We've read the reviews, done many of them ourselves, and listened to feedback from thousands of users. This list is our best estimate of the best cameras in every category. You can use this collection in a number of ways: If you have a vague idea of what you're looking for and need to make a quick purchase, you can confidently go with the model that we recommend. If you want to do more in-depth research, you can use this as a starting point. The answer to the real "best" camera in each category is more nuanced than we can convey in a single paragraph here, and highly subjective to boot; use this page as a jumping-off point for your research on other cameras. Our picks could change throughout the year as more user feedback rolls in, but right now, these cameras are sittin' pretty. By the DCHQ Staff.
Best Extended Zoom
Extended zooms, commonly known as superzooms, are the closest to all-in-one cameras as you can get, with enormous zoom ranges and stacked feature sets; though they're really just point-and-shoots on steroids, they offer out-of-the-box versatility that similarly priced dSLRs can't approach. Though it was released in 2010 and leaves plenty of room for improvement, the Panasonic FZ100 remains the best superzoom out there. It sports an ample 25-600mm (24x) lens with a handy 3-inch articulating LCD, hi-res electronic viewfinder, solid 1080i video mode, and speedy all-around performance including an 11fps burst mode. Overall image quality is solid, though JPEGs can look soft at large sizes. Thankfully, it's one of the few superzooms to support RAW capture, so the blemishes can be worked out in post-processing. No, it isn't a perfect package, but we haven't seen any compelling reasons to believe that any new models are any better, all things considered. There are some worthy options, though. The Nikon P500 is impressive mostly for its lens, sporting a class-leading 36x zoom range, starting at a class-leading 22.5mm. While reviews have knocked its image stabilization (but think of that telephoto!) and out-moded interface, its out-of-camera image quality is quite good, even in poor lighting. And for the best possible image quality, there's no better option than the Fujifilm HS20EXR. Unfortunately, reviews indicate that it's hampered by design issues, a wonky interface, and amateurish video mode. And if you really must fall into the budget-superzoom trap, lean toward the Nikon L120, the only cheap superzoom that doesn't feel like a toy.
Best Compact Mirrorless
The mirrorless or “interchangeable lens compact” class is coming into its own as a worthy alternative to traditional entry-level and mid-range dSLRs. Brands have developed identities and the camera-buying public is finally showing some interest in these compact dSLR alternatives. Sony’s NEX series seems to get the most attention thanks to an aggressive advertising campaign and prominent in-store placement. But the Micro Four Thirds (MFT) system is still the genre leader, and the Olympus PEN E-PL2 is our favorite compact mirrorless camera. It’s a close call between the E-PL2 and Panasonic GF2 and both are very good cameras, but we’re siding with the PEN because it handles the dynamic range better, is more affordable, and has in-body image stabilization, which will save money on lenses down the line. The GF2 is more compact -- pocketable, almost, with a 14mm pancake lens -- and has a more solid build quality, so if you’re looking for more of a street-shooter type camera, it’s possibly a better option. One of the great aspects of MFT is that they can accept pretty much any lens every made with the help of an adapter, so if your lenses from the film era can’t fit on any of the current crop of dSLRs, they can find new life with these cool new compacts (in manual focus mode, of course). Users stepping up from point-and-shoots will feel more immediately comfortable behind one of these cameras than behind even a basic dSLR, so they make for excellent “step-up” shooters.
We’d also be remiss if we didn’t mention the Panasonic GH2 in this writeup. It’s a Micro Four Thirds camera, but significantly more advanced than the GF2 and pretty much in a class of its own. It’s the best MFT stills shooter on the market, yet it’s a truly excellent video camera as well
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