Cameras and Photo Gadgetry

Point and Shoot Cameras     New this year is a KILLER camera from Canon. If you are not ready for the full blown digital SLR, but want something with more heft and power than a typical point and shoot, try the Canon PowerShot SX20IS. Wow, oh wow, 12 megapixel images and movies in HD! $369.   If you want the pocket-sized camera, I still love the Canon Digital Elph ($149). I own one myself and it’s the best combination of tiny size and good picture. I haven’t seen anything come through my Point and Shoot Camera Basics class that tops this little guy.   When it comes to features, remember that more megapixels are not always better. Unless you’re going to make a billboard, 6 megapixels is plenty. Otherwise you are just buying bigger memory cards, bigger hard drives, and waiting longer to upload. The ridiculous part is that often the camera defaults to a lower megapixel rating so it appears that the card holds more images. So your 12 megapixel camera is actually shooting at 8 or less unless you change this.   Image Stabilization is pretty important on a camera that has more than 3X optical zoon (remember digital zoom is EVIL. It CROPS your pictures. It’s not a zoom at all. Turn it OFF.) Without I.S., a tiny wiggle in your hand (even in just pushing the shutter button) becomes a big movement at the extended end of a zoomed-in lens, causing motion blur.     Digital SLRs   Still, the best is going to be for me, the Canon Digital Rebel XSi ($569). I’m NOT sending you to the pricier 15 megapixel one. The 12 meg one is FINE! Really! The link is for the kit, which I don’t love, as I think the 18mm-55mm lens isn’t enough for what most people will want. Try a 28-135 lens instead.     Photo Gadgets This year when a family member asked for an MP3 player, I discovered this amazing little SanDisk gadget. It plays songs, as well as lets you view photos AND videos. Since our cameras all do little videos now, this is the perfect thing to slip in your purse or pocket. Who needs wallet photos anymore? Just load up your updated pictures into this! And best of all? Only $49.   I freely admit to being a Canon girl. Among the entry-level digital single-lens-reflex cameras, I find them the easiest to use. Nikon buries the menus and makes it difficult to make simple setting changes. But if you love Nikon, definitely the D-series are a good choice ($464 for the D3000).

Private Lessons and Classes

Fancy cameras are no good if you don’t know how to use them! Most people don’t realize that a digital point and shoot camera used in the “automatic ” setting will take WORSE pictures than a point and shoot.   For gift certificates for private lessons bought between now and Christmas, buy one hour of lessons for $65 and we’ll double it for a two-hour session.   Just call or email me and I’ll get you a cute little gift certificate.    This year I got to do so many fun lessons. Dad brought the kids to the park while Mom learned how to photograph them. We set up a little space by a window in another mom’s home where she could take portraits of her baby. I got to teach a jewelry maker how to photograph her work and a knitter how to get images up on Etsy of her products. And boy, did I do a lot of Photoshop lessons. Seems everybody wants to touch up their pictures.   Gift certificates for private lessons are good for a year.   OR! Take one of my classes at UT! I will be teaching both my beginner Point and Shoot Camera Basics and my intermediate Photography Walking Tour of UT (for both Digital SLR and P&S cameras) in March. Search for photography classes at UT Informal Classes. If you want a more in-depth series of classes, look for my friend Carlos Austin’s courses for beginning digital SLR users.

For the kids

The girls’ book on how to make balloon animals is going great! It made it all the way up to #26 for Kid Crafts on Amazon last week. We were thrilled!   Since so many people asked where to get pumps and balloons, we found a company that provides supplies to professional balloon twisters and made a little kit of the book, a pump, and 20 balloons. It’s on special through Christmas for $16.95 and use the code shipfree09 and you won’t pay shipping either!   If you would like the book signed by the little authors, you can let them know the inscription in the shipping instructions.   Check it out at Casey Shay Press.

]]> http://deannaroy.com/2009/12/2009-digital-camera-and-gadget-buying-guide/feed/ 0 http://deannaroy.com/2008/03/reflections-tour/ http://deannaroy.com/2008/03/reflections-tour/#comments Fri, 07 Mar 2008 04:51:26 +0000 Deanna http://www.deannaroy.com/?p=214 My most recent Reflections Tour was so fun! Perfect weather and my students were awesome. We started ad-libbing it and walked through the Warehouse District after shooting the cityscapes on Town Lake. I can’t wait to do it again!

To celebrate I bought myself a toy I’ve wanted since last summer–the Canon Elph, a digital camera extraordinaire–7 megapixels, super high quality video capacity, pictures like I only see coming out of my $5K professional setup, and it fits in my back pocket!!! I am so excited. One of the students in my class had one and all the images we took–the window silhouette, an orange rose we pilfered from a horticulture class during the break, and even throwaway shots testing focus range were all breathtaking.

Another professional photographer friend had highly recommended it many months ago–back then it was over $500. Now I picked it up–the newest incarnation no less–for $350.

Oh, the happy camera dance commences!

And the end of this class signals my slowdown in everything. Back to a normal 10-hour work week, a regular schedule, time to play.

Whew. Thanks for all of you out there who were great about listening to me complain.

(more happy new camera dancing!!!)