This 14-megapixel, extended-zoom camera lists for $299, but has recently been selling for $199. The Z981 has a chunky hand grip and SLR-like styling along with a 26x optical zoom lens and image stabilization. True to its EasyShare name, the camera features a button that automatically uploads photos and videos to social networking sites such as Facebook and YouTube when connected to a computer equipped with the included software. Viewing options include a 3-inch LCD screen or an electronic viewfinder with 230,000 pixels.

[Read our full Panasonic Lumix FZ100 Review] The FZ100 is a top-of-the-line extended zoom packing a 24x optical zoom Leica lens, 3-inch tilt-and-swivel LCD, and a high-resolution 0.2-inch electronic viewfinder. It's an impressive package all around, with head-turners like an 11 frame-per-second burst mode, 1080i HD video, and a rechargeable battery that lasts for 410 shots.

This advanced shooter is more compact than most viewfinder-equipped models. It's less than two inches thick, with a 5x zoom lens and a 2.8-inch fold-out LCD. It sports an optical viewfinder, so it's not as accurate as a the new-fangled electronic versions, but it doesn’t require any battery power to use. The Canon G12 is loaded with manual and automated modes, a 720p movie mode, and even a hot shoe, not to mention top-notch image quality and a dSLR-like interface. This is a serious camera.

In the same vein as the Canon G12, the advanced-compact Nikon P7000 sports a longer 7.1x zoom lens, larger 3-inch LCD screen with 921,000 pixels of resolution, and a similar optical viewfinder that shows you 80 percent of the picture you're about to shoot. This is another camera best left for experienced shooters, but if you want that optical viewfinder, you don't have much of a choice these days.

This mirrorless camera has compact measurements, but accessorizes like a dSLR. The EP-2’s $899 kit configuration includes a 14-42mm lens and a removable electronic viewfinder that can tilt upward 90 degrees, with a diopter adjustment too. It offers 1,440,000 dots of resolution (that's a lot) and like all electronic viewfinders, 100 percent coverage. The viewfinder fits into the camera’s accessory port, which means that you can’t use the viewfinder at the same time as the flash or microphone, but that's a sacrifice you'll have to make. The 12.3-megapixel Olympus EP-2 has many manual and automated modes, including a manual movie mode.