Best Of Tech

Digital Cameras
CHEAP
$219
OLYMPUS BRIO D-100
This 1.3-megapixel camera is all you need if you're not going to be making prints any bigger than snapshots. The camera produces sharp images and slips easily into your pocket, and its system for transferring images to your computer is a breeze to operate.
www.olympusamerica.com

MODERATE
$600
SONY CYBERSHOT DSC-P5
A 3.3-megapixel camera that delivers great picture resolution in an attractive, compact package with easy-to-navigate menus. If you want to trim your costs, the Sony DSC-P3 model offers all the same features, except the 3X optical zoom, for $100 less.
www.sonystyle.com

EXPENSIVE
$900
NIKON COOLPIX 995
In 2000, ON MAGAZINE named the Coolpix 990 our Machine of the Year, and this 2001 model takes evolutionary steps forward (such as higher optical zoom and a Quick Review button). And Nikon recently started offering a $100 rebate, bringing down costs too.
www.nikonusa.com

Camcorders
CHEAP
$599
SAMSUNG SC-D67
Now that all the cool kids are shooting home movies on MiniDV--the new standard for digital video--Samsung's SC-D67 is a good bet. It's one of the cheapest MiniDV camcorders on the market, and with 390,000-pixel resolution and a digital image stabilization system, you won't suffer for having saved a few (hundred) bucks.
www.samsungusa.com

MODERATE
$1,700
JVC GR-DVP3U
Compact enough to fit on your Bat belt, this tiny camcorder is nicknamed the MicroPocket DV. Its 680,000-pixel resolution (nearly twice that of most TVs) gives you crystal-clear video, and it's also equipped with NightAlive low-light sensitivity and a high-resolution still-camera mode for taking Web-ready snapshots.
www.jvc.com

EXPENSIVE
$2,999
SONY DCR-VX2000
CD-quality audio recording, over 1-million-pixel resolution, a 16:9 wide-screen option--it's no wonder this is the MiniDV camera professionals use. And just in case you're the next Kubrick, a dubbing option lets you add music and narration over the original audio. Add the optional battery and you can film a nine-hour epic on one charge.
www.sonystyle.com

DVD Players
CHEAP
$98
APEX DIGITAL AD-500
A few years ago, there were no DVD players under $300, but like everything except gasoline, they just keep getting cheaper. Newcomer Apex Digital beat all the big names into the sub-$100-player market and did it with a worthy machine. Not only does the AD-500 play CDs and DVDs, but it can read your MP3 music files from disc too.
www.apexdigitalinc.com

MODERATE
$250
PANASONIC DVD-RV31
If you want a home theater but haven't yet entered the rarefied realm of six-speaker surround sound, take a look at the RV31. A DVD player with one of the best surround-sound simulators, it'll turn your little stereo into a system worthy of the cineplex. Not only that, the player's Cinema Mode improves detail and color for a richer picture.
www.panasonic.com

EXPENSIVE
$400
TOSHIBA SD5700
If you're enough of a video junkie to own a progressive-scan TV (one that uses PC-monitor technology to eliminate annoying horizontal lines), then you're going to need a DVD player that supports it. Toshiba's SD5700 has what it takes--progressive component-video output--plus the ability to play DVD-Audio and MP3s.
www.toshiba.com

Televisions
CHEAP
$149
PHILIPS 13PR11M
Not all 13-in. televisions are created equal. This Philips model comes in three colors (silver, white and metallic blue), and its QuadraSurf remote lets you group your favorite channels together by genre and flip through them with a single button. It also has a built-in wake-up timer, so you can kiss your clock radio good-bye.
www.usa.philips.com

MODERATE
$800
HITACHI 32UX01S
If you load a TV with bells and whistles, better make sure the picture is perfect too. The 32-in. UltraVision has a digital three-line comb filter: don't worry about what it does; just enjoy the rich colors and razor-sharp lines. Plus, the bells and whistles: S-Video and component-video inputs, dual-tuner picture-in-picture and two cable-TV jacks.
www.hitachi.com

EXPENSIVE
$3,999
SHARP 61R-NWP5H
Thinking big? Better think progressive scan, which is a fancy term for a TV that eliminates those horizontal lines that get more and more annoying as sets get bigger. Sharp's monster 61-in. progressive-scan rear-projection TV is HDTV ready, but it also has a digital-signal converter that makes sure regular TV channels look nearly as good.
www.sharp-usa.com