A guide to buying a Digital Camera

Technology advances so quickly these days. You’ve just bought what you thought was the latest digital camera and WHAM! You see the new 72 Mega pixel Supershot with advanced Blink, Wink, Smile, Grin, Yawn and Snooze Detection….arggghhh!!!!

So whats the best digital camera to buy and why?

Ok, firstly, lets eradicate a common myth. The higher the megapixel, the better the camera. WRONG. The Mega pixel count only tells you how many million pixels (or dots the picture is made of) there are in the picture. A higher megapixel count will enable to you make bigger prints. But unless you are intending to make poster size prints, then anything more than a 5 Megapixel really is overkill. You need to look beyond megapixel count when buying a digital camera. Think about the quality of the pixels (picture) not just the amount…as with many things in life, quantity does not always equate to quality.

Sony makes a superb range of cameras called the Sony Cybershot range. They take an awesome shot. This is down to the Carl Zeiss Lens. Carl Zeiss are manufacturers of professional SLR Lens (or paparazzi type lenses to you and I). They have brought their expertise to the Cybershot range, meaning that you will take a picture which is not only clear and sharp but full of colour with sharp contrast which will capture your most precious moments in a way you can only dream of.


Also Panasonic have released a superb range of digital cameras with a Leica Lens. Leica are a manufacturers of “High End” Digital Cameras who have lent their knowledge and wisdom to provide a lens for the Lumix range which will simply astound you with its capabilities.

Apart from the Lens, have a look at the functions of the camera. Today we have the technology to manufacturer cameras with Smile Detection, which will automatically detect when your subjects smile thus taking the shot at the perfect moment. The Digital Camera manufacturers have now taken this one step further with Blink Detection which will automatically sense if anyone is blinking and delay the shot. With these new technologies it really is nigh on impossible to take a poor shot.

All in all, when buying a digital camera, buy a quality one. Don’t be fooled by the cheaper but 10 to 12 megapixel digital cameras. A better quality 8 megapixel will take a much better picture due to its professional optics and host of senses and functions. Take your time with your decision and you will buy a camera which will last you a lifetime….well, almost.

The new Underwater Camcorder from Panasonic – The Panasonic SDR- SW21

Panasonic have always be renowned for their underwater models. The Panasonic SDR-SW21 camcorder is no exception. It is small compact and easy to use, but rugged enough to stand drops from 1.2 meters. But it really comes into its own underwater. It is waterproof to a depth of 2 metres. That also includes in the sea (which many underwater camcorders do not) So it is perfect for your holidays to capture them special moments. It can be used for snorkeling, at the beach, ski resort or anywhere else where damage to your precious investment may be an issue.

The Panasonic SDR-SW21 also has the new Panasonic UTube Uploader which allows you to upload photos and video direct to UTube as soon as you plug it into a PC. The Panasonic SDR-SW21 also simplifies recording to DVD. As it records in MPEG2 the Panasonic SW21 can be connected to you PC and the footage can be transfered direct to DVD disc without the need to be re-encoding the video to the required format, which can be a lengthy process.


Available in three great colours, the Panasonic SDR-SW21 is one to watch.

The Panasonic HDC-SD9 – Possibly the best camcorder on the market?

There’ a new guy in town, it’s the HDC-SD9 from Panasonic. Very similar to its younger brother the HDC-SD5, the all new HDC-SD9 has got everyone here at elite gadgets very excited.

Although the HDC-SD9 has the similar basic specification to the HDC-SD5, Panasonic have come up with some groovy new features to keep all camcorders aficionados keen.

Sporting Panasonic’s Trademark 3 CCD’s which in the case of the HDC-SD9 are in 1/6 units with 560,000 per unit. These have a fantastic effect on colour fidelity. Panasonic have also partnered with Leica to provide the Leica Dicomar lens. The HDC-SD9 also has a full image optical stabilization system rather than an electronic one which you would usually find in a camcorder of this size.

The new HDC-SD9 records in the AVCHD Mpeg-4 H.264 AVC format, which is the same as its sibling the SD5, however, Panasonic have now included a new video processor so the HDC-SD9 can records in FULL HD, unlike the HDC-SD5 which provided a 1920x1080 image but in an interlaced signal. The SD9 is superior in technology advancement as it can shoot this same resolution but this time with a progressive signal. Furthermore it offers two compression schemes in this mode – 17Mbits/sec HA and 13Mbits/sec HG. The HA Mode boasts the highest bit rate of any AVCHD camcorder currently available.

The HDC-SD9 is firmly aimed at more novice camcorder enthusiasts by providing an intelligent shooting mode which provides handy tips to improve the quality of your footage. For example, if you move the camera to fast it will tell you….which we thought was a nifty little idea. It will also tell you if the low light mode has be enable when it does need to be.

However, it will also keep the veteran enthusiasts happy to with its myriad of functions and superb picture quality.

Another new function of the HDC-SD9 is Face Detection Technology. The HDC-SD9 can detect faces and will adjust exposure accordingly. This mode is available when shooting video as well as still shots.

There is also a fantastic Digital Cinema Colour recording mode which gives your footage very very vibrant colour intensity, however, you do need a Panasonic Enable TV to benefit from this.

Now lets hear about the Panasonic HDC- SD9 – or what does the SD9 hear?? It records in 5.1 surround sound which is very unusual for a camcorder of this size. How does it do this? It utilizes five separate microphones which are arranged in a way that it can calculate noises coming from in front of you and behind you. Also, quite amazingly, it has a Zoom Microphone Function, where the sound recording is focused to whatever is in your frame at that particular time. Wow!!! Dont you just love technology!!!

We’ve had this camcorder in the Elite Gadgets office for over a month now, and we are still astounded at what it can do! It’s a perfect camcorder for all occasions and will keep all camcorder nuts happy whether they are new to the hobby or seasoned professionals.

Review by
Craig@Elite