Digital Photos Even a Miser Can Enjoy

Correction Appended

KODAK EASYSHARE V530The key words for this super-compact camera are small and stylish; it's available in pink, red, silver or black and is shaped more like a cellphone than a MasterCard. More Photos »

FUJI FINEPIX F10 This camera requires XD memory cards, which are more expensive and harder to find than SD cards. But especially in low-light situations, the photos are so good, you're glad you made the sacrifice. More Photos >

DECEMBER is always a busy time at the New York Times Consumer Technology Institute (all right, my office in the attic). Each year, the Institute tries to answer a Zen riddle: "How much digital camera can 0 buy?"

Twelve manufacturers entered this fifth annual camera cook-off. Each submitted the one sub-0 camera (online price) that it felt took the best pictures.

Several trends emerged. Picture quality continues to improve every year, and the megapixel race continues apace; this year, five- and six-megapixel cameras are standard. (More megapixels permit bigger enlargements and more room to crop, but do not affect photo quality.)

Screens are bigger, too. Most candidates have beautiful 2.5-inch screens that make framing and showing photos far more enjoyable. Of course, every silver lining has a cloud; upsizing the screen usually means eliminating the optical (eyepiece) viewfinder. In this roundup, only Canon and Sony provide one.

Camera companies used to supply a starter memory card just big enough to hold five test pictures. Now most build 16 or 32 megabytes of memory right into the camera. You get instant gratification when you open the package, but not in a form you wind up throwing away.

THIN has always been in, but this year it's inner than ever. Many of this year's wondercams are not much bigger than a credit card: brushed-metal beauties under an inch thick with a U.S.B. docking-recharging stand. (The best photos, however, still come from fatter cameras.) Except where noted, all have 3X zoom lenses and five- or six-megapixel sensors.

CANON A610 This year's photo-quality derby entailed 20 torture-test shots: a candlelight scene, a super close-up, a frozen action shot, a close-range flash portrait, and so on. Laymen judges ranked the results. (First-place ties were permitted.)

The A610's photos were top ranked in an astonishing 12 out of 20 tests; this camera just takes fantastic pictures in almost every situation. Not bad for 0, especially considering you also get a 4X zoom and a flip-out rotating 2-inch screen - great for shooting over people's heads, or down low for baby shots.

On the other hand, the A610 is the biggest, ugliest camera here. Canon seems to be forcing the issue: Do you want good-looking pictures, or a good-looking camera?

CASIO EXILIM ZOOM EX-Z57 This shiny sleek 4 card-size cam is a joy to use, thanks to the largest screen here (2.7 inches), 400-shot battery life and 23 scene presets (Twilight, Flowers and so on) illustrated with demo photos.

All sub-0 cameras suffer from shutter lag, the infuriating focusing delay before the camera actually snaps a shot. You can usually eliminate it by half-pressing the shutter button to prefocus, and then fully pressing at the moment of truth.

But when there's no time for all that, you can just mash the Casio's button all the way down; then, like a disposable film camera, the Z57 keeps everything in focus. The result may have only snapshot quality, but you do get the picture.

Fun does not, however, equal great photography. Not once in the 20 torture-test setups did the Casio's pictures rank best or even second best - and there's no burst mode (continuous shooting) at all.

FUJIFILM FINEPIX F10 For the first time in the history of this annual derby, a Fujifilm model leaps into the winner's circle. This 6.3-megapixel 0 machine ranked first in 10 of the 20 torture tests. In particular, its low-light work is jaw-dropping; even candlelight photos are entirely grain-free.

On the downside, this camera offers few scene presets or manual controls, it requires expensive XD memory cards and it's boring looking. Is there some law that says the best cameras have to be homely?

HP PHOTOSMART R817 Come soccer season, you'll appreciate the HP's 5X zoom. Color fidelity and contrast are excellent. The clever button placements and beautifully written onscreen help messages make this a supremely friendly partner.

But the R817 (2) is best suited for the very patient. It's slow to start up, slow between shots, and dogged by shutter lag. Still lifes, anyone?

KODAK EASYSHARE V530 This camera, too, prides itself on thoughtful button layout and onscreen displays. Too bad the buttons themselves are the size of atoms; pushing them requires skinny fingers or, where possible, toothpicks.

The camera (0) is fast, though, and takes excellent photos. Even more noteworthy are the movies, which play back at TV size and smoothness (640 by 480 pixels, 30 frames a second).

E-mail: Pogue@nytimes.comCorrection: Dec. 16, 2005, Friday: The David Pogue column in Business Day yesterday, about digital cameras under 0, referred incorrectly to the battery of one model, as did an accompanying picture caption. The camera, Fujifilm's Finepix F10, has a rechargeable lithium-ion battery; it does not take AA-size batteries.v