What to Consider When Looking for a High-Quality Video Camera

The Sony Cybershot DSC-HX400V was announced in February 2014. It is a bridge camera packed with a number of features, making it very versatile. For macro photography the lens has a minimum focusing distance of 1cm, but for shooting objects in the distance it has 50x optical zoom. Other features include Wi-Fi and GPS, making it ideal for travel photography. It is available for 449.The Sony Cybershot DSC-HX400V has a 20.4 megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor and a 50x optical zoom lens, which is a 35mm equivalent of 24-1200mm. The lens has a minimum focusing distance of just 1cm and optical image stabilisation to keep images as sharp as possible. The HX400V can record at 10 fps.There are two auto modes - Superior Auto aims to reduce blur and noise and Intelligent Auto selects the correct scene characteristics. The HX400V also has full manual controls, a range of scene modes and Sweep Panorama. There are also a number of picture effects you can apply to your shots - these include toy camera, miniature and partial colour.The camera includes Wi-Fi for easy image sharing and also has GPS so you can geotag your images. Other features include the electronic viewfinder (EVF), tiltable screen and hotshoe mount.Videos are recorded in full 1080p HD with optical zoom available and sound recorded in stereo. You can record videos using PSAM modes to control the aperture and / or shutter speeds.The Sony Cybershot DSC-HX400V has a DSLR style body with a rubberised handgrip and rubber patch on the rear for your thumb. The lens barrel has a part that rotates, this for adjusting the manual focus or zoom when using autofocus, and has grooves to help your grip it. On the side of the lens barrel is a sliding switch that lets you choose between auto and manual focus. You can also attach 55mm filters. The lens has 35mm equivalent markings on it. Just above this is a switch to pop-up the flash.On the top of the camera is a mode dial which sits alongside the function, custom and on / off buttons, as well as the zoom rocker and shutter release. The function button gives you access to picture settings such as ISO and white balance. There is also a button to switch between the EVF and monitor, although the EVF is activated automatically when you put it against your eye.On the rear of the camera are movie record, playback, menu and ? buttons. There is a d-pad for cycling through the menus which also gives access to display, self-timer, continuous shooting, flash and exposure compensation. There is also a dial which lets you change the shutter speed and aperture - it's also useful for cycling through menu options.Also on the rear is the 3.0 inch LCD screen, which rotates making it easier to view from up above or down below and has an excellent 921k dot resolution. It's worth noting that when looking down at the screen from directly above, the EVF does slightly cover the screen. The EVF is bright, colourful and comfortable to use - for those with slightly poor eyesight there is a dioptre wheel.Using the Wi-Fi is easy - to transfer images to a smartphone / tablet, you go to playback, access the Wi-Fi settings via the menu and opt to either choose images in the camera, or choose pictures using your mobile device. The Wi-Fi is then switched on, so you join the Wi-Fi with your mobile device, then open the PlayMemories app which needs to be installed prior to using the HX400V's Wi-Fi. Be aware that you may need to change the copy image size as it may be set by default to just 2 megapixels.Battery life is rated at 300 shots according to CIPA test results, which is good for a bridge camera - you can get more shots if you use the EVF rather than the screen. We took a number of shots to test the camera's responsiveness, from switch on to first photo, shot to shot, focusing speed etc. We take a number of shots and then use the average to ensure accurate and consistent tests, making it easy to compare with other cameras.Both continuous shooting modes record full resolution images for a maximum of 10 shots. The flash is a little slow to charge.Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database , where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.- The Sony Cybershot DSC-HX400V produces well exposed images with good colour reproduction. Performance is good in low light - the camera will merge shots together to improve detail and keep noise low. Portrait shots have good skin tones and are free of red-eye when using the flash.- Images have a decent amount of detail when shooting at both ends of the lens, although they are a little softer in the corners. Purple fringing can be seen and is more of an issue when zooming in. The lens has a minimum focusing distance of just 1cm which allows for a decent macro shot.- Noise is low, with sharp images produced at ISO 80, 100, 200 and 400. At ISO 800 there is a loss of detail, which causes a slight softening of the images. At ISO 1600 the camera works hard to reduce the loss of detail, but this produces a soft image and softer still at ISO 3200. Image quality is poor at the highest settings of ISO 6400 and ISO 12800.- Under the incandescent lights the Auto White Balance (AWB) performs well, but the incandescent preset performs a little better. Under the fluorescent lights the AWB takes a good picture, with the fluorescent preset producing an image with a magenta cast.Panorama Standard | 1/1250 sec | f/2.8 | 4.3 mm | ISO 80Panorama Wide | 1/1600 sec | f/2.8 | 4.3 mm | ISO 80Panorama 360 | 1/1250 sec | f/2.8 | 4.3 mm | ISO 80- There are three different types of panorama - standard, wide and 360. They all produce images with good detail which are really well stitched together.The HX400V has a number of picture effects, we've included examples above. Some of the effects have different options available, such as HDR Painting, where you can choose low, mid or high.- Below is a video recorded in full 1080p HD. Quality is good and the stabilisation does an excellent job at keeping your videos steady when shooting handheld. When using the zoom during recording the focus adjusts quickly but you can hear the noise of the zoom, although it's not too loud.The Sony Cybershot DSC-HX400V is available for 449.99. There are a handful of cameras now available with 50x optical zoom, these include the Fujifilm FinePix S1 at 399 Canon PowerShot SX50 HS at 335 and the Olympus Stylus SP-100EE at 350 . There are also some 60x optical zoom cameras - the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ72 at 279 and Nikon Coolpix P600 at 380 You will also need to buy a memory card and a case or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags The Sony Cybershot DSC-HX400V is one of the more expensive 50x optical cameras available, but the extra money means better image quality. The camera body also has a higher level of quality, with the EVF automatically switching on when you put your eye to it being a nice touch. It's perhaps a surprise given the cost of the camera that it does not have the ability to shoot in RAW. The HX400V does have a good battery life, comes with Wi-Fi, GPS, a rotating screen and takes excellent panoramas, so if you have the budget, it does not disappoint and is a camera we are happy to recommend.50x optical zoomHas Wi-Fi and GPSEVF which automatically switches onRotating screenGood battery lifeVery good panoramasImage quality is poor at ISO 6400 and 12800Most expensive 50x zoom camera we have testedNo RAW shooting

1. A good camera?

Kodak Easyshare Z812 IS... You can get it at samsclub for about $200 and then with a battery and memory card you are right about on budget!! EDIT: sarboo3 I really like my kodak camera!!

2. Top 5 upcoming Mobile in 2017?

Xiaomi redmi note 4The Redmi Note 4 has been in the news for quite some time, bit if rumours are true, the phone will be making its way into India in February 2017. The phone is likely to be powered by a Qualcomm 600 series SoC and may pack in large battery. Specs: Display: 5.5-inch, 1080 p SoC: Mediatek MT6797 Helio X20 RAM: 2GB Storage: 16 GB Camera: 13MP, 5MP Battery: 4100 mAh OS:Android OS, v6. 0Nubia z11Nubia phones are better known for their good cameras. However, the Nubia Z11 will be better known for its design. Boasting an edge to edge display and a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC, the Z11 is one of the best looking flagship smartphones available today. Specs: Display: 5. 5-inch, 1080 p SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 RAM: 4GB Storage: 64 GB Camera: 16MP, 8MP Battery: 3000 mAh OS:Android OS, v6.0.1Oneplus 3TThe OnePlus 3 was already one of the best phones to buy under 30K and the 3T takes over that position with its improved hardware. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 powered device can now give Google Pixel a run for its money. Further it improves upon the battery life of the OnePlus 3 by almost an hour. Specs: Display: 5.5-inches, 1080p SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 RAM: 6GB Storage: 64/128GB Camera: 16MP, 16MP Battery: 3400mAh OS: Android 6.0.1LG v20While LG's G5 became the first production modular smartphone, the LG V20 was the first non-Google phone to offer Android 7. 0 out of the box. The phone combines the best of LG has made this year in very compelling package. Specs: Display: 5.7 inches,1440 p SoC: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 RAM: 4GB Storage:32/64GB Camera: 16MP, 5MP Battery: 3200 mAh OS: Android OS, v7.Moto MMoto M became the first budget Motorola phone to be built out of metal. The 5. 5-inch device, which is available for Rs. 17,999, packs a new MediaTek Helio P15 SoC. There is 4GB of RAM on the phone and a 16MP camera at the back. Specs: Display: 5.5-inch, 1080 p SoC: Mediatek Helio P15 RAM: 4GB Storage: 64 GB Camera: 16MP, 8MP Battery: 3050 mAh OS:Android OS, v6. 0. 1Top 5 upcoming Mobile in 2017?.

3. What is the best digital camera for a 76 yr old granny....?

If you can push your budget slightly up, canon powershot s95 is a great point and shoot camera. However, if you can not compromise on budget Canon Ixus 300hs is a good one. Good luck