The Vivitar Mini digital camera offers features that are usually only found on more expensive cameras. The 7.0 megapixel resolution and video capabilities give the Vivitar mini digital camera quite a spread of features.

For me, the main thing that makes this camera unique is the “handgun” style of taking pictures. It is actually quite comfortable in general use and the buttons are all within reach of your thumb, which naturally falls over the button positions.

Before I go on, here are some of the main features:

  • 7.0 megapixels
  • 3840 x 2880 max picture resolution
  • 720 x 480 max video resolution
  • 3.0 inch screen

Besides the “handgun” style of the camera, another feature that stand out is the standby feature. When the camera is on and the viewer is open (it folds in the rest of the time) then it’s ready to take pictures or videos. When the camera is one, but the viewer is folded in, it enters a standby mode. The standby mode uses a lot less power, mostly because the viewer screen is off. It takes only a moment to open the viewer and camera is ready to take pictures again. For extended non-use, just turn the camera off with the power button.

The maximum resolution is enough for 8 x 10 prints from the camera store, and more than enough for the Internet. The movie feature can take movies that are slightly wider than usual at 3:2. This is wider than 4:3, but not as wide as 16:9 or 16:10, so its a little strange, but the normal options are also available. One downside with the video is the use of MPEG-4. In fact, this should be an upside because of quality, but with much lower adoption compared to AVI, there is a good chance you will need to download updated video software to playback the videos.

For the price I love Vivitar digital camera, the design is good and the placement of buttons is comfortable.

The Nikon Coolpix digital camera is priced just right for the consumer camera range, and although it’s not the cheapest nor the most expensive, the Nikon digital camera does offer a range of features to make it appealing to most people, and it boasts a set of features to customize how pictures are taken.

The Nikon Coolpix digital camera range has been around for a while now, and the L18 is in the bottom portion of the range. It does offer a good set of features though.

A brief list of the features of the Coolpix Nikon digital camera

  • 8.0 megapixel
  • 3264 x 2448 maximum pictures resolution
  • 640 x 480 maximum movie resolution
  • SD/SDHC memory card slot
  • JPEG picture format
  • AVI movie format
  • 3x optical zoom
  • 3.0 inch viewscreen

Firstly, there is the 8.0 megapixel picture quality. This is enough for any family pictures and even then is probably more than necessary, considering that most pictures will be downsized and then uploaded to the Internet. The Nikon digital camera does support lower resolutions and if you plan to take a lot of pictures then choose a resolution that is more reasonable. Even for my family photos I use 2.0 megapixels (1600 x 1200), even though my camera supports more.

The 3.0 inch viewscreen gives a nice large view of the picture before taking it. The Nikon digital camera’s screen also gives a clearer idea of what the final picture will look like because it applies the pictures settings to the displayed picture while viewing.

The ability to take low resolution movies is a definite plus. 640 x 480 might not seen like a lot compared with HD TV and other such high resolution technologies, but it is probably enough. It took two years before I tried movies on my old camera. It could only take 320 x 240, but was still enough for home movies because the subject is very focused and in a controlled environment.

It is worth noting that this Nikon digital camera takes AA batteries. Proprietary batteries often last well and are designed for the camera they are used in but are expensive to replace and require that you take a spare and charger for longer trips. The AA batteries on the Nikon Coolpix digital camera allow you to choose any AA sized rechargeable battery you like, you can use regular AA batteries if your rechargeables run out and they are easily replaceable.

For the price, getting a good camera, decent video recorder all in one make the Nikon Coolpix digital camera a good pick.

The Canon Rebel digital camera combines high performance professional features into a package that is easy enough to be a point and shoot digital camera.

Although there is usually not much in terms of picture quality between consumer digital cameras, more professional cameras like the Canon Rebel digital camera offer extra features and more control needed to customize photos beyond the usual point and shoot.

Here are some of the main features of the Canon Rebel digital camera:

  • 12.2 megapixel
  • 4272 x 2848 maximum resolution
  • SD/SDHC storage
  • JPEG or RAW pictures modes
  • Manual, one-shot AF, Al Focus AF and Al Servo AF focus modes
  • 3.0 inch viewscreen

The slightly higher specced features on the Canon Rebel digital camera include a 12.2 Megapixel CMOS sensor for pictures with more than twice the resolution of run of the mill point and shoot digital cameras.

The Canon Rebel digital camera offers manual focus as well as three auto-focus modes to choose from. This variety allows custom settings for when you want to take the best picture possible or adjust the settings as well as the convenience of auto-focus when you just need to take some family shots.

The Canon Rebel digital camera’s set of automatic features can compensate for poor lighting and enhance pictures to make them look better. There are also standard settings for different light conditions.

Although this is not a cheap digital camera, the Canon Rebel digital camera does offer pretty much all the features necessary for a professional digital camera. Overall a good balance between getting professional features and tried and tested point and shoot.