Photography

The Samsung WB600 is a super zoom camera with a 15x optical zoom lens (24mm - 360mm). It uses super-sharp optics and offers dual image stabilization (optical + digital) for crisp and sharp pictures. The 1/2.3" 12MP CCD sensor gives a natural tone to captured pictures and good low-light performance while the large 3.0" LCD provided to view them is bright and clear. The camera allows 720p 30fps video recording with zoom and autofocus. Fairly restrained image processing and full manual controls (exposure + focus) mean this camera will appeal to pro photographers and budding amateurs as a handy compact. You can add a little extra zing to your pictures with in-built filters like Vignetting and Fish-eye. The camera works on a Li-ion rechargeable battery pack. SD card not included. Max 8GB SDHC card supported. Buy Now.
Detailed Specification.

The Skymaster series of binoculars from Celestron are the ideal choice for amateur star gazers. These water resistant, porro-prism binoculars feature a 15x zoom, a large 70mm objective lens that offers maximum image brightness in low-light and long-range conditions, multi-coated optics to reduce glare, long eye relief and fold down eye guards which makes them comfortable even for eyeglass wearers. They are suitable not only for astronomy but also terrestrial viewing. Carry case included. Weight 1.36Kgs. Buy Now.

Suggested Tripod. and Suggested Reading.

The Kodak Zi8 is a brilliant camcorder for the price. It features full HD 1080p H.264 (.mov) video recording using a 5 megapixel CMOS sensor and a 6.3mm, f/2.8, fixed focus lens with image stabilization and 4x zoom. It has a 2.5" LCD display and 128 MB internal memory expandable using SDHC cards upto 32GB. It also features inbuilt monaural microphone, speakers, USB 2.0 flip out connector, AV, HDMI, external stereo microphone input jack, 1/4" standard tripod mount and a removable rechargeable battery. Buy Now.

The F70 EXR features the revolutionary FujiFilm 1/2" Super CCD EXR at 10 million pixels combined with 10x optical zoom (27mm-270mm) and CCD-shift image stabilization. The super CCD allows taking sharp pictures with no chroma noise till ISO 1600 and EXR 800% dynamic range takes excellent high contrast shots capturing detail in both light and dark areas of the shot. This together with pro-lowlight mode which combines 4 pictures taken in low light to give one clear shot makes this the most affordable advanced pocket camera you can buy. Buy Now.
Detailed Specification

The PowerShot A2100 IS is an advanced compact that fits 12.1 megapixels and a 6x optical zoom (36mm – 216mm) into a compact design. 1/2.3” CCD and Canon’s DIGIC 4 processor and CCD shift image stabilization provides superb image quality and colour reproduction and face detection detects up to 35 faces in a shot and adjusts focus, exposure, flash settings and white balance for optimal results with natural-looking skin tones. The camera is powered by 2xAA batteries and uses SDHC cards for storage. Carry case is included in the price. Buy Now.
Detailed Specification

This is an extremely versatile digital photo frame equipped with a 7" colour display, FM Radio and alarm clock. Additionally it provides a USB and SD card slot for photo or music playback. Supports Mp3 and WMA, JPEG file formats. It comes preloaded with relaxation music to help you fall asleep peacefully and nature sounds to wake you up. Runs off mains power. 9V DC adapter supplied. Buy Now.
Detailed Specification

Between the world of pocket sized digital cameras and the DSLR lies the budding photographer who does not wish to spend a fortune buying a DSLR and yet is unhappy with the pocket sized camera that gives him very little or no control on the way the picture is taken. To meet the needs of these budding photographers I look at some of the best semi-professional digital cameras that are all under £200.

In the small world of digital pocket cameras, increasingly the trend is to buy one with higher number of megapixels. Camera manufacturers seem to be trying to convince us that more megapixels mean better pictures. However, in reality they are not building better cameras that support higher mexapixels, they are often simply extracting more megapixels from their existing cameras. This means picture quality is being compromised. So you may get better picture quality from a lower megapixel camera.

Canon's stylish IXUS range of digital cameras is aimed at the pocket camera market. These designed to impress cameras are slim and light weight and easily fit in the pocket or purse. They are not for pro photographers, however for their size they pack a lot of punch and match the superior image quality expected from Canon.