PROSUMER DIGITAL CAMERAS
Sony Cybershot DSC-F828
There are differences, however, which is why my favorite prosumer camera is the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-828. Why? For me, it's the lens. Sony uses a Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar lens with T* coating, which translates into an extremely sharp picture under even the most demanding conditions. Sony's cameras are known for their fine lenses, and this one sets a new standard of quality. (It's a 7X zoom, the equivalent of a 28 200mm traditional zoom.) Performance-wise, you get an 8 megapixel sensor, so you know you'll get high-resolution pictures, even when you blow them up or crop them. In fact, if you're thinking of creating poster-sized prints, it's hard to recommend anything less than an 8 megapixel photo. I also like the color this camera delivers. That's because of Sony's unique four-color filter CCD. That extra color (RGB + Emerald) produces photo colors that are closer to human color perception, especially with blue, blue-green, and red hues. And here's something else neat about this camera: It can shoot in the dark. Sony's NightShot system captures infrared images in total darkness, up to 10 feet away. I dare you to find another consumer-level camera that does that! What else do you get on this puppy? Well, a Real Imaging Processor delivers increased speed with lower power consumption; you also get the ability to shoot in automatic, aperture priority, shutter priority, or manual mode; manual zoom and manual focus rings; the expected eye-level electronic viewfinder and 1.8'' LCD monitor; the ability to save in JPEG, TIFF, or RAW format; and the ability to write to Memory Stick, Memory Stick PRO, CompactFlash I and II, or IBM Microdrive media. All these features add up, however; this is a big camera, weighing in at a hefty two pounds. So, buy yourself a strong strap!
Nikon Coolpix 8800Nikon ups the ante with this 8-megapixel camera with a 10X zoom lens just a tinch longer than competitors. This is a nice, solid-feeling camera, thanks to the magnesium alloy body and a sturdy construction. I particularly like the 1.8'' LCD on a snap-out, tilting connector; this lets you shoot at just about any angle. A special noise reduction mode minimizes digital artifacts in long nighttime exposures. You can save to RAW or JPEG format and to CompactFlash or Microdrive media.
Konica Minolta DiMAGE A2Minolta's DiMAGE A2 has two unique things going for it. First, its proprietary anti-shake technology results in better stability, especially when using the zoom. Second, a tiltable LCD monitor (up by 90° or down by 20°) provides positioning flexibility. Beyond those features, the DiMAGE A2 has the expected 8-megapixel resolution, the expected 7X zoom lens (28 200mm), and all the other expected bells and whistles. It's a solid performer, no matter how you look at it.
Canon Powershot Pro 1Canon's offering in the prosumer camera market comes in a professional black finish and features a large 2'' LCD monitor. You get 8-megapixel resolution (of course) and a 7X zoom lens. The Pro 1 features 12 EOS-based shooting modes Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, and so on. There's also an enhanced Super Macro mode for really close-up photography. And, like other Canon cameras, you get a Direct Print mode for one-button printing to select Canon printers, as well as one-touch file transfer to your Windows PC.
Olympus Camedia C-8080 Wide ZoomI've always like Olympus's digital cameras, especially their zoom lenses. The C-8080 Wide Zoom has a 5X wide-angle zoom (28 40mm) which, while good, isn't quite as long as some of the other prosumer cameras. That aside, this is a very fast camera, thanks to the TruePic TURBO image processor. This technology decreases the camera's start-up and camera lag time and lets you shoot 1.6 frames per second. You can save your pictures in JPEG or TIFF formats and to xD or CompactFlash cards.
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