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For this month's Top 10 Digital Cameras, we tested new models from four of the biggest names in digital photography, as well as a camera from one of the biggest names in PCs. Canon, Fujifilm, Nikon, Sony, and Toshiba threw some of their best cameras our way, all in one very busy month.
Nikon's Coolpix 995 succeeds the company's Coolpix 900 and Coolpix 990, two models that have been favorites of well-heeled digital photographers. The new model, which secured the number two spot on the chart, adds a pop-up flash to lessen the chance of red-eye, plus several other advanced features (white-balance bracketing, for example) that should appeal to people who like to tweak. Our test shots with the Coolpix 995 showed it performs even better than its predecessors. But perhaps the most important revision is that Nikon now includes a rechargeable lithium battery--for twice the battery life of the Coolpix 990--along with an external charger.
Fujifilm's exotic FinePix 6800 Zoom, number four on our chart, bears a prominent label on its retracting lens cover: "Designed by F.A. Porsche." The design firm, which traces its roots to the upscale automobile maker, modeled the camera's exterior while Fujifilm took care of the innards. Both companies did stellar work: This tiny camera features exquisitely machined controls, lovely transparent menus, and an innovative LCD bubble display that controls a few functions. It takes very good pictures, too.
The Toshiba PDR-M65, coming in at number seven on the chart, costs the same as the Sony Mavica we tested this month, but almost triples the Mavica's resolution. This 3.34-megapixel camera is very simple; if you buy the argument that the Fujifilm FinePix 6800 is a Porsche, consider the Toshiba PDR-M65 a Ford Taurus. It offers few of the features of the more expensive models on the chart. However, it surprised us by capturing some exceptionally sharp pictures--in some cases the Toshiba's shots looked sharper than those produced by the much-pricier Nikon and Fujifilm models. Unfortunately, this camera doesn't make fine distinctions in color reproduction; many of our shots looked substantially off-color. You may not notice that problem as much with outdoor shots, though.
Canon's S300 Digital Elph follows the S100 Digital Elph, which the company introduced last year. Leveraging...