Know someone who's collecting a degree this year? All graduates deserve a reward for making it through school (and before they have to face the rather scary job market that awaits them). Here are some electronics suggestions that should put a smile on any grad's face.

Updates to camera or camcorder firmware—the on-board software that runs an electronic device—take place just as frequently as smart-phone firmware updates, particularly for advanced cameras like the Nikon D5200. But the process is a little different, since updates don't show up automatically on your camera, as they do on your phone.

There are just a few things to know about Mother's Day. First, remember the holiday. This year Mother's Day takes place on Sunday, May 12, so you don't have many shopping days left. Second, book a table. Restaurants are packed on Mother's Day, so if you're going out to celebrate, get on Yelp, OpenTable, or some other dining site now. And third, don't limit yourself to the classics and the clichéd. When choosing a Mother's Day present, the sky's the limit, as you'll see below in our selection of gifts for the mom who . . .

Lots of people buy advanced cameras (such as the Sony NEX-7) because they're fast: They're great for taking action shots in sports, for instance. But some cameras are including special scene modes that do the opposite of freezing the action: They leave the shutter open long enough so that moving lights in the scene appear in your images as long trails of light.

Almost all digital cameras, from top-of-the-line advanced cameras to cheap point-and-shoots—and even some smart phones—include what's called "burst mode": It allows you to shoot a sequence of photos in rapid-fire succession.

When it comes to digital imaging, a number of well-respected brands specialize in either cameras or printers. Rarely does a company excel in more than one area. But Canon stands out as a reputable brand that crosses over several categories, including point-and-shoot cameras and printers.

In our newest digital cameras ratings, you'll find three new advanced cameras from Nikon, including an SLR, the Nikon D5200 ($1,200), and two SLR-like mirrorless models: the Nikon 1 J3 ($600) and Nikon 1 S1 ($500).

At a recent Green Day concert, my daughter and her friend both took pictures of the band with their smart phones. We were sitting pretty far from the stage, so they had to zoom in to compose and capture their photos. Since they were shooting with smart phones, they had to use digital zoom—which will almost always result in photos or video with degraded image quality.

When you buy an SLR or SLR-like camera, you'll want to take very good care of it; that's not an insignificant investment for most of us. Here are three ways to keep your interchangeable-lens camera in tip-top shape.

Samsung has announced it will set up dedicated mobile shops within Best Buy stores to sell its cell phones, tablets, laptops, and cameras. The Samsung Experience Shops, coming to more than 1,400 Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores beginning this month, aim to bring Samsung customers the same expert, brand-immersive experience that iPhone, iPad, and Mac types enjoy when they visit an Apple Store.

OLED HDTVs made news earlier this year at the Consumer Electronics Show. But cameras have had OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays for years. Just how good are they?

Photographers who want better quality photos and more versatility usually opt for an SLR (single-lens reflex camera). Although most SLRs in our ratings are recommended, there is one that stands out in a less-than-stellar way: The Sigma SD15 ($929).

Canon today introduced what it says is the lightest and smallest SLR to date: the 18-megapixel Canon EOS Rebel SL1, which according to Canon weighs only 14.4 ounces (without the battery or SD memory card). That's more in line with what mirrorless, SLR-like models weigh, or even what larger, basic superzooms weigh, while still keeping the SLR mirror—which means you get a through-the-lens viewfinder.

Nikon today announced the 16-megapixel Coolpix A, its first point-and-shoot camera with a fixed, non-zoom lens to include a large DX-sensor. In general, bigger image sensors are more desirable for capturing photos and video because they perform better in low light without a flash, capturing images that are clear, accurate, and noise-free (or have very little grain). Cameras with smaller sensors generally produce grainier images in such lighting scenarios.

Sony announced today two SLR-like cameras that include a new facet of automation: Both the 20-megapixel Alpha a58 and the 16-megapixel NEX-3N have a feature called "auto object framing," which functions similarly to auto framing mode by analyzing a subject, cropping it, and then resaving the image to create a more pleasing composition. But instead of just applying the effect to human subjects who are facing the camera, the two new cameras can also reframe an image when faces are not detected (either faces are too small or turned away from the camera, or the subjects are inanimate). The feature has also been expanded to automatically crop when shooting macro (close-up) shots.