The big story in photography this spring is that you are the star, rather than the camera. Distinct technical advances will help you perform surprising feats of wizardry and turn you into a bolder, more versatile photographer.
No longer need you blanch when facing a daunting scenario. Want to shoot at dusk? New digital cameras can cope with extremely low light, without flash. Frame the family without taking 10 steps back? Wider-angle lenses embrace the clan and produce dramatic perspectives, as do the huge 10x zooms that are being squeezed into compact camera bodies.
Aiming for Cartier-Bresson heights of picture quality? The amateur can enjoy richness and texture of image, thanks to light sensors of a size you’d expect in the professional’s single-lens reflex (SLR) camera. Look for them in modestly priced models such as Sony’s R1.
What had been a race to increase megapixels has given way to putting clever new features within reach of the enthusiast. Doors has selected eight spring arrivals to assess whether these innovations are gimmicks or truly lead to greater versatility. Most of the cameras on test proved extremely impressive, though some exact a price for their innovations.
Probably the most exciting trend is greater sensitivity — higher maximum ISO ratings, a measure of the camera sensor’s response to light levels. ISO 400 was long considered a practical ceiling for compact digital cameras, but this limits you to daylight or the brightest indoor lighting, without flash. The newcomers will take pictures at night, at murky parties and exhibitions, all in available light.
The hurdle with higher ISOs has always been picture quality. Digital noise (imperfections) turns an indoor five-a-side match into a patchwork of multicoloured pixels. How to improve sensitivity while retaining quality? Fujifilm has raised the bar with the FinePix F11 (reviewed), which can shoot at ISO 1600 — lighting four times dimmer than suits a conventional camera — to capture the ambience of a nightclub free from the harsh featurelessness of flash.
“On-camera flash is about the worst sort of lighting you could choose,” says Ken Tapley, a former professional photographer from Weston-super-Mare. A digital sceptic, he’s nevertheless a great fan of the F11. “The Natural Light feature on it is superb. You can take pictures in places you simply wouldn’t have tried before.”
Yet high ISOs do not solve everything. When you’re capturing a sumptuous sunset, for example, you need a smoothness of tone and definition achievable only with low ISOs and slow shutter speeds. Another of this year’s “must-have” advances is the image stabiliser, which counteracts camera shake at slower speeds. Motion sensors detect movement during exposure and instantly apply tiny compensations to keep the image steady on the sensor. All Panasonic compact cameras now incorporate image stabilisers, with Sony, Pentax, Canon and Ricoh catching up.
Image stabilisers are essential in longer-range cameras, or “superzooms”, when exploring distant detail and the magnification of the zoom makes it difficult to keep Junior centred in the frame.
The problem with conventional superzooms is their sheer size. Ideally, your travelling companion should fit into a pocket — so you don’t wander around a North African souk advertising its worth. Panasonic’s TZ-1 (reviewed)shows how manufacturers are paying heed, having crammed a 10x zoom into an unobtrusive body.
While telephoto zooms may grab the headlines, wide-angle lenses offer other advantages, which Sony recognises with its formidable R1 (reviewed). Its zoom can capture up to 50% more of a scene than most rivals, helping you frame the full height of Notre Dame without stepping back into the path of a 2CV. The innovative twin-lens design on Kodak’s V570, meanwhile, would be perfect for the cramped alleyways of the Latin Quarter.
Digital SLRs will always be the choice of keener photographers, and the marketing firm Gfk and the Photo Imaging Council report that sales grew by 118% last year, to 190,000 units.
SLRs are all-round clever clogs. Faster image processing can shoot three or more frames per second, to be sure of capturing the exact goal-scoring moment in Johnny’s first junior-league fixture, as well as the whole action sequence. Sports photography to professional standards once demanded equipment beyond the scope of the amateur.
With an SLR, you can change lenses to suit the task: one day, a macro lens for your lepidoptera collection; the next, an ultra- wide-angle for a family gathering. Olympus’s intriguing new E-330 (reviewed) eases the savvy amateur’s transition from a compact.
Megapixel counts have peaked in the compact-camera market, where 6Mp is plenty for most purposes, but they still matter for SLRs, because sensors are much larger and there is scope for improvement. This is why Nikon’s 10Mp D200 (reviewed) is such a good bet right now.
Despite the threat from camera phones, sales of all digital cameras rose 7% in the quarter ending February 2006, Gfk reports, though account director Anthony Norman warns: “This is lower than in previous quarters, and indicates that the market is hitting maturity.”
Hardly surprising. In 2005, 6m digital cameras were sold in the UK, and makers knew that only genuine improvements would sustain sales. Why, HP’s new R927 (reviewed) is a veritable Harry Potter, banishing red-eye and seemingly slimming pounds off plumptious Aunt Mabel without invoking a computer’s wizardry. Who’s the winner? That creative, visionary photographer lurking inside us all.
CLEVER COMPACTS FUJIFILM FINEPIX F11 Typically £248, or £200 from www.ebuyer.com
(5 stars)
At last, a camera you need not put away once the sun goes down
With this Fuji, you are able to photograph scenes exactly as you see them, at any time of day, thanks to the sensor’s extremely high ISO value of 1600. Whether for the subtle tones of natural-light portraits or the rain-soaked streets of neon-lit cities, the F11 is perfect for off-the-cuff photographers who bridle at relying on the puny short-range blast of a built-in flash. Rapid start-up time and quick autofocus help you replicate those Cartier-Bresson moments, and there is a mono mode for retro results, too. Picture quality is first-rate, especially at more conventional ISO settings, so the FinePix is equally effective for everyday photography. The rectangular metal body is stylish and solid, and, though manual controls are modest, the F11 is a cracker.
HP PHOTOSMART R927 Typically £394, or £305 from www.cameras2u.com
(4 stars)
For those interested only in pictures, not computers
The fiendishly clever R927 offers a host of what HP calls “Real Life” tools that enable this camera to handle tasks you’d normally delegate to a computer. These, thankfully, make life simpler rather than more complex — even for novices. The camera will identify and rectify red eye automatically, or adjust the brightness of shadows and highlights in murky snaps. Cleverest of all, the R927 can stitch together ready-to-view panoramas or even slim down the subjects in your photos, making it perfect for nervous bikini-wearers. All this does bump up the cost, though, and at full price the R927 is no bargain. Despite the 8Mp sensor and the trademark HP build, picture quality is no better than that of HP’s earlier R817, yet this model costs almost twice as much.
SUPERZOOM WIZARDS
PANASONIC LUMIX TZ1 Typically £300, or £250 from www.bestcameras.co.uk
(4 stars)
Serious versatility, despite performance gripes
Picking a camera to take on holiday is a nightmare. You want one that fits in a pocket, but you may also need a 10x zoom to bag that basking wildebeest. An image stabiliser is tempting for tropical twilights, and high ISOs are handy come dusk. Step forward, the Lumix TZ1. You can have it pointed and primed in a second, yet, even at full stretch, the 10x zoom protrudes barely a centimetre. An elite Leica lens makes for tiptop pictures. However, sensational specifications are let down by picture quality when you explore the camera’s outer limits. At higher ISOs, images degrade towards a mush, and at maximum zoom the contrast and detail become poor.
SONY CYBERSHOT R1 Typically £699, or £520 from www.pixmania.co.uk
(4 stars)
Sensational camera with a broader perspective
Telephoto zooms are tempting, but a wide-angle lens often serves more practical purposes, squeezing in broader landscapes, taller buildings and more wedding guests. Indeed, the Sony R1 provides a wider viewing angle than many digital SLRs. At the other end of the scale, the R1 zooms in closer than most compact cameras, making for a superzoom as well as a wide boy. This bold contender has a classy Carl Zeiss lens and a huge 10Mp sensor — as hefty as those in digital SLRs. Reassuringly chunky, the design is more Crazy Frog than classic camera. Though you cannot switch lenses, the R1 represents terrific value.
FASHION SNAPPERS
CANON DIGITAL IXUS 800 IS Typically £400, or £286 from www.amazon.co.uk
(5 stars)
A delightful compact with style and substance
The Ixus 800 IS has an aura of exclusivity that other brands lack. Here is a camera you won’t be ashamed of at the embassy ball or backstage at Covent Garden. It is what’s inside, however, that makes this new Ixus so special. This is the first Digital Ixus to include an image stabiliser and the first to offer ISO 800 sensitivity: perfect for flash-free shots that properly capture the atmosphere of an event. The auto white balance generates superbly natural-looking colours under artificial lighting, and the picture quality — even at ISO 800 — is excellent. The Canon is no one-trick pony, though. A 4x zoom gives this compact camera extra flexibility, indoors and out. If you want to move beyond snapshots, the latest Ixus offers a surprising level of creative control. Bravo.
PENTAX OPTIO S6 Typically £280, or £220 from www.jessops.com
(4 stars)
A sexy, slim and smart fashion accessory
The Optio S6 is a style-conscious, “just in case” accessory, small enough to slide into the tiniest bag, where its brushed-steel finish will survive bangs, if not scrapes with key rings. It is easy to use, too — crucial for any point-and-shoot fashion compact. As with many diminutive cameras, there is no optical viewfinder; however, the high-definition 2.5in LCD is easy to see at beach or bistro. This 6Mp Pentax may not harbour serious photographic pretensions, but pictures are up to scratch. That said, at higher ISO settings — and the S6 offers only ISO 400, modest by today’s standards — images do begin to break up a little, indicating a lack of versatility in dim conditions.
ENTHUSIAST SLRs
NIKON D200 Typically £1,300, or £1,170 from www.dixons.co.uk
(5 stars)
A serious camera for serious photographers
Forget snapshots. When you intend to turn your pictures into profits, you want this new Nikon by your side. Whether you are shooting a friend’s wedding or a client’s product line, here is a camera that delivers top-quality results from dawn to dusk. Unusually for an SLR, the D200 will work with most Nikon lenses, so you can buy the body on its own (our quoted price). Otherwise, the best-value zoom kit is Nikon’s 18mm-70mm. With a 10Mp sensor, the potent D200 easily beats entry-level SLR rivals, and a metal alloy body shrugs off knocks, too. Even for a savvy amateur, the D200 is a great investment, as close as any to a future-proof camera.
OLYMPUS E-330 Typically £900 (with 14mm-45mm lens), or £754 from www.purelygadgets.co.uk
(Four stars)
The best features of an SLR and a compact
Creative close-ups are easy with the E-330, making it a winner for nature lovers. Olympus’s new “Live Preview” system provides a choice between using the camera’s high-quality optical viewfinder, for normal SLR-style shooting, or a tilting LCD preview screen, more akin to a compact, for ground-level shots. So, one minute you could be composing arty abstracts through a macro lens; the next, stalking foxes in your back garden with a telephoto. The cost of entry-level SLRs has plummeted, so you are paying a hefty premium for innovation and versatility, but the E-330 justifies its steepish price tag by making the learning curve shallow. That said, if you can make do with a fixed lens, the Sony R1 gives you more for less.
The first decision you need to make
COMPACT OR SLR?
Compacts Portable, smaller sensors, fewer manual options, but easier to use. Newer compacts offer sophisticated tricks.
SLRs Interchangeable lenses, faster shooting, creative control, but complex and bulky to carry.
Digital noise Flaws in a digital camera’s pictures resulting from processing errors, unrelated to optical distortion.
Digital SLR Enthusiast-grade camera where you compose a shot by looking directly through the lens. You can switch lenses on an SLR.
ISO Maximum sensitivity of the camera sensor, usually rated at 400. Higher ISO ratings of 800 or more enable photography in extremely low light.
Image stabiliser Feature that compensates for camera movement as you take a picture. Also known as anti-shake.
Focal length Indicates the power of a lens. Camera- makers quote “equivalent” focal lengths to compare angles of view (wide-angle, normal or telephoto) with a film camera.
Megapixels Number of pixels on the sensor, measured in millions; 6Mp is sufficient for compacts, though you needn’t always shoot at the top setting; 1Mp is fine for viewing pictures on the web; 3Mp for 6x4in prints; 5Mp for A4.
Sensor Light-sensitive chip that replaces film in a digital camera. Physically larger sensors give better quality.
WiFi Wireless connection to transfer images, for editing or storage, between camera and computer or printer, with a wireless network.
Zoom: Digital zoom Processor enlarges part of the image. Optical zoom Lens magnifies image without loss of quality.
Doors maximum rating 5 stars
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