January's Most Popular Digital Cameras

With the holidays past us and a new crop of cameras hitting the shelves, we thought it would be a good time  to profile the most popular cameras in January.  The rankings are determined by how many times our readers have viewed the product detail page of a camera this month.  With the PMA show coming up at the end of February, we will, no doubt, see another round of new cameras which will probably start hitting the shelves in March and after.

1. Canon Powershot A520 (previously #1) - When Canon announced their latest Powershot cameras, this one got a nice price drop.  Current the most popular camera on our site, the A520 captures 4 megapixel images on a SD/MMC card, has a 4x optical zoom and runs on 2 AA batteries.  If you don't need to take movies longer than 30 seconds, this is a great choice.

2. Canon Digital Rebel XT (previously #2) - This Digital SLR is the most popular in its class and it's also a favorite among reviewers in its class (along with the Nikon D50).  If you're looking to get away from the shutter lag of Point and Shoot cameras, or you have some Canon lenses that you're aching to use and you don't need a more expensive SLR, the Digital Rebel XT is a good way to go.

3. Canon Powershot A620 (previously #3) - One of the successors of the popular A95, the A620, with the DIGIC II processor and 2 inch flip out LCD is a fast camera with great image quality. This 7.1 megapixel camera uses 4 AA batteries for great life and stores images on an SD card. Use the 4x optical zoom to get close when you need it.

4. Canon Powershot A610 (previously #4) - The other successor of the popular A95, the A610 is basically the same camera as the A620, just in a 5 megapixel version.

5. Canon Powershot S2 IS (previously #6) -- A very popular offering from Canon that offers a 12x optical zoom lens with image stabilization. A flip out 1.8 inch LCD, 5 megapixel sensor, Canon image quality and reasonable price explain its popularity.

6. Nikon D200 (first time in the top 10) -- Introduced last November, the D200 didn't get a chance to hit December's Most Popular Camera list, but it's garnered a lot of interest as review started rolling out.  The 10.3 megapixel Digital SLR features a startup time of 0.15 seconds, a shutter lag of 50 milliseconds, and the ability to shoot five frames per second.

7. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30 (first time in top 10) -- The FZ30 has proven itself in the competitive ultra-zoom market.  The Pansonic has a 12x optical zoom with their MEGA OIS (optical image stabilization).  The camera captures 8 megapixel images, takes SD memory cards, and has a 2 inch LCD.

8. Nikon D50 (previously #9) -- Another entry level digital SLR, the Nikon D50 is another favorite, along with the Canon Digital Rebel XT.  The D50 body provides 6.1 megapixels and a 2.5 inch LCD.  Use your existing lenses or buy the camera with some lenses if you're ready to make the step to a digital SLR.

9. Sony Cybershot DSC-H1 (first time in top 10) -- Another popular ultra-zoom (along with Panasonic FZ30 and Canon S2 IS), the Sony H1 features a 12x optical zoom with Super SteadyShot image stabilization.  The H1 can shoot at a resolution of 5.1 megapixels and has a nice 2.5 inch LCD.

10. Canon Powershot SD550 (first time in top 10) -- Announced last August, this replacement for the SD500 has taken its time climbing up the charts, mostly because the previous generation (SD400 and SD500) were still popular.  The size, image quality, and ease of use of Canon's SD line has made the whole line up a very consistently selling, popular line.  The SD550 captures 7.1 megapixels and has a 2.5 inch LCD.

Falling out of the top 10 most popular cameras are the:

• Canon Powershot SD400 (was #5)
• Nikon Coolpix S4 (was #7)
• Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5 (was #8)
• Kodak EasyShare C330 (was #10)