Best 5 Digital Cameras for 2012

By: CNET Reviews

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As the name implies, here's where you find the best of the best, our top digital cameras across the board. To make it here, a camera really has to blow our socks off. That doesn't happen very often. If it did, our notion of "best" wouldn't mean much, would it? So check back periodically to see if any new models have left us barefoot and speechless.

#1 NIKON D7000

The good: Excellent performance for its class; great viewfinder; control locations and operations streamlined over previous Nikon dSLRs; double SDXC-compatible card slots.

The bad: No 1080/30p video.

The bottom line: An excellent dSLR for experienced shooters or Nikon professionals looking for a relatively cheap option, the Nikon D7000 delivers on almost all counts, including the company's best shooting design to date.

#2 Canon EOS Rebel

The good: The Canon EOS Rebel T3i delivers excellent video capabilities and image and video quality.

The bad: If you shoot both still and video, the T3i's controls can be frustrating to operate, and it's not terribly fast for burst shooting sports, kids, or pets.

The bottom line: For the money, the Canon EOS Rebel T3i is a great choice for dSLR videographers--though the cheaper T2i can still suffice if you don't need the articulated LCD--and it's a solid choice for creative still shooters. But though the image quality and general shooting performance are top-notch, if you're upgrading to capture sports, kids, or pets, the T3i may not be able to keep up.

If you didn't think the 60D was overpriced when it shipped, you will now. The Canon EOS Rebel T3i (aka the EOS 600D), the 60D's younger and cheaper sibling, offers the same basic camera with some corners cut--most notably a slightly less well-constructed body and a (purposely?) stunted burst shooting speed. You can also think of it as a slightly more expensive T2i, with the addition of an articulated LCD and a few features for the auto-always crowd. Either way, the T3i remains a solid if unexciting follow-up to its predecessor, although one that seems to cater more to videophiles than still shooters.

#3 Cyber Powershot S95

The good: Attractive and well-designed; capable of producing very nice photos; complete set of manual controls; solid 720p video.

The bad: On the slow side, with subpar battery life; no low-compression JPEG option.
The bottom line: Though we'd like it to perform better, dSLR shooters looking for a sidekick camera will find the Canon PowerShot S95's top-flight photos and a full manual feature set worth the tradeoff of its compact size.

#4 Olympus PEN E-PL3

The good: With a broad feature set aimed at enthusiasts, tilting LCD, nicely implemented filters, good performance, and excellent raw photo quality, plus a price that's less burdensome than the E-P3's, there's a lot to appreciate about the Olympus PEN E-PL3.

The bad: The PEN E-PL3's video disappoints, and the camera's lack of a grip may prove annoying for some shooters.

The bottom line: While it's not the best in any particular aspect, and you probably don't want to use it for video, the Olympus PEN E-PL3 offers an excellent balance of size, features, performance, and photo quality for the money.

Olympus PEN E-PL3 photo samples

In many ways--pretty much everything on the inside--the Olympus PEN E-PL3 is the same camera as its more expensive sibling, the E-P3. As a result, a lot of the trade-offs I dislike in the E-P3, I'm more willing to forgive in its less expensive little brother. In part that's because I expect people considering the E-PL3 to be slightly less picky about the noise reduction quality of the JPEGs. Plus, if you're paying less you're probably less likely to be resentful about needing to tweak settings.

#5 Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-HX9V