Fujifilm Finepix F40fd

With the best photos and excellent face-tracking, the F40fd is our overall pick. It found faces quickly and accurately, although it sometimes dropped them and locked focus elsewhere. And, like other models, it could find no more than four faces in our snapshot tests (Fujifilm claims up to 10). But the F40fd stands out for its ability to detect faces in low light and produce crisp images up to a stratospheric ISO 2000 light-sensitivity level—allowing us to capture attractive portraits in soft room lighting. $300 fujifilm.com

Rating: 9/10

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W80

Although the best at face tracking, the W80's image quality across all shooting scenarios fell short of the Fujifilm's. The Sony located faces almost instantly and held onto them, even as people walked toward the camera. Along with improving focus, the camera's face detection often yielded better exposure and color balance. But the feature is available in just two modes: fully automatic and portrait. Plus, photos at higher light-sensitivity settings (above ISO 200) showed considerable graininess and less detail. $250 sonystyle.com

Rating: 7/10

Nikon Coolpix S200

The S200 was noticeably slower at detecting faces, failed to track them well if they moved around, and occasionally mistook high-contrast objects, such as neon lights, for people. Unlike the Fujifilm and Sony cameras, which have dedicated face-tracking circuitry, the S200 runs the software on its main image processor, which might explain the sluggish performance. Otherwise, it takes serviceable, but not stunning, photos. One nice feature: Its LCD can stay bright for framing shots in low light. $250 nikonusa.com

Rating: 5/10