Most Popular Digital Cameras of March 2006

[Ben Stafford]

Spring is finally here and the Canon Powershot A520 is still at the top of our most popular cameras.  The rankings are determined by the number of times a particular product page is viewed by our users.  The rankings below are from the entire month of March.  There wasn't too much change from last month - some minor reshuffling and only one new camera on the list - the Panasonic Lumix FZ7 replaced the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T9. 

	1. Canon Powershot A520 (previously #1) - When Canon announced their latest Powershot cameras, this one got a nice price drop.  Current the most popular camera on our site, the A520 captures 4 megapixel images on a SD/MMC card, has a 4x optical zoom and runs on 2 AA batteries.  If you don't need to take movies longer than 30 seconds, this is a great choice.
	2. Canon Powershot A620 (previously #2) - One of the successors of the popular A95, the A620, with the DIGIC II processor and 2 inch flip out LCD is a fast camera with great image quality. This 7.1 megapixel camera uses 4 AA batteries for great life and stores images on an SD card. Use the 4x optical zoom to get close when you need it
	3. Nikon D200 (previously #4) -- Introduced last November, the D200 didn't get a chance to hit December's Most Popular Camera list, but it's garnered a lot of interest as review started rolling out.  The 10.3 megapixel digital SLR features a startup time of 0.15 seconds, a shutter lag of 50 milliseconds, and the ability to shoot five frames per second.
	4. Canon Digital Rebel XT (previously #3) - This digital SLR is the most popular in its class and it's also a favorite among reviewers in its class (along with the Nikon D50).  If you're looking to get away from the shutter lag of point and shoot cameras, or you have some Canon lenses that you're aching to use and you don't need a more expensive SLR, the Digital Rebel XT is a good way to go.
	5. Canon Powershot S2 IS (previously #5) -- A very popular offering from Canon that offers a 12x optical zoom lens with image stabilization. A flip out 1.8 inch LCD, 5 megapixel sensor, Canon image quality and reasonable price explain its popularity.
	6. Nikon D50 (previously #8) -- Another entry level digital SLR, the Nikon D50 is another favorite, along with the Canon Digital Rebel XT.  The D50 body provides 6.1 megapixels and a 2.5 inch LCD.  Use your existing lenses or buy the camera with some lenses if you're ready to make the step to a digital SLR.
	7. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ30 (previously #6) -- The FZ30 has proven itself in the competitive ultra-zoom market.  The Pansonic has a 12x optical zoom with their MEGA OIS (optical image stabilization).  The camera captures 8 megapixel images, takes SD memory cards, and has a 2 inch LCD.
	8. Canon Powershot A610 (previously #10) - The other successor of the popular A95, the A610 is basically the same camera as the A620, just in a 5 megapixel version.
	9. Canon Powershot SD450 (previously #9) -- Announced in August, along with a whole slew of new Powershots, the Powershot SD450 is an update to the SD400.  Another model in the popular, compact SD/Digital ELPH line, featuring DIGIC II processors for fast operation.  The SD450 shoots at 5 megapixels with a 3x optical zoom lens and has a 2.5 inch LCD.
	10. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7 (first time in top 10) -- An affordable entry in the ultra-zoom field, the FZ7 shoots at 6 megapixels with a 12x image stabilized optical zoom.  Our reviewer really liked it - you can see the review here.

Falling out of the top 10 most popular cameras from the previous month is the:

• Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T9 (previously #7)

To see our last ranking, see Most Popular Digital Cameras of February.

[Wail]

Ben,

Just curious, why are some camera names in black while others in red? Is there any significance to this?

[Ben Stafford]

No significance, just some non-clean HTML code in there. In the main news article, they show up all red to me.

[Jessica]

Id put the FZ30 as 1, then the A620 as 2, but I havent used most of the others, so you guys are best to judge!

I think though that there should be other factors besides which pages are viewed the most.