Best Digital Cameras of 2009

The Fuji Finepix F200 EXR combines a wide-angle 5X optical zoom lens, image stabilization, ultra-high ISO and a 12 megapixels SuperCCD EXR sensor which features a revolutionary design.

The image quality of this digital camera is so fantastic that it even outperforms pretty much every fixed lens camera. This one is clearly the low-light and dynamic-range champion in this category and by a wide margin at that.

The Canon S90 is an ultra-compact aimed at advanced users. It has full manual controls, an efficient interface with dual control wheels and built-in stabilization.

While a look at the Canon S90's ISO performance is nothing to write about, its savior is a bright F2 wide-angle lens, that gives it a one stop head-start. Still, the Fuji F200 remains quite superior in terms of image quality but it does so with far less efficiency than the S90.

The Olympus Stylus Tough 8000 may only be average in terms of image quality but by being the world's most robust camera it can take on any environment.

This model is waterproof up to 10m (30') underwater, is shockproof against 2m (6') drops onto concrete,is freeze proof up to -10C (14F) and is crushproof against 200kg (440 lbs) of weight. There are no other digital cameras like this, in any category.

This is the ultra-zoom version of the excellent F200 EXR. It packs a 10 megapixels sensor and a 10X optical zoom lens instead. High ISO and dynamic-range performance are just as great. The longer lens shows a bit of edge-softness and distortion but within reasonable limits.

This time, and because the S90 is not an ultra-zoom, nothing at all compares to this camera in terms of performance for the small ultra-zoom category.

The Canon SX200 is bigger than the F70 and would fall in the compact category. Its size makes up for features and functionality not found in other small ultra-zooms.

This camera's unique mix of features includes full-manual controls and HD video recording. Image quality is far from class-leading but then again, one has to compromise somewhere.

The Fuji S200 EXR now displaces its precursor as the most sophisticated camera every built, at least according to Fuji. Even though they always drop the old acronyms from new models, the S200 in fact has extra dynamic range (EXR), film simulation (FS), face-detection (FD), pro-focus and pro-lighting modes, all technologies that Fuji pioneered. Its lens gives it a 30-465mm 14X optical zoom range, giving it an impressive but not class leading range.

The S200 EXR has most features found on DSLRs, except it cannot swap lenses. Full manual-controls, manual focusing, bracketing, custom white-balance, high-ISO and a hot-shoe are all there.

The image quality from the Fuji Finepix S100FS is superb. Combining a high-sensitivity 11 megapixels sensor and a mechanical 14.3X stabilized optical zoom lens into a DSLR-sized ultra-zoom, this camera simulates various Fuji films and captures up to 400% more dynamic range. While not on par with modern DSLRs, this camera is a serious challenger considering its 28-400 F2.8-5.3 lens. Under most situations, the biggest advantage of a DSLR over the Fuji S100FS is speed.

This entry-level DSLR pushes the limits among its class with 4.7 FPS continuous shooting and a top 1/6000 shutter-speed. It does miss the older K200D's weather-sealing but keeps use of AA batteries and adds 720p HD video recording. It also has the largest viewfinder among its peers.

A new CMOS sensor design gives the Pentax K-x an ISO range up to 12800, although the last two stops are quite noisy, it does match its peers in the ISO 100-3200 range.

The Nikon D300S is a great and robust digital SLR with every feature short of built in stabilization. Its high-speed drive shoots at 7 FPS and it also records HD video. Its viewfinder is the best in its class with 100% coverage. Add a 3" LCD with 920K pixels, 51-point AF with 3D-tracking and you have an incredibly capable cropped-sensor DSLR.

The K-7 is part of a new line from Pentax that adds even more features to the K20D, some of them unique to the K-7, in a smaller buy even sturdier body. The K-7 features, well, everything: stabilization, dust reduction, dust alert, movie mode, 100% viewfinder, automatic horizon correction and a weather-sealed body rated to -10C.

Image quality is very good with high retention for details and very little noise-reduction which gives more grainy but more detailed results than most.

The great news is that Nikon announced the D3S a few weeks ago. It may not make it for 2009 but there is no reason it will not perform better than the D3, otherwise Nikon would not have bothered. It claims excellent high-ISO performance with clean results even at 25,600 and maximum ISO of 102,400! It can be preordered from Amazon already. There are some sample crops available at ePhotozine.

The Nikon D3 is the low-light champion. Up to the introduction of the Nikon D3, it was arguable that the best low-light photographs could be achieved using a wide aperture prime lens on a DSLR with built in stabilization. The D3 does better by allowing clean results up to ISO 6400 which is ahead by 3 stops compared to stabilized bodies which renders void their advantages. Not only that, but low light photography at higher shutter-speeds makes it possible to shoot a starry sky without star-trails and without using a star-tracking tripod. Add a 100% coverage viewfinder, a 3" LCD with 920K pixels, 9 FPS continuous shooting and the D3 stakes it spot as the ultimate DSLR.