Cape Neddick ("Nubble") Light - Copyright Tobias Gelston

Black Friday Updates 7am

HS300 at $149 -See description below, Excellent buy for a tiny but high quality camera

SX230 at $199 – Very similar in quality and features to HS300 (which is to say excellent) AND adds 3″ LCD screen, 14x zoom GPS for tagging photos – this is a stellar buy – View on Amazon Price includes a 4GB SD card and Mini HDMI Cable

Sony Cyber-ShotTX10 16.2 MP Waterproof Camera is Amazon’s Gold Box Deal of the day and at $169 for a waterproof rugged camera that shoots 16MP and 1080i video is very tempting.  Be warned that this camera is sloooooow, slow to start up and slow to take photo/video.  Also the touch screen that lets you control most of the operations is no fun to use especially once the screen gets wet. . like underwater!!  Amazon’s return policy is good so if you are dying to try out a waterproof camera you could give it a shot. The next waterproof camera I feel comfortable recommending is $100 more, the excellent Panasonic LumixTS3 12.1 MP Rugged/Waterproof Camera Simple controls and truly feels like it can take some abuse and spend some time underwater.

More Amazon Black Friday Deals & BF Electronic Deals

	If I had $200 to spend I would buy the Canon HS300 This little P&S is little! but offers excellent quality, 1080p with stereo audio and the neat feature of slow mo video.  I would spend the extra $50 on an 8GB SD Card (it comes w/ a 4GB and HDMI cable) an Ultra Compact Camera Case and a Joby Flexible Tripod.  NOTE: This Camera at $149 is already blackfriday discounted – Amazon’s price matches the expected door buster price being offered by BestBuy.
	If I had $400 I would buy the Canon PowerShot S100 & that would require me to scrounge a bit for an extra $30 but it wold be worth it.  The new DIGIC 5 Image Processor means fast performance and excellent low light images. Additional features similar to the HS300 above but with a very cool control ring for manual control over a range of settings and GPS for automatic location tagging of your photos.
	If I had $600 I would buy the Panasonic LUMIX G3 Four-Thirds Camera with 14-42mm Lens And just like that we are now in the territory of cameras with removeable lenses – DSLR like – this is not a true DSLR because it doesn’t have a mirror that directs the image that comes through the lens to an optical viewfinder.  What it does have and offers is an electronic viewfinder and a flip out LCD screen with touch to focus (and lots of other touch to do something options)  Fast and silent autofocus, 360 motion panorama and loads of video options.  Downside- battery life isn’t great and additional lenses aren’t cheap.   There are other really close competitors for my heart at this price range.
	If I had $800 I would buy the Canon EOS Rebel T3i with EF-S 18-55m IS Lens You get a whole lot of DSLR for this price- a gorgeous flipity out LCD screen, 1080P recording – in fact the T3i shares same image/video quality with the much more expensive 7D and even offers a few features like video zoom that you don’t get in the 7D.  And for those that dream of going big as a photographer wireless flash control is a cherry on the T3i pie.
	If I had $1000 I would buy the Canon EOS Rebel T3i with EF-S 18-55m IS Lens (yep same as above) and add an external flash like Speedlite 320EX Flash – This is going to do loads for your indoor & outdoor photos and has a video light AND has a remote for triggering the shutter on the camera.
	If I had $1200 I would buy the Fujifilm X100 – this is a DSLR sensor in a small range finder like body with a fixed lens.  Sure you are giving up the versatility of a DSLR with removable lenses and no zoom but what you get is a fantastically peppy camera, superb quality and it is all packaged in a stylish body.

• This is their flagship APS-C sized sensor, not full frame.  Loads of technology crammed into this body of which the most significant is their translucent mirror technology which allows full time AutoFocus during video.  This is the fast Autofocus, not that slow crap that is in the current Nikon DSLRs and Canon doesn’t have anything approaching.  No flippy-uppy mirror means blazing fast FPS is also possible – 12fps.
• OLED Viewfinder with 2 million dots resolution.  2x times the resolution of the gorgeous screens on the back of the newer Canon Rebels.
• The world’s shortest release time lag at only 0.05 seconds. (How long it takes from having focus to taking the photo)
• Face Recognition and face prioritizing – it will recognize family and friends and prioritize exposure of their faces
• GPS
• Tilt-able LCD

• This is most of the A77 tech crammed into Sony’s “pocketable” camera
• APS-C sensor in a smaller body (larger sensor than the Micro 4/3 line)
• 10FPS
• Offers a hot shoe, customizable dials, and tiltable LCD
• Electronic viewfinder with 100% coverage
• HDvideo with full manual control

• 7.1x and 10.1MP
• Ability to shoot RAW files
• HD movie (720p) with stereo sound recording zoom and autofocus are available during recording
• 3″ 921K LCD
• Optical Viewfinder – you be surprised how often I get asked which cameras still offer an optical viewfinder.  This is one of the few that still does.

• Flip out LCD Screen
• Wireless Flash Commander – Ability to fire external flashes not connected to the camera
• Digital Video Zoom – This is different from the horrible digital zoom of most cameras and offers 3-10x zoom at no loss of quality.
• In camera rating of images (adding stars) and some post processing features added to RAW files

• Tight budget – T2i currently selling for  less
• A bit smaller and lighter – though not significantly

DSLR Mirror Vibration from Camera Technica on Vimeo.

• Avoid shutters speeds below 1/20 of a second – not only are you going to get camera shake but if any of your subjects are moving they will be blurry as well.- Avoid the slower shutter speeds by adding more light through larger aperture or increasing the ISO or physically adding more light to the room/situation.
• If you need to shoot below 1/20 of a second you should
  • Be using a tripod ($40 for an excellent Dolica- no excuses not to have one) If you find yourself without a tripod look around for something to set or brace the camera on, last resort- brace your elbows against your chest and slowly exhale as you gently and smoothly press the shutter. You may want to try live view, the focus will be slower but the mirror will already be up and out of the way.
  • On a tripod use mirror lockup and the 2-second timer built in to most DSLR or a remote. The 2 second timer gives the mirror vibration a chance to settle out before snapping the shutter.
  • Take multiple photos, you are more likely to get one that is acceptably sharp- this is especially important if you are handholding and you may want to try switching your camera to burst and snapping several in succession as your slowly exhale.

Budget (~ $600)

Canon T3i (600D)	Nikon D5100	Panasonic GH2
18MP – Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, (12800 with boost) ISO	16MP – Auto, 100- 6400 (plus 12800, 25600 with boost) ISO	16MP – Auto, Intelligent ISO, 160, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, 6400, 12800 ISO
Video: 1920 x 1080 (30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 50 fps), 640 x 480 (60, 50 fps)	1920 x 1080 (30, 25, 24 fps), 1280 x 720 (30, 25, 24 fps), 640 x 424 (30, 25 fps)	1920 x 1080 (24, 60fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 848 x 480 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30fps)
LCD: Articulated 3″ 1,040,000 dots	Articulated 3″ 921,000 dots	Articulated 3″ 460,000 dots
The T3i builds on a very succesful and popular T2i that feels like it was released just yesterday. The obvious change is the articulaed LCD screen, a gorgeous 1 million dot articulating LCD appeals to both the photographer reviewing their shots, you can really tell if the focus is sharp and the videographer that wants to shoot at odd angles. Inside the camera is using the same sensor as the 7D, performance and quality is excellent though at low light the D5100 outperforms. An internal change from the T2i is the ability to wireleslsy control multiple flashes (or just one) giving the budding photographer a great way to get creative lighting shots without resorting to expensive radio triggers. Final note the ergonomics have been tweaked and getting excellent reviews from both a how it feels when you hold it and ease of adjustments.  Bottom line – Lots of features are packed into this camera that provides the beginner photographer/videographer plenty of room to grow.	Shares a sensor with the excellent D7000 so you know you will get excellent still images and at this price point superb low light performance though the difference isn’t THAT great when compared against the T3i. Video performance is capable if you are serious about video the additional frame rates of the T3i provide greater flexibility in shooting. Some complaints about the redesign layout, not as friendly, especially when adjusting settings in manual mode as the T3i. Camera also lacks an inbody focus motor, this means some lenses will not AF on the camera, though as I write this Nikon is announcing a 50mm f/1.8 that makes this less of an issue.  Bottom line – There is lots of camera to love here but if you are serious about photography the T3i gives you more room to grow, and if you’re not serious about photography you should consider the D3100 and save a few dollars.	The GH2 is not a true DSLR, no mirror that directs what the lens sees to the viewfinder. And the sensor is a smaller 4/3 sensor, smaller than the APS-C size of the T3i and the D5100. Smaller sensor usually means poor low light performance but the GH2 is really impressive and in a smaller body you get performance nearly on par with the two other cameras in this class especially up to ISO 3200. Where the GH2 really shines is in video control and performance.  Bottom line – Fantastic controls, features and options make this an excellent video machine that also happens to take solid still photos and all in a slightly smaller package. You do pay for this performance in a smaller package.
Wireless flash control, Auto focus capabilities with cheap 50mm prime lens, 60,50 fps at 720, very good build and button placement, video clip mode (stiches multiple short video clips into one longer video), video zoom 3x-10x	Beginner friendly, full time autofocus during video*see note about D3100 above, better lowlight performance, built in HDR	Micro 4/3 camera (means smaller sensor and no mirror) uses an electronic viewfinder and touch screen LCD for controls. 60fps at 1080p and excellent autofocus with built in stereo mic.
Canon EOS Rebel T3i	Nikon D5100	Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH2

$1000 – $1500

> $1500