Point-and-shoots advance to pro levels
Rachel Naud , Canwest News Service
Point-and-shoot cameras have always been notable for their ease of use. But today's best digital models are taking simplicity a step further and doing virtually all the work and thinking that goes into taking a great photo for us.
Using features such as face recognition, smile detection and scene intelligence, capturing the perfect image could really be just a click away.
"One of the things I've always hated about point-and-shoot digital cameras when they first came out is that by the time the camera actually shot the picture, it would be a picture of the place my son once was - a shot of his foot. It wasn't the shot I actually wanted," says Bradley Shende, executive producer with Chalk TV and host of the show Connected Life.
"Fortunately, technology has caught up with most cameras."
In fact, with ISO levels on point-and-shoots rising past 1,000, more models allow you to take multiple pictures with one click, allowing the user to scroll through and choose the best image.
"Basically, it gives you a contact sheet to choose what you want and dispose of the rest," says Shende. "It takes the pictures really close together."
Point-and-shoots, also known as compact cameras, have been adding features for years. In addition to such familiar items as autofocus and built-in flash, one of today's popular features is face detection. This allows the camera to find the face in the frame, analyze it and adjust for colour, temperature and lighting.
The facial area-analysis is based on such characteristics as flesh tone and exposure, and the background is treated differently to optimize focus on the face.
"It's the type of thing a professional photographer would consider in lighting a scene, but now what's amazing is the camera's processors are actually doing this for us," says Shende.
Angelo Daga, senior merchandising manager for Future Shop, says smile detection on advanced point-and-shoots is especially helpful when taking pictures of small children who are sometimes unwilling to smile for the camera.
"Once they smile, the camera will automatically snap the photo," says Daga.
And whether you're taking a photo of family or a nature shot, the Intelligent Scene Selector mode found in some of today's cameras will ensure you get a professional-looking picture by automatically sensing the conditions you're in.
"It judges what the appropriate setting of the camera should be," says Daga. "So, if you're taking a picture of a person, the camera will optimize skin tones and focus on the face. But if you're taking a picture of something up close, such as a flower or an insect, the macro mode will help improve that shot."
Daga says point-and-shoot cameras can range anywhere from $99 to $450, depending on how many features the camera includes.
Asked to identify some of the most popular cameras on the market, Daga says the Sony Cybershot T300 is popular with customers. It's not only stylish - it comes in black, silver and pink - but boasts a large 3.5-inch LCD screen and a touch panel that makes feature and menu selection easy.
The Panasonic TZ5 is another popular option, he says. The camera features nine megapixels, 10-times optical zoom, 28-mm wide-angle lens, a three-inch LCD screen and face detection. It also boasts the scene-intelligence mode to help capture the best shot.
Shende notes the Nikon Coolpix S52C camera offers a compact option loaded with features. The camera boasts nine megapixels, 3200 ISO, three-times optical zoom and image stabilization.
The Wi-Fi-enabled S52C can connect wirelessly to compatible devices for easy uploading and sharing of pictures.
"You can e-mail pictures from the camera within a WiFi network, so you could take a picture of the kids in the back yard and upload it for Grandma, right from the camera," says Shende.
