Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Sony HX-100V: will you buy it?

Sony Cybershot HX-100V is a superzoom camera, with 30x optical zoom. It is often branded as a semi-DSLR with its zoom, goo quality video and other features.

However, at the price of Rs. 21,000, I won't recommend it. It is neither here nor there. If you are into professional photography, why go for 1/2.3 sized mini sensor? You are not going to get as good results as from an entry-level SLR. If you are a hobby photographer, why spend this much amount?

super-zoom-digital-camera

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Canon PowerShot SX150 - a super affordable superzoom

Canon PowerShot SX150 IS

This camera is a superzoom pocket camera that scores great in most compartments:
Zoom – 12x
Video – HD [720 pixels, at 30 frames per second Zoom available in video mode too
Very sharp images
Sturdy make with professional looks
Many pre-set modes as in the case of most Canon cameras
Large display screen
Image stabilization: reduces shakes
14 megapixel CCD sensor
The best aspect of this camera is its price. You can get it at below Rs. 7500 ($150)in Delhi.

But it has some problems too, and of course such problems occur in many other pocket cameras:
Noisy images at high ISO levels: the noise is prominent even at 400 ISO
Performs poorly in dim light conditions
Heavy, large in size


In all, it is a camera for people who’re going to use it for outdoor photography. At this price, you are not likely to get 12x optical zoom, that too in a Canon camera.  

digital camera from canon
Add caption

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Canon PowerShot ELPH 300 HS: fine camera

This excellent featured camera comes in the range of around Rs. 11000-11500 in Delhi.
A good pocket camera by all means if you want a good and yet very small sized camera.
Specifications:
very thin design
12 mp
optical zoom 5x
shooting speed good
1080 HD video
ISO 100-3200
shutter speed 15 – 1/2000 sec
wide aperture 2.7
red eye removal
dedicated movie button
comes in black, red, silver colours
good low light performance  
canon-powershot

Bargain digital camra prices in New Delhi

As on today, the following cameras are available at bargain rates in Delhi. Bargain with the dealer to get these or lower rates and don't pay any higher:


Olympus VG 150 --Rs. 4300
Nikon Coolpix L26 --Rs. 5300
Canon Powershot A810 --Rs. 5500
Sony Cybershot W630 --Rs. 8200
Nikon  Coolpix S6200 --Rs. 9000
Fuji Finepix 2980 --Rs. 9500

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Pocket camera buyers, check your digicam IQ

If you are a pocket camera buyer, you will find it interesting and helpful to check your digital camera IQ. Just answer these 20 questions, check with the correct answers given at the end, give yourself 5 marks for each correct answer and see the score for yourself. When you think a statement is not fully correct, take it as 'false'. A score of more than 50 is good, more than 75 excellent.

digital camera questions


1. I have a pocket camera of 4 megapixels. It is not enough for amateur shooting during picnics etc, and I should buy one of  at least 10 mp as the new technology demands cameras with higher mp's. [True/false?]
2. My pocket camera has ISO range of 100 to 1600. It also has shutter speed of up to 1/800 second. It is definitely better than my friend's camera with ISO up to 800 and shutter speed up to 1/400 seconds.  [True/false?]
3. I should buy the first camera out of the two with the same price:
A. 4 mp; zoom 3x optical; CMOS sensor; good battery life; in-camera red-eye removal 
B. 5 mp; zoom 4x digital; CCD sensor; in-camera editing tools; very small size  [True/false?]
4. My mobile phone camera is 8mp, no zoom, with no flash. I should spend money on a pocket camera even  if  my pocket allows me to buy a digicam of only 5mp, 3x zoom, inbuilt flash. I use camera for routine shooting of my children, social events, picnics, etc.  [True/false?]
5. A12 mp camera that came with my friend's mobile phone he bought last year [=2011] is no better than my 5 mp pocket camera that I bought 4 years back as my camera has better lens, some zoom, more controls. [True/false?]
6. A pocket camera with shutter speed of 1/3200 will shoot excellent shots in low light. [True/false?]
7. A pocket camera if used properly can give excellent shots at day time but has severe limitations in poor light. [True/false?]
8. A pocket camera's sensor is smaller than that in a digital SLR. [True/false?]
9. In most conditions, if used professionally and with manual controls, a good pocket camera will give as good quality photos as a DSLR or a reel camera. [True/false?]
10.Other things being equal, a light weight camera is better to handle than a heavy camera.
 [True/false?]
11. The quality of picture taken from a digital camera depends more on lens quality, stability, composition of shot, light and sensor quality much more than megapixels, available zoom, editing software that comes with it, and numerous customised modes given in the camera. [True/false?]
12. Some cameras produce 'red eye' when the subject is standing directly under the sun. [True/false?]
13. Photos taken by my cameras in low light often have shakes. The defect is with the camera's image-stabilisation mechanism. [True/false?]
14. Pocket cameras are not meant to be used with tripods. The results are no better. [True/false?]
15. Pocket cameras give you all the freedom to just keep shooting, but you must prepare yourself well with right exposure, light, composition etc. You cannot edit a poor photograph to perfection with Photoshop later on. [True/false?]
16. Digital camcorders have more zoom, bigger lenses and better optics. The shots taken by them are therefore better than digital still cameras. If I intend to buy a mid-range camcorder, I need not go for a still camera. [True/false?]
17. A 5mp camera can take a shot of 2mp too. The mp specification tells you the maximum size of photos that can be taken with that camera.[True/false?]
18. Photos taken with pocket cameras, when copy-pasted into a computer, will give poor quality images. [True/false?]
19. We can use ordinay cells into a digital camera. It is a marketing trick of camera makers to advise that we use only rechargeable or heavy-duty cells. [True/false?]
20. All pocket cameras are the same. It is the person behind the camera what matters. [True/false?]

Correct answers:

1 F
2 F
3 T
4 T
5 T
6 F
7 T
8 T
9 F
10 F
11 T
12 F
13 F
14 F
15 T
16 F
17 T
18 F
19 F
20 F


Friday, August 3, 2012

Automatic and fill flash settings for pocket digital cameras

Pocket digital cameras have a built in flash that cannot be taken out like that in professional cameras nor can an external flash be used. The flash itself is not too strong. So, it has many limitations. We have talked and will talk about these aspects elsewhere. Right now, let’s discuss the difference between automatic and fill flash in pocket cameras. 


Many people using digital cameras ignore the subtle difference between these two and spoil their photographs in terms of light and details.


Automatic flash is the setting in which the flash bursts when the available light is low. When the camera sensor finds that the available light is not sufficient, it first adjusts shutter speed, aperture and ISO sensitivity. If it still does not get enough light, it orders the ‘automatic’ flash to burst. So, if the available light is good, this flash does not come on.


On the other hand, ‘fill flash’ bursts irrespective of available light. How does this small knowledge help? Well, it gives you the opportunity to use flash in good light conditions, and it really adds to the lighting of the main object in outdoor situations. Suppose you want to take a photo of a child in a park. The ambient light will usually be quite good but the child’s face would quite possibly not have enough light to give fine details. Use fill flash and you have a pleasant face full of expressions and glowing skin color. Another example. When you take people’s photos outdoors, your camera would calculate the incoming light either of the middle of the shot or the entire shot [based on your settings]; in both these cases, the faces are likely to be dimly lit. Fill flash would remove this problem. Fill flash is also great when your main object is back-lit [light source in front of camera]. It also helps in getting contrast in very dull and diffused ambient light conditions [e.g. a cloudy day].