Study these cameras before you're off to school

Though it doesn't have the name recognition of GoPro, Contour turns out some very nice action cams. What the ContourRoam2 lacks in fancy features, it makes up for in simplicity and mounting options.

The WB250F is for people who love shooting with their smartphones, but want a zoom lens and better flash. The camera can directly connect to an iOS or Android device wirelessly so you can quickly and easily share photos and videos -- even while you're shooting them. The Wi-Fi can also be used to back up shots to a computer or to a cloud service, and it allows you to remotely control it from a mobile device, which is great for making sure your group shots and self portraits are just right.

A good choice for shooting day games from the stands, the SX280 HS' 20x zoom lens can get you wide shots of the field as well as pinpointing your favorite players. Bonus: Its built-in Wi-Fi can be used to instantly send shots to your smartphone for sharing.

A relatively cheap, entry-level dSLR kit that will carry you through a few years of school and which can be made better by springing for better lenses as your income -- or gift quota -- increases.

An inexpensive entry into a nice mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera system, the F3 is old but still available. If you want something a little newer, we haven't yet tested its replacement, the NEX-3N, but it's probably on par with the F3.