Yup, it’s that time of year again. How did 2010 fly by sooooo fast? I knew I was a bit behind the curve when a couple of my (adult) children sent along Christmas lists to aid their mother and I in “appropriate” selections. Well, no matter. It’s a great time of year to enjoy family and friends, create new memories, and enjoy memories of holidays past.
In an effort to help those of you who may have technology gifts in mind, I will post some recommendations in some of the major categories of technology over the next few weeks. I hope that you will find it useful.
Digital Cameras
Lots of choices here, and I admit quite a bit of professional bias. I like Nikon and Canon, folks that have been making photography equipment for decades, and who have long established reputations in film and digital. But if you read online reviews, certainly Sony and Casio (names we associate with “other” electronics) have some digital camera offerings out there which are very good, and in many cases, less expensive than the traditional Japanese camera brands.
A quick word about resolution–there is a perception out there that “higher (more megapixels) is better”, and, in general, that is true. Like all technical generalizations, though, it doesn’t tell the whole story. A “high megapixel” camera will not necessarily yield better pictures than a well designed 10 megapixel camera. The more pixels you squash onto a CMOS chip, the more the designer has to work to mitigate digital noise and other artifacts that reduce the fidelity of the image. The primary advantage of a camera that captures more than 10 megapixels is that it allows you “crop” an image to enhance a subject and still have enough image information to create a usable 8×10 or 11×14 print–this is not important to all users. The cameras selected below all happen to be greater than 10 megapixels, and are well designed examples of “high megapixel” sensors. But if you find a well regarded brand at 10 megapixels or so at the right price, it’s likely that you would be very satisfied with the image quality if you’re not into image cropping or other software enhancement of your digital images.
So here goes:
Compact Point and Shoot–
Nikon S8000 or S8100(newer version just released)- This is a very nice 14 megapixel camera that does everything pretty well. A bit expensive in its class, but has a full 10X zoom with effective image stabilization technology. Doesn’t have an articulated LED display which would be a frustration to some, but does all the basics pretty well, and does have Nikon optics. You will need a SD memory card (think 16 Gig) as the built in memory will only take about 5 pictures at full quality. Street price ~$240
Canon SX210IS- This is a great little 14 megapixel camera that again, does everything pretty well. Has the advantage of allowing manual control for those that want to experiment, or need to handle a difficult photographic situation. No articulated display–does have famous Canon optics. Street price ~$250
Entry Level DSLR
My favorite here for a “prosumer” DSLR is the Canon EOS Rebel T2i. This is an 18 megapixel DSLR with Canon’s best autofocusing system, the ability to do full HD video as well as still pictures, and excellent image quality. My suggestion is to purchase with a “kit” lens–EFS 18-55 mm Canon–a nice lightweight all purpose “wide to portrait” zoom with image stabilization. Of course, all Canon EF and EFS glass (including the professional “L” series lenses) will fit and work well with this camera body. Street price for T2i with kit 18-55mm IS lens–$699
Next week, other “goodies” in which you may have interest. May you all have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving.
Until next time…
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