Betwixt and between: Prosumer cameras

As the name suggests, prosumer cameras lie between consumer cameras (i.e. point-and-shoots) and professional cameras (like digital SLRs). This is true of most prosumers when it comes to size, features and price.

Prosumers put their extra size (compared to point-and-shoots) to good use. Typically they have more optical zoom: for instance a whopping 12X zoom in the Sony DSC H5. Prosumers usually have bigger CCDs with more megapixels as well as larger LCD screens for more convenient viewing. They also have excellent shooting options: in additional to full manual exposure controls you might get more detailed choices for adjusting, say, the autofocus as well as features like image stabilization which reduces blurriness.

While prosumers don’t have quite the same flexibility and image quality as DSLRs, there are a few areas where they are better. They are quieter and unlike DSLRs, the electronic viewfinder gives you a real-time look at the picture when you change the settings. They are generally smaller and cheaper as well and usually come with video capabilities. The bottom line is that for the serious amateur photographer who wishes to take better pictures, a prosumer may well be the more convenient option.

Removing Red-eye

Red eye happens when the light from the built-in flash on your digital camera is reflected from the eyes of your subject and takes the red colour of the blood vessels. It is an unnerving effect and certainly spoils the mood of many photos. Fortunately there are a number of ways of dealing with the problem.

One way is turn on as many lights as possible if you are shooting indoors. Most camera flashes will adjust to the extra light by reducing the intensity of the flash. Also the extra light will make your subject’s eyes constrict which reduces the red-eye effect.

Another simple method is to pose your subject so they don’t directly look into the camera. Profile shots are often more interesting than straight shots anyway. Many cameras have a red-eye reduction mode where there is an additional quick flash before the main one. Some cameras also come with special features for detecting and fixing red-eye; for example the Nikon Coolpix S6 with its In-camera Red-eye Fix.

Perhaps the best way of removing red-eye is with your PC photo editor. Free programmes like Picasa 2 have easy-to-use tools which can remove red-eye in a snap.

It's a small world: Sony’s Ultracompact DSC-T series

In the world of digital cameras perhaps the most exciting models are the ultracompacts: sleek machines that can fit in your shirt pocket and still take great photos. And among ultracompacts Sony’s Cybershot DSC-T series is certainly one of the best and most popular.

There are several models in the series at different price ranges. The Sony Cybershot T5 has a 5 megapixel sensor and comes in four colours: black, gold, red and silver. It features a large 2.5 inch screen and 32 MB of internal memory so that you can take pictures without a separate memory card. The 6-megapixel Sony Cybershot T9 has optical image stabilization which reduces the blur from shaky hands. It’s also better at taking pictures in low light.

Just this month, Sony has released the latest model in the series: the 7 megapixel DSC-T10. The maximum ISO has been further increased to 1000 which means better pictures in low light or of fast moving subjects. It also has an improved processor which reduces the time required to take pictures and provides longer battery life. The cameras keep getting better but what stays the same is the sleek design and unmatched convenience of ultracompacts.

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