Canon G12 Digital

Cameras have evolved a lot over the past decade or so. The market is now totally dominated by digital cameras and the good old 35mm film cameras are slowly getting extinct. The cameras that you get now days have a lot of features depending on the category that you choose from. Presently there are three types of digital cameras available. They are “Point and shoot cameras”, “Prosumer digital cameras” and DSLRs. Let us take a look at a few good “point and shoot” digital cameras.

Presently the markets are flooded with Point and shoot digital cameras due to their low cost and handy features. They are inexpensive and are extremely easy to use. Here is my list of the top point and shoot digital cameras available.

Canon A1200

When it comes to any type of cameras you can be rest assured you get good value for money with Canon. The Canon A1200 is as good as a point-and-shoot gets. This camera comes with a 12.1 megapixel CCD sensor which is coupled with Canon’s DIGIC 4 processor. This processor is the one used in all of the company’s top-of-the-line compacts and DSLR’s. Picture quality is as good as you can expect from this category and is perfect for novice and casual users looking for a solid camera on a budget.

Panasonic FH25

In all honesty I didn’t expect Panasonic products to make it up in still cameras, video camcorders I would put them right up there but when it comes to still ones I was a bit skeptical. The FH25 is perhaps the best all round point and shoot digital camera you will find. This camera features a 16 megapixel sensor (which is overkill for a Point and shoot), 8x zoom, versatile 28mm wide-angle lens and the ability to capture 720p video! Low light pictures look pretty decent and it sure puts up strong competition for the Canon cameras.

Canon G12

This camera happens to be the successor to the G11 with not too many additional features. The Canon g12 digital camera would be my first choice if I were aspiring to be a photographer on a budget to get a camera. The 10 megapixel sensor of this camera is incredible and gives you amazing shots in low light conditions. The optical viewfinder, the articulated LCD monitor and the built-in neutral-density filter make this a killer camera! Sure this might be on the expensive side but if you can get your hands on it there is nothing out there as good as this one.

Winter is over and with that come the sunny days. Therefore it means you are going to try to get out of the house and enjoy some of your favorite outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking, camping, etc. Some photographers try to keep the bare minimum when going out on these kinds of trips. They usually have very expensive gear in general, so risking to break something or just having the pain to carry all this stuff is usually not very comfortable. The best alternative is to use a point-and-shoot camera like the Canon g12 digital.

• It gives you very good power over your creative ideas. You can manually choose your aperture, your shutter seed and your ISO. This way you don’t have to rely on the mistakes an automatic mode usually makes like metering errors. The meter of a camera analyzes the scene you’re are trying to shoot and indicates you what the right exposure is, but sometimes it messes up and you end up with too dark or too bright photos. Therefore, if you are picky about your shots, you need to take control over all this.
• It is very portable. It might be a little bigger than the other point-and shoot cameras, but it is definitely smaller than a D-SLR. It has a screen in the back that you can easily rotate in any direction to be more comfortable taking pictures. It also allows you to shoot through the viewfinder, which permits you to not be tricked by the outside light reflecting on the screen.
• It has a 10 megapixel sensor that gives you plenty of pixels to print larger or to crop your favorite photos easily.
• It permits you to shoot videos in 720p with a built-in stereo sound system in order to make some films out of your outdoor adventures.

The Canon G12 digital is really one of the best transitions out there between a point-and-shoot camera and a D-SLR. Professional photographers also use it in some situations where they need something more portable because it gives them control over their own creativity.

Happy shooting,
Ben

Know someone who loves photography? Whether they do photography as a hobby, a profession, or just love to look at beautiful photos, there are plenty of gifts out there that you could give to a photog. There are a lot of powerful cameras and accessories available nowadays, which has brought photography into the digital age. Here are my top recommended gifts for that special photog in your life:

Canon G12 digital camera

When it comes to buying a photographer a gift, the first thing you could do is get them a better camera. The different types of cameras available come down to: basic point and shoot digital cameras that are great for on-the-go photography, larger digital cameras with better specs, SLR film cameras, and the all powerful digital SLR cameras. DSLR (digital single lens reflex) cameras are the best ones available and are used by professional photographers, but they are pretty expensive. Point and shoot digital cameras would be the best gift you can give a beginner. If you want to give a digital camera with more features, then the Canon G12 digital camera is your best option. This camera falls between the point and shoots and the DSLRs, and it takes 10 Megapixel photos that are high quality.

Canon memory card

So long as you know what your photog is taking photos with, then you can’t go wrong with getting them another memory card. If you know they prefer to shoot with a Canon camera, then a Canon memory card with a storage capacity of 4 GB or higher would be great. For Olympus digital cameras, many of them use an xD card, which is specific just to Olympus. Digital SLR cameras can usually use a variety of memory card types, but the best is a CompactFlash (CF). When in doubt, pick up an SD memory card, because almost every type of digital camera uses one of these. No matter what type of card you pick up, I’d recommend a space of 4 GB or more.

Camera tripods

Do they already have a camera they love and plenty of memory cards? Then take a look through the variety of camera tripods, because they are a must-have item for every photographer. Tripods are great for close up pictures, photos in dim light or taking a photo with a timer so the photographer can be in the picture as well. If they have a large tripod already, then I recommend a Gorillapod, which is small enough for travel and has legs that will swivel to wrap around almost any object. Or, if they love sports photography, a monopod is great to give them stable action shots while allowing them to quickly change the subject of their photo.

Camera carrying case

Every photographer needs a carrying case for their camera(s) and equipment. For photographers who use a big digital SLR camera, they’d love a camera backpack to make carrying their gear more comfortable and keep it protected at the same time. Check out the camera bag guide on different Lowepro camera bags, which is a great brand for protective bags. The carrying cases that are available nowadays are good enough to absorb considerable amounts of impact and protect your camera from damage.

Other gifts for photogs

If they already have all of the above equipment, don’t worry! There are still plenty of photography-related gifts out there. Give them a digital picture frame to show off all their great photos. Or, give a portable version of that with a digital photo keychain. If they love to look at photos more than take them, then pick up a calendar of photos taken by their favorite photographer.

Guest blogger: Anil