Digital Camera Buying Guide for Christmas 07

It's that time of year again and I'm pleased to share with you our tips for which cameras are the best buys this Christmas.

Sub-$200

Not long ago, these cameras would have been in the sub-$400 range, but times move on and you get the benefit. At the budget end of the scale there are two contenders:

• Canon PowerShot A460
  • 5.0 Megapixel
  • Canon 4x optical zoom lens
  • Super fast DiG!C II Imaging Processor
  • 2.0��� LCD Screen
  • Movie recording and playback
  • Print/Share* button allows easy ������ne push��� printing and downloading of images
    
• Nikon COOLPIX L10
  • 5.0 megapixel resolution
  • 3x optical zoom (37.5-112.5mm equiv.)
  • 2.0-inch (5.2cm) LCD screen
  • Uses AA batteries

Sub-$400

Lower-mid-range offers cameras with a bit more oomph! Face detection and basic/digital image stabilisation starts to appear. Our choices in this range are:

• Olympus FE-280 (available in black, silver or red)
  • 8 megapixel
  • Face detection
  • 3x optical zoom
  • Shakeproof anti-blur
    
• Canon IXUS 75 - the Canon classic
  • 7.1 megapixel resolution
  • 3x optical zoom (35-105mm equiv.)
  • Face Detection AF/AE/FE
  • 3.0��� PureColor LCD screen
  • Rechargeable battery (supplied)

Sub-$600

Amongst the cameras in the mid-range you should expect more manual control for when you might want to take your photography a bit further (including underwater!). Extended optical zoom and image stabilisation are also regular features. Our choices:

• Canon PowerShot A650IS
  • 12.1 megapixels
  • 6x optical zoom
  • Face detection
  • Vari-angle LCD screen
    
• Olympus mju 790
  • Waterproof, shockproof and snow proof
  • Anti-blur
  • Face detection
  • 3 cool colours to choose from

Sub-$1000

Digital SLR cameras start to appear within the sub-$1000 range, but you should carefully consider what your looking for in a digital camera before taking this big step up in cost and complexity. If you're looking at digital SLR cameras, a basic rule of thumb is to allow approximately 20% of your budget for accessories, including memory card (no memory is supplied with SLRs), spare battery, bag, etc. Our choices:

• Canon PowerShot G9 - compact with manual controls
  • 12.1 Megapixels.
  • 6x optical zoom lens with Optical Image Stabilizer.
  • Huge 3.0" Pure Colour LCD
  • Full manual controls
  • Raw image recording
    
• Pentax K100D Super digital SLR - budget SLR
  • 6.1 Mega Pixel
  • 2.5" Low Reflection TFT Colour LCD, 232,000 pixels
  • CCD Image Sensor Shift
  • CCD Dust Removal System
  • Shake Reduction

Sub-$1500

This range brings us up into the digital SLR range properly. As above, remember to allow up to 20% of your budget for accessories. Our choices:

• Canon EOS 400D
  • 10.1 megapixel
  • 2.5-inch LCD screen
  • 3 frames-per-second
  • 510 grams
    
• Nikon D40X
  • 10.2 megapixel
  • 2.5-inch LCD screen
  • 3 frames-per-second
  • 495 grams

$1500+

Any camera within this price range is worthy of consideration. Our first choice in this section is actually cheaper than the category suggests, but functionally it is more aligned to this price point.

• Pentax K10D
  • 10.2 Megapixel resolution
  • 6.2cm (2.5-inch) LCD
  • Built in Shake Reduction (SR) system for crystal clear shots from any lens
  • Built-in Dust Removal (DR) system keeps the sensor dust free
    
• Canon EOS 40D
  • 10.1 megapixel
  • 6.5 frames per second
  • 3-inch LCD screen
    
• Nikon D300
  • 12.3 megapixel
  • 51-point autofocus (AF) system
  • Up to 8 frames-per-second
  • 3-inch high-resolution LCD screen