Cell phone cameras are damn good these days. The iPhone 12 Pro and Pro MaxĚýmake stunning images that you can’t believe came off the communication deviceĚýthat fitsĚýin your pocket, especially when you’re shooting with Apple’s new ProRAW format.

But here’s the thing: cell phone cameras are still pretty limited. Even with all the software wizardry that Apple uses to enhance photos, the iPhone image sensors are still relatively small compared to what you’d find inside a more purpose-builtĚýcamera. And sensor size really matters when it comes to things like low-light photography and resolution.Ěý

The iPhone is also a pain to use if you want manual control; all you can do is point and shoot and rely onĚýApple’s preset software. Many of us who grew up with film cameras or have experience with DSLR or mirrorless camerasĚýstill like being able to quickly and easily control things like ISO, shutter speed, and aperture. These functions allow for more creativity, and oftenĚýbetter photos.

All of this is whyĚýmirrorless Sony cameras haveĚýbeen widely adopted byĚýthe pros recently. ItsĚýcameras come with giant, full-frame sensors that drink in tons of light, produce extremely high-res files, and performĚýgreat in low-light situations. They’re intuitive to use and there’s also a huge line of high-quality Sony lensesĚýto pairĚýwith them.ĚýOf course, a Sony mirrorless camera is significantly larger than an iPhone and doesn’t fit in your pocket, so portability becomes an immediate issue whenĚýyou’reĚýout adventuring. You have to haul along a camera bag and the extra weight,ĚýwhichĚýcan bog you down if you’re trying to cover a lot of ground.

All of this back and forth is why I was so excited to test the new Ěý($1,399), which perfectly splits the difference between a Sony mirrorless camera and a smartphone. About the size of two iPhoneĚý12 Pro Maxs laying on top of each other, the X100V doesn’t quite fit in my pocket, but it does fit in my bike’sĚýhandlebar pouch, and is small enough to stuff into a fanny pack or small sling instead of needing a camera-specific bag.ĚýIt’s ideal for those of us who like to adventure—from skiing, to gravel riding, to climbing, to overlanding—and want to make beautiful photos along the way without being weighed down by a giant camera body.

Inside, it has an APS-CĚý26.1 megapixel sensor that’s smaller than ł§´Ç˛Ô˛â’sĚýbut bigger than what you find in an iPhone. That sensor makes rich, sharp files that can easily be turned into 20-inch prints. (With the iPhone, I won’t go beyond 11 inchesĚýbecause the resolution from its smaller sensors results in graininess.)

Apple does a nice job of combining multiple photos to help users shoot low-light photos, but the X100V still performs better when it’s dark. I’ve shot a ton of clear photos of my kids in my dimly-lit house with itĚýand canĚýeasilyĚýbring out the shadows in Adobe LightroomĚýto reveal details, which don’t get too grainy or pixelated.

The X100V does not come with an interchangeable lens, but instead has a fixed, sharp 35-millimeterĚýequivalent that goes as wide as Ć’/2. A fixed lens limits range, sure, but 35-millimeterĚýis my favorite focal lengthĚýanyway. It’sĚýwide enough to capture a landscape but makes a nice portrait and can grab a solid action shotĚýas long as my subject is close by. At Ć’/2, the lens alsoĚýcreates a beautiful, consistent .Ěý

I love looking through the viewfinder of the X100V (as opposed to just looking at the screen of an iPhone), which I think helps makeĚýbetter photos. That’s because a viewfinder focusesĚýyour attention and your gaze, allowing you to take in the full frame of what the camera will capture.ĚýThis often results inĚýbetter composition. Up top, the X100V has a dial that allows youĚýto quickly adjust shutter speed and ISO, and the lens has an aperture ring.ĚýIĚýdon’t always shoot in manual mode, but if I want to nail a tricky exposure, these features really help.Ěý

In this portable category,ĚýI’ve also tested the . That camera comes with a full-frame sensor so it beats the X100V in terms of resolution. But I’d still rather carry the X100V for two reasons. First, the X100VĚýis more compact than the a7C with one of ł§´Ç˛Ô˛â’s pancake lenses, so it fits better in my bags. Second, the X100V is over $1,000 cheaper than what you’d pay for a Sony a7C with a decent 35-millimeterĚýlens. Sony also makes the , which has a fixed 35-millimeter lens, is just as portable as the X100V, and comes with a full-frame, 42.4-megapixel sensor. But that model isĚýseveral years old and comes in at a full $2,000 more than the Fuji. makes many high-end portable cameras but they’re wildly expensive.Ěý

As a photo mentor once told me, “Stop talking about all your gear, and go make a damn picture.” With the X100V, I know I’ll do that more.

The post The Fuji X100V Is My New Favorite ąú˛úłÔąĎşÚÁĎ Camera appeared first on ąú˛úłÔąĎşÚÁĎ Online.

We’re currently living in a digital-photography golden age. Sony, Canon, and Nikon are duking it out for dominance in the mirrorless-camera world, pumping out models that pack insane features and resolution into lightweight bodies. Meanwhile, Apple and Google are the big players in the smartphoneĚýmarket, developing cameras small enough to slip into your pocket but powerful enough to capture beautiful portraits and stunning 4K video.

So, you might ask, why would anyone even think about shooting with old-school film these days? The stuff is finicky and has to be developed in a time-consuming process,ĚýdelayingĚýour now accustomedĚýinstant gratification of seeing photos immediately. But despite those drawbacks, film has stuck around—and it will continue to hang onĚýbecause it maintains some important advantages over digital.

First, film forces us to slow down. Last year, the world shot an estimated ,Ěýmostly via smartphones. With such capable cameras in our pockets, we don’t think, we simply react. That’s fine when you’re snapping funny pictures of your cat or chasing Instagram likes, but when you’re trying to capture a truly important moment worthy of the mantelpieceĚýit’s necessary to be more methodical. Film rolls, which are often limited to 24 or 36 exposures (compared to the hundreds of files you can cram onto a large SD card),Ěýdemand that we ask ourselves an increasingly novel question: “Is this photo worth shooting?” Doing that makes us consider the lighting, composition, and timing. That kind of deliberation is valuable. , the best photographs have to be visualizedĚýbefore the shutter is pressed.

Second, film creates an aesthetic that, at least currently, can’t truly be replicated. You can apply all the InstaĚýfilters you want, but no electronic file can match the feel of a gorgeous , the grit of a , or the tone of a saturated . These days, digital shots are more beautiful than ever thanks to increased resolution. But film still captures light better, retaining a soulfulness and artistic quality that can be created only through exposing a negative and then developing it in a bath of specialized chemicals.

Finally, film will force you to hone your photography skills. With smartphones, it’s point and shoot; the device makes most of the judgments for you, aside from maybe your tapĚýon the screen to focus on a subject’s face. Same with digital mirrorless cameras—they can be controlled manually, but it’s easier to throw them on automatic mode and go. Buy an old-school analog film model, however, and you have no choice but to learn how all the components of the machine work together. You’ll figure out how to choose the proper film ISO to start, then come to understand how the aperture and shutter speed work in conjunction to create the right exposure. It’s difficult to juggle all those initially, but eventually it becomes second nature. And when you go back to your mirrorless camera, or even your cell phone, you’ll be able to apply your new skills to truly maximize their potential.

So how do you go about shooting film in a world dominated by digital? Luckily it’s still easy to find film and compatible cameras online. B&H, the country’s leading photography store, has a rich selection. I recommend starting with something like the , a black-and-white film that’s fairly forgiving as you start to hone your manual chops (read: your picture won’t be ruined if you don’t have the settings perfectly dialed). If you’d rather not browse for cameras, headĚýto Amazon and searchĚý“.” It’s , and there are thousands of used ones floating around in decent shape. You’ll get a great shooter matched with a sharp and fast 50-millimeter lens for about $180.

When you’re ready to develop your film, you can it take it to a local Walgreens if you just want basic prints to see how your pictures turned out. But if you’ve spent lots of time snapping meticulous shots, you’ll want to send your film somewhere more professional, like in Los Angeles. Yes, this requires you to mail the film, then wait for the negatives, prints, and/or digital scans of your film to be sent back. And yes, all this will be more expensive. But when you get a gorgeous print of an important moment—something so special you’ll want to hang it on your wall and not just slap it on Facebook—the wait and the process will have been worth it.

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The headlines for 2015: DSLRs are disappearing, technologies are transforming video and photography—and you shoot almost everything with your phone. To support that first claim, consider that the $700 Canon PowerShot G7 X (page 64) can capture 6.5 frames per second, the same as DSLRs costing five times as much. Like every still camera here, it ditches heavy mechanical innards for mirrorless digital systems, so you get a smaller device that does just as much. Other tech leaps allow the Gear of the Year–winning Nikon 1 V3 to shoot video at an incredible 1,200 frames per second and the Lytro Illum (page 65) to capture every detail in the frame—from a grain of sand on the beach to a ship in the harbor—as if it were the focal point of the shot. And phone photography? It’s all about the apps.
—Michael Frank

The 1 V3 ($1,200) is faster and, in many ways, more capable than a DSLR. It’s also cheaper, lighter, and smaller. Read the full Gear of the Year review.

Utility: 5
Tech: 5

Olympus Pen E-PL7

Best For: Replacing your current adventure camera.

The Test: Want the advantage of dozens of lens options minus the weight, bulk, and cost? ($600). It absolutely crushed a test shoot during a Colorado ski tour; the 16-megapixel sensor didn’t pixelate highlights even in white-room blowing snow. And at a mere 19.5 ounces with a 14–42mm zoom lens, it was easy to use one-handed. The smartphone-style controls are brilliant, and the battery tolerated temperatures near zero.

The Verdict: “My new favorite travel camera,” concluded one tester.

Utility: 5

Tech: 4

Sony Alpha a7 II

Best For: Channeling Ansel Adams.

The Test: With a ginormous 25-megapixel sensor—at 35.8 by 23.9 millimeters, it’s twice the size of the Nikon 1 V3’s—the ($1,700) is all about big, layered images. You can fire away in any light or even no light: at ultrahigh ISO, night shots didn’t get grainy. The meaty chassis is loaded with functions, and it’s the first mirrorless, full-frame-sensor camera with image stabilization, so any lens gets steadied at low shutter speeds.

The Verdict: No other camera on this side of $4,000 makes outdoor images as rich and detailed.

Utility: 3
Tech: 5

Canon PowerShot G7 X

Best For: Getting the shot, no matter what.

The Test: This is a stout machine that was also easily pocketable when hiking and biking ($700). Testers fell in love with the big, bold external controls, from the knurled dial around the lens (for focus, aperture, and shutter speed) to the oversize shutter button. It’s the only camera on this page without swappable lenses, but the 20-megapixel sensor and ultrabright lens let you capture richer images than you’d get with a similar point-and-shoot.

The Verdict: A tough, intuitive player.

Utility: 5

Tech: 3.5

Samsung NX1

Best For: Fast action.

The Test: Like the Sony, the ($1,499) has a 1/8,000 shutter. Unlike the Sony, it also shoots 4K video and has continuous still-photo autofocus, which tracks and meters, making it ideal for sports and wildlife. At a bit heavier than a pound, the weather-sealed NX1 is no flyweight portable, though this mirrorless camera is still half the weight of a DSLR with similar capabilities. Bonus: it features both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity.

The Verdict: The most impressive sports shooter we tested. $2,800 with 16–50mm lens;

Utility: 4

Tech: 4

GoPro Hero

Best For: Action-cam newbies.

The Test: In 2011, GoPro debuted the HD Hero2 for just under $300. Now you can get its equal, the , for around a third of that ($130). It fires 1080p video and has a very bright f/2.8 lens with auto-low-light detection (something the Hero2 never had), which means your footage won’t go dark when you bomb your downhill bike into misty trees. Like its pricier siblings, the Hero has an automatic time-lapse function that lets you stitch together hundreds of frames—ideal for shooting a midnight summer-solstice sky.

The Verdict: All the action cam most of us will ever need.

Utility: 5
Tech: 3

Lytro Illum

Best For: Snapping first, focusing later.

The Test: Imagine that every time you took a picture, you reeled off dozens of shots utilizing every point of focus in the frame, from the wildflower field in the foreground to the snowy peak two miles away. The ($1,599) uses software to do something like this with each snap of the shutter, by layering all that information into a single master image. After the fact, you adjust depth of field for printing. If you share the image online (at pictures.lytro.com), anyone with the Lytro Desktop app can also switch between focal points.

The Verdict: The best use of image-making technology to date.

Utility: 3

Tech: 5

VSN Mobil V.360

Best For: Capturing life in 360 degrees.

The Test: Mount the ($449) on your bike or surfboard and shoot the action from every angle simultaneously—then put the POV where you want it during editing. We used the V.360 in time-lapse mode to capture jaw-dropping images of the Milky Way that panned from horizon to horizon. At four by three inches and weighing half a pound, it’s a little bulky for attaching to a helmet, and we wish it could handle vertical panoramas in addition to horizontal (results display letterboxed), but the V.360’s stills and video are unlike anything else out there.

The Verdict: One camera that does the work of many.

Utility: 3

Tech: 3

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GoPro Hero3 Black Edition Camera

Yup, despite all the newcomers to the field, GoPro is still the leader. Its new manages to pack an f/2.8 wide-angle lens, a 12-megapixel sensor, and the power to shoot 30 still frames per second into a camera body that’s smaller than a bar of soap. It shoots super-hi-res video (1440p at 48 fps), ultraslow motion (240 fps in WVGA), and everything in between.

We’re still waiting for GoPro to add a play button to its waterproof, shockproof plastic case, and we wish the remote didn’t require Wi-Fi to use, but these are minor grumbles. This little hot rod still captures the highest-quality footage of any action cam.Ěý

TECH: 5 
USABILITY: 4.5

Drift HD Ghost Camera

BEST FOR: Quick setup.

THE TEST: It shoots 1080p video or five 11-megapixel stills per second, is waterproof to ten feet, and has almost twice the battery life of any other action cam in the test. But the for how easy it is to use. It comes with a wireless remote that straps to your wrist and lets you operate a limitless number of Ghosts within 30 feet. Color-coded LEDs on the watchband provide intuitive mode indicators. And unlike with the GoPro or the Contour, you can download footage directly to your iPhone, so you can Facebook-brag minutes after capturing an epic line. The GoPro’s video chops are the only reason it edged out the Drift for Gear of the Year.

THE VERDICT: The best everyman’s camera.Ěý

TECH: 4 
USABILITY: 5

Contour Roam2 Camera

BEST FOR: Budget-conscious shooters.

THE TEST: At 5.4 ounces, the of the bunch. It can shoot 30 fps at 1280p (or 60 fps at 720p), and its sliding on-off switch was refreshingly easy to operate with or without heavy ski gloves on, making this the best multi-season camera in the mix. Its wide-angle lens and mount rotate 270 degrees—enough that you can film behind you. We also loved that it has a built-in laser: when you press a button, a beam of light shoots where the camera is pointing. It comes in four brightly anodized color options so you can match your camera to your kit.

THE VERDICT: The Roam2 costs half as much as the GoPro but delivers surprising quality. It’s the best camera for the price.

TECH: 3 
USABILITY: 4

Pivothead Durango Camera

BEST FOR: Shooting discreetly.

THE TEST: With a comfortable fit and crisp, polarized lenses, it’s easy to forget the as a legit action cam. (They weigh only a smidge more than normal sunglasses.) The tiny camera between the eyes is operated by an intuitive rubber button on the side of the generically sporty frames, allowing you to capture 1080p video at 30 fps on the sly. Our only gripe is that you can’t switch out the SD card, which means you’re locked down to 8GB of internal memory—or about an hour of footage, half as much as traditional action cams.

THE VERDICT: A little Sky Mallish, sure, but let’s be honest: it’s less conspicuous than affixing a shiny box to the top of your helmet.Ěý

TECH: 3 
USABILITY: 4

Nikon D600 Camera

(with 24–85mm Nikkor kit lens)

BEST FOR: Aspiring pros.

THE TEST: The dynamic range on the is so good, you can capture a ladybug in the foreground without blowing out the puffy clouds in the background. Its intuitive time-lapse mode can shoot an MPEG of stills, at any shutter speed, for almost eight hours. And while most DSLR action modes automatically adjust shutter speed, the D600 also tweaks the ISO—a measure of the sensor’s light sensitivity—to match conditions, so at 12,500 you can capture action shots even in alpenglow.

THE VERDICT: Superb manual controls make this the best pro-grade camera we tested.Ěý

TECH: 5 
USABILITY: 4

Canon PowerShot G15 Camera

BEST FOR: Serious photographers who want to carry their camera in their pocket.

THE TEST: Our just got a little better. It’s now light enough (12 ounces) and slim enough to fit inside the pocket of your jeans. Canon managed to shrink the device, keep the features we love—such as the external viewfinder for easier composition—and also improve functionality with finger-friendly dials for manual adjustment of shutter speed, exposure compensation, and aperture. Extra kudos for a super-bright, f/1.8 lens with a 5x zoom and lightning-quick focusing.

THE VERDICT: On your next trip, leave the DSLR at home and bring this little powerhouse along instead.Ěý

TECH: 4 
USABILITY: 5

Pentax Q10 Camera

BEST FOR: ąú˛úłÔąĎşÚÁĎ auteurs.

THE TEST: MILCs (mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras) attempt to occupy the sweet spot between DSLRs and point-and-shoot cameras. They let you switch lenses, they’re packed with giant sensors and plenty of features, and they’re small—kind of. The knock on the category is that most MILCs aren’t appreciably smaller than DSLRs. . The seven-ounce cam fits comfortably into a jersey or parka but still shoots a blazing 1/8,000 second, features immediate focusing (there’s no annoying shutter lag), and fires off an action-sequence-worthy 5 fps. That we like.

VERDICT: Grown-up capabilities in a toy-size package.Ěý

TECH: 4 
USABILITY: 4

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Canon PowerShot G1X Camera

Nearly every major manufacturer jumped on the mirrorless interchangeable-lens camera (MILC) trend this year. While we’re big fans of the technology, we also like that, with the G1X, bucked the trend and honored a simple truth: most photographers prefer one versatile lens to a quiver of them. Canon wisely dropped the interchangeable-lens mount from the mirrorless G1X in favor of a 4x digital zoom that stretches from a very useful 28mm to 112mm and shoots between f/2.8 and f/5.8—fast enough for 90 percent of everyday situations. Canon also beefed things up with a 14.3-megapixel CMOS sensor and a viewfinder that makes using the G1X feel like shooting with a vintage Leica. Other slick features include a tilt/swivel LCD screen, HD-video capabilities, and an ISO range of 100 to 12,800. All told, the G1X may not fall squarely into the MILC category, but it’s exactly the niche we hoped somebody would fill: DLSR quality in a package that takes up less space than a paperback in your travel bag.

FEATURES: 5
VALUE: 4.5 (OUT OF 5)

Panasonic DMC-TS4 Camera

BEST FOR: Heavy-handed gadget geeks. THE TEST: A barometer on a might seem like overkill, but it’s fitting for the nearly indestructible DMC-TS4, which can withstand drops of 6.6 feet, is waterproof to 40 feet, and will keep on snapping when temperatures tumble to 14 degrees. The Lumix also includes a GPS that pinpoints where an image was shot, which makes uploading multimedia maps of your adventures to Google Earth a snap. It has ten photo modes, including macro, tilt-shift, and even 3-D. The features feel a bit gimmicky, and we’d prefer that it kept working to negative 14 degrees, but the respectable 12.1-megapixel image quality and armored body compensate. THE VERDICT: The Lumix is a fixture in our pack.

FEATURES: 5
VALUE: 4

Nikon D4 Camera

BEST FOR: Pros; aspiring moviemakers. THE TEST: Acknowledging that most serious photographers also want to be able to shoot cinema-grade short films, souped up the video capabilities of its new flagship HDSLR, the D4. It features a 3.2-inch LCD with onscreen audio levels as well as an in-camera editing mode. Nikon stuck with the 16.2-megabyte full-frame CMOS sensor of its D7000 but added an ultralight carbon-fiber shutter that fires at 1/8,000th of a second. It also tailored ergonomics to videographers’ needs, with a handy record button beside the shutter release and a repositioned joystick that makes it easier to adjust f-stop and exposure while shooting in vertical orientation. THE VERDICT: Warrants the hype.

FEATURES: 5
VALUE: 2

Pentax K-01 Camera

BEST FOR: Downsizing Pentax devotees. THE TEST: took its K-01 in the opposite direction of the Gear of the Year–winning Canon G1X, making it compatible with hundreds of K-mount lenses. This baby accepts everything from fish-eyes to a 600mm telephoto, though the included ultrathin 40mm f/2.8 lens will be plenty for most enthusiasts. The lens options make it versatile, but the K-01 was still the most intuitive camera we tested. The ribbed rubber grip felt solid, and Pentax didn’t skimp on horsepower: a 16.3-megapixel CMOS sensor powers the K-01, it can fire seven frames per second, and you can edit HD video onscreen. THE VERDICT: This brawny MILC was a close runner-up for Gear of the Year.

FEATURES: 4
VALUE: 3

The Pentax is among a new generation of cameras with interchangeable lenses but, unlike DSLRs, no mirrors between the lens and sensor. So-called mirrorless interchangeable-lens cameras (MILCs) blend DSLR performance with the ease of a point-and-shoot.

Sony DSC-TX200V Camera

BEST FOR: ąú˛úłÔąĎşÚÁĎ travel; nights on the town. THE TEST: We liked the simplicity of latest point-and-shoot: it has just three buttons (on/off, shutter, and zoom), and the 3.5-inch touchscreen’s interface is as easy to use as an iPhone. We also loved that in burst mode it can shoot giant 18-megapixel images at a jaw-dropping ten frames per second, which is considerably faster than most DSLRs. The Sony also includes a sweep mode for easy panoramic shooting, is waterproof to 16 feet, and is the size of a deck of cards—all of which makes its steep price tag palatable. THE VERDICT: Elegant, high-tech, and surprisingly rugged.

FEATURES: 5
VALUE: 4

Leica V Lux 3 Camera

BEST FOR: Aspiring wildlife photographers. THE TEST: managed to pack blazing-fast speed into a body that’s a third the size of Nikon’s D4. The V Lux 3 can shoot 12.1-mega-pixel images at 12 frames per second, and if you’re willing to drop the quality to 3.5 mega-pixels, it’ll fire an astounding 60 frames per -second. The digital-zoom lens spans from 25mm, wide enough to shoot Himalayan landscapes, to a long-lens-mimicking 600mm, which you can use without a tripod, thanks to admirable image-stabilizing technology. THE VERDICT: It’s pricey, but the ability of Leica’s glass to reach out and touch faraway objects is unsurpassed.

FEATURES: 4
VALUE: 3.5

Olympus TG-320 Camera

BEST FOR: Backcountry shooters; parents. THE TEST: The TG-320 delivers all the waterproof, shockproof, freezeproof protection we’ve come to expect from the Tough series, with more power than ever. This compact packs a 14-megapixel sensor, an optical-zoom lens that stretches from 28 to 102mm, and a whole suite of postproduction features, including 3-D and a kid-friendly filter that turns images into Crayola-like master-pieces. The TG-320 doesn’t have the speed or video capabilities as the similarily rugged Panasonic, but it comes close‚ and it costs $200 less. THE VERDICT: A resilient point-and-shoot that won’t break the bank.

FEATURES: 2
VALUE: 5

Looking for a camera that can handle the occasional inadvertent wallop or dunk? The Olympus and Panasonic are both waterproof and shockproof, while the Sony is just waterproof.

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Motorola MT352R

Two-way radios might seem absurdly retro, but having an open channel of communication can be priceless on a multipitch climb or when trekking through rainforest in Costa Rica. The latest of the breed, the , has serious range (up to 35 miles) and is good for 15 hours of nonstop chatter. The handsets charge via USB, include mini-flashlights, and pick up NOAA weather radio. QUIRKS+CONCERNS: They’re fat, which can crowd a climbing harness or bulk up the chest pocket of a parka. They also expose you to a scathing barrage of mall-cop jokes.

HTC Titan II

The smartphone is like that annoying friend who’s good at everything. The 4.7-inch touchscreen appears bigger and brighter than the ’s, and the Windows Phone 7.5 operating system is as intuitive as Apple’s—and better than . Bonus: the Titan II’s 16-megapixel camera has twice the resolution of the next closest smartphone cam. It also packs a wider lens and shoots clearly in low light. Plus, ’s 4G network is screamingly fast, so video streams without interruption. QUIRKS+CONCERNS: Microsoft has one-tenth the apps Apple does. Big is also bulky—not quite Gordon Gekko bulky, but close.

Samsung W300

Set the amphibious camcorder to Aqua mode and it auto-adjusts its 1080p video and 5-mp stills for underwater clarity. It’s also light, palm-size, and bomber enough to handle repeated ten-foot drops from a bouldering crag—and comes with a lanyard to prevent such mishaps. The tripod threading is compatible with most helmet-cam mounts, but unlike a POV camera, this one works great as a handheld. QUIRKS+CONCERNS: Gloved hands are apt to tap the wrong button on the rear panel; lacks a raw mode for stills.

Joos Orange

The bests those flimsy foldable ones by combining a photon collector with a lithium-ion-polymer battery, so you can power your phone or GPS when you want to—say, overnight in the tent—and not just when the sun’s shining. It’s also waterproof, shockproof, and functions in Denali cold (minus 4) and Death Valley heat (134). After just a few hours of low-angle winter sun, it topped off both a Garmin Edge 800 and a couple of cell phones via USB and cell-phone-specific tips (included). Bonus: a giant hole in the device lets you leave it cable-locked to a tree while you bag a peak. QUIRKS+CONCERNS: It’s 1.5 pounds and about the size of an iPad.

Canon PowerShot S100

Don’t lump the C in with other pocket cameras. While the 12-mp CMOS sensor and range of shutter speeds (from 15 seconds to 1/2,000 second) are hype worthy, it’s the SLR-like control ring around the lens—for ISO, aperture, and shutter speed—that elevates it. Use the ring in combination with the thumb-wheel on the back and you’re adjusting shots with the ease and accuracy of a video-game controller. QUIRKS+CONCERNS: It’s spendy for a point-and-shoot, putting it in competition with nicer models from and .

Magellan eXplorist 110

The color screen of the GPS is a breakthrough for the dough, but if you’re a frequent traveler it’s at least as important that the device comes preloaded with maps of almost 200 countries. U.S. coverage includes nearly every road in existence. Also sweet: it’ll run 18 hours straight on a pair of AA batteries. QUIRKS+CONCERNS: At 5.3 ounces it’s a little portly. And while the world map is cool, there’s no topo function, so for off-grid navigation you’ll be bread-crumbing it.

Beats by Dr. Dre Studio

Bumping Raphael Saadiq’s “Good Man” through a set of , it sounds like the man—Saadiq, not Dre—is there in the room. It gets that personal, at least when you’re listening to bass-intense rock, blues, or hip-hop. These cans also feature active noise canceling, powered by a pair of AAA batteries, that can mute the din of a 767 engine. A microphone on the cable allows them to double as a cell-phone headset, too. QUIRKS+CONCERNS: All that bass means higher pitches fall flat.

Sony Bloggie Live

Touchscreen functionality makes toggling through menus on ł§´Ç˛Ô˛â’s new 1080p hi-def a snap. The unit lets you serve up as-it-happens feeds via your cell phone’s 3G antenna or the camera’s internal Wi-Fi. Use and you can post directly to and , and the cam stores the footage for tighter edits once the action cools off. More goodies include superb close focus and auto rotation (the camera knows which way is up). QUIRKS+CONCERNS: Logging on to social networks is slow, due to the dinky onscreen keypad, and a little buggy; the side-mounted button for shooting stills while filming video is easy to tap by accident.

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We tapped our global network of correspondents to bring you ąú˛úłÔąĎşÚÁĎ’s 2012 Travel Awards: a definitive roundup of the best new adventures, exotic retreats, empty beaches, local food, bars with a view, ­on-time airlines, screaming deals, gorgeous islands, and more. This isn’t just a collection of unforgettable trips—it’s a road map to life-changing experiences.

PLUS: A list of our Hall of Fame travel destinations.

Best Islands

The Seychelles

Culebra, Puerto Rico

Culebra, Puerto Rico

Villa North Island, the Seychelles

Villa North Island, the Seychelles

There are islands with white-sand beaches all over the world, but once you’ve been to the Seychelles nothing seems to measure up. Its 115 islets lie in an end-of-the-world location 700 miles north of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean, which sets the stage of remove. Most hotels have an island to themselves, creating the illusion of a private kingdom. And the Seychelles’ clear waters host some of the greatest marine biodiversity on earth, attracting divers, bone-fishermen, sea-kayakers, and sailors. While you can certainly splurge—the pinnacle of indulgence is still North Island—there’s no need to empty your bank account. At the (from $88), a hotel with 14 rooms on a secluded beach on Mahe, only a cold beer will distract you from the vista of empty sand and sea.

RUNNER-UP
Culebra, Puerto Rico
On many Caribbean islands, $2.25 won’t even get you a cocktail, but on Puerto Rico it’ll buy a ferry ride to Culebra, a seven-by-five-mile island that feels much farther than 17 miles away. This is a slice of bygone Caribbean, with not even a hint of a big resort or cruise ship. There are a handful of seafood shacks, small pensions, and a year-round population of about 2,000 laid-back locals. Rent a room at the (doubles from $95), then wander to the harbor to hire a boatman to take you to beaches unreachable by foot. offers scuba and snorkel trips.

Best Airline

Virgin America

Leave it to Richard Branson to inject style into the business of flying with the country’s newest major airline. The lounge at the San Francisco terminal feels like the lobby of a W Hotel, and the planes have mood lighting and hip music playing as you board. With above-average on-time arrivals and departures, the airline also features onboard Wi-Fi, seat-back screens passengers can use to order meals and cocktails, and sleek entertainment systems with first-run movies, TV shows, and music videos available at a finger swipe. (The airline will debut a system with social-media connectivity later this year.) But what really surprises are the reports of stellar customer service. It’s almost as if the flight attendants are happy to work there.

RUNNER-UP
Southwest
Because of its two-free-checked-bags policy, democratic seating, decent fares, on-time arrivals and departures, good service at check-in and in the air, clean cabins, reliable baggage handling, and helpful website, almost 15,000 readers voted tops. Enough said.

Best Travel Company

Geographic Expeditions

Our criteria in this category were exhaustive. We looked at the quality of a company’s guides, the authenticity and diversity of its trips, its level of service, philanthropic credibility, safety record, and, most important, clients’ reviews and experiences. While companies like Austin-Lehman ąú˛úłÔąĎşÚÁĎs, OARS, and Wild China scored high marks, Geographic Expeditions stood above the rest. For starters, has consistently taken travelers to the most remote regions of the world, from Everest’s north side to Patagonia’s glaciers to the far reaches of Papua New Guinea. This year it’s trailblazing new terrain with a ($11,450). Guided by Vassi Koutsaftis, a 20-year vet who has led treks in Tibet, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, the journey starts on the Silk Road in China’s Kashgar and tops out at the 17,056-foot advance base camp of K2. No need to worry about getting back alive. The company’s emphasis on safety comes from the top: president Jim Sano, a former Yosemite National Park ranger and search-and-rescue team member, is an accomplished mountaineer himself. The price of every GeoEx trip includes medical assistance and evacuation coverage from Global Rescue and medical-expense insurance through Travel Guard. The company has also pioneered relationships with nonprofits and NGOs—37 and counting—like the Maasai Conservation Wilderness Trust, which draws in annual tourism revenues of $750,000, all of which goes straight back to the Masai community. But the primary reason more than half the company’s clients come back for more? Its outstanding guides—from Buddhist icon and scholar Robert Thurman, who leads meditation trips in Bhutan, to mountaineer (and ąú˛úłÔąĎşÚÁĎ correspondent) Dave Hahn, the only Westerner to have summited Mount Everest 13 times, who runs the company’s expeditions to South Georgia Island in the South Atlantic Ocean.Ěý

RUNNER-UP
The Wilderness Group
In 1983, Wilderness Safaris, now known as the , was founded with a simple but novel idea: offer a superior travel experience while conserving land, wildlife, and local culture as part of its business plan. The company now runs more than 60 lodges in nine countries across Africa, from rustic tented camps in Botswana to tony desert outposts in Namibia. Proceeds from guest fees go to the Wilderness Wildlife Trust, an independent entity that puts 100 percent of its funds toward conservation work, like reintroducing endangered black and white rhinos in Botswana. But customers return for the bucket-list adventures: driving hundreds of miles over-land between Botswana’s savannas, the Kalahari sands, and the Okavango Delta—spotting elephants, rhinos, zebras, and lions along the way (from $5,400 per person for seven days)—or diving with whale sharks off a private white-sand island in the Seychelles.

Best New Frontier

Myanmar

Myanmar youth

Myanmar youth

Julian Alps, Slovenia

Julian Alps, Slovenia

Good news is starting to trickle out of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. In August 2009, influential pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi and her party reversed their stance on tourism (it’s no longer discouraged); elections—albeit contested—were held for the first time in decades; and the long-repressive regime has begun loosing its grip. Meanwhile, the number of travelers has surged about 60 percent since 2008, and more than a dozen guide services plan to debut trips this year. Still, the place saw only 310,688 travelers in 2010. (By comparison, Nepal brought in more than 600,000.) That may be due to the ethnic conflict with the Kachin Independence Army in the northern region of Kachin. But the fighting is far from the areas of the country most travelers see. So should you go? The pro-tourism argument holds that avoiding government hotels and patronizing small businesses funnels money to locals, who need it. And the appeal is undeniable. A long-standing trade embargo with the West has insulated the country—for better or worse—from modernization. Men still wear traditional skirtlike lungis, horse carts trot dirt roads, and golden stupas and Buddhas are preserved as if in a time warp. Though independent travel is possible— has a guidebook—getting permits to trek or raft is difficult, and public transportation is poor. Asian-travel specialist Effie Fletcher, of , organizes custom trips with local guides ($100–$200 per person per day), including hiking through tiny Buddhist villages in the Shan Plateau mountains, rafting the Malikha River, shopping at a colorful floating market, soaking in hot springs, staying in monasteries few foreigners have ever seen, and visiting the 4,000-plus temples that have stood on the plains of Bagan for more than 800 years.

RUNNER-UP
Slovenia
Slovenia packs Mediterranean beaches, more than 87 hot springs, rugged peaks in the 9,000-foot Julian Alps, 6,000 miles of trails, and 40-plus ski resorts into an area about the size of New Jersey. Yet it gets a mere three million visitors a year, compared with neighboring Croatia’s 10.6 million. Our bet? Not for long. It’s easy to get to: drive 3.5 hours from Vienna or fly from a number of European cities into Ljubljana. and locals are friendly, making independent travel easy. Fish for marble trout, Europe’s second-fattest species, in the Soca River with , or explore some of the country’s 8,000 caves and mountain-bike alpine valleys with outfitter . ’ new eight-day trip ($3,299) includes kayaking the Krka River with a Slovenian Olympic medalist, biking through Swiss-like villages, and trekking to a vista above seven alpine lakes in Triglav National Park.

Best Camera

Canon PowerShot G-12

Professional photographers use as a spare. Here’s why: it shoots with the power and precision of a DSLR, fits in a breast pocket, captures 720p high-definition video in stereo sound, and sports a flip-out, adjustable viewing screen that allows for discreet composing. $500

RUNNER-UP
Nikon Coolpix P300
The big news is the ’s 1080p full-HD video, a rarity in compact point-and-shoots—especially at this price. As for still images, it’s a 12-megapixel camera in a category that usually tops out at ten. $330

Best New ąú˛úłÔąĎşÚÁĎ Lodge

The Singular, Patagonia, Chile

Heli-skiing Thompson Pass, Alaska

Heli-skiing Thompson Pass, Alaska

Patagonia's Torres del Paine National Park

Patagonia’s Torres del Paine National Park

owners took a 100-year-old cold-storage plant and transformed it into a luxe, minimalist 57-room hotel. The best part? It sits a few miles outside of Puerto Natales, on the shoreline overlooking the glacier-backed Fjord of Last Hope, and 70 miles southeast of Torres Del Paine National Park, making it the perfect jumping-off point for guests to get immersed in this massive landscape. The lodge offers more than 20 guided adventures, including boating up the fjord, riding with gauchos on a private reserve, and trekking to the famous Salto Grande Glacier in Torres del Paine. The hotel’s spa overlooks the moody fjord, and dinner is local Magellan lamb or king crab accompanied by any of 135 local wines. Rooms, including transfer and full board, start at $580.

RUNNER-UP
Tsaina Lodge, Alaska
Want access to 15,000 vertical feet a day and 900 annual inches of Chugach powder? now operates out of the brand-new Tsaina Lodge, a sleek 24-room building nestled at milepost 35 on Thompson Pass, 40 miles north of Valdez. Each room has huge views of white-capped peaks, the restaurant serves up fresh Alaskan seafood, and the bar sports the woodstove from the legendary old Tsaina tavern, where big-mountain riders like VHSG founder Doug Coombs used to grab a microbrew. Not a bad place to return to after a perfect powder day. Seven nights lodging, 30 guaranteed ski runs, breakfast, airport shuttles, and use of avalanche gear, $8,340.

Best Luggage

Tumi Ducati Evoluzione International Carry-On

For the past seven years, Ted Alan Stedman, our Buyer’s Guide luggage expert, has tested hundreds of bags around the world. This one is his favorite. Inspired by the Ducati 1199 Panigale motorcycle, the 35-liter corners nearly as well on its durable wheels; has a telescoping handle, a full zip-around main compartment for easy access, and large and small exterior zip pockets to keep crucial small stuff handy; and slides seamlessly into an overhead compartment. The only problem? Getting your hands on one. The Evoluzione sells out fast. $545

RUNNER-UP
Patagonia Maximum Legal Carry-On
After rigorous field testing, we know that the 45-liter is enough bag for a 14-day trip to Africa. With tuck-away straps that convert the carry-on into a backpack and no wheels to add weight, the soft-sided MLC, made of 1,200-denier recycled fabric, is ideal for rugged trips that involve flights in small planes and always fits overhead. $159

Best Eco-Lodge

Mashpi Lodge, Ecuador

First, it had to have eco cred. Just as important—location. The striking new , with windows so large you feel like you’re suspended in a cloud forest, crushes it on both fronts. It will soon run on hydropower; sources papaya, guava, fruits, and herbs from local farms for meals; and hopes to one day be an important job-provider in the region, with a goal of hiring 80 percent of its employees from surrounding communities. The lodge sits in, and will help support, 3,200 acres of mainly primary forest in one of the most under-studied cloud forests in the world. Two and a half hours northwest of Quito, at 3,116 feet on the western slope of the Andes, Mashpi is home to an estimated 500 species of birds, 36 of which can only be found here. It’s also a place where the lucky can spot an ocelot, puma, or rare cuckoo. $1,296 per person (double occupancy) for three days, two nights, and all meals and transfers.

RUNNER-UP
Kosrae Village, Micronesia
The owners of developed the Micronesian eco-lodge in 1995, before it was trendy to be sustainable. The reason: between empty beaches, wild rainforest, and ultraclear waters teeming with coral reefs, there’s a lot to protect. Visitors kayak through mangroves, hike to ancient ruins, and dive with eagle rays and sharks. Kosrae Village hired local builders to construct the collection of nine low-impact thatch-roof cottages on a small stretch of beach, all fish and produce are purchased from local farmers and fishermen, and the lodge owners started the , which is monitored by volunteer divers. From $139 per night.

Best Off-the-Beaten Path Trip

Chiapas, Mexico

Amasra, Turkey

Amasra, Turkey

Until recently, Mexico’s southernmost state was considered a backward land of masked, murderous Zapatista rebels. What gets overlooked: the region hasn’t seen violent conflict since 1994, making its mountainous landscape ripe for exploration. Chiapas isn’t even mentioned in the U.S. State Department’s Mexico travel warning. Your biggest worry here is how to fit in all the rugged wilderness— 3,300-foot cliffs for climbing near Tuxtla GutiĂ©rrez; the 13,200-foot Tacaná volcano, straddling the Guatemala border; Class III whitewater on the Lacanja River, in the 818,413-acre, jaguar-populated Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve; and hiking and mountain biking on trails packed down by centuries of use by the indigenous population, many of whom have rarely seen outsiders. Fly to the city of Tuxtla GutiĂ©rrez; hop on a bus for the one-hour ride to San Cristobal de las Casas, a 16th-century colonial city sitting at 7,218 feet; base out of the centrally located (doubles, $96); and piece together your own adventure with local rafting and biking guides. rents mountain bikes in San Cristobal de las Casas ($14 per day) and offers guided six-hour bike tours of nearby Maya villages, like Chamula ($50 per day), and four-hour hiking tours of the cloud forest ($17). Heads up: Chiapas is untapped for adventure tourism, so you won’t find outfitters with the latest gear on every corner. For an excellent eight-day immersion, the offers a trip that includes visits to the seventh- and eighth-century ruins Palenque and Yaxchilán, a stay at a jungle lodge on the LacantĂşn River, a visit to a biology research center in the Maya Biosphere Reserve, and time to explore San Cristobal de las Casas ($2,555 based on double occupancy).Ěý

RUNNER-UP
Central Black Sea Coast, Turkey
Turkey sees some 30 million tourists each year, but very few of them ever make it to the remote central Black Sea coast, a four-hour drive north from Ankara. Which is good for you, because the region’s mile-long beaches, empty coastline dotted with ancient cities like Amasra, and absurdly good seaside restaurants remain undiscovered. Even fewer people make it to , a pristine enclave of forests and gorges with a series of hiking trails recently crafted from ancient footpaths. English speakers are hard to come by, even in hotels. Brave it on your own or hire a seasoned Turkish guide, like Turan Kirac, who runs trips in Turkey but guides independently in this region. He’ll lead you on a custom road trip from the Ottoman-era, Unesco World Heritage town of Safranbolu, along the dramatic California-like seashore, to the ancient mountain village of Azdavay (from $120 per day; kiracturan@hotmail.com).

Best New Biking Trip

°ä±đ°ů±ąĂ©±ô´Ç Pro Travel Experience

Sierra Cascades route

Sierra Cascades route

Leave it to and Robinson and bike manufacturer to raise the bar for outfitted trips tied to races. This year they’re offering the Tour de France, among other custom tours. The difference? You’ll be on °ä±đ°ů±ąĂ©±ô´Ç R3 team bikes—and get to test a °ä±đ°ů±ąĂ©±ô´Ç S5, the cycling equivalent of a Ferrari—and cover the exact same routes as the pros do mere hours before the peloton screams by. You’ll ride in a paceline and have support from a team car and a soigneur for water refills and pre- and post-ride massages. And you’ll schmooze with pros along the way. It’s the closest most of us will ever get to the front line of race culture. After rides like the famed Col d’Aubisque on the Tour de France trip (July 14–20; $4,995), cyclists sack out in grand historic hotels, gorge on butter-heavy meals, and top it all off with a snifter of cognac.

RUNNER-UP
The Sierra Cascades Bicycle Route
When the debuted the new Sierra Cascades route in 2010, the 2,389 miles connecting Sumas, Washington, and Tecate, California, became the most challenging border-to-border road ride ever designed, with some 20 passes. The good news: its leg-pulverizing challenge is matched only by its spectacular views. Tracing the Pacific Crest Trail through a greatest hits of western scenery, riders see the volcanoes of the Cascades, groves of sequoias, Lake Tahoe, the Sierra Nevada, and beautifully desolate stretches of the Mojave Desert. Pit stops include Mount Rainier, Crater Lake, and Yosemite national parks. Riders typically use the —which include detailed directions and landmarks like campgrounds, motels, gas stations, and bike shops—to navigate the route, which takes about 50 days to complete if you average 55 miles per day. Or bite off a chunk, like the nine-day, 446-mile stretch between Mount Rainier, Washington, and Crater Lake, Oregon (map section 2), which passes through Hood River, the Columbia River Gorge, and Bend, Oregon, where the beer flows freely.

Best New Safari

Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Congo

Next month the Wilderness Group will open the first two camps in the Republic of the Congo’s , introducing travelers to a creature few people have ever witnessed in the wild: the western lowland gorilla. Rwanda has long been known as a gorilla-watching hot spot, but in Congo you’ll see few other visitors. (The peaceful country is often confused with its more tumultuous neighbor, the Democratic Republic of the Congo.) Local Mbeti trackers lead hikes through forests and savannas to observe these close evolutionary relatives foraging, socializing, and caring for young. By evening guests retire to one of two lavish camps, each with six low-impact bamboo suites. It comes at a price ($6,000 per person for a six-night safari), but the experience is singular.

RUNNER-UP
Ngoma Safari Lodge, Botswana
Because of a prescient commitment to conservation, Botswana has some of the largest concentrations of wildlife in southern Africa—herds of hundreds of elephants aren’t uncommon here. The newest addition to Botswana’s safari offerings is the luxurious community-run , which opened last spring near Chobe National Park. Each of the eight thatched suites, with atrium ceilings and canopy beds, looks over the Chobe River floodplain, which is dotted with elephants, zebra, and buffalo. From $495 per person per night, all-inclusive.

Best Beach

Mahaulepu Beach, Kauai

Catching air, Kauai

Catching air, Kauai

Ilha Grande, Brazil

Ilha Grande, Brazil

Off the coast of Ilha Grande, Brazil

Off the coast of Ilha Grande, Brazil

There are plenty of Hawaiian beaches well suited to sipping mai tais, surfing, and admiring a parade of imaginative swimwear. is not one of them. Located on the south side of Kauai, this two-mile stretch of coast is accessible only by a brain-rattling two-mile dirt road or a three-mile hike that passes by Hawaii’s biggest sinkhole cave—both of which tend to weed out the cooler-toting riffraff. The area is considered sacred by native islanders, with ancient burial sites in the dunes and water where endangered monk seals outnumber people and whales pass by in winter. Bring a sailboard, snorkel the offshore reef, or simply take in the mountains and the sea from your own private stretch of shore. The closest hotel is the in Koloatwo miles away. This is the Hawaii of centuries ago.

RUNNER-UP
Ilha Grande, Brazil
No country does beach culture better than Brazil, and Ilha Grande’s 106 white-sand ones are pristine. One hundred miles southwest of Rio and 14 miles into the Atlantic, this 75-square-mile island was once home to Brazil’s common criminals. The prison closed in 1994, and the government turned the island into a reserve. AbraĂŁo is the only town large enough to mention, and most beaches are a short hike, bike, or boat ride away. Lopes Mendes, with its empty lineup, is impossible to beat for surfers. Stay at ($135), a small guesthouse with a hammock on your own private balcony, a mere 150 feet from Praia do Canto beach, another beauty.Ěý

Best Video Camera

GoPro HD hero2 Professional

GPS

GPS

The company’s latest helmet-mountable camera has a lens that’s twice as sharp, and an image processor that’s twice as fast, as the original’s. It also has an 11-megapixel sensor, up to 1080p video resolution, and an integrated battery warmer. Users cite its excellent image and audio quality and especially its bomber waterproof housing—the can handle tumbles in snow and big waves. Available in outdoor, motorsports, and surf editions. $300

RUNNER-UP
Contour GPS
This tiny, 5.2-ounce 1080p video camera is embedded with a GPS receiver that automatically tracks your speed, location, and elevation up to four times per second. Download the app to your smartphone and you have an instant wireless handheld viewfinder. The one bummer: the Contour lacks the waterproof casing necessary for soggy outdoor pursuits, which also makes wind noise louder at higher speeds. $300

Best Weekend Escape

Vancouver, British Columbia

Mount Lemmon ride, Tucscon, arizona

Mount Lemmon ride, Tucscon, arizona

A water-fall along Vancouver's Fraser River

A water-fall along Vancouver’s Fraser River

Vancouver has 250 miles of bike lanes and paths, at least 100 North Shore mountain-bike trails spread across three mountains, 11 miles of beach, the best oysters you’ll ever slurp (at the ), and, within two hours inland, some of the best skiing, mountain biking, fly-fishing, whitewater rafting, hiking, and climbing on the planet. Not to mention the protected coves and bays for sea-kayaking Vancouver Island, just a 1.5-hour ferry hop away. BookĚýa room downtown at the 47-room (doubles, US$89–$179) and rent one of its Pashley Cruisers (US$40 per day) to tour the city. Want big mountains? Hop the train downtown for a 3.5-hour ride winding through canyons and up steep mountain grades to Whistler (round-trip from US$264). The lift-accessed has more than 4,946 vertical feet. Want watery fun? Fly-fishermen catch and release steelhead on one of the myriad Sea to Sky rivers, like the nearby Upper Cheakamus. For more water, raft the , a thrilling Class III–IV ride (from US$165 per person for a day trip). Stay at the , a classic log building on the shore of Nita Lake, less than five minutes from the Whistler train station and trailheads to world-class hiking, biking, and skiing (doubles from US$229).Ěý

RUNNER-UP
Tucson, Arizona
World-class athletes know that Tucson is an excellent place to train in winter. For one thing, it’s warm: the dry Sonoran Desert sees 84-degree highs in October and November, and temps range from 68 to 99 February through June. Base out of the (doubles, $299), then start exploring. There are more than 500 miles of premier road biking nearby, and desert singletrack radiates in every direction, including the 16-mile Molino Milagrosa Loop east of the city, which climbs up the side of Mount Lemmon. Hikers can choose from more than 165 miles of trails in nearby Saguaro National Park.Ěý

Best Après-ąú˛úłÔąĎşÚÁĎ Bar

Montanya Distillers, Crested Butte, Colorado

, which opened a rum distillery and tasting room in Crested Butte in November, has notably upped the standard for ski-town cocktails. They craft their Platino and Oro rums from spring water, Hawaiian sugarcane, and local honey, and have snagged an impressive amount of gold hardware at spirits competitions in the past three years. Order the Freestyle (lemon juice, basil leaves, clove syrup, pineapple, and Oro, with a turbinado-sugar rim) or the Teocalli Martini (lime, mint, cucumber-infused Platino rum, and honey-lavender syrup) at an antique bar under the 40-foot ceilings of a former powerhouse that has hosted mountain folk for over a century.

RUNNER-UP
The Rhum Bar, Beaufort, North Carolina
At the Rhum Bar, at the , it’s all about the waterfront deck, which is perched over the Beaufort Inlet. The bartender whips up an awesome mojito—then kick back for killer sunset views. Come by car or boat.

Best Deal

ąú˛úłÔąĎşÚÁĎ Camping Safaris in Kenya

Skogafoss waterfall, Iceland

Skogafoss waterfall, Iceland

Hiking north of Reykjavik

Hiking north of Reykjavik

Gamewatchers Safaris’ new six-night have all the trappings of an expensive tour—highly trained guides, Land Cruisers, chef-cooked meals—with two notable differences. Instead of swanky lodges, guests stay in simple Coleman tents (patrolled by armed watchmen at night), and instead of paying up to $4,200, clients pay $1,550. See the rare African wildcat and gerenuk, a long-necked antelope, in the Selenkay Conservancy, and watch a pride of 25 lions on the hunt in the Ol Kinyei Conservancy in the Masai Mara. Come evening, sit next to a campfire and watch the sun set behind Mount Kilimanjaro.

RUNNER-UP
Iceland
If there’s a silver lining to the 2008 implosion of Iceland’s banking system and the devaluation of the krona, it’s that the famously expensive country is now vastly more affordable for travelers—prices are down as much as 40 percent. Rent a car in Reykjavík and circumnavigate the island on the 830-mile Ring Road, stopping to dive the ultraclear Silfra Ravine between continental plates; hike over glacier-carved valleys to hot springs and waterfalls in the Skaftafell area of Vatnojökull National Park; ; ; or fish for salmon on the newly opened ($4,000 for seven days).

Best Himalayan Trip

Trekking the Tsum Valley

Most trekkers don’t stray far from Nepal’s obvious routes, like the Annapurna Circuit and Everest Base Camp, which might explain why the Tsum Valley, a remote north-central region nine hours by bus from Kathmandu that opened in 2008, sees fewer than 500 travelers annually. That could change quickly as word trickles out about a region where women spin wool by hand, men in Tibetan hats ride jangling horses on centuries-old paths, and many households still brew homemade raksi, a local moonshine. You need a permit to trek on your own here, and local guides and porters can be found at . Or go with ’s new 27-day trip and trek with a local lama through valleys dotted with monasteries and surrounded by 18,000-foot peaks (Nov. 6–Dec. 2; $4,900). ’s Tsum Valley Research Trek is another good option, a 21-day trip that passes hot springs, peaks, waterfalls, and hamlets (Oct. 7–27; from $2,495).

RUNNER-UP
Mountain-Bike the Himalayas
This year, introduces a novelty: a 25-day Himalayan mountain-bike expedition between Lhasa, Tibet, and Kathmandu (May 6–30; $4,890). Riders cover as much as 56 miles per day on remote four-wheel-drive roads and singletrack under the shadows of the tallest peaks on earth, including a three-day side trip to Tibet’s Everest Base Camp to see the North Face of the famed mountain. Camp and stay in guesthouses in tiny, seldom-visited Buddhist villages, ascend three passes over 16,000 feet, and top it off with a screaming 11,000-foot descent from the Tibetan Plateau to Kathmandu.

Best New ąú˛úłÔąĎşÚÁĎ Hub

Lake Wanaka, New Zealand

Paddling Vallecito Creek, Durango, Colorado

Paddling Vallecito Creek, Durango, Colorado

When tourists in New Zealand want adventure, they go to Queenstown. When Kiwis want to escape, they head an hour north to tiny Lake Wanaka, a town of 5,037 right next to Mount Aspiring National Park that’s emerging as the country’s Jackson, Wyoming. Lake Wanaka is surrounded by the Crown Range and the Southern Alps, and sits on the shore of New Zealand’s fourth-largest lake. There are two ski resorts, Treble Cone and Cardrona, roughly 20 miles away; more than 20 mountain-bike trails in Sticky Forest, five minutes north of town; endless mountainous road cycling; and 74-square-mile Lake Wanaka for sea kayaking, sailing, fishing, and swimming. The (doubles, $143), just a few hundred feet from Lake Wanaka, has an alpine-lodge feel and is an easy walk to town. Or splurge at the (doubles from $1,158), an elegant lodge on the edge of Mount Aspiring National Park that offers everything from backcountry heli-skiing to fly-fishing. Cyclists: sign on to ’s eight-day Zone ($2,999), a challenging trip that starts in Christchurch and crosses the South Island’s two major passes: 3,018-foot Arthur’s and 1,850-foot Haast. The last two days, you’ll bike the 40 miles from Wanaka to Queenstown.Ěý

RUNNER-UP
Durango, Colorado
Durango an adventure-sports capital? Go in April and you’ll see why. Within an hour of town, you can ski spring corn, nordic-ski around an alpine lake, kayak the Animas River, catch fat trout, hike a thirteener, ride 10,000-foot passes on a dizzy-making scenic byway, and mountain-bike blue-ribbon singletrack. Packed with college students and young transplants, the populace is uniquely devoted to the pursuit of fun, which might explain the four microbreweries and outsize nightlife for a town of 16,000 three hours from an interstate. Stay at the , a historic hotel that has a full breakfast and free cruiser bikes for guests (from $129). Large groups can base-camp at , a downtown vacation rental with a hot tub, views of the mountains, and singletrack right out the back door (from $1,400 per week for up to ten).

Did we mention the 300-plus days of sunshine?

Best Travel Investment

Travel Guard

More than 1,200 travel companies sell insurance to their clients. Here’s why: the insurer, which has been in business for more than 25 years, has a base policy that includes vacation and trip cancellation, travel interruption and delay, emergency medical and health expenses, lost baggage, and more. It also offers two important add-ons: hazardous-sports protection of up to $25,000, with coverage of injuries incurred while high-altitude trekking or bungee jumping, among other pursuits; and evacuation coverage of up to $1 million. Policy costs vary depending on age and the length and price of the trip, but are far less than chartering a helicopter should things go drastically wrong.

RUNNER-UP
Global Rescue
The official emergency-response service for the U.S. ski and snowboard teams and the American Alpine Club, has saved a woman gored by a Cape buffalo in Africa and climbers caught in a violent miner’s strike in Indonesia. Its medics are largely military-trained former Special Forces, and they’re like having a Navy SEAL team at your disposal. They’ll not only get you out of danger, but they’ll also deposit you at the hospital of your choice (wherever that may be). Individual memberships, $329 per year for medical only and $655 with security.

Best New Hotel

Treehotel, Sweden

A room at Sweden's Treehotel

A room at Sweden’s Treehotel

A room at Sweden's Treehotel

A room at Sweden’s Treehotel

A lot of great hotels have opened in the past couple of years, but we have a thing for treehouses. ’s five surreal “rooms” sit as high as 18 feet off the ground in a 100-year-old pine forest with views of the Lule River near the village of Harads (pop. 600), roughly 600 miles north of Stockholm. Choose from a flying saucer, a mirrored cube, a bird’s nest with a retractable staircase, the Blue Cone (which is actually red), and a futuristic “cabin” with a rooftop deck that looks as if it’s floating in the canopy. Then there’s the Tree Sauna, a traditional wood-fired Swedish steam room with a hot tub out the door. Guests eat in the 1950s-era Britta’s Pensionat, a five-minute walk away, or order “tree service.” Doubles from $590 per night.

RUNNER-UP
Washington School House, Park City, Utah
Park City is a mecca for winter fun, with average annual snowfall of 360 inches. But few know that come summer, the crowds thin and the locals have excellent mountain biking and hiking on more than 150 miles of Wasatch trails practically to themselves. The , an 1889 National Historic Registry icon just two blocks from the town lift, is in the center of it all. Last summer the building was gutted, and it reopened in December with 12 spacious rooms and suites, a fireside lounge, a private chef, and a heated pool and spa terraced into the hillside out back, making it difficult to motivate for a ride but all the sweeter when you return. Doubles from $400 per night.

Best Surf Trip

From Cape Town to Durban, South Africa

The stunning 1,000-mile coastal drive between Cape Town and Durban offers more consistently uncrowded waves than anywhere else in the world. Why? Southern Ocean storms produce southwest waves that start as raw, monster swells in spots like Dungeons and Sunset Reef near Cape Town, then mellow out along the coast at Mossel and Victoria Bays, ultimately feeding one of the best right-hand point breaks in the world at Jeffrey’s Bay, 423 miles east of Cape Town. Past Jeffrey’s Bay, there are ridiculously empty spots, like Seal Point and East London, all the way to Durban. Rent a VW bus in Cape Town through (standard two-berth bus from $80 per day), which will drop off the vehicle at the airport, then check in at on Big Bay for surf reports, shark reports (attacks are a real threat in places), and last-minute necessities. Before hitting the coast-hugging N2 Highway, have a beer on the Bikini Deck at the Brass Bell and watch surfers take on sketchy Kalk Bay Reef. Then stop wherever the waves look good. Roughly halfway up the coast at Jeffrey’s Bay, take a break from the van and rent a room at the , a surfer’s hangout that overlooks the famed Supertubes and offers B&B rooms, self-catering digs, or an entire house (from $54 per person per night including breakfast). Splurge at die Walskipper for some of the best seafood in South Africa. In the unlikely event that you hit a bad day—hey, you’re in South Africa. Go see the Big Five.Ěý

RUNNER-UP
Pavones, Costa Rica
Pavones’s location—far down Costa Rica’s Pacific coast, a jostling two-hour drive from the nearest airstrip—keeps its waves uncrowded. Services in town are limited to a couple of mini-marts, a handful of guesthouses, a beach bar, and one glorious half-mile-long left surf break called Rio Claro. Though most surfers come between March and September, when South Pacific storms bring swells across the ocean, it’s rare that the surf falls below waist-high at Rio Claro or the half-dozen other point breaks in the area. Rent one of four artfully simple stucco cabinas at ($25–$35 per person), run by a laid-back American surfer and his Costa Rican wife, who offer lessons on blissfully empty breaks.

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The best travel tools to get your trip dialed

Twitter Feed:
George Hobica, the founder of Airfarewatchdog, has by-the-minute scoops on fare sales, tips for maximizing frequent-flier miles, and hints for sleuthing airfare deals.Ěý

Travel App:
Tell Localscope your need, from an ATM to a beer, and the magic app will search Google, Twitter, Facebook, Bing, YouTube, and other social media to turn up the best options and map them in seconds. $2

Outdoor App:
Accuterra Unlimited downloads detailed topo maps of five million square miles of recreational terrain in the continental U.S. and Hawaii. It also triangulates your location with cell service, all at a fraction of the cost of a map-loaded GPS. $30

Voluntourism Vetter:
The problem with voluntourism trips: you don’t know how effective they are. GoVoluntouring painstakingly vets and catalogs effective and ethical trips from a variety of outfitters.

Travel Site:
Local Guiding connects far-flung travelers with guides around the world. Most are licensed, some are private citizens, and the majority have been rated and reviewed by the site’s users. The result: authentic travel experiences at prices that are usually cheaper than those charged by big companies.

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Nikon CoolPix AW100 Digital Camera

Nikon has long made some of our favorite point-and-shoots. Finally, it added armor. The CoolPix AW100 is waterproof, and its rugged exterior is designed to withstand drops up to five feet.

Skullcandy Fix Earphones

Skullcandy’s Fix earphones are a worthy ­upgrade. They’re comfy enough to wear every day, pump out better sound than those cheap ones most players come with, and are ­secure enough for the ­occasional jostle.

Kodak Playsport Burton Edition Zx5 Camcorder

Your younger brother who loves to post YouTube footage of his park and pipe sessions? Kodak's waterproof, shockproof Playsport Burton Edition Zx5 camcorder is the only high-def handycam you should even consider giving him.

Leatherman Sidekick

It's tempting to buy chintzy multitools as last-minute stocking stuffers. Don't do it. Nothing is worse than a poorly designed multitool that's annoying to use or, worse, simply breaks after a few outings. Better to spend the extra money on one they can rely on, like the 15-tool, stainless steel Leatherman Sidekick. We've tested dozens of knife-tool combos, but only one lives permanently in our pack, and it's a Leatherman. We rely on it because it's nearly indestructible and quick-deploying, but it's also nice to know that it was built by a company that truly believes in what it makes. When natural disasters like the Joplin, Missouri, tornado strike, Leatherman—which has a company-wide philanthropic bent—doesn't just donate money to aid the victims. It also sends multitools.

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Contour+ POV Camera

Last year, Contour beefed up its HD model by adding GPS. This year (with a $200 price hike) it’s added HDMI live streaming: your friends and family can watch as you bomb down a hill or (with an optional waterproof case, $50) go 200 feet below the sea. Meanwhile, Contour continues to deliver video and audio as sharp as any POV camera’s, with less fish-eye distortion.

TAGS: LIVE STREAMING, HI-DEF

Motorola Titanium Smartphone

Sure, there are fancier smartphones, but the Titanium is one of the handful built with military-spec ratings for dust, shock, and temperature—i.e., it can tumble out of a bike jersey and keep on texting. Bonus: it’s one of the few Android phones with Nextel Direct Connect, so it can pair with another device on that network as a two-way radio, making it an ideal first-responder phone.

TAGS: MILITARY-GRADE, ANDROID

Westone Elite Series ES5 Earphones

We’ve long been curious: do custom earphones really sound that much better than off-the-rack jobbies? Yes, they do. The crisp, noise-isolating ES5’s make it sound as though you’re right there in the concert pit. Of course, having ear molds made adds to the cost ($50 and up from an audiologist), but Westone’s entry-level modules start at $300. Greater comfort, additional drivers, and our custom logo upped the final price here.

TAGS: CUSTOM FIT, AUDIOPHILE SOUND

Jawbone Jambox

Considering how small (about the size of a can of soda) and tough the Jambox is, the sound is downright booming. Charge the rubberized rectangle up, connect it via Bluetooth, and go completely wireless, whether you’re using it as a speakerphone or (like us) as the sound system for your iPad.

TAGS: TRAVEL SPEAKER, IMPRESSIVE SOUND

Olympus TG-810 Digital Camera

Waterproof to 33 feet, shockproof to 6.6 feet, freezeproof to 14 degrees Fahrenheit, and crushproof to 200 pounds of pressure, the TG-810 may be the ultimate travel cam. But the truly amazing thing is the near-DSLR quality of the shots. It’s still a point-and-shoot, but with 14-megapixel photos and 720p video this colorful—plus fun add-ons like GPS tagging and 3-D—it’s pretty impressive.

TAGS: TOUGH, UPGRADED COMPONENTS

Nikon Coolpix S9100 Digital Camera

Nikon further blurs the line between DSLR and compact with this super-zoom camera, offering a stunning 18x optical zoom that covers the range from wide-angle to telephoto—and then retracts all the way into the slim body. A CMOS sensor provides 12.1-mp images and 1080p video, and we like how fast it starts up: less than two seconds from power-up to snapshot.

TAGS: BIG ZOOM, FAST

DeLorme InReach Communicator

Paired with an Android smartphone or a DeLorme PN-60W GPS, this nifty little unit becomes a satellite-powered text-messaging device, allowing you to send and receive tweet-sized texts to and from any cell phone or e-mail address. By itself, it can send preloaded messages or be used as a tracker, allowing folks back home to chart your movements online. $10-per-month subscription required.

TAGS: TRACKING, TEXT MESSAGING

Solio Bolt Solar Charger

Every electronic device on these pages can be replenished by this lightweight, hard-shelled charger. Set it up at base camp and it collects a full charge in eight hours, allowing you to juice your favorite gadgets overnight. Or load it up from the wall in your hotel room and you’ve got a boost for your iPod on the third leg of an international flight. As an insurance policy, it’s a no-brainer.

TAGS: BACKCOUNTRY, COLLAPSIBLE

Sony Walkman NWZ-W260 MP3 Player

You no longer have to settle for either a tangle of cords or a crappy-sounding Bluetooth device. Not only does this waterproof MP3 player-headset sound great and stay where it belongs, but if you forget to charge it before heading out the door, a quick-charge function gets you an hour of music from just three minutes of plug-in time. Our only gripe: the small amount of storage.

TAGS: HANDS-FREE, SWEATPROOF

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The Sell: A mega-zooming compact at a great price.

The Test: The 12.1-­megapixel SX230 turned out some of the best interior low-light shots we’ve taken. Outdoors, it was equally impressive. The SX230 has simple controls and produced surprisingly sharp 1080p HD video. But it’s the 56x combined zoom that sets this point-and-shoot apart: most super-zooms scale up from an 8x optical zoom, with often grainy results; the SX230 starts with a 14x optical zoom for much cleaner images.

The Verdict: One of the most versatile point-and-shoots we’ve tested. Image Quality: 4. Ease of Use: 4.

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