Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Compact Digital Cameras Are a Bargain

By Rob Gormly


I love photography and wish I had a better eye for the for the artistic aspect of the perfect picture. I also love digital camera technology and the rapid advances it has seen over the last ten years. When they first came out digital cameras took grainy, low quality pictures. But now, many digital SLR cameras rival 35 millimeter film cameras, and in many aspects they are better. On top of that, the price has plummeted.

I've noticed that about $250 is the break point between mediocre digital cameras and the really good ones. Once you get above $250 you really start getting some great features. Just a few years ago, any camera you could get close to this price ran on cheap batteries and had an optical viewfinder. The pictures were pretty low quality. Today you get a ton of megacycles, rechargeable batteries, high definition video and an LED screen. In fact, today's cell phones have better picture quality than digital cameras had just 10 years ago.

Pretty much, $250 now, can buy you a really intelligent model with 12 mega pixels, HD video capture, and large 3-inch LCDs. Every brand, Panasonic, Canon, Sony's CyberShot and Fuji, all throw in indispensable features like image stabilization, super wide angle lenses, and face recognition. Of course every brand out there has its own take on how to mix these features in, and that's where all the fun of it lies. And a certain amount of compromise is on par for the range too; they don't come with great internal processors - that means that you don't get instant action when you press down the shutter button; you also get a certain amount of grain, shooting in low light. But people with a general interest in photography who are on the lookout for the best digital camera prices out there do not really have gripes like these. They want the best photography experience for their buck, and do they get it!

For about the same price you can get a Sony Cyber-Shot W290, which Cnet recently reviewed and said was "an excellent, well-balanced compact camera." For a little more you can buy a Samsung Dual View TL225 which has a front LCD screen that makes it easy for you to get into the picture. It also has a huge 3.5 inch LCD touch screen on the back. It automatically adjusts the itself to take the best possible picture for the lighting conditions. You can even turn off all the automatic adjustments if you want, to control the picture manually. The controls are on the back touch screen and are really easy to use. The picture quality is great also. How about the Panasonic Lumix ZS3. It also has a great price and is also a High Definition camcorder. It even has a dedicated record button for video, takes stunning HD video footage and has great sound. It was recently followed by the even more feature packed ZS7 which features GPS as well as many other features.

Of all the cameras out there, the Lumix certainly gives you the best bang for your buck; the Samsung has a great user interface and great picture quality, and the Fuji F70EXR has great lowlight photography. For the best digital camera prices like these will bring you, you get to choose. It's a toss up between these three.




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