Recently Olympus have released the Olympus Stylus 850, one of the first waterproof, shockproof digital camera models on the consumer market. The camera is waterproof to ten feet, takes high quality pictures and movies, can be purchased in several different colours, has 5 x digital zoom, a rugged metal body and revolutionary shock-absorbing construction designed to withstand a five foot drop.

Apart from being a waterproof, shockproof digital camera, the Olympus Stylus 850 also has face-detection technology that tracks your subjects faces within the frame and automatically focus and optimises exposure for sharp, precise images. In addition, the camera panorama mode captures three images and stitches them together to create a single amazing panoramic photo.

While the Olympus Stylus 850 is not the only waterproof, shockproof digital camera on the market, it is most definitely one of the most affordably priced. At a retail price of around $300, it offers a range of impressive digital camera features with the added advantage of being more robust than the average digital camera model.

While it may take a bit of experimenting with your new photo editing software, there are many different software packages with different tools available. Many of the new versions of digital camera software downloads have basic automated functions that can very easily improve your photos without the need for a degree in graphic design.

One of the most popular digital camera software downloads is Adobe Photoshop. Although this is a fully-fledged designer software package that costs hundreds of dollars, it can make a big difference when it comes to editing digital images. Other brands of digital camera software downloads are also available for free or for a low cost download.

Many digital camera software downloads have a function that help you categorise and organise your digital pictures. If you take digital pictures on a regular basis, you can soon find that sorting through folder after folder of digital images is frustrating. With digital camera software downloads, you can find editing software with advanced image editing tools as well as image management software to make the task a lot easier.

The XD-7 is priced in the mid range for a Minolta digital SLR camera. Apart from Canon, Minolta cameras are one of the first to kick start the multimode automation of SLR cameras. The multimode feature has been stressed a lot in advertising for Minolta cameras, as inexperienced camera users did not understand how to use a digital SLR camera.

Many camera users felt that digital SLR cameras on the whole were not user friendly. Users were getting confused with other makes of digital SLR cameras until the automatic Minolta digital SLR camera was released. This had many consumers and camera enthusiasts excited because the camera went back to basics and user friendliness became priority.

The XD-7 is regarded by many as the best Minolta digital SLR camera ever made. One reason for this is due to its “fun” features such as three exposure control modes, automatic shutter and aperture speeds and simultaneous viewfinder readout speeds. With a combination of advanced features and a user-friendly interface, a Minolta digital SLR camera is considered revolutionary in the digital SLR camera market.

Thanks to a range of user-automated digital Vari-Program modes, users of all skill levels have photographic opportunity with the Nikon D70s Digital SLR. The large font on the LCD screen menu and plain language description means anyone and everyone can use the Nikon D70s Digital SLR and develop their creative control further. It combines the latest in digital SLR camera technology with intuitive controls and comfortable handling.

The Nikon DX Format 6.1 mega pixel resolution sensor works beautifully with the highly refined image processing system to deliver beautiful prints and pristine on-screen images. The Nikon D70s Digital SLR can be hooked up straight to a printer using any compatible PictBridge printer system.

The Nikon D70s Digital SLR also features Nikon’s renowned 5-area dynamic auto focus system with 3 frames per second frame advance and auto pop-up flash to make point-and-shoot situations far simpler.

With the Nikon D70s Digital SLR, the new AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4/5G IF-ED lens can capture pristine images. The lens has been specifically designed for use with Nikon digital SLR sensors and will deliver superb images.

The design and construction of the Canon G10 includes a comfy black casing with a comfortable feel and excellent ergonomics. There is an optical viewfinder with 77 per cent image area coverage.

Unique to this camera are a number of dedicated knobs on top of the Canon G10 that are used for changing exposure compensation and ISO settings, as well as the usual mode settings of Auto, P, TV, AV and M. The 75mm LCD screen and automated settings for point-and-shooters are present, but this is by and large a camera for serious photographers.

Although one might expect that the 14.7-mega pixels would create noise, it surprisingly isn’t an issue with the Canon G10 Powershot. With speeds up to ISO 200, the images are flawless. The noise that is there is barely an issue, and looks more like film grain than anything else.

While it has been marketed as a ‘compact’ camera, the Canon G10 is definitely not. It is quite large and this may be off-putting for those who want something pocketable. For professionals who want something that feels like a real camera, the Canon G10 is a winner.

It boasts a high-powered zoom that challenges comparable models from Canon and Nikon as well as eye-level, through-the lens viewing with extensive controls and outstanding image quality.

For a compact camera, the FujiFilm Finepix s7000 is fantastic in terms of navigation as it has an intuitive operating system and is very easy to use. The image results are quite good despite not having the highest mega pixel count for other compact cameras in its league. Although other cameras have better colour output and sharper results, the FujiFilm Finepix s7000 is extremely simple to use and therefore would be ideal for amateur camera users.

Even for high-resolution photos, the FujiFilm Finepix s7000 can impress. Although the images can become slightly fuzzy when in print, they are still extremely detailed and do not show high levels of noise. It falls into the SLR-like category and has some of the same looks such as an SLR body size and shape, manual control options and other physical features.

The budget Sony H10 CyberShot (also known as the Sony CyberShot DSC-H10) is a decent superzoom camera that is an improvement on the older CyberShot DSC-H3. Its mode dial on top lets the user choose between the various exposure modes as well as a handful of scene modes and movie mode.

The Sony H10 itself weighs a mere 380 grams including the battery and memory stick Duo Pro card. It is comfortable to hold and use and sports a 230k pixel, 3-inch LCD screen (compared to a 115k pixel, 2.5-inch LCD on its older counterpart, the Sony H3).

With an 18x zoom range, the f/3.5-4.4, 38-380mm equivalent lens has a relatively narrow angle of view for a camera supposed to have ‘superzoom’ powers. Fortunately, the electronic viewfinder distinguishes the Sony H10 from other budget models.

The guts of the Sony H10 include an 8-mega pixel sensor with hardware image stabilisation. As with its older sibling, the Sony H10 only includes a choice of two aperture values for any given focal length: f/3.5, f/4.0 or f/4.4, and f/8 or f/10. While this won’t suit a professional photographer by any means, the Sony H10 is capable of excellent photos and happy snaps.

Until the D80, Nikon hadn’t performed a major upgrade of its mid-range dSLRs since before the older D70s. Now, the Nikon D80 has been decked out, including a 10.2 mega pixel CCD imaging sensor, a larger 2.5 inch LCD screen, an 11-area auto focus system (up from 5) and a host of in-camera editing and customisation functions.

Due to its overhaul of the old D70 and the release of the snazzy new Nikon D80, Nikon has put its mid-range dSLR cameras more in line with professional and amateur photographers alike. The Nikon D80 suits anyone from low-end enthusiasts to new SLR users.

There are a few shortcomings with the otherwise totally impressive Nikon D80. Firstly, the D80 has a slower top shutter speed – the D80 has a maximum shutter speed of 1/4000 second instead of 1/8000 second – and a lower flash-sync speed of 1/200 rather than 1/500 second that the D70 offers. However, this small flaw is only likely to irk sports shooters who will appreciate the fast shutter speed of the D70s. Apart from this, the Nikon D80 has enough impressive tech specs to quench the needs of most photographers.

Compared to other SLR cameras in the same price range, the Nikon digital camera d40 has many features that make it an inexpensive choice for photography enthusiasts and hobbyists. It offers a clear 2.5-inch LCD screen and can capture 6 mega pixels of photographic information per shot.

The high image quality produced by the d40 Nikon digital camera is in addition to its impressive shutter speed at a maximum of 2.5 frames per second with a three-point auto focus feature. Although this won’t always suit those who want to take professional action or sport shots, it will meet other demands nicely.

The Nikon digital camera d40 itself is compact for an SLR, measuring 8 x 10 inches with a 6-mega pixel resolution. The Nikon digital camera d40 tends to come out on top compared to many other entry-level digital SLR cameras and provides great value for money for those looking for a semi-professional camera at a reasonable price.

The Olympus digital camera itself is composed of a stylish metal body with a sleek titanium finish. Well laid-out controls are conveniently set on the back of the camera alongside a reasonable 2-inch LCD screen with glare resistant TFT technology.

Within this compact little Olympus digital camera, the C7000 is packed with the latest technology including a CCD sensor able to capture up to 7.1 mega pixels, along with a 5 x optical zoom lens. It also features a TruePic TURBO image processor able to take clean and sharp photos with precise colour representation and little distortion or noise.

Users of this Olympus digital camera will not be disappointed from the point of pressing the power button. It fires up in less than a second and other controls are just as quick and precise. Photos are stored on XD-picture cards and use a USB 2.0 connection to transfer to a computer.

In terms of shortcomings, the Olympus digital camera C7000 does have some flaws with its auto focus, especially in low-light conditions. It is not as fast as comparable cameras available for the same price, but otherwise makes an excellent digital camera choice.