Best Of Tech

Digital Cameras
Inexpensive
$200
SONY DSC-U10 CYBER-SHOT U
Older 1-megapixel cameras can be found for less, but nothing out there does as much for as little. This 1.3-megapixel camera comes with rechargeable batteries, movie mode and built-in photo effects. No optical zoom, but it's smaller than most cell phones.
www.sonystyle.com

Moderate
$700
FUJIFILM FINEPIX S602 ZOOM
It's cameras like this one that make digital photography so popular. This 3.1-megapixel favorite comes with a 6X-optical-zoom lens, two LCD monitors and room for two memory slots. You can shoot video with sound at 30 frames a second and add voice annotation to stills.
www.fujifilm.com

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Expensive
$2,000
NIKON D100
So much for silver nitrate. Nikon's 6.1-megapixel wondercam blends the finesse of film photography and the precision of the digital revolution. It comes with an SLR mechanism, and it's not for amateurs. But it's a fine way to teach old shutterbugs new tricks.
www.nikon.com

Digital Camcorders
Inexpensive
$500
SAMSUNG SC-D80
Yes, this digital camcorder is bulky — it won't win any design contests — but it's priced right and fully equipped. It's got 680,000-pixel resolution, 10X zoom lens, image stabilizer and "Nite Pix" for shots in the dark. Want bang for your buck? Shoot in this direction.
www.samsungusa.com

Moderate
$900
CANON ZR50MC
Partygoers, take note: this machine comes with alluring features — buttons that change color and a "tiling effect" for arranging head shots in Brady Bunch fashion — but it's no toy. With 22X zoom lens, crisp images and still shots, it's worth the price.
consumer.usa.canon.com

Expensive
$2,000
SONY DCR-IP220
Leave it to Sony to add a 2-megapixel still camera to a high-end camcorder. To capture DVD-quality video, the IP220 uses MicroMV tapes (instead of the more common MiniDV). Other geeky perks include Bluetooth networking and a touch-panel LCD.
www.sonystyle.com

DVD Recorders
Inexpensive
$700
PANASONIC DMR-E30
Since the advent of the DVD player, movie buffs have wondered when they would be able to record DVDs. The wait is over. Panasonic's cheapest recorder — which creates DVD-R discs that are easily recognized by most players — is as good an excuse as any to ditch the VCR.
www.panasonic.com

Moderate
$900
PHILIPS DVDR985
Plug your camcorder directly into this unit, and hit Record. That's one of the nice features about this machine. It also comes with crisp progressive-scan playback for normal DVDs. A price drop and unbeatable ease of use make it the best of this class.
www.philipsusa.com

Expensive
$1,300
YAMAHA DRX-1
If you're looking for high-quality recordings, shop here. Yamaha uses DVD+R (write-once) discs and DVD+RW (rewriteable) discs, like the Philips. The DRX-1's smart editing tools make home movies and TV shows more entertaining the second time.
www.yamaha.com/yec

Flat-Panel TVs
Inexpensive
$1,200
SHARP AQUOS LC-13E1U
Leading the what-to-get-for-those-who-have-everything category is Sharp's 13-in. LCD TV. The 3-in.-thin monitor even features an "image inverter" for upside-down mounting — handy for those who want to squeeze a TV underneath a kitchen cabinet.
www.aquos.com

Moderate
$9,000
PIONEER ELITE PRO-800HD
Couch potatoes beware! Buy this TV, and prepare to become a homebody. The 43-in. set has everything: HDTV signal, progressive-scan DVD, even a monitor connection from your PC. And the price has plummeted; earlier this year it listed for $12,000.
www.pioneerelectronics.com

Expensive
$25,000
FUJITSU PDS-6101
If the stock market ever rebounds and you lust after the Rolls-Royce of TVs, consider this 61-in. giant. Its processor works in two ways to enhance still and moving images, and it has inputs to fit any hardware you could possibly own.
www.plasmavision.com

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