New Gear: Samsung SL720 and SL502

The economy is still borked, which means low price tags are still en vogue. The newest addition to Samsung's SL series are in fact cheap; the SL720 and SL502 check in at $229 and $149 respectively. The 720 draws its name from the fact that--you guessed it--it shoots 720p HD video (The 502 maxes out at standard def, 640x480), which is an accomplishment for under $250. Both cameras sport a 12.2 megapixel sensor and 5x optical zoom with Samsung's various shooting modes, including the Perfect Portrait System, which should come in handy for a camera that's designed to live in your pocket.

The 720 has a few more advantages over its cheaper brother, including a 3.0-inch LCD (the 502 has 2.7-inches) and a wider lense (28mm vs. 35mm). The extra money also gets you dual image stablization in the form of optical IS and (meh) digital IS. With all of those additions for just $70, it seems like a no-brainer to go up a step. Of course, we'll have to get our hands on one before we can actually decide whether it's worth any of your dough, but if you're in the market for a cheap cam, these are worth some hands-on time at the electronics store.