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"  Before I came to Good Housekeeping, like many of you, I felt overwhelmed when I went shopping for a digital camera. Whether I was looking on Amazon or in the aisles at Best Buy, it was near impossible to know what to look for other than a brand name someone had recommended. Even within a brand I found there were so many options and features I didn&amp;#039;t understand. Is there a difference between digital and optical zoom; do megapixels denote quality; does a good camera always have to be expensive? After evaluating hundreds of cameras, listening to feedback from consumers, and looking at thousands of test images I now know the answer to these questions and can give you our picks for the best cameras. In the September 2011 issue, we featured our top choices (also online) based on a roundup of 26 cameras, 15 camcorders, and (for comparison)   widely used cellphones. If you&amp;#039;re already having trouble knowing which category fits your need, see my previous blog post on differences between them. We started testing by taking outdoor/underwater cameras to a sandy beach (I know, hard life) and shooting photos and video underwater in a pool. Next, we dropped each camera at least 3 times from the heights you&amp;#039;re likely to be holding it at. We took still photos and videos during the day, indoors, and at night. We ran each camera through an image-stabilization test, evaluated its battery life, focusing speed, repeat photo speed, zoom quality, and audio quality.   From a consumer panel that used the cameras in Central Park, we received &amp;quot;real-life&amp;quot; comments and insights like &amp;quot;nice slideshow option but grainy screen&amp;quot;, &amp;quot;terrible trying to get the SD card in&amp;quot;, and &amp;quot;bulky, but awesome panorama&amp;quot;.  Last but not least, I personally spent 5 days rating and comparing 2,400 photographs and 340 videos both on printed photo-paper and enlarged on a 70-inch HDTV to determine which cameras captured the best images.   And now for the answers to those questions: 1. Optical zoom is a function of the lens and truly gets in close while digital zoom merely enlarges the image you&amp;#039;ve already taken. 2. Higher megapixels mean more dots of color are recorded but don&amp;#039;t have a direct impact on image quality. 3. Cost is a pretty good indicator of quality in cameras. Your best bet though, is to read our reviews! If you&amp;#039;re in the market, see our tips for narrowing your selection or come talk to us yourselves on a tour of the Good Housekeeping Research Institute! "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
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