The good: Solid design; overflowing with photo, movie features; very fast shooting performance for its class.
The bad: Photo, video quality is weakest part of the package.
The bottom line: There's a lot to like about the Nikon Coolpix P100, but you'll need to keep your photo quality expectations in check to really enjoy it.
CNET editors' rating: 7.6
The good: MyMode holds four groups of custom settings.
The bad: Image noise and softness even at low ISO sensitivities.
The bottom line: Aside from a debatably useful 26x zoom lens, there's little that's notable about the Olympus SP-590 UZ.
CNET editors' rating: 6.8
The good: Sharper photos than most megazoom cameras; plenty of shooting options; straightforward operation.
The bad: Slow performance; no full-resolution continuous shooting; crippled HD movie recording; noise even at lowest ISO sensitivities.
The bottom line: Slow performance and photo quality concerns stop the otherwise very good Pentax X70 from being a winning megazoom.
The good: Relatively speedy; tiltable LCD; two custom settings slots on mode dial.
The bad: Subpar photo quality; poor battery life.
The bottom line: While the Nikon Coolpix P90 brings its performance up to speed with the rest of its class, it now falls behind in photo quality.
CNET editors' rating: 7.0
The good: Good, vibrant color; lots of shooting options, manual controls; hot shoe for add-on flash; includes rechargeable AA batteries.
The bad: Clunky design; noisy photos.
The bottom line: The Kodak EasyShare Z980 has a lot to offer--including a wide-angle 24x zoom lens--but you'll have to overlook its clunky design and noisy photos.
CNET editors' rating: 6.8