Best Family Digital Cameras & Digital SLRs

I have split the choice of digital cameras for the family into two groups - point & shoot for the beginner and intermediate photographer and prosumer for advanced needs. Desirable features to look out for when assessing a point and shoot digital camera for family photography include:

Speed - the digital camera must have minimal shutter lag to allow fast picture taking i.e. children playing, babies, parties, children playing sports & family social occasions.

Zoom lens - the zoom lens must be 3x or longer and must be capable of producing sharp high quality photos.

Size - except for some people with larger hands, a small pocketable digital camera is more likely to be taken out and about by a family member than a larger camera which often gets left behind.

Movie Mode - VGA movies at 30fps provides smooth jitter free movies with audio and allows the family to carry one camera for both photography and video.

Battery Life - the digital camera battery must be able to last for a reasonable time before recharging is required.

Large LCD - the LCD viewfinder must be 2" or larger to accurately view and compose the picture.

Except where otherwise stated, all the digital cameras recommended for family photography have the above features.

Other desirable feature which can be found on a few cameras include weatherproofing for use on the beach or in the rain and image stabilization for hand holding cameras in low light without using flash to produce more moody and atmospheric shots.

Prosumer or digital cameras for advanced family photographers have additional features which can provide more control for creative photography. These features include full manual control over aperture and shutter speed, a hotshoe for external flashguns and the option to save raw files without compression. Digital SLR cameras provide the advanced family photographer with the greatest range of options for creative photography including interchangeable lenses, wider choice of accessories including filters and flashguns, faster operation and an SLR viewfinder for accurate composition. One of the greatest benefits of digital SLR cameras is the ability to take low light photographs without flash as SLR sensors are much larger than those found in digital compacts and therefore produce less noise at higher ISO settings such as 800 or even 1600.

These recommendations are provided as a general guide and the final decision as always is with the camera buyer. Digital camera specifications change constantly and therefore it is advisable to check these before buying.

Best Point & Shoot Digital Cameras for the Family

Fujifilm FinePix F100fd
For: 12 megapixel super CCD. Fast operation. 28-140mm (35mm equiv) zoom. VGA movies. Compact size. Face detection. XD & SD/SDHC cards. 2.7" TFT. Wide dynamic range. Low noise upto 1600 ISO. Image stabilization.
Against: Limited manual control.

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Canon PowerShot A720 IS
For: 8 megapixels. Optically stabilized 35-210 zoom lens. Manual controls. Digic III for fast operation. VGA movies. Optical viewfinder. Face detection.
Against: Noise at higher ISO settings. Low resolution 2.5" TFT. Poor in low light.

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX33
For: 8 megapixels. 28-100mm Leica zoom lens. Small & compact. Fast operation. 2.5" high resolution TFT.
Against: Limited manual controls. Noise at higher ISOs.

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Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3
For: 7 megapixels. Sharp Optically stabilized Leica 28-280 zoom lens. Fast operation. Widescreen and VGA movies. High resolution 3" TFT. Small size.
Against: Heavy noise reduction at higher ISOs . No manual controls.

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Best Prosumer Digital Cameras & Digital SLR Cameras for the Family

Canon PowerShot S5 IS
For: 12x zoom . Optical image stabilisation, 8 mega pixels. Full manual controls. AA batteries. Hotshoe. VGA movies. Fast operation. Stereo sound. 2.5" LCD.
Against: Redeye. No raw file support. Noise at higher ISOs.

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Canon Powershot A630
For: High quality 35-140mm zoom (35mm equiv). 8 mega pixels. Full manual controls. VGA movies. Fast operation. Rotating 2.5" LCD. Uses AA batteries.
Against: Movies limited to 8 minutes.

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Olympus Evolt E-420 Digital SLR
For: 10 megapixels. World's smallest DSLR. Fast operation. Shadow adjustment. Live view through 2.7" TFT. Wireless flash. Manual controls. RAW format. Hotshoe. Supersonic wave filter for dust reduction. Low noise upto 800 ISO. Improved grip.
Against: Small viewfinder.

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Nikon D40x Digital SLR Camera
For: 10 megapixels. Small & light body. Excellent images. Good low light capability. Full manual controls. Interchangeable lenses.
Against: Manual focus with non-AF-S / AF-I lenses

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Family Digital Camera & Digital SLR Archives 2006
Family Digital Cameras & DSLR Camera Archives 2007

Digital camera reviews edited from many varied sources.