Sony Cyber-Shot wx50: great pocket camera at this price!

Sony Cyber-Shot wx50

This is a powerful pocket camera from Sony and we recommend it for those who want good value for money. It is slightly old [more than a year now] but nothing great has changed since then except for wider screen and touch screens. Touch screens have their disadvantage too, as the controls are dim outdoors. Being a small digicam, its control are slightly smaller than other cameras.

At present the camera is available for around Rs. 7400 though some dealers are charging up to Rs. 8300 also. At around Rs. 7400, it is a great bargain.

Among the good features of this camera, are –
-its very light weight and size. It is an ultra-compact model;
-low price (comparable cameras from other brands might cost you a thousand bucks more);
-many features for amateur photographers that lead to sharp images, less chance of hand-shake, good photos in low light conditions, ability to take multiple shots of a wide scenery; 5x optical zoom; 16 megapixel image size; HD video quality.

But let us caution you that it is NOT a super quality camera. If you want to buy cameras with very high zoom, size in megapixels, etc etc, you will have to shell out much more money. But, seriously, for your day to day needs and travel photography, do you really need those features?

DISCLAIMER: I have not received any consideration for reviewing this camera from Sony or any of its associates.

Wi-fi on digital camera: worth it?

All major manufacturers have come out with point to shoot cameras with wi fi connectivity. There are also Eye-fi cards available that connect through wi fi.

If you like a camera by its features and looks, go for it, but not because it has wi fi connectivity feature. Things will definitely change in future but as of now pocket cameras do not offer great value with wi fi.

Advantages of wi fi in pocket camera, especially when on vacation

• You can quickly share your photos with others on Facebook etc. 
• You can send photos to a photo site or email to yourself, thus clearing your camera's storage for more photos.
• You need not carry wires to connect to internet.
• You can make use of free wi fi available at airports, stations, cafes, malls and so on.

Problems with camera wi-fi

• It drains your camera's battery.
• It is not very reliable.
• Pocket cameras do not have big buttons, and keyboard to type password, so using wi fi can be irritating.
• Many wi fi connections are not good enough to send quality photos over internet.
• Many cameras allow only small photos to go through wi fi.
• Free wi fi can be risky: hackers can download your photos or steal some other data, and viruses can infect your camera.

If on vacation and need to send photos over the net, use internet available in the hotel [though it it might be costly] or in an internet cafe. Or you can decide to use your cellphone to send photos instantly because at least wi fi there will be less cumbersome. Eye fi cards too go bad and are not too helpful.

Canon IXUS 255 HS: good stylish pocket camera

This is a sleek new model from Canon, costing around Rs. 12 thousand in Delhi as of August 2013.

Among its likable features are-

• 10 x optical zoom
• image stabilisation
• light weight: 125 gram
• HD movie, with dedicated button for video recording
• wi-fi to connect wirelessly to PC or smart devices

As with other cameras from Canon and other brands, it boasts of high image size (12.1 MP), numerous shooting modes and 3" monitor. Its brochure talks of a great number of speed, aperture and ISO variables, which are not of much use in compact cameras.

This model is available in black, silver, pink.

Overall, a good compact / pocket camera, with Canon guarantee of quality. Nothing exceptional, but light-weight and stylish [like the gaudy pink?].

Nikon Coolpix S4200

I found a camera shop boy pushing Nikon Coolpix S4200 to a customer with zest and was provoked to write this review [after a long gap, sorry].
I too posed as a customer and asked for specs. Then I did a bit of search on Nikon website. Here is the review.
People who want an inexpensive but good camera often ask for a range below Rs. 10,000. But in return they might not get what this money should get them. Nikon is a very good camera brand and this camera also boasts of good lens, high zoom and good picture size, but should have  been  priced around Rs. 7000 and not around Rs. 8500 as it costs now.

Good things about it:

Slim body
Touch-screen navigation
Image stabilisationOptical zoom of 6 x.
Image size up to 16 megapixel
Many shooting modes
Can take HD movie
Claimed good battery life; Li-ion battery

Almost useless feature:

Many in-built filter effects

Are Sony cameras the best?

A friend today asked this question and I asked back, why did he think so. His impression of Sony seems to have been made based on high popularity of Sony LCD televisions and also  the sleek designs of Sony pocket cameras.Sony's advts saying that its battery lasts much longer and it uses Carl Zeiss lens also add to customer getting swayed towards their cameras.

But the truth is that all major camera makers have similar quality of lenses and sensors. The overall design and build quality are also nearly similar. What sets a particular model apart is the features that it has, e.g. zoom. Before buying a camera, one should match such features with one's requirement. For example, whether one wants to make prints or keep the photos in digital formats only; whether one needs to shoot distant objects (e.g. wildlife) too often; and so on.