SIMPLE YET SOPHISTICATED
Power low? The A710 can run on regular old AA batteries, which means—if you scrounge around someone’s pack or raid your headlamp—you should never miss a summit shot again. And stop showing your friends fuzzy wildlife shots: Because the A710 has a 6x zoom lens and the same image-stabilization technology as Canon’s top-of-the-line pro lenses, I was able to shoot close-ups of bighorn sheep in Jasper National Park—without a tripod or fear of camera shake. 7.1 megapixels; canonusa.com
Bonus: Unlike most digicams, it gives you a traditional optical viewfinder, which has two advantages: It sucks less juice than battery-draining LCD screens and, in bright sunlight, an optical viewfinder is often easier to use than an LCD screen.
Bummer: It’s a few ounces overweight.