Snap happy holidays

Digital cameras have made it easier to get photos the way you want them, as you can look at images straight away and adjust settings to suit. Picture / Alan Gibson

If you're thinking about buying a digital camera to take on holiday then the best advice is the simplest: go to a friendly, well-stocked camera shop and take your time working through the options to get the one that suits your particular needs.

There are hundreds of cameras out there, offering a range of quality, functions and value for money, and there's bound to be one to suit you.

The first thing you need to decide is what you need your camera for.

If you're an experienced photographer wanting to produce poster-sized wildlife photos then you can't expect to achieve that with a cheap, easy-to-use, point-and-shoot camera.

But if you're a beginner, it would be a waste to spend thousands of dollars on very sophisticated equipment because you won't get full value from all the options. You'll also have the added problem of lugging around heavy, delicate and expensive gear.

You should, however, allow yourself room to develop. When you begin you'll probably be happy to have everything done automatically. But as you come to understand more about photography, you'll want a camera with more manual controls so you can be more creative.

Consider, for instance, what you'll be doing with your pictures. If you only want standard prints to stick in your photo album or for posting on the web, you don't need to spend extra money on millions more pixels. If, however, you have plans to blow them up to poster size then you will need a camera in the 8-megapixel range.

Think, too, about the sorts of photos you want to take. If you hope to get lots of wildlife photos then you'll need a good zoom lens able to capture that elusive native falcon from a good distance away.

Before buying a camera you should also see how it feels in the hand and how easily you can use the controls. Choosing a camera is ultimately a personal thing so, regardless of its gizmos, be sure you're comfortable using it.

LOWER-PRICED

Canon Powershot A520, from $300

This is a great camera for the price with a 4x optical zoom, ranging from 35mm to 140mm, wide-angled enough to shoot landscapes and with enough telephoto power to take a nice portrait or get closer to interesting details in an ancient temple. You can add on more zoom power with an optional lens adaptor.

There's also a manual focus option for greater creative control and Canon's DiG!C processor allows for faster image writing so you don't have to wait too long between shots.

The lens is reasonably fast (f2.6) which means it will allow shooting in poor light without flash. Basically the lower the f-stop the faster the lens and the better it will be in low light.

The camera also allows you to vary exposure for a range of options if you're not sure what's best (of course the great advantage of digital cameras is you can take lots of photos without wasting any film and just dump the ones that don't work out).

Shutter speeds go from 1/2000sec to 15sec with three metering options. Exposure can be set to shutter or aperture priority, and there are four flash modes (auto, on, off and manual).

Most digital cameras use different memory cards to store their pictures which only really matters to you if you want to be able to continue using cards you've bought for an existing camera. This Canon uses a secure digital (SD) or multi-media card (MMD), and images can only be stored as jpeg files. This means the camera can store lots of pictures, but at the expense of some quality.

There is a movie clip option and you can shoot still images continuously at 1.9 frames per second (fps) for eight frames, which will allow you to capture a scene at exactly the right moment.

At 230g it's not the lightest camera but quite small at 91x64x38mm. It's powered by two AA batteries which won't take long to run out of juice.

Nikon Coolpix 7900, from $500

With 7.1 million pixels for only $500, this is top quality at a bargain price and will allow you to get some big prints.

The zoom lens will take you from a not very wide 38mm to 114mm with f2.8 at its widest. The exposure compensation is standard (-2 to +2 1/3 stop steps).

The flash is powerful enough to take pictures of subjects up to 5m away and there are five flash options, giving you more creative control. The exposure metering is sophisticated and manual focus is an option. Movie clips can be shot with sound, but continuous shooting is a lowly 1.7fps.

Storage is on SD card and there is a small internal memory, with jpeg offered as the only file option. The LCD screen is 5cm wide and easy to see in most light conditions.

The power source is a Lithium-Ion battery with charger included, so should be good for a few hundred shots. Very light (185g) and small (88x60x37mm).

Konica Minolta DiMAGE F300, from $600

This camera has five-megapixels and a 38mm-114mm zoom, with a sophisticated autofocus system that allows for tracking when your subject is moving.

The widest aperture available is f2.8 with shutter speeds from 1/1000sec to 4sec plus bulb (15sec). The flash is good up to 9m with six options. Manual focus, aperture and shutter priority will give some control for the more creative photographer. It is capable of making movie clips of up to 20 minutes with audio.

Storage is on SD or MMC card with TIFF (less compression) as well as jpeg. Power comes from four AA NiMH batteries, and a charger is supplied.

MID-PRICED

Canon Powershot G6, from $900

This camera features all the functions you can expect from a compact. It boasts 7-megapixels and Canon's DiGIC processor, a 35mm-140mm zoom and a fast f2.0 lens.

The auto-focus is as good as it gets, and shutter speeds are 1/2000sec to 15sec. The flash will fire for 5m and has five settings. There is also a hot shoe - a plug for an extra flash - so you can add extra flash power if you want.

You can focus and set exposures manually and an infrared remote is included. Movies with audio are possible and continuous shooting is 2fps for up to 14 images.

Image storage is RAW (for ultimate image quality) or jpeg on Compact Flash (I&II). The 5cm LCD screen will pull out and twist for easier viewing, and the Lithium-Ion battery is supplied along with a charger.

This is not a light camera at 476g and is a bit bulky at 105x73x73mm.

Olympus C-7070 wide zoom, from $800

This offers 7.5-megapixels for great image quality. There's a wide zoom from 27mm-110mm and more can be added via the optional adaptor.

The lens is averagely fast at f2.8, but shutter speed is very quick at 1/4000sec (you could shoot sports with this) to a nice and slow 16sec. The flash will fire up to 7m on six settings and more can be added via the hot shoe.

The metering system is very sophisticated for greater creative control. Movies clips are possible and continuous shooting is at 2.3fps.

You can store pictures as RAW, TIFF and jpeg files to the supplied xD picture card or compact flash (I&II). Good battery power is available via the supplied Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery, but the camera weighs in at 480g and is a bulky 116x87x66mm.

Panasonic DMC-LX1, from $820

This is a stellar compact camera that's ultra slim (only 26x106x56mm) and light (220g), but boasts 8.5-megapixels and a Leica lens for outstanding image quality.

The camera will shoot pictures in three shapes (or image ratios): 4:3 (the basic TV screen shape) 3:2 and 16:9 and has an impressive 28-112mm zoom lens (incredible for such a small camera).

Fully-automated functions can be over-ridden for creative control, with very sophisticated exposure systems. The flash will fire up to 4m on seven settings and shutter range is 1/2000sec to an amazing 60sec. Continuous shooting is possible at 3fps (very fast) for five images only, and movies can be captured.

Images are stored as RAW, TIFF or jpeg to an SD or MMC card (this is a small camera). The rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery will go a long way between drinks. This camera is also badged as a Leica for an extra $300 but why pay more?

Sony DSC V3, from $860

Another great compact at the heavier end (390g) and a fairly bulky 120x63mm shape but a slim 42mm wide.

The 7.5-megapixel camera has a useful 34-136mm zoom (that can be added to via an adaptor) and will shoot in two ratios (4:3, 3:2).

Multi-point focusing and a sophisticated exposure system can be toyed with to give more creative control. The lens is an acceptable f2.8 and the shutter range is 1/2000sec to a slow 30sec. The flash will fire up to 5m and can be added to via hot shoe and ACC.

Continuous shooting for is possible for eight images at 2.5fps, and movie clips can be recorded.

This camera will write RAW, TIFF and jpeg files to memory stick, memory stick pro and compact flash, and the InfoLithium (NP-FR1) battery will go for quite some time.

EXPENSIVE

Canon Powershot Pro1, from $1200

Canon produces some of the best cameras in the world and this is one of the top non-SLR cameras you can buy. With 8.5-megapixels (top quality) and a 28-200mm zoom f2.4 lens you should be ready for most things on your travels, from landscapes to wildlife photography (particularly with the optional lens add-on).

The flash fires 5m and can be added to via a hot shoe.

You can choose between the very sophisticated focus and metering systems or go manual if you prefer. The images can be written as RAW or jpeg files to the compact flash card. Movie clips and continuous shooting are available at 2.5fps for up to six images.

This is a heavyweight in all senses (640g), and it measures 118x72x90mm.

Konica Minolta DiMAGE A200, from $1100

Another 8.5-megapixel with a very useful 28-200mm zoom f2.8 lens It has all the bells and whistles, including image stabilisation..

Additional lens options, movies and continuous shooting at 2.3fps make this a very nice camera indeed. Again it writes RAW and jpeg files to Compact Flash card with a rechargeable Lithium-Ion battery for lots of shots.

It's slightly lighter than the Canon at 579g, but is thicker in the body (114x80x115mm).

Nikon Coolpix 8800, from $1270

This is a large camera too (680g, 116x85x121mm). But then you have a 35-350mm zoom f2.8 lens for your safari pictures allied to the 8.5-megapixel capture.

As with the other cameras in this price bracket, you get a lot of sophisticated technology and superb image quality, plus a good degree of manual input if you want it.

This camera writes to Compact Flash in RAW, TIFF and jpeg format, and will do movies and 2.3fps for five images or 1.2 fps for 11 images. Extra lens and flash power can be added.


* Alex Robertson is the Herald associate picture editor.