Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Shiv Aroor
If anyone tells you that digital cameras are a cop-out, a toy for those who believe that instant gratification is only for the new-born, listen it out and then go out and buy one. The most common ones I8217;ve heard are about the romance of developing your own film, and the rich matted texture of real paper photographs. True enough, but I8217;d sooner ask any smarmy old-school type if he really developed his own photos or embarrassedly used the drop box at the Kodak around the corner. The truth is digital cameras are fascinating pieces of equipment in every sense. You can make actual prints Kodak and Fuji have a fast expanding service in the country now, make little movies, take hundreds of photos without the bother of camera film. Of course, if you8217;re thinking of getting one, chances are you8217;ll be up against and sometimes inscrutable matrix of numbers of models. We here at The Sunday Express recommend, very highly, that if you8217;re planning to get a digicam at all, buy a 5.1 megapixel camera. These are the mid-rung cameras between the pipsqueak two and 3.2 megapixel models and the formidable seven and eight megapixel ones. In every sense, it8217;s the best of both worlds, since they also have 8216;dumb-ass8217; auto setting modes for every scene. And before you buy, here8217;s a quick look at the best four in the market right now.
HP Photosmart R707
Rs 12,999
The newest entrant on the scene, a maverick playing the price game and causing a serious stir. The Photosmart R707 is a new age camera that breaks away from the past. Sadly, this is true only for the way it looks. HP8217;s proprietary adaptive lighting technology sounds fascinating, and it works too, but its not much more intelligent than the slow-buzz auto modes on some of the other cameras here. Shooting at night, however, is a joy with the R707. It8217;s got the world8217;s first in-camera red-eye removal, controls that allow you to edit photos on the camera itself. Pictbridge compatible and with a 3x zoom, the R707 uses Secure Digital and MMC media to store photos or movies. Its amazingly low-priced, is flying off shelves. But if you8217;ve got your heart set on this one, remember, you pay more for more.
Nikon Coolpix 5400
Rs 24,000
A fascinating mix of faux-pro design and rigorous performance, the 5400 takes home today8217;s prize. With its black fibre hand grip, an absolute smorgasbord of shooting modes including night landscape and software panorama assistant, the 5400 works on compact Flash memory, not as ubiquitous as Sony8217;s Memory Stick, but it does the job. Its Nikkor ED lens allows for an impressive 4x optical zoom, and its cool flip open screen is quite nifty until you realise how small it is. A full movie capability that shoots Apply quicktime movies is useful, and you8217;ll find that the rotating screen allows you to take pictures of yourself without a hitch. Its more complicated than the other cameras here, but once you8217;ve got it all figured out, you8217;ll know you have the best 5.1mp camera around. Don8217;t think twice.
Sony Cyber-shot W5
Rs 18,990
The first thing that strikes you about the W5 is its generous 2.5-inch screen, spare controls panel and old-school build. One of the more compact 5.1mp cameras and weighing just under seven ounces, the W5 has an all precious slot for a Sony memory stick, and can record movies from low-res video mile to semi-rich MPEG motion picture at 30 frames per second. I found minor problems with the autofocus at night 8211; the camera had trouble deciding on a primary light source. However, with its slow-synchro flash, it works just fine. Armed with a Carl Zeiss lens with 3x optical zoom, and PictBridge compatibility where you get to print directly to a printer, the W5 is a camera you8217;d buy without thinking too much. Its anodised aluminium body like the specimen Sony shipped for this test is a bit touristy, though. Good price, but there are others out there. Also, check out the more pricey, but infinitely lovelier Sony T3 and delectably thin T7.
Canon Powershot A95
Rs 25,995
More pricey than the others around here, but a robust, impressive little camera that takes the fun out of manual labour. Apart from its bread and butter intelligent auto mode that creates settings according to what8217;s showing through the aperture, it has seven preset image zones to help the camera 8216;decide8217; its settings, eight image modes, even a nifty little sensor that organises your pictures correctly if you take them vertically or horizontally. Personally, I found the settings a bit of a bother to get used to, but once I had, the A95 is a camera you can see yourself using for a long time. Its got a familiar rigidness Canons usually exude, and with its familiar flip open LCD screen and 3x optical zoom, the A95 runs on CompactFlash cards and is supported by pretty good after-sales support in the country 8211; even a toll-free number. Priced steep, but a good, reliable camera. Also check out the Panasonic Lumx LC80, the Casio Exilim Z55 and the Kodak Easyshare LS-series.And happy clicking!
