The Best Travel Gadgets of 2009

Instead of packing a point-and-shoot camera as well as a video camera for your next trip, consider the Pentax K-x digital single-lens reflex (SLR) camera, which easily wears both hats. It shoots 12.4-megapixel images and captures wide-screen high-definition (720p) video at 24 frames per second. Don't be scared off by the professionals-only feel of the camera, because the K-x is a true entry-level SLR. It comes standard with multiple-scene modes and an auto-picture mode, but it's a camera that you can grow with as your skills as a photographer mature. It's also the cheapest digital SLR that shoots HD video.

Pentax K-x: $649.95
* Also available in black, navy and white