Ah, technology. As cameras get smaller and thinner, the functionality they provide gets better. Many reasonably-priced cameras even shoot basic video, which is handy in many situations.

That’s why I was glad to stumble upon this Casio Exilim EX-S10 camera. It starts with 10 megapixel resolution. That means it can take really sharp pictures (the $1,200 Canon Digital Rebel I bought about three years ago maxes out a 6 megapixels — and cost many times as much.)

Another advantage in a camera this small is a 3X optical zoom. The key phrase here is “optical”. Many cameras can electronically zoom in — way in. But you suffer significant picture degradation to zoom in like that. With an optical zoom, you don’t sacrifice any quality to get closer.

What’s really nice is the YouTube Capture Mode. When shooting with that setting enabled, it records video at the recommended settings for upload to YouTube. That makes it much more simple to get your masterpiece on YouTube.

Put this gadget high on your list when you’re shopping for a camera.