Friends (and others) look at my shiny Canon S1 iS with its many buttons and impressive-looking LensMate adapter, and sigh, "I should get a digital camera. What should I buy?"
Step 1: 3-and-3
3-and-3, I reply. For the ordinary photographer, the basic specs to look for are:
* 3 megapixels resolution.
* 3x optical zoom.
"Three and three," they remind themselves, wandering off. I'm sure they forget: One friend, in buying a camera, became obsessed over the lens quality after being spooked effectively by the salesman.
3-and-3 narrows down the bewildering array of choices facing you at the digital camera counter.
Step 2: AA and CF/SD
From the remaining list, eliminate camera models that share these unpleasant characteristics:
* Eliminate cameras that use proprietary batteries, which cost w-a-a-y too much to replace when they begin to wear out 18-24 months later. Buy only a camera that uses AA batteries, even if it takes four of them. Another set of 4 rechargable AAs is $20 (here in Canada), as opposed to $120 for another of Canon's proprietary batteries (or $80, if you buy the Optex equivalent).
* Eliminate cameras that require memoy cards other than CompactFlash (CF) or SecureDigital (SD). Any other format is too slow (MMC), too expensive (MemoryStick), lacks capacity (xD), or isn't in common use (μcard). That pretty much eliminates Sony cameras, because they use MemorySticks; some cameras have dual slots, meaning they can take two different formats of memory card. For the greatest memory capacity at lowest card cost, pick cameras that take CompactFlash Type I and Type II memory cards.
Step 3: Personal Preference
The final step is to insert your personal preferences into the decision making process:
* User Interface. The menus and other information on the back of the camera varies greatly by vendor and model. I love the look of the menus on the S1, but can't stand the rotating icons-only interface on my daughter's Pentax.
* Size. You might want a small camera that fits a small pocket. I find that even "large" cameras like the S1 and G series are not too big for my man-size jacket pockets.
* Looks. One camera is going to look nicer to you than another. I don't mind plain looking cameras, like the G1, but I can't stand ugly plain ones, like the latest ones from HP (announced today). The S1 almost looks too nice.
* Other Features. All of the above may be moot to you, if the camera lacks features you find absolutely crucial. Some friends are wild about the digital SLRs and their interchangeable lenses that cost more than the camera itself. Makes no sense to me: with a 10x zoom included in the price of the S1, what other lens do I need? None.
In buying the S1 (my third digital camera), the crucial features were:
- Rotating, flipable viewfinder (how can people use LCDs embedded in the camera body?).
- CompactFlash Type II slot (so I could reuse the memory cards from the older cameras).
- 10x zoom (3x just doesn't do it for me).
- DV-quality movies (320x240 is too grainy).
- Reasonable price (under $1000).
That narrows the market down to just one camera, the Canon PowerShot S1 iS.
I was disappointed, however, that the S1 uses AA batteries, so I couldn't use the BP-511 battery packs from my (now unusable) G1 and Canon camcorder. OTOH, new batteries are 4x cheaper, so it was just as well.
Or reuse the G1's LensMate adapter (the S1 uses a bayonet mount, instead of the G1's screw mount).
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