Digital cameras: some big-camera features come in strikingly small packages.(Buyers guide)

More than 30 percent of U.S. households have yet to switch from film, and millions more are seeking a second, or even third, digital camera, so this should be a hot holiday season for digitals.

Manufacturers are responding by crowding more capabilities into smaller, lighter, more stylish models. And they're adding special twists such as water resistance, large-type icons for the eyesight challenged, and--in one case--even a slimming feature that claims to take 10 pounds off your subject's image.

This guide, along with the Ratings on page 20, can help you find the right camera. First Look on page 23 examines three new models that arrived too late for us to fully test and rate in this issue.

MATCH THE SIZE TO YOUR NEEDS

Virtually all digital cameras take decent pictures these days. In choosing one, first decide if your priority is small size or extra photographic power and flexibility. A few models strive to offer it all, but none do so without compromise. Small cameras continue to shrink and grow sleeker, and many have an LCD large enough to dominate the camera's rear side, even as their resolution keeps growing. Five megapixels is already considered minimal resolution, and 7 or 8 is offered by a small but growing band. Other features trickling down from large models to a few small ones include zoom ranges larger than 3x, image stabilization, and manual controls. One familiar feature may soon be on the endangered list: the optical viewfinder.

Meanwhile, larger and more powerful cameras keep gaining new capabilities and, in some cases, growing cheaper. Some advanced compacts--cameras that offer extensive controls and higher-than-entry-level resolution while retaining the convenience of a built-in lens--rival some SLRs and weigh nearly as much. Resolution now runs between 8 and 10 megapixels, and the ability to save images as a RAW file is standard. (A RAW file contains the captured image before it has been processed by the camera's built-in software and gives you maximum flexibility in controlling things such as sharpness and color balance.)

More super-zooms, with optical zoom ranges 10x or greater, feature optical or mechanical image stabilizers. Most of these cameras are bulky and weigh a pound or more. However, innovative designs make a couple of models smaller and much lighter than the rest, heralding a new day for this type of camera.