Digital camera recommendations
Week of November 14, 2004
Q: I’m writing to get digital camera recommendations. Neither my wife nor I are techies, but we’d like to get something we won’t be disappointed with. The primary consideration is picture quality and we would like to stay under $500.
-Tom Genevro, Pittsburgh, PA
A: I receive this question often and usually reply personally. With the upcoming holidays many readers will have digital cameras on their shopping lists, so I am answering your question in print with my top picks in the lower price ranges.
The entry-level nod goes to the 3.2-megapixel Olympus D575, $165. The D575 is a good point-and-shoot camera with a 3x optical zoom, a rare feature at this price point.
My top pick under $200 is Canon’s Powershot A75, a 3.2-megapixel camera with an excellent 3x optical zoom. It has manual controls as well as fully automatic operation, and uses economical Compact Flash memory cards and AA batteries. (Be sure to use rechargeable NiMH batteries with any digital camera that uses AAs, as alkalines die very quickly.)
The $199 A75 delivers top-notch results and is a wonderful bargain. It you planned on spending less, if at all possible scrape up the extra money and buy the A75.
Under $400 I also recommend Canons, specifically the Powershot A85 and A95, big brothers of the A75. The $275 A85 is 4-megapixel; the $350 A95 is 5-megapixel and has a swing-out LCD screen. (I know I am repeating myself with the A-series Canons, but I have found them to be best in their class.)
Want a small, pocketable camera? Sony’s $349, 5.1 megapixel DSC-W1 is generating raves for its large 2.5-inch screen and fast shutter response that makes it ideal for photographing children. It has a 3x optical zoom and includes rechargeable batteries. Picture quality is excellent, but Canon’s is a mite better.
For those willing to pay a bit more for something really special, my top pick is a standout- a very capable imaging tool with an array of high-end features that will make photo buffs salivate and wonder how it was done at the price. If you have $599 to spend on a digital camera, Panasonic’s 5-megapixel Lumix DMC-FZ20 will astound you.
Let’s start with the lens: a 12x optical zoom designed by Germany’s Leica, considered by many to be the world’s premier lensmaker. (Some 35mm Leica lenses costs thousands of dollars- apiece!) The lens offers a 35mm equivalent zoom range of 35 to 432mm, at a constant f2.8 aperture. In plain English: it zooms from a wide angle to a strong telescope.
An optical image stabilizer keeps pictures tack sharp. This stabilizer uses gyroscopes and a moveable optical element to compensate for tiny hand movements that blur pictures taken with long zoom lenses or slow shutter speeds.
The camera is well made with a real quality feel, and its accessory shoe will accept an external flash for better flash pictures. Though it has high-end features, don’t be intimidated- you can set it to automatic and use as a point-and-shoot.
I recently saw sample images from the DMC-FZ20 and they were outstanding – the colors, sharpness and contrast reminded me of Leica film camera images. See the samples and read a review at www.dpreview.com– you will be impressed.
Leica 12x/2.8 zoom lens, optical image stabilizer, flash shoe, solid construction- and some of the nicest-looking pictures I have seen from a digital camera. For $550? Wow. I buckled and ordered one for myself about five minutes after reading the review. I love mine and you will love it, too.
Sounds great, but you don’t have $599? Good news- the camera also comes in a 4-megapixel version, the $499 DMC-FZ15. The $350, 3-megapixel DMC-FZ3 is a similar setup in a smaller, lighter camera body.
