Automatic Digital Cameras

Top Three Digital Cameras for the Casual Photographer

I love all the new features of the latest crop of digital cameras. I mean really... shouldn't it be EASY to take a perfect picture? I want to aim the lens at my kids, the dog, or a beautiful flower, press a button, and get a great shot. I want my camera to auto-focus, adjust the exposure, turn on the flash, stabilize the image, find faces, remove red-eye, sit up, and bark on command. So here are my Top Three Digital Cameras for the guy or gal who just wants to push a button and a take a great picture...

The new Nikon Coolpix P50 can create prints as large as 10 x 20" with over 8.1 million pixels. (Yes, I counted them.) Its optical viewfinder can adjust up to ISO 2000 to allow pictures in any type of light, and it comes with a 28mm wide-angle (3.6x) Zoom-Nikkor lens. (When it comes to lens, anything German-sounding impresses me.) The focus range can go from 20 inches to infinity, while its Macro close-up mode can handle 2 feet to infinity. (Disclaimer: I didn't have enough time to actually GO to infinity to verify this claim. But we trust Nikon, right?)

The 2.4" TFT LCD monitor has an anti-reflection coating, and it has an internal memory of ~52 MB. The Coolpix is also compatible with SD/SDHC memory cards. Its programmable exposure means that you can set it in advance when you don't want to do it yourself manually. Nikon’s VR electronic image stabilization is for times when you're trying to capture those "Oooh, look over there!" shots.

There are additional in-camera innovations that you'll appreciate, meaning that there will be less tweaking with your photo editing software later. Automatic Red Eye Fix will take of that nasty chore for you. Face Priority AF automatically focuses on your main subject or group shot. D-lighting will correct brightness and detail so that you won’t have to worry about it. Ahhh.

The P50 comes with 2 AA batteries, a USB cable for transferring images to the computer, an audio/video cable which doubles as a disciplinary tool, and software for working with your images. The best thing of all is the $229.95 price tag, a bargain for the amateur photographer, from a well-respected company.

Another good choice is the recently released Canon Powershot A650 IS. The compact digital still camera has a built-in flash and a 6x optical, 4x digital (24x combined) zoom with optical image stabilizer. The digital 4x zoom lens with real-image viewfinder has a focusing range of 18 inches to infinity. The handy 2.5 inch color vari-angle LCD screen provides wide-angle viewing.

The camera has a shutter speed of 15 to 1/2000 seconds and auto-ISO film speed sensitivity. (And still, it doesn't claim to be an artiste.) As for the some of its "laziness" features, there is an auto or preset white balance control for such situations as daylight, clouds, underwater, tungsten, fluorescent, as well as custom settings. (I hope I never find myself trapped inside a huge block of tungsten, but it's comforting to know that even if that happens, I'll be able to take a decent photo.) There is also auto-face detection and built-in flash with red eye reduction. I'm especially fond of the slow-syncro feature and specific shooting modes, such as landscape, kids, pets, night, and fireworks that can be achieved automatically. Included is a self-timer and specialized photo effects with differing colors and continuous shooting for times when you want to capture all the action. That clickity, clickity, clickity effect will drive the other soccer moms wild with envy.

The Powershot can work with SD/SDHC memory cards, MultiMediaCards, MMC Plus cards, and laminated Topps 2007 series baseball cards. It will even handle limited amounts of AVI video. Included with the cam are 4 AA alkaline batteries, an SD memory card, a wrist strap, Digital Camera Solution software, and USB and AV cables. The higher price of $399.99 targets it for amateurs who want more than just family portraits.

Kodak has been in the camera business for as long as there has been sliced bread, maybe longer. So I would be remiss in not mentioning the Kodak EasyShare Z1275 Zoom digital camera. It features a (very German sounding) 5x Schneider Kreuznach Variogon optical zoom lens, a high-res 2.5-inch color display for indoor or outdoor usage, auto-ISO mode, and up to 64 MB internal memory storage. Like the others, it allows for auto-white balance for daylight, tungsten, fluorescent, and shady lighting, and has a self-timer that can manage two shots. This is definitely a plus for the slow-moving photographer that misses the first shot.

Its other advantages include image stabilization and differing shooting modes that include sports, flowers, and even self-portrait for the narcissistic. The panorama stitch mode allows you to take 3 shots and combine them to make one, just like the pros. Red eye reduction is present as are dedicated buttons for power, zoom, delete, share, and more. That makes it almost too easy. I especially like the on-camera cropping with Perfect Touch technology that can clear up dark shadows and print brighter images. Oh, and this baby will take great HD video, too.

The Z1275 comes with AA batteries, USB cable, wrist strap, a special software insert for the Easyshare camera and printer dock, but alas... no steak knives. Kodak has recently reduced the price of this model by $20.00, making it very affordable at $229.

There are so many choices when it comes to buying a digital camera. If you're a pro, you'll want something with lots of buttons, dials and levers so ordinary people will be too intimidated to even touch it. But for the casual photographer who doesn't want to read a manual or fiddle with the settings, take advantage of the advanced technology in these highly automated digital cameras.

Do you have a favorite digital camera that takes the hassle out of picture taking? Tell us about it in the comments below...