Consumer Reports has come out with their annual Christmas shopping guide for digital cameras. Here is the list:
Digital point and shoot cameras (low-cost compacts) — Canon PowerShot A510, Kodak EasyShare Z700, Olympus C-5500 Sport Zoom, Kodak EasyShare CX7430, Canon PowerShot A95, and OIympus D-580 Zoom.
Digital point and shoot cameras (subcompacts) — Canon PowerShot SC300, Sony Cyber-shot DSC-L1, and Nikon Coolpix 7900.
Digital point and shoot cameras (advanced compacts) — Fujifilm FinePix E550, Olympus C-7070 Wide Zoom, Canon PowerShot S60, Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5, Olympus C-765 Ultra Zoom, and Canon PowerShot S1IS.
Digital SLRs — Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT, Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D, Nikon D70, Canon ESO 20D, and Sigma SD10.via Consumer Reports
Outstanding deal from Onsale.com on the Nikon S1 with a free Kingston 256 MB SD available now for $274.99.
5.1 Megapixels; 3x Optical Zoom-Nikkor; 2.5-inch LCD; 16 Scene Modes; Exclusive In-Camera Red-Eye Fix; D-Lighting; ED Glass; Face Priority AF; Slim design.
The Canon Powershot S60 is a 5 megapixel camera that boasts a quality lens that is capable of capturing shots at a 28–100 mm focal length, perfect for capturing wide angle shots of homes for realtors and realty professionals.
When trying to capture wide angles you need a lens that is compatible. Most digital cameras fall down in this regard. The Powershot S60 is a purse sized camera that works well in the field for capturing the whole house in one shot and probably the side yard. If you are a dedicated Real Estate professional, you should look into purchasing a camera that meets the wide angle criteria.
This Poweshot S60 is reasonably priced at under 280 dollars and offers a 3.6 optical zoom.
For more information on the Canon Powershot S60
Sony, known in the digital camera world for their proprietary memory sticks, has introduced a new compact flash memory product. From Lets Go Digital
Sony compactFlash Type II media : Sony Europe’s Recording Media & Energy (RME) division today announced the launch of its first 5GB CompactFlash Type II media, under the new Compactvaul brand. The new Compactvaul provides the latest addition to Sony’s removable media range, enabling storage of up to 1600 images or four hours of MPEG 4 recording. The one-inch hard disk drive boasts a native transfer rate of up to 96.7Mbps, which is further maximized when the Compactvaul is used in conjunction with future Cybercapture enabled products, providing even faster recording of images and higher quality of videos, in what is termed AV mode. The 5GB Compactvaul will be available from November 2005.
This is a fantastic product if they can hit the right price point for the professional photographer.
The Canon Powershot A410 3.2 Megapixel Camera is an entry level camera that provides a very easy and intuitive interface for the beginner to use. This is the camera for Mom, so to speak. It takes a good quality picture, has an easy to use interface, and the pictures live up to the Canon name.
The camera features a 3.2 optical zoom, and provides eight special scene modes, including Portrait, Night Snapshot, Kids & Pets, Indoor, Foliage, Snow, Beach and Fireworks and five Photo Effect modes, including Vivid, Neutral, Low Sharpening, Sepia, and Black & White.
One of the real benefits that the Canon A410 provides is the use of AA batteries. Canon has a processor that is supposed to reduce power consumption, so the A410 can get 400 pictures when using rechargable NiMH batteries.
Again, if you are a serious photographer, this is not the camera for you. But if you want to get a digital camera for the grandparents, the Canon A410 is a very good choice. Priced at around $150 USD this also is an economical camera for a Christmas present.
Other Reviews
More Information on the Canon A410
The Sony CyberShot DSC - S90 compact camera is designed for the consumer who is looking for a long battery life, speed and good picture quality. The Caner features a Carl Zeiss 3X optical zoom, and provides 32 mb of internal memory and a memory stick slot for extra storage capacity.
The CyberShot DSC-S90 is part of the Stamina series by Sony. These cameras are designed for extra long battery life, while using ordinary AA batteries. The use of disposable batteries is always high on my list, as it keeps the photographer from having to recharge batteries at the end of the night. Steves Digicams says that “The S90 lets you take approximately 150 shots while using two “AA” type batteries and around 590 shots while using a NIMH rechargeable battery.” Bravo!
One of the great features of this camera is that it offers burst mode, so the photographer can take 4 shots at the full 4 megapixel resolution at a rate of .7frames/sec. This feature of the S90 is not typical in a compact camera.
The DSC-S90 starts in the mid 200 dollar range, a good not great price for a camera such as this. The draw back to the camera is that it is a Sony, so you are stuck with the proprietarty and more expensive memory stick memory.
Other Reviews:
For More Information on the Sony DSC-S90
The Konica Minolta 6.0-megapixel DiMAGE Z6 digital camera includes a robust 12x optical Mega Zoom lens and combines it with their Konica Minolta’s proprietary Anti-Shake system. Add to this their Rapid Auto Focus with Predictive Focus Control for fast overall responsiveness, an expansive 2.0-inch LCD monitor, and excellent battery performance, and you have the makings of a great camera.
Reviews of the Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z6
Purchase the Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z6