Whimsical Photo & Design Blog » Camera Recommendations | Seattle ...

by Susan

So I feel kind of bad writing this post. I pride myself on communication with my friends, family and clients - always personal communication. But for some reason my e-mail inbox (both my e-mail and facebook) went crazy this past weekend! I had 27 requests for camera recommendations for holiday gifts. I would absolutely love to e-mail each and every person back, but writing a personalize e-mail for each of those 27 people would take me at least 2 days. So I thought to myself, “Hmm… let’s make good use of the blog and I’ll share some of my thoughts. That way everyone can benefit!”

For the record as I get started… I shoot using the Nikon system. My camera is a Nikon D3 and I have an full variety of lenses that I use - approximately 9 different ones. My bais, especially for the higher end DSLR cameras does lean towards Nikon, simply because I’m familiar and I really feel like the system is more intuitive.

So with a little help from the newest issue of Consumer Reports, Shutterbug Magazine, and Popular Photography, here is my list of recommendations.

Point-and-Shoot Point-and-shoot cameras are the most popular out there, because essentially, the user just “points and shoots.” Pretty self-explanatory there. Pros of these types of cameras: Small and lightweight, easy to put into a pocket, easy to use with little to no photographic knowledge needed, take pretty dang good pictures. Cons of these types of cameras: Limited photographic abilities, takes poor action and night shots, delay in pressing the shutter and the camera actually taking the picture, sensor is smaller and therefore blowing up pictures can be difficult.

My picks: I like the Canon PowerShot series in this particular catagory. I think the image quality is great for these little point and shoots and the price is reasonable. There is one Nikon I think is great as well. This is the first step into the Digital SLR category. The pros to these types of cameras are: More control over exposures, fully manual modes, the ability to pick and choose different lenses, and better image quality. The cons are: Heavier and bulkier to lug around, more expensive, have to purchase lenses, can be more difficult to use.

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