discount, may be as good a value because it has more capabilities.

We have a Nikon D40X, which has been discontinued in favor of the D60. You know you can't beat a DSLR. Not only is the picture quality amazing at the fastest iso settings, there is absolutely no delay when you take a picture. As a matter of fact, if sports are important to you, 3 frames a second in continuous mode is what you'll want. It delivers. It's also nice to be able to change lenses. I look at it as upgradeable. There is a drawback, size. Because of the size and weight of the camera we actually just bought a compact to supplement. We use the compact for everyday type events and the Nikon for the bigger ones (as long as I'm the one carrying it around). Okay, why'd I tell you all that when your looking for a compact? Because our compact is an Olympus Stylus 1010 and the picture quality rivals the Nikon. Both are 10 megapixel cameras (actually the Olympus is 10.1). Of course we can do much more with the Nikon but the Olympus is much more convenient when traveling or just taking everyday shots. The Olympus cost us $400 with extended warranty, 2x 2gig xD memory chips, and bag. You can get a Nikon D60 for about $650 is you look hard enough. And D40X for a little less than that. Either one is under 4 digits. If you haven't already, take a look at the Olympus. Klaa2

Sorry to be late; didn't check in for a couple of days. Yes, the Panasonic makes extremely sharp photos, thanks, in part to the Leica lens. It offers two types of image stabilization, both optical (the best kind): 1. continuous and 2. at the moment of shutter let-off. Of my six non-DSLR cameras, the Panasonic DMC-TZ5 is the best one. Like most digital cameras, it has a wide range of shooting modes, most of which I never use. But they're there. It also shoots video, but I've never done it; I do know that it lets you zoom during video filming - I understand that many cameras will not zoom during video. As I said, the flash range is limited and the camera DOES NOT have an optical viewfinder. One other drawback - which you can overcome by careful "holding" - is that the flash is located below the shutter button, and it's natural to put your middle finger over it. You've got to get used to that. Panasonic has packed so much into this little camera that I don't think there was any other place to put the flash. And by-the-way, like most small digitals, it does not have a hot shoe for using an auxillary flash. If you'd like further info from me, go to My Page and email me directly. Javert