Engadget’s back to university guide 2011: digital cameras

Aug 1st 2011
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Welcome to Engadget’s Back to college guide ! We all know that this time of year might possibly be pretty annoying and stressful for everybody, so we’re here to assist out with the heartbreaking strategy of gadget buying for the faculty-aged crowd. Today, now we have our optical viewfinders set firmly on digital cameras — and you may head to the Back to high school hub to peer the remainder of the product guides as they’re added through the month. Remember to keep checking back — on the end of the month we’ll be giving freely a ton of the gear featured in our guides — and hit up the hub page here !

Engadgets back to university guide 2011: digital cameras

Welcome to Digital Cameras 101. This single-lecture class will feature a handful of top cams for each budget, and because you’re just returning from a summer of untamed shooting, we’ll attempt to keep things brief this time around, supplying you with one last chance to enjoy that crisp natural light. There won’t be a pop quiz, but when you feel lucky and do not mind following our simple instructions, we could be capable of send you home together with your own Sony NEX-C3. So wipe off the glasses, grab your clicker, and prepare to leap past the break for a top-level overview of this year’s picks for back to college.

At the cheap

Samsung EC-SH100
We imagine that the DualView feature that Samsung included on its 2010 models came in handy at many a frat party last year, however the EC-SH100 expands on that idea, letting you utilize the display in your Galaxy S Android phone to manipulate the camera over WiFi. Set it down on a table to zoom and fire the shutter during remote group shots, or help guide that stranger which you flagged down in the street. There’s also a three-inch touchscreen, 26mm wide-angle lens, and a value tag that will not require an interest-free loan from parents.

Key specs: 14.2-megapixel CCD sensor, 5x optical zoom, 720p / 30fps HD video.

Price: $139 on Amazon

Mid-range

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2 Canon S95 2
Canon’s S95 may look small, but boy does it pack a punch. That 3.8x optical zoom lens features an f/2.0 wide-angle aperture, letting you shoot crisp photos in low light, and with shallow depth of field. There’s also RAW and entire manual shooting, stereo 720p video, and a maximum sensitivity of ISO 12,800.

Key specs: 10-megapixel CMOS sensor, 3.8x optical zoom, f/2.0 lens, 720p / 24fps HD video.

Price: $379 on Amazon

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4 Nikon Coolpix S8100 4
This 12.1-megapixel point-and-shoot doesn’t have the high-ISO sensitivity of its Canon counterpart, nevertheless it also costs $150 less, so we are not complaining. There’s also a high-res 3-inch display, and whole 1080p video capture at 30fps.

$225 on Amazon

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6 Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS3 6
Planning to join Scuba 101 for an “easy A?” You will likely need a waterproof camera, and when you can’t take this ruggedized cam greater than 40 feet down, it’ll just do fine on the campus pool, or on sprint break.
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7 $308 on Amazon

Interchangeable lens

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9 Sony Alpha NEX-C3 with 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens 9
Sony’s NEX-C3 delivers DSLR image quality in a way smaller body, packing an identical size APS-C sensor present in many larger (and plenty pricier) digital SLRs. The camera’s tilt-enabled 3-inch display allows you to shoot overhead at concerts or parties, and its full manual control and interchangeable lenses make it an ideal fit to your next photography class. It won’t be shipping until later this month, but we promise that it’s definitely worth the wait.

Key specs: 16.2-megapixel CMOS sensor, 720p video, 3-inch articulating LCD.

Price: $650 on Amazon

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Nikon D7000 with 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 lens 1
In case you are trying to step as much as a whole-size DSLR and also you already own (or have access to) some quality Nikon lenses, the 16.2-megapixel D7000 should do the trick. It offers 1080p video capture, 39-point autofocus, a large-view 3-inch LCD, and a top ISO sensitivty of ISO 25,600.

$1,470 on Amazon

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3 Canon EOS 5D Mark II with 24-105mm f/4 L lens 3
Sure, it’d be fast approaching its third birthday, however the 21.1-megapixel Canon 5D Mark II remains to be our go-to cam for liveblogs and product shoots. Its full-frame image sensor means top-notch image quality, phenomenal low-light sensitivity, and beautiful bokeh. We just wish it didn’t cost a lot.

$3,299 on Amazon

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