Digital Camera Websites

While researching my recent purchase of a Canon Powershot SX200 IS, I considered each of the following websites (listed alphabetically):

There was actually €64 of a difference between cheapest (Simply Electronics) and the dearest (Expansys Ireland), for the camera only. However, Pixmania offered the best value for the package I wanted (i.e. spare battery, high-speed 8GB SDHC card and case) so I went with them in the end.

It was my first time shopping with Pixmania and I have say they provide a pretty good service. They provide an excellent tracking service (linked to DHL) and my package arrived safe and sound, and on time. The inclusion of a free Pixmania camera strap was a nice touch and my daughter was suitably impressed (as are her dolls who are now sporting said attire).

Canon Powershot SX200 IS

After seven years of faithful service, my trusty Canon IXUS V digital camera has finally been decommissioned. I originally won it on a radio phone-in competition back in 2002 and even though there’s actually nothing wrong with it functionally, I just found myself wanting more zoom on a number of occasions recently and so finally got around to upgrading. For it’s time, the IXUS V was a truly terrific camera – ultra compact, seriously rugged, 2 Megapixels, 2X optical zoom, video capture and superb picture quality.

On foot of the desire for more (optical) zoom, and with a preference to stick with Canon, I set about finding a replacement. Since High Definition movies and television are also the flavour of the month, I decided to go for something with HD movie capture too. Enter the Canon Powershot SX200 IS, with 12 Megapixels, 12X optical zoom, a 28mm wide angle lens, full 1080p HD video capture and a massive 3″ LCD screen, there isn’t much more I could have asked for.

If I were to have anything slightly negative to say about this camera it would be just that the pop-up flash takes a little getting used to. It would be great if it only emerged when actually needed. I also miss having a manual viewfinder. On the old model, I used to switch off the LCD display when running low on battery and use the manual viewfinder instead, yielding another 30 minutes of battery life instead. That said, I won’t be changing back any time soon and am looking forward to another 7 years of happy snapping.