Best Digital Cameras Under $300

Canon's PowerShot SD960 IS digital camera offers a very interesting look along with just enough power to appeal to beginners. The SD960's 2.8-inch LCD is very sharp and bright, and that's an important feature because the LCD serves as the camera's only viewfinder. With 12.1 megapixels of resolution, the PowerShot SD960 from Canon should be able to meet the printing needs of almost any beginning photographer. The body style of the SD960 is an attention-grabber, as it's curved near the area where your right hand rests, giving it a different type of look. Four different colors are available, too, including light blue, pink, silver, and gold. A slightly larger optical zoom lens would be nice, but the SD960 is a strong camera, regardless.

When I wrote the Casio EX-FC100 camera review, the company listed this model at nearly $350. Its recent drop in price to less than $300 makes the EX-FC100 a nice value. It is a strong camera in terms of speed, as the EX-FC100 can shoot up to 30 shots in a second in continuous shot mode. It also can shoot high-speed video, up to 1,000 frames per second. It would be nice if the EX-FC100 had a little more than the 9.1 megapixels of resolution it offers, but its 5X optical zoom lens is a very nice feature in an ultra compact camera. Casio has put together a rare combination of speed and small size with the EX-FC100.

If a company includes the word tough in the name of its digital camera, it had better live up to that billing. Olympus' Stylus Tough 6000 does exactly that. It's a sturdy, well-built model that can survive tough weather conditions, limited underwater photography options, and a fall from up to 5 feet. Such features aren't commonly found in a sub-$300 camera, so the Tough 6000 excels in those areas. However, as a trade-off, it offers only 10.0 megapixels of resolution, a 3.6X optical zoom lens, and a 2.7-inch LCD, all of which are slightly behind some other sub-$300 cameras. Still, this model's toughness makes it a great choice. (If you'd like a few more features in a Stylus Tough camera, check out the Stylus Tough 8000 review.)

Samsung's latest digital camera model provides an option you'll find on very few other digital cameras: LCD screens on both the front and back of the camera body. The DualView TL220 contains a regular-sized, 3.0-inch LCD on the back of the camera, but it's the 1.5-inch LCD on the front of the camera that will turn heads. The extra LCD works especially well for shooting self-portraits, although it also can display an animation sequence that will grab the attention of an uncooperative child whom you're trying to photograph. The TL220 has 12.2 megapixels of resolution. (The DualView TL225 offers a slightly larger, 3.5-inch LCD on the back and is worth consideration, too, if you have a larger budget.)

In addition to the DualView TL220, Samsung's SL820 digital camera is another strong model worth consideration in the sub-$300 price range. The SL820 includes a very easy-to-use menu structure, which is great for beginning photographers. The camera's shooting features are nice, too, with 12.2 megapixels, a 5X optical zoom lens with limited wide angle capabilities, and a 3.0-inch LCD. You may find the SL820 in silver, black, and red.

The first thing you'll notice about the Sony Cyber-shot T90 digital camera is that it doesn't look like any other sub-$300 camera. The front panel of the T90 is almost all a solid color (black, light blue, pink, bronze, or silver), only marked by a small 4X optical zoom lens in the corner that does not extend beyond the camera body. It is an ultra compact model and measures only 0.59 inches in thickness, which is an amazingly small number. With 12.1 megapixels of resolution, it can create very large prints. Finally, the T90's 3.0-inch, touch-screen LCD is a great feature. This camera is definitely one of the coolest models out there in this price range.