BABBLE BEST PICKS: DIGITAL CAMERAS

BEST OVERALL | Nikon Coolpix S640

The S640 is one of two new additions to the compact point-and-shoot Coolpix line. The price is nice, but the performance is really great. It has a “best shot selector” that shoots sequential images and chooses the one that’s most in focus, meaning that image quality was terrific, even with a rambunctious subject. Lag time was minimal for a camera in this price range, and Nikon’s vibration reduction image stabilization provides extra assurance your shot will look good. The S640 also stood up well in low-light situations, allowing us to take photos of a napping child without startling her awake with a flash. All this, plus a movie mode and a variety of settings for what’s still a reasonable price, makes the S640 our point-and-shoot Babble Best.