Photography is one of those things people love but rarely say it out loud. You’ll know the person because they love black & white or love colour images, and print them out, and talk about cameras forever, and maybe they’ve been giving you a hint for the past few months that a new camera is just what they wanted.
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We’ll start with the photographers out there. If you’re shopping for an amateur, an enthusiast, or someone who already loves to spend time behind a viewfinder snapping shots, this should be a good enough guide to make your choices a little easier.
Nikon D3300
Price: $650
Entry level cameras with interchangeable lenses often dumb things down to a level that makes them hard to use, but one of the models we checked out this year gave enough balance for both amateur and enthusiast that we could see beginners improving with it.
It’s the Nikon D3300, a 24 megapixel DSLR with both auto and manual modes, Full HD video, support for RAW, ISO25600, and a display that shows you what the aperture is doing when you’re modifying it. If you’re a beginning, this information is valuable and will help a great deal, making this a good choice for people learning to take photos with more than an automatic shooter.
Samsung Galaxy K Zoom
Price: $749
Samsung’s experiments with merging the camera and phone have taken it to something highly usable this year with the Galaxy K Zoom, a 4G phone for someone who love to take photos. There’s a 10X optical lens, textured body, and a microSD slot to expand the memory considerably.
Canon G7X
Price: $829
One of the small cameras that has our attention this year, Canon’s G7X packs in a 20 megapixel sensor, low-light friendly 24-100mm lens sporting f/1.8-2.8, 3 inch selfie friendly touchscreen, and support for Near-Field Communication. It’s the pocket friendly camera for people who love taking pictures, and even we’re tempted by it.
Olympus E-M10
Price: $999
Mirror-less cameras are great, but they’re often still bigger than compacts, offering fast shooters that are much lighter than their DSLR counterparts but still a little on the chunky side.
The E-M10 tries to change this with a small body that looks like a big camera, and yet offers features and controls like the bigger cameras, such as ISO25600, 16 megapixels, and remote control using a smartphone or tablet.
Plus, it looks like a camera, which is a positive thing for us.
Sony Alpha A7 II
Price: $1999
It’s a camera we haven’t written much about yet, but are looking forward to it, and not just because the look of the body brings to mind a solid magnesium-encased machine.
Rather, you’ll find a full-frame sensor inside rated for 24 megapixels of image goodness, optical image stabilisation built in over a five axis setup, fast autofocus, and a new LCD that tilts and offers what Sony says is “exceptional visibility under bright sunlight.”
Colour us intrigued, indeed, though be prepared to spend a pretty penny to play.
