What a difference a few years make. Getting ahold of a seven-megapixel for under $500 used to be a fool's gambit. Now, not only does the Olympus SP-510 UZ offer 7.1-megapixel resolution for under $350, they also pack a myriad of other features like a massive 10x optical zoom, a digital image stabilization mode, bright capture technology, a 2.5-inch LCD viewing screen, and two macro-lens settings for capturing every detail of that near-microscopic luminescent insect. The sheer mass of features (including all-manual settings) makes this camera ideal for the ambitious prosumer rather than for a traditional point-and-shoot camera operator. That said, the 28 shooting modes, including 21 pre-set scene modes, can make capturing stellar images on the fly as easy as…well, saying "cheese." And for the country-hopping, there's no need to juggle adaptors—the camera's four AA batteries will give up to 500 shots before they die. The trigger does have a modest delay, and you'll want to buy a memory card (about $40), as larger-sized files quickly burn through the camera's internal storage, but camera-to-computer transfer is plug-and-play simple. And while it's not quite small enough to pocket, the camera feels entirely natural in your hands, which leads to equally naturalistic photos.
$329.99; www.olympusamerica.com