| Here a few cameras I
like. In fact, I liked them so much that I bought them, either for relatives, or for
myself. I have updated my list of favorites in light of the fact that
I recently bought the Canon EOS10D. |
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Leica Minilux Camera |
A beautiful, high performance
point-and-shoot camera. Takes great pictures. The lens is fast!
2.4/40mm. Fixed focal length (no zoom). The camera also has an extremely
high-powered flash. The case, titanium steel, looks very elegant. Expensive! You can buy cameras with better price/performance ratio.
|
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Canon EOS 10D |
An awesome camera
which combines all the advantages of an SLR with digital photography.
With 6 Megapixel image size, the quality is good enough to print poster size
images (24 x 36 "). See my report. Note that the picture shows
the EOS 10D with the extra
grip /
battery pack. I strongly recommend it, even though it costs
another $200. The handling is much better, especially when you use
larger lenses on your camera or have bigger hands. (Also lets you load a
second battery)
The camera by itself costs
about
$1,500. I paid a little more but prices are dropping. |
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Canon
28-135mm lens with image stabilizer |
One of my favorite lenses.
On a 35mm camera, its focal length ranges from 28mm to 135 mm, which
converts into about 45mm to 200mm on the EOS 10D. The big advantage is
of course the image stabilizer which allows you to handhold with much slower
shutter speeds, e.g., instead of 1/125s you can shoot at 1/30s. This
is an advantage, especially since this is not the fastest lens.
I bought this lens
instead of the 28-70mm/2.8 which is considerable more expensive and does not
have the image stabilizer. I use it now as my preferred travel lens.
If I can take only one, it is this one. Tip: Get also the sun
shade. Since this is not a "pro lens", Canon does not include the sun
shade which helps a lot! |
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Contax Tvs III |
Another beautiful, high
performance camera. I actually don't have this one, but an earlier model (Tvs).
The camera has a sharp Zeiss lens. 3.7-6.7 / 30-60mm. It's a little
slow, but still ok. The focal length has a great range, from wide angle to normal.
This is very useful for panorama and people shots. Also a wide range of
shutter speeds (16s - 1/1000s) for a point-and-shoot. My advice ...
whatever P&S you get, buy a 35mm (not APS) and one with a wide angle of 28mm
(or 30mm), not 38mm. The wider angle really makes a difference on
scenic shots, and when taking pictures of larger groups. The Leica Minilux takes better pictures, but this one is more versatile.
Also expensive! (Over $600) |