Latest rumors regarding Canon’s newest P&S:

60D Specs

• Articulating screen
• Metal body, similar To 50D
• Upgraded 15.1mp APS-C Sensor
• 720p/1080p Video at 30fps
• Electronic Level
• New battery & battery grip
• Price about $1190

550D/600D Specs

• Articulating screen
• Body smaller than 500D
• Upgraded 15.1mp APS-C Sensor
• 720p Video at 30fps
• Price about $799

What do you all think of Articulating screens?  Love em, hate em?   Are these cameras worth waiting for?  Rumored release date in late spring/early summer

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P&S cameras are getting faster, and increasing HIGH-iso performance – case in point, Canon’s S90.   EVIL (Electronic Viewfinder Interchangeable Lens) cameras are coming on strong (i.e. Panasonics’ GF-1) but are still very price with smaller lens selection.  So for the time being at least DSLRs do have advantages – here are a few

DSLR Advantages:

• Fast- from cold start to picture taking DSLRs are king and time is measured in milliseconds.  And fast from shot to shot, many DSLRS can take several high quality images in less than a second.
• Battery life is exceptional in most DSLRs with numbers between 500-1000 depending on flash use. A good P&S approaches 300ish
• A control scheme that lets you change common settings without wading through menus. I am comfortable enough to change most of my commons settings by touch alone because the buttons are smartly placed and work well.
• Interchangeable lenses allows your camera to specialize in any type of photography- going from exceptional wide angle to incredible macro if you have the lenses.
• High ISO performance, this means that in low light you can take clear crisp pictures without a ton of grain(noise).
• External Flash – The ability to add an external flash to your setup can do more for your pictures than any other accessory including lenses.
• Complete manual control including hour long shutter length if desired.

DSLR disadvantages:

• Bulky/heavy, DSLRs are large, often heavy and will not fit in a pocket or even a small purse
• They are hard to hide, related to the above, and scream “look at my camera, steal my camera”
• Lenses can be as, or even more, expensive than the original camera
• You can get dust on the sensor, or in the lenses, this has been better addressed in recent bodies though

I have a DSLR recommendation guide and a P&S recommendation list

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Each of the following offers an excellent value for quality/features. I will keep this post updated with my current recommendations. If you are looking for specific features ask me on twitter @camerarec or send me an email and I would be happy to  recommend something specific to your needs.

Super Budget
Panasonic Lumix LZ8K 8MP 5x Zoom Lots of features, easy to operate and image quality is excellent.

Budget
Canon PowerShot SD1200IS 10MP 3x Zoom Canon Powershot reliability and quality is a small stylish camera

Mid Level
Panasonic Lumix ZS3 10MP 12x ZoomHuge Zoom, HD video recording and excellent image quality in a form factor that slips into a pocket.

High end
Canon PowerShot S90IS 10MP 3.8x Zoom Extremely high quality images with very little noise, even at higher ISOs, almost DSLR like quality. Genius control scheme lets you have as much or as little control over manual shooting.

Hope this helps and please let me know if you have any questions.

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I have had it in hand for about 48hrs now and I can say the control scheme is awesome.   In my opinion a huge advantage of most DSLRs is the very nicely laid out buttons on the back that allow you to access ISO, focus, white balance and more without wading through menus.   The S90 lets you do exactly that – two control rings plus the mode dial make it insanely easy to change your settings and you can customize the large lens dial to control ISO, WB, zoom and more.

Speedy – Not only does the control scheme allow for quick setting changes the camera is very responsive. turns on and is ready to go quickly and shot to shot time is very good for a point and shoot.

Quality – I have only take 50 shots or so but the clear majority of those are excellent and especially at the higher ISO the lack of noise in some shots in stunning for a P&S camera.

Downsides – Battery life seems on the short side.  I haven’t run any scientific tests and I am certainly spoiled by DSLRs that easily get 500-1000 shots on a good battery but even for a P&S it seems short.  No HD video – this actually doesn’t bother me, but it is curious that Canon limited the video to SD quality.

Bottom Line – there is an awful lot to love about this camera, slips in a pocket, control scheme is genius and it takes excellent photos.  Buy a spare battery and you will be good to go.

Full review with sample photos and video coming soon.

S90 on Amazon

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As I think of tips and share them on twitter I will also add here, I may use this as a scratch pad for tips in progress too, not always easy to get a tip into 140 characters or less

Previous Tips:

CameraTip: Always reformat your memory card in camera- less problems with corrupted files.  Just make sure ur photos are safely on comp 1st!

Camera Tip: Try shooting at dawn and dusk(Golden Hour)- the softer quality of light will greatly enhance your photos. http://www.golden-hour.com/

Tip: Sweet spot of the lens is usually around f/8.0 – try to shoot at or near that to get the sharpest photos

Tip: Photographing Kids?  get down on their level for a more child-like persepective

TIP: related to yesterday’s tip- don’t take all your pictures at eye level = boring.  get high, get low, anywhere but tween  5 ‘ to 6′

TIP: Low-light?  Brace your elbows against chest and press the shutter in one smooth motion and/or fire a burst of three images

TIP: In photography, bokeh is the blur, or the aesthetic quality of the blur, in out-of-focus areas of an image

TIP: Have a DSLR or highend P&S that lets u shoot RAW?  USE it -the added detail & post processing latitude you get is worth the larger size

Upcoming Tips -

Exposure – To the right or the left?

Filters/lens hoods

Backups

Tripods

Sunset

Flowing Water

Better Photographer browse Flickr. . .

Flickr – upload 5 pics at a time because. . .

Fill Flash – use it during the day. . .

Sharp Focus – be BOLD. . .

Watch those backgrounds . . .

Watch those foregrounds . .

Have a tip to share or would like to hear more about a certain topic? leave it in the comments.

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Kodak has a very nice list of 10 tips that will, if followed, greatly improve your pictures.  http://classic.kodakgallery.com/fullpages/photo_tips/top-10-photo-tips.html

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CES saw a slew of new camera, new camera technology and accessories announced this year. I highlight some of the more interesting below.

The megapixel race has slowed and dare I say plateaued (this is a good thing) with camera manufacturers focusing on new features and better low light performance. Sure a good number of the models announced feature 14MP but we have been there for over a year now and some models announced are still at 10MP. Don’t get starry eyed about these 14MP cameras. Personally I would take a quality 10MP sensor, or even 8MP sensor over 14MP any day.

(more…)

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