SEEMS that now more than ever it is very easy to get a great digital camera; those days of arm-and-a-leg expensive and big as a brick cameras are over and almost everyone can now be armed with sleek, sexy and powerful cameras for every family vacation, friends gathering or, why not, just everyday shots.
But as easy as it may be to get a hold of a digital camera today, the options available in the market are endless; the competition between camera Brands is ruthless and for the average non-professional-photographer, the decision might get a bit overwhelming.
Decisions, decisions! Do you need a powerful zoom, or you need great photo definition for big printouts, maybe a big and cool LCD, how about something easy to use and not too fuzzy, or are you just searching for a great looking slim camera to impress your friends? Camera advertising is pretty much about everything and the promises are out there: 3, 4 and even 7 face detection, underwater shooting, steady shots, in-camera photo editing, built in memory, smile detection, children face detection anyone?. So let us review the top three digital camera brands and see who delivers on the promises. Important to note is that we are reviewing the brands according to some what tech/camera geek contacts of ours believe have the best quality and durability, in their words the ones made in Japan beat those made in China… go figure.
Panasonic LUMIX
With the Panasonic LUMIX FX38 don’t expect a stylish fashionable looking, talk-of-the-town camera, in fact it is quite an average looking camera although it does have four different colours to choose from (including a girly pink), but it is one of the lightest around and a reasonably slim one at that. Although its 2.5” LCD might be smaller than the competition, it has splendid colour resolution and definition.
It comes armed with 10.1 megapixels, a wide angle 28mm LEICA lens and a very decent 5x zoom. The image quality while zooming is very good but it does take quite a while to get the lens fully extended, so you have to be patient. Even for the technologically handicapped, the control buttons are very easy to maneuver and finding the right scene mode is a breeze. As in all the LUMIX cameras expect the Intelligent Auto Technology that allows it to automatically identify the scene mode you need so you do not have to worry about light, face, shake, scene or motion detection, the camera will do it for you.
If what you want is a bigger screen to showcase your photos, you can have it in the Panasonic LUMIX FX520, equipped with a 3.0” LCD touch screen. This camera has the same 10.1 megapixels and 5x zoom like the FX38 but has a wide angle 25mm LEICA lens which makes it great for indoor shooting, no more squeezing everyone in order to fit into
the shot!
The bigger screen doesn’t come free though, this camera is heavier and chunkier than its sister and it also scores less points in the style factor; this one only comes in two very camera classic colours. Another downside is the mixed touch screen/regular button control, it makes it harder to operate and it might take you a while to know when to use normal buttons and when to use the touch screen.
If affordability while getting good quality photos is what you need then you can go for the LUMIX FS20. With this camera you can still keep the 10.1 megapixels and the 3” LCD screen but you will have to compromise on a 4x zoom and a wide angle 30mm LEICA lens. This camera is also pretty slim and one of the lightest in the market. The weakness of this camera is the menu that uses a joystick-kind of control that is not easy to maneuver, and according to our tech geeks; it can get too sensitive with time and usage.
Thinking on making posters of your beautiful vacation photos? Then you should go for the FX180. Equipped with 14.7 megapixels and a wide angle 28mm LEICA lens it captures crystal clear images and allows you to blow them to poster size with great definition. Despite having only a 3.6X zoom it has an automatic zoom feature that speeds up the process compared to other models. The heaviest and thickest of the LUMIX models reviewed here, is still quite handy and easy to carry.
SONY Cyber-shot
Without a doubt, the SONY Cyber-shot cameras are the most fashionable and stylish in the market and the most expensive too. The T700 is a very slim and sexy piece of equipment, it comes in five different colours (including a very bright red), which makes it young and playful; this camera will be a conversation starter for sure. The camera has a massive 3.5” LCD screen but the colour and image definition is not the best around. Equipped with a 10.1 megapixels, 4x optical zoom and a wide angle 35mm Carl Zeiss lens, it delivers good quality photographs. Although fancy and new, the LCD touch screen takes time to get used to it and surfing the menu in order to find the right scene mode might be slower than other regular button controls. However, the touch screen comes handy when using the camera’s built-it editing features; the menu is friendly and easy to use and you can store your edited pictures in the camera’s huge 4GB internal memory. Regarding the scene modes, you can find the regular face detection and image stabilizer and some other not so regular ones such as prioritize kids faces or adults, a little bit too much for me, but if you have kids you might appreciate it.
If you are also a video fan, you might want to consider the T500 that comes equipped with HD video shooting and stereo sound. This model is a bit heavier and thicker than the T700, but still stylish and fashionable and by no means the heaviest on the cameras reviewed here. The Cyber-shot T500 has a wide angle 35mm Carl Zeiss lens, 10.1 megapixels, a 5x zoom and a 3.5” LCD (great for reviewing your videos). The T500 also features the LCD touch screen so you will face the same getting used to it problem.
Want some of the style and fashionable colours of the T series but not really willing to pay that much? Then the Cyber-shot W-170 is for you. The LCD screen is smaller with 2.5” but definition is good. You get 10 megapixels, a great wide angle 28mm Carl Zeiss lens with a 5x zoom. Given that the lens is pop-out the camera, T models are not) is a bit thicker than the rest but maintains the stylish colourful look of other SONY Cyber-shot cameras. If you are in the mood to add some extra things to your pictures you can do so using the In-camera retouching system.
Canon IXUS
Just as the SONY Cyber-shot cameras were the most fashionable of them all, the Canon IXUS is by far the least aesthetically pleasing and stylish of all the reviewed cameras. The cameras are old fashioned looking, most of them are chunky and heavier that other cameras. I would guess they would be appealing for the older range of the consumers than know the Canon Brand from way back in time.
The IXUS 85 IS has 10 megapixels, a 2.5” LCD screen, wide angle 35mm lens with a 3x zoom. This particular IXUS model is small and manageable and its LCD screen has very good definition and colours. It comes equipped with the regular multiple face detection, image stabilizer and motion detection features. The menu controls is straight forward and easy to use.
The new IXUS 870 IS isn’t very stylish at all, the camera has round lines that makes it look chunky and outdated, this added to the two very “safe” colours available reduces its appeal on the younger market. Weighing almost 20% more than other cameras makes it less handy and pocket friendly. The IXUS 870 IS has a 3” LCD screen with good resolution, a wide angle 28mm lens with 4x zoom. The menu control is easy to use although the buttons are not the best looking and you have to press really hard.
Also new is the IXUS 980 IS and it has the not so great honor of being the ugliest in the lot (specially the black coloured one). Despite its lack of style, this camera has a powerful 14.7 megapixels that allows you to print your photos in poster size maintaining great quality and resolution. The IXUS 980 IS has a 2.5” LCD screen with good colour definition, a wide angle 28mm lens with a 3.7x zoom. This camera is also the heaviest around and given the features, the design and the price, you might want to consider the Panasonic FX 180 instead. One small downside, the zoom buttons are not on the top of the camera but behind which makes it a bit harder to zoom in a hurry.
By Elisa Camacho