Q: With a little one on the way, we're hoping to embrace the wonders of technology and document her childhood. Both my husband and I have very few pictures of ourselves growing up, and probably zero videos, so we are eager to find the right equipment to keep this from happening with our kid! We want to avoid have TOO many gadgets, so we really want a good point-and-shoot that also takes good quality videos. Any recommendations?
Sent by Morgan
Editor: You might start with this post: What Camera To Buy? 4 Suggested Cameras for Parents but it's from last February so is a little out of date. Readers, do you have a camera like Morgan describes that you love - what is it? (Or did you buy something and wish you'd bought something else?)
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ok, so it isn't a point and shoot and it is a bit of an investment, BUT - I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Cannon Rebel T3i. It's a DSLR and shoots HD videos. The quality is awesome and it is so easy to use. Friends joke that the pictures it takes makes them look better than real life!
I think the best part is that you can just take pictures on the "programmed" setting and they turn out great and then when you have time you can learn all the other settings and take even better photos. It's quickly becoming a hobby of mine!
I wholeheartedly recommend the Nikon Coolpix line. My husband and I have owned three and loved them all. I'm currently using the S3000. For a point and shoot, it takes great photos and pretty darn good videos.
We have a Canon G12 that we love. It's slightly bigger than a regular point and shoot, but it's still much more compact than a full on SLR. Takes great pictures and video!
check out the Nikon p300 on Amazon. my friends took it on a trip to Argentina and got AMAZING low light pictures, better than my dSLR, and it takes HD video in 1080p. I'm thinking of getting it to take a compact camera on vacation with us. The camera's ability in low light is astounding, believe me it will come in handy.... way less blurry pics. And the HD video is pretty great considering it's not a camcorder or fancy pricey dSLR.
The Sony Nex-5...it's a ILC (Interchangeable Lens). Don't be intimidated by the fancy name. It's a DSLR with a nice and small body. You can get a basic pancake lens that makes it very portable and bust out the fancier lens when you're at home. Take great photos and videos, has a very easy to navigate menu. There's also the Nex-3 which is the more basic model that has a plastic body vs. a metal body.
The very best camera is the one that you always have with you.
All of these are great recommendations but if you have a mobile phone with a great camera (iPhone 4 and soon to be iPhone 5) these are fantastic cameras that you will have with you every day! They also print great!
I have owned a Kodak, a Powershot, a Cybershot, and a Panasonic Lumix. My favorite of these was a Powershot. It was amazing. Unfortunately it got stolen. My current camera is a Panasonic Lumix and it's my 2nd favorite. It takes high-def videos, has a neat playback feature, and my favorite feature - it has a setting where you can take a bazillion pictures just holding the shutter button down. My son is very hard to photograph, so this feature has saved my life and given me some really cute pictures! It's kind of a pain to go through 300 pictures of him picking his nose, but it's worth it for the one picture that turns out of him smiling at the camera :)
Walmart has an amazing return policy and will accept the camera 30 days after you buy it, even opened, if you decide you hate it (with receipt and box and stuff.) I have returned a camera before and it was great, no hassle.
Canon S95. Best compact shooter there is, don't need SLR or interchangeable lenses. Takes great HD videos too, I got rid of the flip for it.
I agree with pmg1704 - we just got an S95 and LOVE it. It's fancy/hi-tech when you want it to be/have time to mess with it AND really good/damn near perfect in auto mode when you want it capture those special moments every day.
We have the Sony Nex-5 as well and it's fantastic for babies! (...and other regular stuff too)
I researched cameras forever, wanting the same things as you mentioned above, and initially got a Nikon D90. It was WAY too much camera for me, even on the automatic settings. The Nex-5 is unreal, I love love love it. It's small enough that I throw it in the diaper bag or my purse, but still takes amazing pics and video. I didn't bother with the oancake lens, because having a super slim camera wasn't all that important to me. And I've literally never used the flash, this camera takes incredible low light photos. It also has a built in 'defocus background' function for non-professionals (like me!) that make the pics of my baby girl look professional.
I've got an Olympus Stylus Tough 6020 and I LOVE it. It's got a speed mode that I use when I'm taking pictures of my Tiny Roommate, plus it's got some crush-, freeze-, drop- and water-proof build to it. Especially good when those sticky hands come up and grab for the camera!
I got a Nikon Coolpix s9100 recently, and it has been a wonderful camera so far. Great zoom (for sneaking up on your child before they notice you taking the picture!) and clear, beautiful photos. I also like the speed with which it turns on initially and that it's ready to take the next picture so much faster than many other digitals I've owned.
I second the Olympus Tough recommendation. I asked a photographer friend of mine what camera to buy (I'm expecting) and she recommended this. http://www.futureshop.ca/en-CA/product/olympus-olympus-14mp-digital-camera-tg610-black-tg610/10168351.aspx?path=b5898a5d0ce397f84bb878f807e1acaaen02
Canon Powershot D10 IT'S WATERPROOF!!! And very durable. Perfect for use with a kid. I can throw it in the diaper bag and not worry if a bottle leaks on it. It can go in the pool, in the bath, to the beach, everywhere, and I don't have to worry about ruining it. It also contains all of the features of other Powershots, tons of selections to get the right lighting for the right moment. I LOVE IT!!!
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=waterproof+canon+powershot&oe=utf-8&rls=com.yahoo:en-US:official&client=firefox&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=7136249199233624403&sa=X&ei=-YBqTuWPBMiCsAK-2cClBA&ved=0CGcQ8wIwAA
I love the Canon Powershots. I had an older model for 7+ years. It still works, but I wanted something new, so I got the Powershot sx130 and it is great - easy to use, but lots of features if you get comfortable exploring the camera. I've had wonderful customer service through Canon. They replaced the old display once for free and paid for the shipping both ways. The other Powershots I considered were the sd1300/1400 because they fit into a pocket and have lots of features.
I second the Canon S95. I got it when our little one was 5 months old after realizing we had a bunch of so-so pictures from our old camera that didn't even compare to the pictures my sister in law was taking on her Canon S95. If you're inclined you can do a lot of special stuff or just rely on the auto setting to do the work for you. Great investment.
i love my casio exilim. takes great pictures, is QUICK (we have a nikon that lives in the babies' room that is sloooooow - you want a quick shot of the adorable thing and we never get it with that camera) and the casio takes great videos. it was inexpensive, as well. i've had mine for a couple of years so for all i know it's gotten even better.
I have a Canon Ixus 80 IS and it's worked well for me over the years. I'm very biased for the Canon Ixus/Powershot line. It's got great color, pretty small enough to lug around and has a fast reaction time. It's got nice features you can play around with but the automatic mode is good if you're in a hurry. That said, if you are going to get a Canon compact, the S95 is the best choice.
Second best choice would be a Panasonic Lumix LX5. It's compact, quite similar to the S95 too.
My husband and I have a Canon 5D Mark II, a Canon G10, and a Canon s95 (as well as an iPhone). Personally, I could do with just the 5D and the iPhone, as that covers a wide spectrum of quality and portability/convenience. The advantage of an SLR (the Canon T-series is not as pricey as the 5D) is that it has a fast shutter speed, which you can't really get with smaller cameras, and which is important when it comes to kids, who move around so much. Paired with a smartphone camera, which you always have with you, I think it makes a great combination.
But if I were to only get one camera, for size, price, and purposes, I'd echo what many have said here about the s95. It's very compact (the size of a small point-and-shoot) but takes good-quality pics and has a few manual settings and special features. It also takes HD video. I have not been a big fan of the G10 (too middle of the road, not providing the same advantages of either SLR or point-and-shoot) and plan to sell mine.
I agree with the post that you should get a nice Mobile phone that takes pics AND video. We have a Canon point and shoot ...and we bought a Kodak Sport Video (similar to the FLIP) so that we could take lots of pics of our toddler and baby, thinking they are compact enough to take lots of pics. WRONG - we still are out and about and I don't have the devices on me. I ALWAYS have my phone on me and wish that I could just use that instead of having 3 devices. Especially when I see my friends posting terrific photos using their mobile phones. (I have an old school phone). If you want to pose and plan when to take pics (which is hard to do after your baby starts walking) then get a nice camera. If you want to catch lots of moments and in lots of settings (outdoors, indoors, bathtub, parties, park playing, pool, etc) then get a mobile phone :)
Canon S95 = the best.