Best Digital Camera

So I received a question from Karin yesterday that made me think -

"Kirk how about if you let everyone who plans to buy a new camera
ask you their most burning question and you commit to answering
one question a week in a total no-fluff, no smoking mirrors style
to help other budding photographers just like Stacy get the most
bang for the buck..."

And with that said here's the question I received from Karin today...

Hi Kirk,  I have been looking at buying a new camera for a while now
(I'm a travel blogger so I need something light), I don't want to take on
the expense of an SLR but I want the effects the SLRs produce.

I currently have a Canon SX30, its got great zoom but it doesn't take great pictures
of people, because it tries to get everything in the image, rather than
focusing on the person as an SLR would, which is the effect I want.

I was in a camera store the other day trying out the Nikon J1, which the salesman
assured me would work for the effect I want, but I'm not so sure, I don't know
if it would be as fast as the SLR.

OK, so if you've read my FREE Mini Report Ultimate Secrets of A Professional Photographer you'll recall that
the first question I answered was about How "To Buy A Digital Camera".   And if you haven't read it yet just Click This Link to get it now

So come look over my shoulder to see how I dig in a little deeper to help Karin out...

OK so I've gone over to Amazon, my favorite online shopping mall and pulled up the specs on the Canon SX30 that Stacy currently owns and I immediately noted the following:

Canon SX30

1. The camera sports 14.1 MP...and this is quite good
2. The camera has a 35x Zoom (Really Really Scary ! ) but it doesn't state whether this is optical or digital zoom.  However I needn't even look it up as at this high a number this can only be digital zoom, which means that the lens is not actually zooming in but instead the camera is extrapolating the information that it captures and outputting what it deems to be the best zoom based on the pixels that were recorded, which means that the results is likely to be a real hatchet job.
3. The camera has an Optically Stabilized Zoom.  Notice that word Optical?  Well it's likely to mislead anyone who is not technically savvy into thinking that the zoom is optical.
4. And I know from another email that Karin paid about $600 for this camera  about a year ago

Bottom line for Karin is that she knows that her camera just doesn't get her the pictures she wanted and this has left her frustrated.

OK now let's look at the replacement camera that Stacey's salesman suggests:

Nikon J1 ...  So it's back to good old Amazon where I discover the following:

1. 10.1 MP (Less than Stacey's current Canon...well what gives?)
2. 10- 30mm lens with the option to buy another lens (hmmm, don't like that as it means another piece of equipment to buy and
   remember Stacey likes to travel light.  Plus changing lenses means that dust will get into her camera body and onto her camera's sensor...not good at all)
3. The lens is a VR (Vibration Reduction) Lens.  This is good as you can hand hold up to three stops of shutter speed slower than where you would without VR
4. Price $549.00
5. Now 10-30mm is a really wide angle zoom and will not be not be ideal for the portraits that Stacey wants to get, plus at this wide focal length faces will be distorted.  (As an aside a great focal range for shooting excellent portraits is 85-110mm)
6. OK so I went ahead and checked out the 30 - 110mm lens and it cost $249, bringing the price to $798 plus dust on the CCD and an extra lens to carry.Kirk RecommendsOK so here is something that I know which Stacey doesn't know and most salesmen will never tell you:Dollar for dollar Canon makes a much better point and shoot camera than Nikon.  And how do I know this you ask?  Well simply because I bear the scars to prove itYou see, a few years ago I did some comparisons using point & shoots from both manufactures and Nikon came up short.Then just the other day I was heading off to the UK for the first time and not wanting to travel from St Lucia with my full kit I flew to Miami, hung out for a couple of days, bought a Nikon point and shoot and away I went...Well I just hated the results,  and as soon as I got back to Miami I traded in the camera and picked me up a proper little Canon number that cost me $269...Now truth be told the Nikon camera had not cost as much as this Canon and I know that part of the problem lay in that fact.Below you can see a picture I shot in London and notice how the red on the bus is not as red as red can be
   Big Ben - London EnglandNow trouble is I bought the camera the night before I left and by the time I figured out that I was unhappy with it there was no going back to the store.

   OK So What's My Recommendation?...

   There are actually two cameras that I will recommend.  One is under Karin's budget and the other is a bit over.  However if Stacey decides to go over she must remember that a great camera becomes a purchase that makes you happy and will last you 3 - 5 years without needing to be replaced, while a not so good camera will annoy you every time you use it.

   And this, to my mind, makes it more expensive in the long run.

   Canon G12 -$409.95 or the Canon G1 X $799.99

   Canon G12...This is an older Canon point & shoot that many professional photographers have used as a back up camera when shooting assignments.  This camera sports a 6.1 - 30.5mm 5X optical lens which means that zoomed out it reaches 152.5mm and this is actual rather than digital zoom.

   This camera is a bit dated but would still serve her well.

   Or The Canon G1X with the following specs:14.3MP

   28mm 4X Optical zoom lens (which means that it will shoot from 28 -112mm)  See again how it goes up to 110mm.  Well that's not by accident

   Couple of other note worthy factors are that this camera comes with:

   DIGIC 5 Image Processing

   Hybrid Image Stabilizer for sharper images (similar to the Nikon J1's VR lens)

   Up to ISO 12,800 for amazing clarity and detail in low light pictures like shooting in the evenings in a dimly lit restaurant.

   This is a full stop of light more than the Nikon J1 which maxes out at ISO 6400 and a full 2 stops more than the Canon G12 which only reaches ISO 3200Now having spewed out all of those ISO numbers let me tell you this:

   Even with my superior built Nikon D700 which cost me about $2500 for the body only, I rarely ever shoot above ISO 2000 as "digital noise" starts being noticeable and this can ruin an otherwise fine shot.

   So there you have it.  The Canon G1X is the camera that represents the best value for money as I make this post.

   Click the link below to check it out at Amazon

   

   And as always Karin - Happy Shooting...