What Camera do I Need?
The following three cameras are examples of beginner cameras. They work on a “point and shoot” principle, which means they are about as easy to operate as your basic disposable camera. Their functions are usually limited to basic modes such as black and white mode, and several scene modes, which adjust your settings based on what you are shooting. (Eg) Portraits, landscape. They may also possess features to shoot in a variety of different light settings such as sunny days, cloudy days, etc. Prices for these camera range between $200-$500 dollars.
Beginner Cameras/Intermediate
Sony Cyber Shot DSC-W70
The good: Can take very good photos in sufficient light; compact; easy to use; decent performance.
The bad: Photos display processing artifacts in shadow areas; above-average noise at ISO 200 and higher.
Overall: The ultracompact Sony Cyber Shot DSC-W70 is a competent snapshooter for beginner shooters.
Price: $250.00
Nikon Coolpix S5
The good: Excellent color rendition and sharpness; quick shooting; slim, attractive design; excellent build quality; simple to use.
The bad: Few manual exposure controls; need to go through menu to change basic settings; notable vignetting, lens distortion, and processing artifacts.
Overall: The Nikon Coolpix S5 is a stylish camera that offers great images.
Price: $250.00-$300.00
Canon PowerShot A620
The good: Ultracompact design; long battery life; excellent burst capabilities; low shutter lag; versatile movie mode and great manual control.
The bad:Few scene modes; image quality could be improved upon.
Overall: Decent image quality and a well-rounded snapshot feature set make the high-performance ultracompact Canon PowerShot SD450 one of the better choices in the current Digital Elph lineup.
Price: $325.00
Intermediate/Serious hobbyist
These cameras are immediately recongnizable as more “serious” cameras. They are larger with usually a protruding lens and carry more specific functions to get more out of your pictures. Setting up to models such as these give you better zoom capabilities and also more manual functions. Settings such as manual shutter speeds (which allow you to adjust the speed at which your lens opens and closes when taking a picture), and manual aperature (allows you to adjust the diatmeter of your aperature). White balance and ISO speed are two other common features with these cameras. Prices range between $500 and $900 dollars.
Nikon Cool Pix 5700
The good: Durable design with good image quality and great zoom capabilities at 8x’s optical zoom.
The bad: Most features need to be accessed through a menu, not as a button atop the camera which gives the user quicker access during unexpected photographic opportunities.
Overall: Great camera for those who are making the jump up from a beginner camera. User will be very please with it’s durability plethora of manual features.
Price: $560.00
Canon Powershot SC IS
The good: Fast and responsive; comfortable design; decent movie capture; flip and twist LCD; fast, high-quality lens with effective optical image stabilization.
The bad: Tiny LCD; lacks raw support; faux wide-screen capture.
Overall: A very well-executed megazoom camera, the Canon PowerShot S3 IS reminds you why dSLRs still have competition for photo enthusiasts' hearts.
Price: $500.00
Panasonic Lumix
The good: Extensive set of manual features; 12X optically stabilized zoom lens; relatively speedy.
The bad: Image flaws such as blooming, fringing, and unusually frequent image noise.
Overall: The Panasonic DMC-FZ7 is a solid megazoom alternative for beginners and enthusiasts alike.
Price: $479.00
Serious hobbyist/Professional Photographers
These cameras are for those who have a full understanding of photography and are able to use the full gambit of functions the camera has to offer. These contain all the above-mentioned functions as well as many more. The main advantage to these cameras is the ability to remove the lens and add other ones with different focal lengths. Professionals in the field, as well as serious photography hobbyists use these cameras.
These cameras can range anywhere between $1000 dollars to $5000 dollars.
Sony Alpha DSLR-A100
The good: 10.2 megapixels; in-camera image stabilization; eye-start autofocus.
The bad: ISO tops out at ISO 1,600; auto white balance is warm with tungsten light.
Overall: Sony's Alpha DSLR-A100 deserves a good look whether you're looking for an alternative to Canon and Nikon, or if you're looking for your first digital SLR.
$900.00
Olympus Evolt E-330
The good: Can preview shots on LCD; large LCD; very solidly built; strong photo quality.
The bad: Takes a while to figure out some of the features; kit lens is slow.
Overall: The Olympus Evolt E-330 is a very good midrange dSLR with unique live scene viewing on its large LCD.
Price: $1200.00
Nikon D200
The good: Plentiful controls and accessories; strong performance; excellent image quality;
rugged body.
The bad: JPEG artifacts crimp image quality; no TIFF mod e.
Overall: Stuffed with pro-quality features, the rugged Nikon D200 digital SLR offers some of the best images you can ask for.Price: $1500.00
Beginner Cameras/Intermediate
Sony Cyber Shot DSC-W70
The good: Can take very good photos in sufficient light; compact; easy to use; decent performance.
The bad: Photos display processing artifacts in shadow areas; above-average noise at ISO 200 and higher.
Overall: The ultracompact Sony Cyber Shot DSC-W70 is a competent snapshooter for beginner shooters.
Price: $250.00
Nikon Coolpix S5
The good: Excellent color rendition and sharpness; quick shooting; slim, attractive design; excellent build quality; simple to use.
The bad: Few manual exposure controls; need to go through menu to change basic settings; notable vignetting, lens distortion, and processing artifacts.
Overall: The Nikon Coolpix S5 is a stylish camera that offers great images.
Price: $250.00-$300.00
Canon PowerShot A620
The good: Ultracompact design; long battery life; excellent burst capabilities; low shutter lag; versatile movie mode and great manual control.
The bad:Few scene modes; image quality could be improved upon.
Overall: Decent image quality and a well-rounded snapshot feature set make the high-performance ultracompact Canon PowerShot SD450 one of the better choices in the current Digital Elph lineup.
Price: $325.00
Intermediate/Serious hobbyist
These cameras are immediately recongnizable as more “serious” cameras. They are larger with usually a protruding lens and carry more specific functions to get more out of your pictures. Setting up to models such as these give you better zoom capabilities and also more manual functions. Settings such as manual shutter speeds (which allow you to adjust the speed at which your lens opens and closes when taking a picture), and manual aperature (allows you to adjust the diatmeter of your aperature). White balance and ISO speed are two other common features with these cameras. Prices range between $500 and $900 dollars.
Nikon Cool Pix 5700
The good: Durable design with good image quality and great zoom capabilities at 8x’s optical zoom.
The bad: Most features need to be accessed through a menu, not as a button atop the camera which gives the user quicker access during unexpected photographic opportunities.
Overall: Great camera for those who are making the jump up from a beginner camera. User will be very please with it’s durability plethora of manual features.
Price: $560.00
Canon Powershot SC IS
The good: Fast and responsive; comfortable design; decent movie capture; flip and twist LCD; fast, high-quality lens with effective optical image stabilization.
The bad: Tiny LCD; lacks raw support; faux wide-screen capture.
Overall: A very well-executed megazoom camera, the Canon PowerShot S3 IS reminds you why dSLRs still have competition for photo enthusiasts' hearts.
Price: $500.00
Panasonic Lumix
The good: Extensive set of manual features; 12X optically stabilized zoom lens; relatively speedy.
The bad: Image flaws such as blooming, fringing, and unusually frequent image noise.
Overall: The Panasonic DMC-FZ7 is a solid megazoom alternative for beginners and enthusiasts alike.
Price: $479.00
Serious hobbyist/Professional Photographers
These cameras are for those who have a full understanding of photography and are able to use the full gambit of functions the camera has to offer. These contain all the above-mentioned functions as well as many more. The main advantage to these cameras is the ability to remove the lens and add other ones with different focal lengths. Professionals in the field, as well as serious photography hobbyists use these cameras.
These cameras can range anywhere between $1000 dollars to $5000 dollars.
Sony Alpha DSLR-A100
The good: 10.2 megapixels; in-camera image stabilization; eye-start autofocus.
The bad: ISO tops out at ISO 1,600; auto white balance is warm with tungsten light.
Overall: Sony's Alpha DSLR-A100 deserves a good look whether you're looking for an alternative to Canon and Nikon, or if you're looking for your first digital SLR.
$900.00
Olympus Evolt E-330
The good: Can preview shots on LCD; large LCD; very solidly built; strong photo quality.
The bad: Takes a while to figure out some of the features; kit lens is slow.
Overall: The Olympus Evolt E-330 is a very good midrange dSLR with unique live scene viewing on its large LCD.
Price: $1200.00
Nikon D200
The good: Plentiful controls and accessories; strong performance; excellent image quality;
rugged body.
The bad: JPEG artifacts crimp image quality; no TIFF mod e.
Overall: Stuffed with pro-quality features, the rugged Nikon D200 digital SLR offers some of the best images you can ask for.Price: $1500.00
posted by clizz at 6:52 PM
0 comments
