Camera for kid - what's best
Discussion
I've got the SX230HS which I believe is the same as the SX220HS, but with the addition of a GPS receiver which can tag your photos with the location they were taken, should you so wish. It also has a GPS record function, which will record where you were even if the camera is off. Assume this would be good if you were hiking or skiing or something and wanted to have a record of your route. (I think it's creepy so I only turn the GPS on when I'm away from home somewhere!)
Anyway, the camera itself is surprisingly good. It has a long zoom on it (forget the stats) but it's an impressive lenght for such a slimline body. It also has in built image stabilisation, which really helps when you're on the long zoom.
It also has the features accesible on a scroll wheel (to change between full auto, P mode, Tv, Av, Manual etc) which is one of the key reasons I went for this over the Ixus models, since they were on screen menu only and hence slower to use.
The camera, like a lot of compacts, doesn't have a view finder, so you rely on the rear screen instead. Which is generally fine IME. It shoots 1080p video too, and has stereo mics.
HOWEVER one downside of the camera is that when shooting 1080p video it EATS batteries. I get about 10-15mins of HD video per battery, but I bought a job lot of "compatible" batteries online which helps with this. Well, just means I can swap batteries and carry on. The camera also gets pretty warm whilst shooting 1080p, as I assume it's pretty processor intensive. Note, though, that shooting photos it does just fine on the battery.
I bought it to accompany my SLR, since the SLR is too big to take in all situations. (E.g. a social event where it would be too OTT, or somewhere where I didn't want to take the SLR bag, since the little camera fits in a pocket nicely.) It's also handy when I have the long lens on the SLR and want to take wide shots, since I can take them on the P&S so I don't have to swap lenses on the SLR. BUT that said, there are certainly times when you get the zoom on the go and the little camera does just as well as the SLR (so long as it's bright and the subject isn't moving too fast).
However, I am now thinking about getting an upgraded P&S style camera. One of my mates has the Powershot G1X
http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cam...
Which is basically and SLR in a compact body. (Has a full frame sensor!) He bought it as he as fed up of lugging all his SLR gear around, when 95%+ of the time this thing will get images just as good, but without the weight of the gear. I think that at getting on for £500 it's a bit OTT for a kid! So something like the SX230HS or similar would be a good shout - just get some spare batteries if you plan to video with it.
Anyway, the camera itself is surprisingly good. It has a long zoom on it (forget the stats) but it's an impressive lenght for such a slimline body. It also has in built image stabilisation, which really helps when you're on the long zoom.
It also has the features accesible on a scroll wheel (to change between full auto, P mode, Tv, Av, Manual etc) which is one of the key reasons I went for this over the Ixus models, since they were on screen menu only and hence slower to use.
The camera, like a lot of compacts, doesn't have a view finder, so you rely on the rear screen instead. Which is generally fine IME. It shoots 1080p video too, and has stereo mics.
HOWEVER one downside of the camera is that when shooting 1080p video it EATS batteries. I get about 10-15mins of HD video per battery, but I bought a job lot of "compatible" batteries online which helps with this. Well, just means I can swap batteries and carry on. The camera also gets pretty warm whilst shooting 1080p, as I assume it's pretty processor intensive. Note, though, that shooting photos it does just fine on the battery.
I bought it to accompany my SLR, since the SLR is too big to take in all situations. (E.g. a social event where it would be too OTT, or somewhere where I didn't want to take the SLR bag, since the little camera fits in a pocket nicely.) It's also handy when I have the long lens on the SLR and want to take wide shots, since I can take them on the P&S so I don't have to swap lenses on the SLR. BUT that said, there are certainly times when you get the zoom on the go and the little camera does just as well as the SLR (so long as it's bright and the subject isn't moving too fast).
However, I am now thinking about getting an upgraded P&S style camera. One of my mates has the Powershot G1X
http://www.canon.co.uk/For_Home/Product_Finder/Cam...
Which is basically and SLR in a compact body. (Has a full frame sensor!) He bought it as he as fed up of lugging all his SLR gear around, when 95%+ of the time this thing will get images just as good, but without the weight of the gear. I think that at getting on for £500 it's a bit OTT for a kid! So something like the SX230HS or similar would be a good shout - just get some spare batteries if you plan to video with it.
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