Holiday List: Digital Cameras

In preparation for the holiday season, there are people shortlisting a selection of digital cameras to buy or upgrade to. The list may include point-and-shoots, compact systems and d-SLRs. Here's a rundown of some of the popular items to choose from.

Point-and-Shoot
Point-and-shoot digital cameras are the cheapest way to getting the good shots without having to learn the technicalities of photography. New models usually include support for 1080p HD video recording.

There are Canon Powershot SD4500 IS and Nikon Coolpix S8100, both of which boast 10x optical zoom lenses and 3" LCDs. The former has 10MP and the latter has 12MP. Surprisingly, Nikon's is cheaper.

On the other hand, Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 offers 12MP and a 12x optical zoom LEICA lens. Sony H55 Cyber-shot is a 14MP, 10x optical zoom camera that adds Sony's awesome sweep panorama technology.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 may have only 3x zoom but it has a 1/1.63" sensor  (compared to 1.23" for most cameras including pro-sumer models). However, that's beaten by Nokia N8, a camera phone released in select markets, which has 1/1.83"!

Pro-sumer
Pro-sumer cameras are advanced digital cameras that are somewhere between a point-and-shoot and a compact system. They may have some advanced creative features of compact systems and d-SLRs sans interchangeable lenses. New models now include HD video recording.

Canon SX30 IS has 35x zoom compared to Nikon Coolpix P100's 26x zoom. However, the former only has 780p HD while the latter promises 1080p support.

Olympus SP-800UZ has 14MP and 30x zoom. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ100 and DMC-FZ40K offer 24x zoom LEICA lenses. Sony HX1 has only 20x zoom but paired with their unique sweep panorama feature.

Leica X1 is a 35mm class camera that uses APS-C format CMOS sensor that's similar to those used in professional grade high-end d-SLRs. It's the best pro-sumer point-and-shoot available if price is no object.

Compact System
Compact systems kick the notch a bit from pro-sumer models to add interchangeable lenses (usually micro-four-thirds). It's a new category and may in fact compete for attention with d-SLRs. The quality of compact systems could be professional-grade except that they're not necessarily as bulky.

Olympus PEN E-P2 has a rich collection of accessories and could perhaps be the most mature in this category. Panasonic Lumix has a rich line of compact systems like the DMC-G2, DMC-GF2 and the new 3D lens ready DMC-GF2C lines. Sony offers the NEX series.

Leica M9 is the proudest professional-grade compact system that uses a full-frame sensor. Competitive in style, but with a sensor comparable to Leica X1, is under development by Fujifilm which they announced as the Finepix X100.

d-SLR
Digital SLRs attract professionals, amateurs and enthusiasts. d-SLRs allowed more people to learn about photography quickly. Recently, owning one became a fad and so common that manufacturers started to commercialize d-SLR rather than targeting only the professional market.

Canon's latest is the EOS-60D which competes with Nikon's D7000. There's also Olympus E-5 and Sony Alpha series. High-end models are also available from Canon and Nikon.

Leica offers the S-System. But, perhaps, one of the most expensive to desire would be the Hasselblad brand. Regardless, choosing a d-SLR brand is really a matter of loyalty. In the commercialized d-SLR world, it's mostly the Canonites versus the Nikonites really.

That's it. There are technologies you can immediately get now and there are some to wait for. The best choice depends on your lifestyle and on your budget. Try out these cameras in stores before you buy. Remember, there may be cheap deals on-line so don't forget to check out the Store.

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