Digital Camera Fiend - A Camera Review

Asking someone what the best camera is, is like asking what the best food or best movie is: totally subjective and based on personal preference.

David Pogue, tech writer extraordinaire for the New York Times, can’t tell you how many times readers pose the ‘best camera’ question to him.

“That’s a crazy question,” Pogue says on his blog. “There are so many models and so many people with different priorities.”

That said, he decided to humor his legions of readers and posted a Best electronics list that includes two cameras: the Canon SD800IS and the Nikon D40.

Canon’s SD800 IS (the IS stands for Image Stabilizer) is a 7.1 megapixel compact digital camera with a 3.8x zoom. It’s the best camera that fits in your pocket, according to Pogue.

He especially praised the SD800’s image stablizer which, “saves about 90 percent of the low-light photos that would otherwise have been ruined by blur.”

The camera also has face recognition technology, ISO capabilities of up to 1600 and an easy-to-use interface. DP Review.com also recommended the Canon SD800 IS, but complained that the ISO 800 and 1600 were of limited use and that there is very little manual control. The older version, the SD700, is better, DP Review said.

The Nikon D40 has received heaps of praise from reviewers, and is Pogue’s pick for ‘Best Amateur SLR camera’. This entry-level DSLR camera is great for SLR beginners.

The Nikon D40 takes features from the more advanced Nikon D50 but is more lightweight and significantly lower priced. It’s a solid, well-built camera with an insanely low price.

“The price is amazing ($530) considering everything you get: fast startup, zero shutter lag, fast autofocus, big sensor, spacious and bright viewfinder, big screen,” Pogue wrote in his blog.

He says it’s a better buy than Canon’s Digital Rebel, which he finds awkward to hold and handle compared to the Nikon.

Although the D40 is barely six months old, Nikon has already updated it with the D40x, which has 10.2 megapixels compared to the D40’s 6.1 megapixels.

But seriously, unless you are going to be doing professional poster-size prints, you don’t need more than six megapixels. The D40 gets the job done and image quality differences are negligible.

Don’t forget to take a look at the best lens for the Nikon D40 and D40x. This one is also a bargain and would be a great addition to your lens kit.