Tag: Compact Zooms
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The best camera is the one you actually take with you. It’s true that
for ultimate image quality and control, compact cameras can’t beat
digital SLRs, but advances in technology have made pocketable models a
terrific alternative for many situations. We’re not suggesting that you
replace your D-SLR, but rather that you give yourself the option of a
smaller system when size and weight matter. With sensor sizes hitting
the 12-megapixel range, compacts are a great solution for occasions
when a D-SLR and its various accessories would be a burden.
One lens, big zoom—that’s the number-one benefit of advanced compact
cameras compared to D-SLRs. You don’t have to own multiple lenses to go
from macro to wide-angle, then zoom out to well over 300mm—which also
means you don’t have to carry multiple lenses around when you travel.
The more megapixels an image contains, and the less it’s compressed,
the more space it takes up on a memory card. So if you shoot RAW
10-megapixel images, you’ll need high-capacity memory cards: at least 1
GB (gigabyte); a 2 GB or 4 GB card is even better.
Advanced
compact zoom cameras combine extended zoom ranges, large LCDs and key
SLR-like functions into small, highly portable packages. They’re easy
to use, easy to carry and easy on the wallet. As a class, they provide
more performance per pound than any other type of digital camera and,
thanks to innovative features like image stabilization, produce results
that rival any system.
Sony’s Cyber-shot DSC-R1 features an electronic eye-level viewfinder
like those in high-end compact digital cameras, along with a
swiveling/tilting two-inch external LCD monitor that shows the image
live, just like the monitors on compact digital cameras. The big news
is that this live image is produced by a huge (for an all-in-one
camera) APS-C-sized, 10.3-megapixel, Sony-produced CMOS image sensor.
This brings together, for the first time, the all-in-one convenience
and live-view features of a compact digital camera with the imaging
capabilities of a 10.3-megapixel image sensor some 12 times the size of
the sensors found in most compact cameras.
With digital SLRs now widely available at advanced compact prices, you
might be wondering if the ultra-compact cameras are destined to devolve
into an amateur-only plaything. Those of us who have been photographing
for many years remember that 35mm compact cameras were feature-anemic
compared to 35mm SLRs and usually warranted the “point-and-shoot”
moniker.
As photographers, we’ve always faced choices—automatic exposure vs.
manual, slides vs. negatives, large format vs. 35mm. It’s no surprise,
then, that digital photography has created another one—digital SLR
(D-SLR) vs. advanced compact. Both camera types offer their own
advantages and disadvantages; which one is best for you depends on the
kind of images you like to shoot and the trade-offs you’re willing to
make.
Canon’s latest G-series camera, the PowerShot G6, takes the advanced
compact digital camera to a new level with its smart design, full range
of features and 7.1-megapixel sensor. Offering all the photographic
controls you’d expect from a digital SLR in a far more compact package,
it’s a camera you can take with you anywhere, always ready and highly
capable.
Canon went all out in the design of its new 8-megapixel PowerShot Pro1.
The camera has an L-type lens—the company’s pro designation. Canon has
exceptionally high standards of optical quality for its L series and
some very good lenses don’t get the name.
Designed for the serious photographer who wants extensive controls in a
compact package, the 8-megapixel Nikon Coolpix 8700 delivers. Weighing
only 17 ounces, it’s amazing how much camera Nikon fits into such a
small package. The design of the generous 35-280mm ED zoom lens
includes extra-low dispersion glass, which ensures improved color
accuracy and contrast. As well as including its best glass in the lens
design, the camera has a precise, 256-segment Matrix metering system, a
five-area autofocus sensor and an accurate flash exposure meter.
Olympus has designed a fine camera in the new 8-megapixel C-8080. After
shooting with it for a while, I found the camera to be well worth
considering, even if you don’t need the added megapixels, just because
of the rich feature set it offers.
