Digital photo albums cannot compete with the magic of a normal album in your bookshelf but they can save money and are good if you want to put photos on a website. This is a 3.3 Megapixel camera but the big problem with it is that there’s a massive delay between pressing the button and it taking a photo. I always seem to lose the moment. |
Hi guys. Shutter lag, as it’s referred to, is the bane of many a digital camera owner. You’ll find it worse when the flash has to charge in between low-light shots, with some cameras blanking out the LCD display to divert power to the strobe capacitor. This is never more apparent than, say, at a wedding, when wanting multiple shots of the cake cutting, in a one-time-only event with other guests leaning across you, all getting better shots while your camera is still saving the image to its memory, then charging the flash, setting the focus, then finally adjusting the exposure… aim… Oh, they’ve moved on to the dance floor !!!
It is vital to research, and even try out, if possible, any future camera you’re going to purchase. Of course, everyone has to have their first camera, so that they can push and pull against its design and foibles to judge what they want in the next one.
I bought the Panasonic Lumix TZ3 camera in July 2007. What a great little beast this is. It has a wonderful W I D E A N G L E lens along with a useful 10x optical zoom and an Optical Image Stabilisation system. Almost zero shutter lag and a very fluid movie function, rivalling budget camcorders. The low-light capability is very good, along with several scene modes that allows for pictures such as moonlit shots and auto dating/aging baby pictures. Excellent optics, 7 MP (active area) sensor and non-distorting wide angle lens will ensure that this little beauty will satisfy my fussy expectations for a few years yet, I expect. I can thoroughly recommend Panasonic as a brand, especially their realisation that real life is wide-angled, not zoomed! NOT to be confused in ANY way with “widescreen”, which I cannot stand… I DO NOT see life through a slit, unless I’m driving my car, of course, but otherwise my field of vision is most definitely squarish [(what “genius” thought of the new TomTomâ„¢ One XL… Widescreen sat-nav. You can see only 500 yds ahead, but 50 side roads either side of where you’re travelling…
Well done Einstein… (ahem!).]
Sma_art!