Marc Saltzman
Sun
If you’re in the market for a new digital camera, the good news is the swank new “digicams” are dropping in price even as new features are added, such as higher megapixels, better optical zoom and higher-quality video capture.
While simple point-and-shoot digital cameras make up the bulk of the consumer market, digital SLR (single lens reflex) cameras are increasing in popularity thanks to its through-the-lens view and wealth of manual options.
Problem is, with so many cameras on the market, it can be overwhelming to choose one that best suits a shutterbug’s needs and budget.
Here’s a brief look at a few new and impressive models.
FASHION FIRST
Canon has been a trend setter in the point-and-shoot digital camera space for a while now, and the company’s latest offering — the PowerShot SD30 Digital ELPH ($499; www.canon.ca), shown below — is sure to continue its dominance for its fusion of fashion and functionality. Under the hood of its metallic body (available in Tuxedo Black, Rockstar Red, Glamour Gold and Vivacious Violet, each with matching cases) is a 5-megapixel CCD with Canon’s proprietary DIGIC II image processor, 2.4x optical zoom and 16 automatic and manual shooting modes such as Kids and Pets, Night, Video and Snow, to name a few. This camera also ships with a camera station with wireless remote, the CS-DC1, which lets you charge the camera’s battery and easily transfer images to a PC.
For the same price, also consider the Kodak EasyShare V550 Zoom Digital Camera ($499; www.kodak.ca), another sleek 5.0-megapixel camera with a few interesting bells and whistles (including the ability to shoot up to 80 minutes of video).
GREAT ZOOM, GREAT PRICE
Many “soccer moms” (and dads, too) know all too well it can be tough to take a good photo of the kids playing the game from the stands or sidelines. Perhaps you need a camera with better zoom so you can capture their fancy footwork or emotion on their face. The Olympus SP-500 UZ ($479; www.olympusamerica.com), shown below, offers an incredible 10x optical zoom so you can take great shots from afar. The 6.0-megapixel camera, which supports interchangeable lenses (yes, in a point-and-shoot), also has a large 2.5-inch screen at the back to view photos or videos immediately after taking them.
If you’re after a bargain, the aggressively-priced HP Photosmart R817 ($349; www.hp.ca) is a stylish 5.1-megapixel camera with powerful Pentax 5x optical zoom. This small and brushed stainless steel digicam also features built-in red-eye removal as well as in-camera stitch modes that lets you create a panoramic photo (with the aid of the two-inch LCD), without the need for PC editing software. Shoot high-quality VGA video (30 frames per second) on a SecureDigital (SD) card or with the 32 MB of internal memory.
MORE FOR LESS
Photo enthusiasts in the market for an affordable digital SLR camera should consider the Nikon D50 ($1,069 with 18-55-mm lens or $860 without; www.nikon.ca), a lighter and a more automated version of its award-winning big brother, the D70. Take beautiful shots with the 6.1-megapixel Nikon DX Format CCD image sensor, interchangeable Nikkor lenses and multiple shooting modes, including Landscape, Sports, Children and Night. Best of all, you won’t lose that once-in-a-lifetime moment thanks to its super-quick startup time of 0.2 seconds, fast shutter speeds (from 30 to 1/4,000 second), high-speed flash (up to 1/500 second) and continuous shooting bursts at 2.5 frames per second. Between charges, the lithium-ion battery lets you shoot up to 2,000 images.
Sony also has a new “prosumer” digital SLR in the marketplace worth looking into — the DSC Cyber-shot R1 ($1,299; www.sonystyle.ca), shown above — with its whopping 10.3-megapixel image sensor, ultra-wide Carl Zeiss Vaio-Sonnar T zoom lens (24-120 mm) and shutter release time of only 7.5 milliseconds.
MEGAPIXEL MADNESS
At an amazing 9.0 megapixels, Fujifilm’s new E900 ($599; www.fujifilm.ca) offers the highest resolution in a point-and-shoot camera available today. Therefore, not only can you zoom in and crop a digital photo without losing much clarity but you can also blow up your favourite shot into a poster-sized print to hang on a wall. The sleek black camera with silver trim also takes fast snapshots with its quick shutter speeds (and turns on in just over a second), while the built-in image stabilizer will help prevent blurred images often caused by shaky hands. The E900 features multiple shooting modes, while video is captured at 30 frames per second. Be sure to pick up a 256-megabyte xD Picture Card or higher as the bundled 16-MB one just isn’t big enough.
© The Vancouver Sun 2005
