It’s freezeproof, shockproof, and waterproof, but that’s not all. It’s innovative too. Introducing the new TAP control system, Olympus attempts to make this outdoorsy camera an adventurer’s best friend. The TAP control system allows the user to toggle certain features by simply tapping the camera body. If you are climbing a mountain, the last thing you want to do is scroll through a menu to change the camera options. With the 1050SW, just tap!

Specifications

• 10.10 Megapixels
• 3x optical zoom
• 80-1600 ISO range
• 2.7-inch LCD display
• Face Detection
• Shockproof (5 ft.),Waterproof (10 ft.), and Freezeproof (14°F)
• TAP control

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The Kodak EasyShare Z1285 features a big 12-megapixel sensor and 5x optical zoom/ 5x digital zoom. With Auto focus and a 2.5-inch LCD display, the Kodak EasyShare Z1285 is easy and intuitive to use. Movie mode with sound allows you to make your own home movies.

Z1285 Specifications

• 12 megapixels
• 5x optical zoom / 5x digital zoom
• Auto focus
• 2.5-inch LCD display
• Movie mode with sound
• Secure Digital memory storage (64MB internal)
• 2 AA Batteries

This camera is ranked

• 6th of 19 in 12 Megapixels
• 1st of 35 in Kodak
• 11th of 132 in Under $150
• 5th of 96 in Point and Shoot

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The Canon Powershot A540 is a user favorite, offering simple operation and high-powered features for a low and affordable price. The A540 gives users access to full manual controls without demanding they shell out tons of money or struggle with a more advanced and confusing shooter. Take a look at our user reviews and you’ll see, the Canon A540 is a crowd pleaser.

Canon A540 Specifications

• 6 megapixels
• 4x optical zoom / 4x digital zoom
• auto focus
• auto and manual exposure
• JPEG file format
• ISO 80-800 (High ISO auto)
• movie mode w/sound
• 2 AA batteries
• 2.5 inch LCD
• SD/MMC card storage (16MB included)

This camera is ranked

• 7th of 56 in 6 Megapixel
• 49th of 79 in Canon
• 36th of 121 in Under $150
• 28th of 75 in $150 – $200
• 26th of 101 in Point and Shoot

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The Fuji A820 packs high-end, advanced features into a simple and affordable camera suitable for anyone from beginner to pro. Closely related to the A900, which is identical aside from an extra megapixel, the A820 features a 2.5-inch anti-glare LCD and a quality Fujinon 4x optical zoom lens. Fuji’s own Super CCD sensor technology and Picture Stabilization help create high quality photos even in less-than-ideal conditions. For those among us who hate reading instruction booklets, the A820 features an icon-based Graphic User Interface, which displays a brief explanation of modes each time a setting is changed, making it easy for amateur users to learn the ropes quickly. A convenient dial allows one-touch access to the most commonly used shooting modes, meaning it’s a breeze to change settings and keep up with the action. Last but not least, this camera makes a leap forward in common sense by accepting both xD and SD/MMC memory cards.

Fuji A820 Specifications

• 8.3 megapixels
• 4x optical zoom / 7.6x digital zoom
• Auto focus
• Auto and manual exposure
• JPEG file format
• ISO 100-800
• AVI (motion JPEG) movie mode w/sound
• AA batteries
• 2.5 inch LCD
• IrSimple wireless capable

This camera is ranked

• 36th of 68 in 8 Megapixel
• 11th of 38 in Fuji
• 41st of 121 in Under $150
• 31st of 101 in Point and Shoot

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The Canon PowerShot A550 is the latest in Canon’s mid-range, affordable line, picking up where the popular A530 and A540 left off while introducing a powerful 7.1 megapixel sensor. This is about as easy as photography can get, though if you’re a real power user or interested in the potential for growth, it’ll be hard to take the training wheels off of this model. There are manual exposure settings, but there’s greater versatility in a camera like the Canon A640.

Canon A550 Specifications

• 7.1 megapixels
• JPEG file format
• Movie mode with sound
• 4x optical zoom / 3x digital zoom
• Autofocus
• ISO 80-800
• Auto and manual exposure
• 2.0-inch LCD
• Secure Digital memory (16MB card included)
• 2 AA batteries

This camera is ranked

• 14th of 71 in 7 Megapixel
• 38th of 80 in Canon
• 30th of 135 in Under $150
• 21st of 98 in Point and Shoot

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