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Samsung NV7 OPS
The Samsung NV7 OPS is built to give the user more control over pictures than they would have with a standard point-and-shoot camera. It features a 2.5-inch LCD display, 7X optical zoom, and a myriad of modes, settings, and controls.
This camera has rows of unlabeled buttons surrounding its display, which may appear more than a little daunting to the novice user. The buttons are left blank because their functions change depending on what you’re doing, which can be confusing at times, but only adds to the device’s potential once you get the hang of things.
The NV7 OPS offers no less than 11 picture modes, including Fireworks, Sunset, Text, Beach & Snow, and so on. In addition to these presets, it also features a self-timer, double self-timer, two continuous modes, super macro, manual exposure, and six colour effects. It also has five ISO speeds ranging from 100 to 1000, five distinct flash settings, and numerous features to prevent your photos from looking blurry.
The 7X optical zoom lens doesn’t retract, which makes the camera somewhat bulky, but allows you to deftly zoom in on subject matter without sacrificing quality.
Samsung’s NV7 OPS also acts as a video recorder, and can capture VGA movies with sound at either 15 or 30 frames per second. The zoom and stabilization features work for video as well, allowing you to capture home movies you can be proud of, and later email around the world in AVI format.
Overall the NV7 OPS involves quite a learning curve, but its still a great option for the relatively advanced user who isn’t quite ready for a digital SLR.
Olympus Stylus 720 SW
Olympus has come up with a great new digital imaging product for the notoriously clumsy among us, in the form of the Stylus 720 SW.
This handy device can withstand a five-foot fall onto a hard surface, and is water resistant in depths of up to 10 feet.
7-megapixels of resolution, combined with a 3X optical zoom, 2.5-inch LCD, and digital image stabilization, as well as the versatility of 28 scene modes, makes for a great all-round photographic experience.
This model is quite expensive at $399, but if you’re breaking another budget camera every month, that might not seem so bad.
Product Type: Digital Camera
Resolution: 7-megapixels
Price: $399*
Sony DCR-HC46 MiniDV Handycam
Sony’s MiniDV Handycam is more expensive than a lot of seemingly similar models, but offers quite a few useful bonus features.
The integrated touch screen display is considered a luxury in the world of budget camcorders, while a docking cradle brings a lot of convenience to the process of charging your batteries or moving photos to a PC or television.
One slight weakness was the below-average 12X optical zoom, meaning that this device probably won’t make the cut for filming at a distance.
Video quality wasn’t entirely perfect due to a slight blue cast in some footage, but the HC46’s performance was above average in both low-light and fast-action situations.
Overall, this should be seen as an all-round solid device with its fair share of benefits for the extra money you’ll pay.
Product Type: Digital Camcorder
Price: $500*
JVC GR-D396U
The JVC GR-D396U digital camcorder offers a few useful features for a low price, but its all round design and quality will probably be deemed inadequate by many users.
It’s 16:9 wide screen mode is impressive at first glance, but makes video looked squeezed when coupled with the very minimalist 2.5-inch display. Footage is generally sharp, but this is overshadowed by the off-balance colors.
Design-wise, the D396U is bulky with controls that are difficult to find. A 32X optical zoom is the one notable bright spot, making it a great choice for filming wildlife at a distance. For general use, however, there are other budget camcorders that can most likely do a better job.
Product Type: Digital Camcorder
Price: $380*
Canon PowerShot A520
The PowerShot A520 is an excellent choice for those seeking manual control. It features shutter and aperture control features, as well the ability to focus manually.
Although this camera doesn’t make indoor photography particularly easy, most of its outdoor shots are clean and sharp. A Photo Stitching feature is a nice bonus, allowing you to take outdoor photos with ease. Another good feature is the ability to record video at 640×480 pixels, though the 10 FPS recording speed will make your movies appear a bit choppy.
At a cost of only $299, this 4-megapixel is quite unique for its price range, and presents itself as an excellent option for the control-oriented outdoor photographer.
Product Type: Digital Camera
Resolution: 4-megapixels
Price: $299*
Panasonic PV-GS39
This camcorder’s overall design might take a bit of getting used to, but its ergonomics are cleverly set up to make one-handed shooting a breeze.
A 2.7-inch wide screen LCD makes it easy to see what you’re doing, while 16:9 recording and a 30X optical zoom should benefit your overall experience. Rugged construction, meanwhile, make this device much more hardy than many of its competitors.
The GS39’s image quality is adequate, but nothing special. It exhibits good contrast and color when filming in daylight, but did produce some noise with indoor shots.
All in all, this camcorder is as close to perfect as you’ll find coupled with such a reasonable price tag.
Product Type: Digital Camcorder
Price: $349*
Canon ZR700
This camcorder features a pleasant and easy-to-manage design with a 2.7-inch display, 25X optical zoom, and an integrated joystick that makes it easy to modify settings.
The ZR700’s image quality, however, is far from perfect with videos appearing muddy in low light, with lots of unnecessary noise.
In all fairness, this device has some beneficial features including a built-in sliding lens cover, as well as the ability to smoothly alternate zoom settings for a cool cinematic effect.
This model might work for some casual, budget-conscious customers, but for the serious video-shooter the quality issues will probably be a deal breaker.
Product Type: Digital Camcorder
Price: $399*
HP Photosmart R927
If you’re looking for an easy to use digital camera that takes high quality pictures and lets you edit them to perfection, the latest addition to HP’s R-series might be the device for you.
The Photosmart R927 boasts an 8.2-megapixel (3296×2480 pixel) resolution, along with an unusually strong suite of picture editing tools, allowing you to apply a “slimming” effect to people in your photos, or stylize images to look like a cartoon. All this can be done from directly on the camera, thanks in part to its easy menu navigation and crisp 3-inch LCD display.
The R927’s design is somewhat bulky and won’t be winning any awards, but space is used quite effectively with dedicated buttons for flash, playback, and video mode.
At a cost of $399, this camera might not be best for the budget-conscious customer, but it does offer good value for those seeking some extra bells and whistles.
Product Type: Digital Camera
Resolution: 8.2-megapixels
Price: $399*
Sony DSC-S90
This 4-megapixel Sony digicam comes with a very competitive price tag, and manages to edge out most competitors in almost every way.
It features a high-quality Carl Zeiss lens, maximum shutter speed of 30 seconds, 2.5-inch LCD display, and great all round design. A special dial is provided to let you select the best of seven scene modes, while an AF Monitor does a good job of pre-focusing your pictures.
The overactive flash has an annoying tendency to overexpose macro photos, but aside from that, image and color quality is consistently good both indoors and out.
Video is also top-of-the-line for this price range, with 640×480 resolution, and frame speed of 16 FPS.
Product Type: Digital Camera
Resolution: 4-megapixels
Price: $199*
Olympus FE-110
A 5-megapixel camera for under $200 might seem like a steal, but in this case, what the FE-110 gains in resolution and picture quality, it loses in almost every other way.
The lack of an optical viewfinder, combined with a tiny 1.5-inch LCD display is sure to make you squint, while the shutter lag can be painfully slow.
There are only four adjustable scene modes, rendering this device inadequate for many advanced uses. Video resolution, meanwhile, is very low at only 320×240 pixels.
All in all, this camera can be made to look great on paper, and has one of the best megapixel:price ratios in the business, but it can’t be counted on as a serious photography tool.
Product Type: Digital Camera
Resolution: 5-megapixels
Price: $199*
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