The digital camera comes into the social networking age.

Social networking wouldn't be what it is today without the digital camera. Yet digital cameras wouldn't be today's pocket-size technological feats without Facebook, YouTube, and other social media sites pushing the envelope of their uses. As advanced as today's cell phones are, their built-in cameras still do not capture life quite like digital cameras do. That's why the devices remain an integral part of consumers' web-connected lives, as they snap away and post their pictures online.

Now or Never

Nikon Coolpix S1000pj is designed for photo-fanatics who are more interested in immediate gratification. With the touch of a button, users can project images and videos as large as 40 by 40 inches on white surfaces and walls. The slide show mode also plays back pictures with music, effects, and creative transitions. Additional features of the S1000pj include 12.1-megapixel resolution, a 5x wide-angle optical zoom lens, ISO to 6,400, a 2.7-inch wide-angle LCD display, and Nikon's Smart Portrait System. ($429.95, www.nikonusa.com)

You Are Here

Samsung's 12.2-megapixel CL65 camera is billed "the connected camera," with built-in Bluetooth 2.0 for sending photos to other devices and Wi-Fi connectivity for e-mailing (via a touch-screen keyboard) images to social networking hubs and photo-sharing sites like Picasa. Its internal GPS system geo-tags photos, and the camera contains the "intelli-studio" photo editing and management package. It has a 3.5-inch touch-screen LCD with a haptic interface: Holding a fingertip on a location on the screen automatically makes the camera focus there and take the image. ($399.99, www.samsung.com)

Send It Off

Sony's MHS-CM5 Bloggie MP4 camera captures daily events in high-definition video at 1920x1080 high-definition MP4 format as well as five-megapixel still image format. The MP4 format makes uploading to YouTube simple, and other user-friendly features include horizontal playback, a 5X optical zoom, and a 270-degree swivel lens to make filming oneself a cinch. ($199.99, www.sonystyle.com)

Originally published Feb. 1, 2010

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