Back to School 2012: Top Ten Best Cameras for Students

Nikon Coolpix P510

The Nikon Coolpix is an ultrazoom heavyweight with a 42x optical zoom lens. It also features a built-in electronic viewfinder (handy for composing shots at the long end of that zoom range) and an articulated 3.0-inch, hi-res LCD.

Canon PowerShot ELPH 110 HS

The PowerShot ELPH 110 HS is an almost ideal point-and-shoot for the casual photographer. It's pocketable, boasts a 5x optical zoom lens and a 3.0-inch LCD. It's priced affordably at around $200.

Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS

The Optio WG-2 is a rugged camera that's waterproof to 40 feet, shockproof to a 5 foot fall, and crushproof to 220 pounds and freezeproof down to 14 degrees Fahrenheit. With a 5x optical zoom, it's a durable everyday camera ready for just about anything.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS20

The Panasonic ZS20 is ready for travel with a 20x optical zoom lens, HD video and burst shooting at up to 5 fps. It's not the cheapest option in the compact ultrazoom category, but it's the latest in a line of top-notch travel zoom cameras from Panasonic.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX200V

Sony's Cyber-shot HX200V is another feature-packed ultrazoom with a 30x optical zoom lens, in-camera GPS tracking and an 18.2 megapixel CMOS sensor. It offers a fixed 920k-dot 3.0-inch LCD and a built-in electronic viewfinder.

Olympus E-PL3

With a 3.0-inch articulating display and a 12 megapixel sensor, the E-PL3 Micro Four Thirds camera is a great affordable option. It shoots 1080 HD video and offers compatibility with a full range of MFT lenses from Olympus and Panasonic.

Canon EOS Rebel T3

The Rebel T3 is a great first DSLR. It's priced very affordably now, especially with the announcement of the forthcoming Rebel T4i. The T3 features a 12.2 megapixel CMOS sensor, 2.7-inch LCD and a nine-point AF system.

Nikon D7000

Nikon's D7000 isn't as small or as affordable as the mirrorless options in this category, but for the serious budding photographer it's second to none. It produced great looking images even at high ISO settings and offers a 16.2 megapixel DX-format sensor.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF3

The Lumix GF3 is the smallest and lightest mirrorless offering from Panasonic. It offers a 12 megapixel Live MOS sensor, a 3.0-inch touch screen and a built-in pop-up flash.

Sony Alpha NEX-F3

Sony's latest entry-level mirrorless camera boasts a 16.1 megapixel APS-C sensor and a 3.0-inch LCD that's capable of flipping up by 180 degrees. Like most other Sony offerings it features full 1080 HD video recording capability.