Digital Cameras Around $600

Evaluation of Digital Cameras around $600

• Introduction

The world of digital imaging has grown by leaps and bounds over the past couple of years. Five years ago, $600 would barely buy you a digital camera (we paid around $750 for a 3 megapixel Sony camera in 2000--a 3 megapixel camera today is around $100--or even less).  The good news is that today, $600 will buy you one heckuva nice camera, as you'll see.

• What Type of Camera Do I Need?

So what do you need to know about digital cameras? There are really two basic things: the resolution (measured in millions of dots, or megapixels), and the type of camera (point-and-shoot or digital single lens reflex, or DSLR). Both types of cameras mirror their counterparts in the analog (film) world--the big advantage of DSLRs is that you can generally change lenses, and the overall quality of DSLR cameras is better, as they appeal to professional and so-called "ProAm" (professional amateur) markets. In general, unless you have a specific need for an DSLR, such as if you're a hobbyist or know quite a bit about photography, and point-and-shoot camera is just fine. There is also a major price advantage in going with a point-and-shoot over an DSLR; you get more "bang for your buck" with a point-and-shoot camera. For example, a 6 megapixel DSLR costs $700-$1000 (not including lenses!), whereas a 6 megapixel point-and-shoot camera costs in the $300-$400 range.

• Megapixels!

The first, most important feature of any digital camera is the megapixel rating. As mentioned previously, each megapixel equals a million dots, or pixels, and generally speaking, the more megapixels, the better. There is an analog between the number of megapixels in a digital camera and the film speed in an analog camera--100 ASA film is roughly equivalent to 25 megapixels, so film cameras still provide much clearer images--under certain circumstances. If you are mostly printing small images (say 8x10 or smaller), any digital camera over 4 megapixels or so will yield satisfactory prints. What the higher quantity of pixels buys you is the ability to zoom and crop in on certain portions of a picture and still print a decent-looking image. It also goes without saying that if you decide to print even larger pictures--like 11x17--you'll definitely want a high megapixel camera (8 or better, if possible). What happens when you try to print too large of an image with too few pixels is that the image gets very blurry--it's called pixelation--and generally just looks awful.As a general rule-of-thumb, given today's price-performance ratios, that a minimum of 6 megapixels should be acceptable for most consumer applications, although going as low as 4 megapixels is fine for taking snapshots.

• Other Features to Consider

Besides megapixels, there are a few other features to consider in a digital camera:

1. Red-eye reduction: the camera's ability to "pre-flash" before taking the actual exposure, which reduces the red-eye effect when using the flash in dark environments


2. Exposure programs: most cameras have the ability to switch to different programs for different uses--sports, for example, is used when taking pictures of fast-moving subjects


3. Setup and recycle time: older digital cameras suffered from a lengthy setup and recycle time. This means that the time between turning the camera on and taking the first picture (setup time) was as much as 5-10 seconds, and the recycle time (time between taking pictures) was also very long--as much as 2-3 seconds. This effectively prevented any sort of spontaneous photos! Newer cameras generally have setup times less than 2 seconds and recycle times less than a second, but it doesn't hurt to check it out.


4. Storage medium: all digital cameras have re-usable, removable storage media (sometimes called 'digital film') that allow you to store images on a card-like device. When the card fills up, you can insert a blank one and keep shooting. You can also insert the cards directly into a computer and some printers in order to transfer the images over (for making prints and saving the images). The main differential between camera brands in this area is the type of card they use--there are three main formats: memory stick (Sony), secure digital (also known as SD or xD) (multiple vendors) and compact flash (known as CF--also used by multiple vendors). Of the three, memory sticks are the most expensive, due to the fact that Sony exclusively owns the rights to them. SD cards are the smallest, and CF cards are the cheapest. I prefer either memory stick or SD.


5. Storage capacity: when buying memory cards, buy the biggest one you can afford, and be sure to factor in the cost of the card into your budget. Keep in mind that the higher the number of megapixels your camera has, the bigger the images will be (in bytes, which is how images are stored), and therefore the less pictures you'll be able to store on a card. A general rule-of-thumb is to estimate 2 megabytes per image (some will be smaller, some will be bigger), and divide the size of the card by 2 to get an estimate of the number of pictures you can store on it. Bear in mind that digital cameras have one HUGE advantage: you can delete bad pictures right after you take them, freeing up that space on the memory card. So the number of pictures you calculate will be 'good' pictures. For example, a 512 megabyte memory card will store around 256 good photos--more than enough for most vacations, although you might want to spring for a 1 gigabyte (1000 megabyte) just to be safe. At the time of this writing, a 1 gigabyte card will cost between $50 and $100, so it's not a huge investment (in the grand scheme of things).


6. Brand: just as with film cameras, certain brands are better than others in digital. As a general rule, companies that made good film cameras also make good digital cameras. My favorite brands are Sony, Nikon, Canon, and Minolta. I would recommend you stay away from Kodak, and use caution with some Olympus cameras.


7. Batteries: some digital cameras have proprietary rechargeable batteries; others have rechargable standard batteries (like AAs), and yet others take regular alkaline batteries. In general, alkaline batteries last longer than rechargeable batteries, and they're readily available if the camera runs out of juice. Rechargeables are generally more environmentally friendly and are probably more economical over the long term. In the end, it's up to the buyer's preference, but take into account how you're going to use the camera (e.g. how accessable power outlets will be when the camera runs out of juice!)


8. Zoom: there are two types of zoom on most digital cameras: optical and digital. Optical is best--it involves a real glass lens doing the zooming. Digital zoom uses the extra megapixel resolution in the camera to zoom in--which means that you're giving up overall image quality whenever the digital zoom kicks in. The disadvantage of optical zoom is that the lens needs to be extended in order to zoom--so cameras with a lot of optical zoom tend to be larger, whereas digital zoom takes no room at all. In general, optical zoom of at least '10x' (that means 10 times normal) or greater is good, and try to get to most optical zoom possible in the size and weight that you desire in a camera.


9. Movies: many digital cameras today also have the ability to take moving images, or movies. The quality of the movies these cameras take are vastly inferior to even the cheapest camcorders, so don't consider them a replacement for a conventional camcorder. That said, the ability to take movies is a nice feature, as there are many times when a camcorder isn't available, and it's great to be able to take movies. Another advantage of these types of movies is that when you transfer them to the camera, they're already in digital form, and as such they're easy to email.


10. Interface: the method that the camera uses to connect to a PC. Most cameras use USB, which is virtually ubiquitous on PCs and Macs,  but be aware that there are two versions of USB: 1.x and 2.x. USB 2.x is far faster than 1.x, although computers older than 2003 or so are probably only USB 1.x. Cameras that support USB 2.x will work on older USB 1.x computers--they'll just transfer photos much slower. If possible, buy a camera with a USB 2.x interface (most are nowadays, but it doesn't hurt to double-check).


11. AV output: allows you to connect the camera to an external TV for viewing pictures and movies. A nice feature, especially on vacations when you want to show the whole family the pictures you've taken.

• Recommended Cameras

All of the cameras below are in the $500 range; add a decent memory card and some accessories, and you're right in the $600 range.

• Point-and-Shoot


• Nikon Coolpix P1, about $550: 8 megapixel, 3.5x optical/4x digital (14x total) zoom, automatic and manual modes, red eye reduction, movie mode, built-in "WiFi" allows camera to connect to wireless networks and transfer photos (really nice feature!), very fast recycle time, xD memory cards, movie mode, 6 oz weight, AV outputs, USB interface (didn't specify which version, but probably 2.x)


• Canon Powershot S80, about $550: 8 megapixel, 3.6x optical/4x digital (14x total) zoom, many exposure modes, red eye reduction, movie mode, xD memory cards, USB 2.0, 7.9 oz weight, AV output, nice small form factor.


• Sony DSC-N1, about $500: 8.1 megapixel, 3x optical/6x digital (18x total) zoom, many exposure modes, red eye reduction, movie mode, memory stick storage, USB 2.0, 5.5 oz weight, rechargeable proprietary batteries, AV output.


• DSLRs


• There are no DSLRs that fall into this price range; they start around $800 and go up from there.

• Summary and recommendations

I really like the features of the Nikon Coolpix P1 and the Canon Powershot S80; they're very similar in basic features, although the Nikon is lighter and has the WiFi feature. You also can't go wrong with the Sony; all three are strong cameras that will do a nice job. I'd highly recommend that you go into Best Buy to try them all out before you buy, to make sure that you like the feel of the camera and the controls, etc. Good luck!