There are literally hundreds of digital cameras of various types and styles on the market. Of those, I have chosen just 4, each from a different category, to review. The first is the Fuji Finepix F60fd, in the point and shoot category. The Panasonic Lumix FX150 is an ultracompact style. From the SLR category, I picked the Nikon D5000. Last is the Olympus SP-565, an extended zoom digital camera.

 The Fuji Finepix F60fd is Fuji’s effort to present a point and shoot camera with both fun and advanced features that’s still simple for the casual photographer. It does have a lot to offer, with 12 megapixels, 3.0 inch LCD screen for previewing shots of photo-sharing, and face-detection auto focus. It also has CCD-shift image stabilizing technology, which creates steady, non-blurred photos. That is something that I would consider a great plus, as a point and shoot type of photographer!

 The Panasonic Lumix FX150 is a sleek, stylish ultracompact camera. In a small package, it offers a large variety of excellent features, including 14.7 megapixels, 4x optical zoom, and 220p high-definition movie mode, along with image stabilization. This is still a relatively user friendly camera, even with the advanced features, because it offers control over the pictures, with easy to adjust manual settings. There’s also a smart auto mode able to track and change configuration according to the environment. This simplifies photo-taking for amateur photographers.

Among SLR (or more professional grade) digital cameras, one choice is the Nikon D5000, which is both highly popular and well-recommended. It’s similar in design and features to the more advanced D90, and performs nearly as well. Some features the D5000 shares with the D90 include 12.3 megapixels with DX-format CMOS sensor and a high-definition movie mode, along with a variable angle Live View 3.0 inch display screen. The image quality is superb. There are also many point and shoot auto modes and a simple menu system which makes the D5000 an excellent choice for the photographer new to SLR-type cameras.

 The Olympus SP-565 UZ is an extended zoom camera, offering optical zoom up to 20x, with the capability of taking lovely long-range photographs. This camera is powerful yet light and portable. It has 10 megapixels, dual-image stabilization, face detection sensors, and full manual controls. One drawback is the smaller 2.5 inch screen, which gives a slightly darkened shade to subjects when viewing. However, this camera offers great photographic capabilities, and is an excellent choice for a novice.

 It’s no simple task to choose my favorite from among these four! I am generally a point and shoot photographer, so I’d tend toward a camera like the Fuji Finepix. It has all the features I want for everyday use, and enough advanced features to make my photographs look more polished. However, I am tempted by the ultracompact Panasonic Lumix. It is user friendly and offers some fun features that I would likely take advantage of, like the movie mode. The compact size is also a bonus, with plenty of features in a sleek, stylish design I like.