Anyone shopping for a digital camera these days, is absolutely entitled to being overwhelmed, confused and bewildered. There is such a wide range of cameras, manufacturers, and features available, it's insane. It's almost enough to make one hearken back to the days of the Model T, when Henry Ford offered his customers any color of car they wanted, as long as it was black. Well, I'm about to make things much simpler for you. Let's take a look at arguably the best camera manufacturer today - Canon, and three of their best cameras. Don't worry, these aren't just the most expensive models. They range in price from $200 up to $1500, with one priced right in between.
Canon is the most prolific camera maker today. Part of that reason, is they cater to every level of photographer. From absolute novice to seasoned professional. That's also why they sell more cameras and camera lenses than anyone else.
My first choice for best Canon digital camera, is the Canon Powershot A720 IS. If all your interested in is a simple point and shoot camera that's easy to use by anyone, then congratulations, you've found it. Taking outdoor pictures in good lighting, you'll be hard pressed to find a better camera at any price. If you don't mind fiddling a bit with the A720's white balance and metering mode, you can also compensate for picture taking in less than ideal lighting situations. For around $200, you get image stabilization, 8 megapixels, 6x zoom, and a real optical view finder. The view finder is missing on many cameras in this class, but not the A720. Which is fortunate, as it really helps framing your shots better than a LCD, and can considerably save on batteries when you turn the LCD off. If your going to use the full 6x zoom, I would recommending a decent tripod. As with many cameras in this category, there is a delay in between taking pictures when using the flash. Usually around five seconds. Inconvenient to be sure, but hard to get away with out spending a bit more money.
Speaking of more money, lets talk about my second favorite choice for best canon digital camera. The Canon PowerShot G9 is designed for those amateurs who are getting a little more serious about the photographs they take, but don't have the budget or inclination to move up to the more expensive and demanding world of SLR photography. The one big feature you get with the G9 that you won't find on a simple point and shoot is RAW format. It basically saves your images without compressing them into jpg format and losing some picture quality. RAW is far more flexible when it comes to editing pictures later. You basically get more manual control of your picture taking, like a SLR, but without the added size and extra lenses. You can get a G9 for about $500 these days.
So you've had it with slow compact point and shoot cameras with average picture quality, and are looking to move into the realm of SLR photography. Cool, because my third pick for best canon digital camera, is the Canon EOS 40D. Currently going for about $1200 just for the camera body, so be sure to save room in the budget for lenses (probably $1500 with a basic lens). Unless you plan on changing careers, and becoming a professional photographer, this should be the last camera you'll ever buy. The only real limit to taking amazing pictures with this camera is the photographer and of course his/her budget for new lenses.
So there you go, a good starting base with three canon cameras that should suit the novice, semi-pro, or full blown professional categories. Once you've picked one as a reference point, a closer look at some similar digital cameras would be in order. The more informed you are, the happier you'll be with your next camera, and the photographs you take with it.
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