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Document your hot-tub poaches with the waterproof SW-20’s underwater aperture setting. The 10x optical zoom wasn’t as crisp as others we tested, but knowing it could be dropped in the snow was worth the trade-off.
Minus: No sun or snow mode, so whites got blown out.
Plus: The big front-mounted microphone captured hoots from the chairlift well.
($400; panasonic.com)
Sony’s ultraslim new TG1 shoots in full HD resolution, meaning you can show your ski videos on a 52-inch flatscreen. It also catches four-megapixel still images, and the built-in zoom microphone (sound intensifies as the camera zooms in) records in Dolby 5.1 surround sound.
Minus: Not Mac-friendly.
Plus: LCD screen was easy to see in varying light conditions.
($900; sonystyle.com)
On a powder day at Arapahoe Basin, this compact HD camera performed admirably despite low light. Shake-reduction technology kept the images mostly steady, even with the zoom maxed out.
Minus: Mac users, beware: File transfers are much easier on a PC.
Plus: Small, light, and well priced for a camera delivering 1080 lines of resolution (the full HD format).
($1,300; jvc.com)
This five-megapixel, matchbox-size unit could be the digital answer to simple cult favorites like the Polaroid or Holga. Hit record, stick it in the waterproof helmet-mounted plastic case, and start filming. There’s some internal memory, but it’s best to pop in an SD card.
Minus: No viewfinder, no flash, and no rechargeable battery.
Plus: An inexpensive way to add more crap to Facebook and YouTube.
($190; goprocamera.com)
Don’t be fooled by the size (3.7 by 0.9 by 2.1 inches) or weight (4.6 ounces); this 10-megapixel point-and-shoot comes loaded with features. The menu and settings are easier than sixth-grade math, and a 5x zoom allows for tight shots.
Minus: Shutter speed was too slow for split-second action.
Plus: Face-recognition technology ensured a crisp focus on portraits, and the video mode is compatible with Mac and iMovie.
($250; nikonusa.com)
A compact camera with a shock-, water-, and freezeproof metal shell, this 10.1-megapixel point-and-shoot goes anywhere and excels at snapshots. Snow gets a touch blown out and landscape shots are less than crisp, but the rechargeable lithium battery lasted throughout the day, even in the cold. This latest version adds touch-controlled settings.
Minus: Proprietary memory cards will cost you.
Plus: The 2.7-inch LCD screen is large, sharp, and reinforced.
($300; olympusamerica.com)
As the price tag indicates, this is a professional-level DSLR masquerading as a consumer product. The 15.1-megapixel sensor provides posterworthy images. A comfy rubberized grip is fine for gloved hands, so we could keep shooting without stopping to warm our fingers.
Minus: Autofocus was slow and unintuitive at times.
Plus: Ultrafast (6.3-frame-per-second) burst mode provided stellar sequences.
($1,400; usa.canon.com)
Pentax’s new DSLR offers a lot for a low price: 10.2 megapixels and the ability to shoot in raw format (the big, data-laden files professional photographers use). Set the aperture and shutter-speed controls by instinct, and use the SD cards you already have.
Minus: Menu system and pre-sets were unintuitive and hard to navigate.
Plus: The price includes an 18–55 millimeter autofocus lens.
($700; pentaximaging.com)