A digital camera that projects? Nikon S1200PJ

Nikon Coolpix S1200PJ is a digital camera with a difference, till all cameras come with a similar feature – projector.

This is a 14 MP camera with 5x zoom. It comes in pink and black colors. At about Rs. 13500 [$ 370] we find it slightly expensive, but if you like to [or if it is your professional requirement] to project photos and videos in up to 4x3 feet sizes on any plain flat surface, it is the camera you’d love to have.

Moreover, the projected image is sharper and brighter as compared to similar projection cameras primarily due to use of three-lamp projection.

These colorful digital cameras: will they become fashion statements?

One noteworthy trend of late is the use of vibrant colors on camera body. So much so that often that the tiny cameras look like fashion accessories. When I asked ladies in my company whether they’d go for the bright colored digital camera if they were to buy a new one, the replies were mixed. 

My impression, so, is that people still want to go for the formal camera colors. Yes, they look professional. When even high-end cameras start coming in bright colors, the overall perception would change and more people would go for colorful pocket cameras.

Fujifilm FinePix SL series cameras

Fujifilm’s FinePix SL series cameras come with a great zoom lens that is reported to get fine pictures even at very high zoom levels.

All these cameras are new and come with high zoom ranging from 24x (SL 240) to 30x (SL 300). Yet they are not too high priced. For example, SL 300 is available in Delhi for around Rs. 18,000 [$360].

These cameras also come with high ISO range going up to 6400, so you can take pics at very dull light conditions too. The CCD for SL 300 is 14.3 megapixel, 1/ 2.3 inch in size.

You can record movies in 1280X720 pixels at 30fps, which is quite good. Moreover, you can use optical zoom in video mode, which is often not available in pocket cameras.

We won’t talk about the numerous shooting modes, picture stabilization and other stuff that is available routinely in this range of cameras. The build quality and shape of the cameras of this series [for that matter, all Fuji cameras] is quite professional.

Overall a very good camera in this price range.

Selectiong a digital camera: similar Nikon, Sony compared

How different it is to make digital camera selection!

For a non-professional camera buyer, the range of compact / pocket cameras available in the market from top brands is so confusing that making a decision becomes quite a burden on the brain. Even if you take a professional photographer with you to the store, he might not be of great help when the specs are so nearly matching, or pros and cons are evenly balanced.

Here we compare the two cameras of the same price bracket [present Delhi price around Rs. 13000]:

Nikon Coolpix L120 and Sony Cybershot DSC-HX7V

The Nikon camera is much heavier [about 400 g] than the Sony [about 200 g].  Both look equally trendy, though Nikon gives a feel of professionalism more than the Sony piece.

Both have many similar specs when it comes to standard settings, aperture, speed, sensitivity, back display, connectivity, dimensions etc.

Both have similar censor sizes and nearly same megapixel counts: Nikon 14.1, Sony 16.2.

The biggest difference is in the zoom: while Nikon comes with an amazing 21x optical zoom, Sony has respectable but lower 10x zoom. This can make a great difference if you go for shoots that require zoom, such as wildlife photography.

Another difference worth mentioning is the video size: Sony can take videos in 1920x1080 size at 60 frames per second, but Nikon’s maximum is 1280x720 at 30 frames per second. Both are decent for a pocket camera but Sony is a clear winner here.

Nikon cameras take heavy duty AA  batteries that can be easily purchased at departmental stores and can be recharged with universal battery chargers. Sony cameras come with their proprietary batteries and these can be charged only with their own chargers. It is also worth remembering that the charge in Sony batteries lasts longer than a pair of AA batteries. 

Now, decide which digital camera  you want out of the two?

Difficult, isn't it. As for me, other considerations being nearly similar, I’d go for the Nikon camera for its built, zoom and use of standard batteries. 

Do not edit photos in camera itself

Many cameras these days come with editing software that claims to edit photos beautifully. We’d quickly advise three things regarding editing:

One. Do not do in-camera editing. If you need to edit photos, use a good editing software. If the camera came with a CD / DVD of an editing software, it would do fair amount of day-to-day editing. Such editing would include cropping, cutting from edges, minor color corrections, red-eye removal [when people show up with red eyes in photos], flipping the photo horizontally or vertically [to correct photos when taken from a tilted camera], turning into black-and-white, etc.

Two. If you need to edit photos for color correction, fine editing of objects in a photo, etc, go for only professional editing software such as Photoshop (very expensive) and Gimp (free for download). Do not edit the photo too much unless you have some sort of expertise on these software.

Three. Save a copy of the original photo before editing it. Editing often plays with the intrinsic quality of the photo, as explained in other posts on this website.