Digital cameras make great gifts. But which one should you choose? You'll find a large number of available models, to the point where it's almost overwhelming. That's why Consumer Guide and HowStuffWorks have done the homework for you. If your chief priority is a large optical zoom lens, the digital cameras in this article will give you a great value.

Canon Digital Rebel XTi

Recognizing a good value in a digital camera can be difficult when a model carries a price tag of around $750 -- and that's without a starter lens. But the feature list in the Rebel XTi brings high-end performance to the model and does make it a good value.

The Rebel XTi is an advanced digital camera that's not aimed at beginners. It delivers a nice collection of manual-control features and offers the ability to swap lenses and add external flash units; items that typically are more beneficial to more experienced photographers. However, the Rebel XTi is extremely easy to use, and a beginning photographer looking for high-end features will find plenty to like about this model, which we've awarded with a Best Buy designation.

Canon Digital Rebel XTi

Canon PowerShot A710IS

When designing a budget-priced, consumer-level digital camera, manufacturers typically skimp in one area to reach the budget price goal. Canon didn't follow that formula with the PowerShot A710IS, giving the model a lot of nice features typically not found on cameras with a sub-$300 price tag, which is why we've labeled it with a Budget Buy designation.

Unlike with most budget-level cameras, Canon included high-end image-stabilization technology with the PowerShot A710IS, which is necessary with the model's 6X optical zoom lens. You'll find image quality to be very good with this model, even when shooting indoors and using the unit's built-in flash. The camera automatically adjusts the intensity of the flash to avoid washed-out photos. The PowerShot A710IS even offers a few useful manual-control features, something that rarely happens with a budget-priced camera.

Nikon Coolpix S10

For a model with only 6.0 megapixels of resolution, the Coolpix S10 probably carries a higher-than-expected price tag of around $350. But the model's swiveling body makes up for the additional up-front cost. The Coolpix S10 has a segmented camera body; one side of the camera contains the lens, and the other side contains the image processing hardware, the controls, and the LCD. Swiveling cameras are handy for creating self-portrait photos and odd-angle photos.

The Coolpix S10 also offers a 10X optical zoom lens, which adds to its value. You'll be surprised how much difference a 10X zoom lens makes in the types of photos you can shoot versus a 3X zoom lens. For the right situation, paying a little extra for the swivel-body capabilities in the Coolpix S10 will be worth it.

Olympus SP-510 UZ

Ultra-thin models are very popular with consumers right now; just look around the digital camera section of your favorite store for proof. If you're ignoring any models that don't fit the ultra-thin criteria, you're missing out on some great features and great digital cameras, such as the SP-510 UZ, which measures nearly 3 inches in thickness. This model carries a 10X optical zoom lens, which rarely appears in cameras with thin bodies.

Although we'd like the SP-510 UZ to carry hardware-based image-stabilization (rather than its less-effective software-based IS), this model creates sharp photos most of the time. The SP-510 UZ offers more than 7 megapixels of resolution, which is plenty for most consumer-level photographers. It offers a good mixture of automatic- and manual-control features, which means this model is easy to use for beginning photographers, but it also offers features that will become useful as you become a more experienced photographer.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ1

Although we'd like to see the sub-$300 Lumix DMC-TZ1 offer more resolution than its 5.0 megapixels (which is below average in today's market), its 10X optical zoom lens makes up for the lower resolution. Better yet, the Lumix DMC-TZ1 is one of the lightest and thinnest models (about 1.6 inches) that offers a 10X optical zoom lens. The image stabilization technology built into the Lumix DMC-TZ1 is hardware-based and works very well.

Panasonic has aimed the Lumix DMC-TZ1 directly at beginning photographers; it has no manual-control features, and it works extremely well as a point-and-shoot model. It would be nice if this model included an optical viewfinder, but you'll have to frame all of the Lumix DMC-TZ1's photos with its LCD, which drains this model's battery quickly.