Cameras: simple and affordable.(Imaging)

The digital camera is now truly mainstream, selling in record numbers even to people who are used to dropping their rolls of film off at the drugstore.

Now there are single-use digital cameras, too. As this issue went to press, the CVS pharmacy chain began selling a $20 single-use digital that holds 25 1.3-megapixel images and lets you preview shots and delete those you don't want. They have to be printed at CVS; you can't download them at home. We plan to report on that and similar cameras in an upcoming issue.

Manufacturers of regular digital cameras continue to make them easier to use and more affordable.

Shooting is simpler. More cameras than ever offer automatic settings tailored for subjects such as sports, sunsets, or fireworks. Those settings slightly better the odds of getting a pleasing photo, but you can always point and shoot instead.

Computerless printing is commonplace. Most new cameras we tested incorporate a printing standard called Pictbridge. It lets them print directly to any Pictbridge-enabled printer.

Cameras shrink. More and more are petite enough for a shirt pocket and weigh less than half a pound.

Advanced features abound. Inexpensive cameras now come with features once found only at the top of the line. Some of the cameras tested for this report have image stabilization, an extra-long zoom range, and manual aperture and shutter controls.