The Atlas MNS is the quickest responder of the bunch. Flip it on and, before you can say “lost,” it locks on to satellites and starts kicking out coordinates. Scroll between pages and the dual processor pulls up weather, altitude, and navigational data almost instantly. Signal acquisition also shines in challenging conditions—like the heavy tree cover of West Coast temperate rainforests—where other units falter. Ideal for traveling.

Bonus: With detailed regional topo maps available on individual MMC cards, loading up maps is as easy as popping a card into the slot—no PC required.

Bummer: The monochrome screen sometimes makes it hard to differentiate between trails, roads, and contour lines. 9 oz; www.brunton.com

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WEATHERPROOF POCKET CAM

Thanks to internal gaskets, the slim Stylus easily fended off steady rain while I was shooting in a storm on the west coast of Vancouver Island—conditions that would have fizzled non-water-resistant cameras in less than a minute. My other favorite feature is its image-stabilized 5x zoom lens (the equivalent of a 36–180mm telephoto). Even without a tripod, I was able to capture shots of breaching pilot whales that would have been a blur with most similarly sized cameras. 7.1 megapixels; olympusamerica.com

Bonus: With 23 scene modes—each with a sample image—and an onscreen step-by-step guide for tricky lighting situations, the 750 is ideal for amateurs.

Bummer: The buttons and dials are well laid out and intuitive—but they could be bigger.

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BEST FOR BACKCOUNTRY

Unlike a lot of windproof soft shells, which rely on an embedded membrane, the Winter Guide’s gale-thwarting abilities come from a supertight weave, enabling it to breathe better than most. During a day of ski touring in Washington’s North Cascades that involved everything from cold descents to steep, sweaty climbs, we never took it off. Smart touches include a front zip that steers clear of your chin and hem and hood toggles that don’t annoyingly flap around in the wind. 1.8 lbs (M); patagonia.com

Bonus: The hood fits equally well with or without a helmet.

Bummer: We wish it was cut a bit longer in back.

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TOUGH ON THE TRAIL

The rubberized 400t was born for serious backcountry time, and you won’t find a more user-friendly or durable handheld GPS. A funky, do-it-all wheel replaces the usual array, making for easy one-hand navigation (non颅existent in most handhelds). It’s also tricked out with a three-inch, backlit color screen, full GPS-mapping capabilities, a barometric altimeter, an electronic compass, and an air-temperature sensor. For training, it can be paired with an optional cadence sensor or heart-rate monitor (both $60). It’s a bit hefty at seven-plus ounces, but if you like what you’re hearing, you probably won’t care. 7.3 oz; 100MB, expandable; GPS; garmin.com

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Never miss a shot again. With virtually no shutter lag—a luxury previously found only on high-end SLRs—and an almost instantaneous startup, the 6.3-megapixel F10 is ready before you can say “cheese.” This lightning-fast responsiveness, combined with the F10’s small size (slightly larger than a deck of cards, it’s perfect for stowing), made capturing candid Buenos Aires street moments a snap. And the battery life—about 500 shots per charge—is among the best we tested of the point-and-shoots, so you never have to worry about missing a—ahem—Fuji moment. www.fujifilm.com

Bonus: A long-exposure mode (up to 15 seconds) and wide ISO range increase versatility in low light.

Bummer: The 2.5-inch LCD lacks the clarity of the leading models.

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DOUBLES AS A PHOTO ALBUM

Sony has recognized the way people use digital cameras today—to show pictures, not just take them—and created a model well suited to the task. The DSC-N2 records each photo twice—once to the memory card and once, at a lower resolution, to an internal 26MB memory. Whether you remove the card or download images to your desktop, the internal memory always has a record of your last 500 shots to share with friends. Plus it has a quick shutter response—we couldn’t detect any lag—and a 10.1-megapixel sensor. 10.1 megapixels; sonystyle.com

Bonus: Despite the camera’s diminutive size, it produced sharp 11-by-14-inch prints.

Bummer: Manipulating settings and modes on the three-inch LCD touch screen is a cinch, but the resulting fingerprints require cleaning.

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BARGAIN PUFFY

Good luck finding an equally tricked-out, ski-specific soft shell at this price. In addition to a removable powder skirt and helmet-compatible hood, the Wildcard has everything you need—hidden pass clip, dedicated goggle pocket, and audio-player compartment with earbud port—for an organized day sans backpack. Its low-profile layer of synthetic insulation can handle all but the coldest days at most resorts. 3.2 lbs (L); columbia.com

Bonus: You can actually work all the zipper pulls while wearing bulky gloves.

Bummer: No vents means it’s difficult to shed heat when necessary.

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1. Hi-res still camera and hi-def videocam. Sure, digicams can shoot video. But not like this. Video is recorded through high-quality interchangeable lenses on a full-frame 35mm sensor, providing the type of manual focus and other controls previously available only to Hollywood DOPs. Stunning. And the .mov format makes it very easy to download and edit in QuickTime.

2. The larger, brighter viewfinder is among the nicest we’ve seen—pro models included—and the three-inch LCD screen adjusts automatically to ambient light. Miss film’s different emulsions? The “picture style” button gives instant access to six preset and three customizable modes, each with a unique rendering of color, saturation, and contrast. But shoot in RAW and you can tweak all that later.

3. A helluva deal. Photowise, the 5D blows away the competition with its 21.1-megapixel sensor, new DIGIC 4 imaging processor, ISO speeds up to 25,600, and four-frames-per-second shooting. Against pro cameras more than twice the price, it has smoother tonal transitions, truer colors and skin tones, and more detail. Plus, you get a full-blown HD videocam thrown in?! Sweet.

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The 3x-optical-zoom-equipped SP-350 has all the trappings of an SLR—manual exposure controls, an ergonomic grip, and external-flash hot shoe—but without the bulk. During a late-summer trip through Jasper National Park, I tucked this 9.6-ounce black beauty into my jacket pocket and carried it everywhere, even on fast-and-light hikes. The macro mode—which focuses down to eight-tenths of an inch—captured highly detailed close-ups of Rocky Mountain wildflowers. www.olympusamerica.com

Bonus: For shooting in bright sun or dim light, the SP-350’s true optical viewfinder—a feature rarely found on digicams these days—is a boon.

Bummer: The large files produced by the eight-megapixel sensor take a little extra time to write to the card.

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LUXURY FOR LUDDITES

Why go back to manual controls in an age of whiz-bang do-everything automatics? Two words: speed and creativity. The 7.5-megapixel Digilux 3 is pricey, but after a few days of street shooting, we found the perfectly-placed controls let us manually frame and expose shots just as fast as any autofocus wonder–and our images had a subtly different, more reflective quality to them. Traditionalists will love all the old-school touches on the body, like numbers etched on the shutter-speed dial. 7.5 megapixels; leica-camera.us

Bonus: The Digilux 3 is manual, not backwards. It’s loaded with a live-view LCD, antishake technology in the lens, and a unique two-position pop-up flash that can be bounced off the ceiling or positioned straight ahead.

Bummer: Because the Digilux system is so new, the only lens available is the D Vario-Elmarit zoom (28–100mm lens equivalent) it ships with.

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