As the holiday season beckons, Mark Prigg casts his eye over the latest cameras to capture your experiences
Although mobile phones were supposed to have killed off the camera years ago, the dedicated snapper is still going strong, and getting more advanced by the day. The advent of cheap, easy-to-use digital models has heralded a revolution in photography, and while admittedly many are still used to capture the drunken moments that litter Facebook, it’s now incredibly easy to buy an affordable device that’s small enough to fit into a handbag yet good enough to take both stills and video at an almost professional level.
The horribly titled “prosumer” market, falling somewhere between amateur and pro, has also taken off, with manufacturers offering professional image quality and features at an affordable price. Thankfully, for the purposes of testing, they also all tend to have a good automatic setting to help amateurs get the best out of their new purchases.
For video, high definition (HD) has given camcorders a new lease of life, and the You Tube explosion has created a huge market for small, user-friendly cameras to create online footage. While many digital models also now offer video, dedicated recorders such as the Flip have created an entirely new product category in the shape of “blogcams”, which can easily upload footage to a PC or even directly to an online service.
Canon EOS50D
£599 (body only – lenses extra) | canon.co.uk
The benchmark for the serious amateur photographer, Canon’s latest has won plaudits from pretty much everyone who has tried it. It’s big and heavy, and feels like a pro piece of kit rather than a toy. Surprisingly, it’s simple to use, and you can get some breathtaking results from the auto settings. That said, the more advanced menus can get a little confusing, particularly if this is your first “serious” camera.
The 15-megapixel sensor is excellent, and in good lighting conditions this camera will rival pro models. It is without doubt one of the most accomplished choices for the dedicated amateur, and will be a competitor to a full pro-digital single-lens reflex model for many. While it may only be in the middle of Canon’s range, it will handle pretty
much any photographic assignment you can throw at it.
PROS Incredible image quality
CONS Expensive
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ38
£249 | panasonic.co.uk
The Lumix is a large camera, boasting a built-in 18x optical zoom lens that is perfect for safaris. With a 12-megapixel sensor alongside the Leica-made lens, image quality is superb. Panasonic has also created one of the fastest auto-focus systems I’ve seen, and it works brilliantly for sports. Pictures are razor sharp, and while the quality doesn’t quite approach that of the more expensive prosumer cameras here, it’s far better than anyone with a normal compact camera will be used to.
You can either shoot in the “intelligent auto” mode, which is excellent and leaves you only needing to press the shutter, or there is a collection of manual and semi-manual programmes. The Lumix also has some good video features, and can shoot HD well. It’s a great stepping stone for people looking to move up from a compact but not wanting the expense of a professional model.
PROS Great zoom lens
CONS Difficult to navigate around on-screen menus
Sony A380
£600 | sony.co.uk
Aimed squarely at the prosumer market, or those people looking to move up from a digital point-and-shoot camera, Sony’s A380 is a superb all-rounder for the enthusiast. Although it’s got all the features and manual options you’d expect, it is also surprisingly easy to get to grips with, and the well thought-out menu system makes playing around with images easy. A “live view” mode lets you look at scenes on screen rather than through the rather dull viewfinder, while the screen on the back tilts to let you take pictures easily at odd angles, which is a nice touch.
At the heart of the camera is a 14-megapixel sensor, and this leads to some amazingly sharp and accurate images, although the A380 doesn’t quite match the quality of some of its competitors at this relatively high price. The build quality is also slightly lacking – surprising for Sony – and the camera feels a little plasticky. But overall it is a great option for the person wanting to dip their toe into serious digital photography, although you should shop around for the best deal as at the recommended retail price is a little steep.
PROS Simple to use
CONS Poor build quality
Sony Cybershot TX1
£280 | sony.co.uk
Sony’s TX1 is definitely at the fashion end of the digital camera market but it plays the part incredibly well, with a three-inch touchscreen giving it a unique selling point. The interface works brilliantly, and as there are no buttons, the whole back of the camera is effectively the screen. The large icons let you choose items easily, and the menus sit well alongside the live images if needed. It feels fluid and well thought-out.
The ten-megapixel sensor is decent enough, and the TX1 performs well in low light conditions – twilight mode in particular is impressive, so much so that Sony built an entire ad campaign and photo competition for “twilight football” around it. There’s also a 4x optical zoom, which is just about adequate.
The TX1 has a useful “sweep” mode for taking panoramic pictures, which works brilliantly and is perfect for holiday snaps. The lens cover, which takes up almost the whole front of the camera and slides down, is a little annoying, but does help to keep its size-zero minimalist looks. It may be trying hard to impress on style but it delivers on features as well.
PROS Great interface
CONS Zoom could be better
Nikon Coolpix S3000
£100 | canon.co.uk
Designed to be a compact camera you can take anywhere, the S3000 looks the part with its rounded edges and aluminium detailing. It’s incredibly small and neat, measuring only 19mm deep, and boasts a 4x optical zoom. Although not packed with features, those that are included, such as face tracking, are useful and make it tough to shoot an out-of-focus picture.
Nikon’s menu system is excellent, and the camera is a cinch to set up and use. It can also charge via a USB cable, which is handy, and image quality is decent enough thanks to the 12-megapixel sensor. While features are limited, as a great-value camera to take everywhere, it’s hard to beat.
PROS Great design, cheap
CONS Image quality is average
Sanyo Xacti VPC-CS1
£250 | uk.sanyo.com
The Xacti is one of the odder-looking cameras here, and claims to be unique, boasting both still and video performance to rival high-definition professional systems. It’s a light, stylish unit that is simple to use, although this could be down to the very basic software, which doesn’t give you too many options. It’s a real point-and-shoot experience, but a good one nonetheless.
The camera is ultimately designed for shooting video, and performance is good, although not the full high-definition quality you’d find on a pro model. Stills are adequate so you’ll just about be able to get by without carrying a dedicated stills camera. As a cheap way into video making, the Xacti is worth a look, and with its unique design, will at least stand out in the crowded marketplace for web-friendly, high-definition video cameras.
PROS Slick looks
CONS Limited features
Flip Mino HD
US$199 | flipvideo.com
Flip is the firm credited with helping to kick-start the online video revolution, and is undoubtedly responsible for a large majority of the amateur footage uploaded on to You Tube. The Mino HD is the latest version and is very simple to use – it’s really a one-button system.
The design is excellent, although is starting to look a little dated, particularly compared with a camera such as Sanyo’s Xacti. However, it’s small enough to fit into any pocket and when combined with the cheap price, it’s easy to see how the Flip has taken the world by storm. Even against better-endowed competition from cameras and the latest mobile phones, the Flip still has the edge in terms of value for money, and for budding filmmakers it’s a great way to get started.
The internal memory gives one hour of HD footage and when you run out of space, getting it off the unit is easy – simply flip out the USB and plug it in. The Flip contains all the software you’ll need, or you can edit footage using your existing film editing package easily. Video quality is superb, and it’s feasible to shoot some pretty professional-looking efforts – all in all, a camera you can throw in your bag and take everywhere.
PROS Simple to use
CONS Limited features, dated design
Mark Prigg is science and technology editor at London’s Evening Standard
Camera accessories
? Carrying your pride and joy around is always a problem if it’s on the larger size – thankfully, the £37 Crumpler Jimmy Bo (crumpler.co.uk) won’t mark you out as a camera nerd but will protect your kit very well.
? For iPhone owners wishing their device had a decent camera built in, the Hipstamatic app (hipstamaticapp.com) offers a way to take advantage of the retro spec of Apple’s camera by giving images a 1970s feel. There is a selection of old lenses to choose from, and the resulting images look great – especially for the US$1.99 the app costs.
