Kohl's sub-$100 camera - it's a dealbreaker not a doorbuster

There will be plenty of deals to be had this holiday season, but the Vivitar digital camera listed in Kohl's leaked Black Friday circular for $60 isn't one of them. The 10-megapixel Vivicam X024 offers 3x optical zoom,  a 2.4-inch TFT LCD and video capture. So far, so standard. Here's what's not: the camera can't record sound. That's right, you can only make silent movies.

Vivitar digital cameras are virtually ignored by professional reviewers, and user reviews are scarce, particularly for the X024. We dug deep and found a sprinkling at Amazon.com and Pricegrabber U.K. - the highest rating the X024 receives is two out of four stars. Users complain of quick battery drain and feel duped by the lack of a mic to capture sound, something that's not mentioned anywhere in the product materials or on the Vivitar website.

Other Vivitar models receive reviews at PhotographyReview.com, where users complain of poor image quality and terrible shutter lag. One user says of the 8-megapixel ViviCam 8325 that using the automatic mode is "next to useless if you are expecting to take a photograph of anything quicker than a tortoise," and concludes that after using the camera for nearly a year "I have not been able to produce a single photograph with this camera that I have been satisfied with." The ViviCam 8625's automatic mode is also panned and though the camera has some manual controls, one user says that "this product will prove extremely frustrating in the hands of anyone who does not have experience with photography."

Not to worry - you can still find a quality camera for less than $150, you just have to choose wisely. In general, Canon's A series of cameras get good grades. Our current pick for those on a budget is the PowerShot A1100 (*Est. $140). Even cheaper is the Canon Powershot A480 (*Est. $110), which has fewer features, but is also well-reviewed. If you're looking for a camera under $200, check out our cheap-camera report, which will tell you all you need to know.