A picture truly is worth a thousand words so snap away this holiday season with some of Metro’s best picks for photographic fun:
Samsung ST550 dual-screen camera
$399.99
If you love hanging out with friends but hate having all those self-portrait group shots turn out skewed or with people cut out, the ST550 camera is for you. As the world’s first dual-LCD camera, the ST550 places a second 1.5-inch LCD screen on the front, lens-forward part of the camera to let you see exactly how you’re framing your self-portrait. You’ll also notice there are no buttons on the back of the camera, which is taken up entirely by a huge 3.5-inch touch screen that lets you take and edit your photos using just your finger. With 12.2 megapixels, image stabilization and smart face recognition to boot, this is one cool camera.
Nikon D3000 DSLR w/ 18-55mm VR lens
$639.95
A killer rig for the enthusiastic amateur photographer, Nikon’s D3000 is the premiere entry-level Digital SLR camera on the market. Don’t let the entry-level tag fool you though, there is nothing stripped down or feature-famished about this model. With an 11-pt autofocus, large DX format CCD sensor, three-inch LCD monitor and coming with versatile 18-55mm VR lens (VR stands for Vibration Reduction, Nikon’s version of image stabilization) this is way more camera than you should be getting for the money. For real DSLR first-timers, the camera sports a powerful guide mode to help teach you not only all the ins and out of the camera, but the most crucial principles of DSLR photography as well.
Olympus Stylus Tough-6000
$329
Built to survive situations that would see other cameras either shatter into shards or shut down for good, the 10-megapixel Tough-6000 is touted by Olympus as being able to survive a five-foot drop, being submerged 10 feet underwater, sat upon or even frozen to -10 C. The body has a built-in “tap control” whereby things like flash mode or picture playback can be accessed simply by tapping the sides or back of the camera — ideal for when you’re wearing gloves on the winter slopes or diving to snap shots of dolphins. If there ever was a truly child-proof camera that not even your delightful nephew could ruin with his “eccentric” ways of playing with toys, this is it.
Canon 7D DSLR camera
$2,099.99
Canon’s newest DSLR addition is the real deal — a professional level camera at a semi-professional price that really understands what makes photography fun. The 7D takes Canon’s excellent CMOS sensor to new heights with 18-megapixels attached to two Digic 4 image processors, which enable the rig to take photos at 8 fps in continuous shooting mode with ISO ratings up to 12,800 for superior low-light photo taking. Canon consulted with more than 5,000 professional photographers worldwide to find out exactly what they wanted from a camera and the result is a swath of revolutionary features like an intelligent light metering system, a bright viewfinder with 100 per cent coverage, full HD 1080p video shooting, a built-in transmitter for external flashes and even a dual-axis electronic level built into the viewfinder so you’ll never have to take skewed shots that look like the Titanic is constantly sinking. This camera might even slay dragons if you find the right button.
Kodak Zi8 pocket video camera
$199.95
Small but feature-packed, the Kodak Zi8 is convenient and fun to use. This compact but powerful little video camera is great for taking quick vids on-the-fly for your Youtube or Facebook postings. Despite its smaller size and price, the camera packs in full 1080p HD video capabilities, image stabilization, face detection and comes with HDMI and AV cables included. Easy to carry and use, the Zi8 is perfect for budding pocket-directors.
Flip Video MinoHD camcorder
$279.99
If cuteness could transform into a camera, the MinoHD might just be the form it would take. While the spry little camera can take up to 60 minutes of high-definition video and features an internal rechargeable battery, it also has plenty of style: Yours. The MinoHD has a fully customizable exterior, from cool prints to interesting patterns to your own photos or images, making sure every Mino is unique. The personalization is fully included in the price and the camera weighs just over three ounces.
