Digital Camera Holiday Gift Guide - $400 - $600 Cameras

In part 3 of our 2012 digital camera holiday gift guide, we looked at a series of $250 to $400 cameras that currently offer a step up in features from our first round of $150 to $250 cameras. In part 4, we will dive into the best cameras in the $400 to $600 price range. This lineup of digital cameras are targeted at the upper end of the point & shoot crowd, ideally for those seeking cameras for outdoor use or cameras that offer many of the same performance standards and features of entry-level DSLR cameras. Bottom line, these aren't your standard point & shoot models.

So jump into the fourth part of our 2012 Holiday gift guide, the $400 to $600 digital camera range. Our following recommendations are based on quality, features and the best value available on the digital camera marketplace between $400 to $600 dollars (MSRP).

The Canon PowerShot G1X, Canon's new flagship compact digicam, has been built to impress all around. They have given it a newly designed 1.5-inch CMOS imaging sensor, DIGIC 5 image processor, and a 4x f/2.8 optical zoom lens. With a very similar design to its predecessor, the PowerShot G12, it has a familiar feel for anyone who has owned a G-series model before. The G1X's image quality is excellent; possibly the best you will find from a non-interchangeable lens compact camera in our opinion. The larger sensor and f/2.8 lens also make this an outstanding camera for capturing your HD home movies, both indoors and out. It is great at low-light situations which will keep most of the noise out of your indoor movies as long as there is decent lighting. Outside, you will see brilliant color and a sharp, smooth playing video. Pick up this outstanding camera if you want dSLR-like quality in a compact package.

(Full Review) 

Fuji has taken their popular HS20EXR and added some new upgrades to create the FinePix HS30EXR. While the cameras share very similar specifications -- a 1/2-inch 16-megapisel EXR CMOS image sensor, an impressive 30x FUJINON manual zoom lens, a 3.0-inch tilting LCD with 460k dots, full 1080p HD video recording, high-speed video -- the HS30 does offer some new features that you may or may not see as improvements. These include the addition of a Li-ion battery pack verses using four AA batteries, increased burst mode capabilities, a few new Advanced scene modes, a higher quality EVF and slightly different IS mode options in the menu for the camera's Dual IS options. Pick this up if you're looking for a dSLR-like camera with loads of versatility, without having to worry about changing lenses.