Sony Cyber-shot DSC-R1 10.3 Megapixel

Recognizing that the world is going digital when it comes to photography, I decided that now was probably the time to begin considering a digital camera. While I had had some experience with Canon point and shoot digital cameras like the A430 I quickly came to realize the benefits and possibilities found with owning and using a digital camera.

Having read numerous reviews on point and shoots, prosumers and DSLRs the choice of what type to get was quickly resolved based on quality of image, price and features. Despite coming across sites trying to dispell the supposed misconceptions about megapixels and the thought that a 5 or 6MP camera would do a wonderful job taking photos, I soon put two and two together to discover that if I ever planned on printing 8x10 photos I would require the highest possible megapixel number that was possible. Of course, while DSLRs by Canon and Nikon have broken the 10MP threshold with offerings of 12+ and 16.7MP in the case of the Canon 1Ds Mark II, they carry a hefty price tag of $5000+ from reputable dealers. Anything cheaper, in the form of a DSLR would mean sacrificing features and build quality. The other thing to consider was the cost of accessories. DSLRs rarely if ever come with lenses; if they are included as a kit package, they are always of lesser quality and do not provide the wide range of focal lengths needed for the amateur photographer who wants pictures like the pros but isn't being paid for their work.

Issues related to the size of image sensors found in point and shoots quickly became a bone of contention. While they are highly portable, almost to a fault, the miniscule size of their sensor means that image noise at ISOs of more than 100 makes printing and enlarging the images futile. You'll wonder how that 'snow' ended up in your photos from the beach. While they may be had for relative peanuts, point and shoots are suitable for only the most casual of photog, someone who rarely uses a camera and isn't interested in printing images larger than 4x6, if that.

In my case, prosumers filled the void. They offer the possibility of near identical build and lens quality and features found in high end DSLRs as well as point and shoot presets that make convenience possible. Offerings from Minolta, Fujifilm and others prove to be some of the cheapest prosumers available ($600 and under) but as the adage goes, you get what you pay for. In these cases this means high noise levels at relatively low ISOs (~400), smaller than suitable sensor size, poor lenses and less than desired build quality.

The SONY DSC R1 ended up being everything and then some for what I wanted in my first digital camera. A top shelf Carl Zeiss lens with the widest 24mm lens available in a prosumer. Telephoto to 120mm gives you more than enough range for everyday shots. I won't go into the rest of the features available on the camera since they are too numerous to fully detail in this space and are described virtually everywhere on the net. Suffice it to say that this camera could and would act as a highly competent backup for a professional photographer or an equally capable stand-alone for an amateur like me. Being FAT32 compatible with dual memory capability (MS Pro/Pro Duo, CF II) plugging in an 8GB Seagate photo drive/microdrive is a cinch and offers very reasonable space for the hefty 5MB HQ jpgs taken with this camera. Lest I forget, let me mention that a major selling point is the camera's ability to take RAW images.