My Dream Job

This week I’m spending some time helping out in my parents’ office. One of the things I’ve been tasked with is researching a few year-end technology purchases – one of which is a camera! I know, this hardly qualifies as “work” for me. If only I could research cameras every day and tell people what they should buy…it would be my dream job!

Necessary specs: easy to use (it’ll likely reside on automatic mode), large zoom range for capturing the various details of construction projects, will perform well for a few years before becoming obsolete, good price and value.

After talking to the person who will be the primary user I determined that a point & shoot in the super-zoom category would be a great fit. After comparing several models my choice goes to the Canon Powershot SX50 HS.

Why? Its one of the best super-zooms available with a whopping 50x optical zoom. In 35mm equivalents this is essentially a 24-1200mm lens, built-in! This will allow the user to capture details of a project, even if they can’t get physically close.

It also features:

• 12.1 megapixels
• 4.5 stop image stabilization
• 2.8″ variable angle LCD
• Full manual controls & RAW
• Electronic viewfinder
• Full 1080p HD video
• ISO 80-6400
• 0 cm minimum focusing difference
• 13 frames per second full resolution continuous shooting
• HDR mode

Admittedly, some of these features are overkill for the intended user (but they make the photographer in me VERY happy) BUT the 50x Optical zoom is our main pull to this camera for our end-user.

Right now Amazon has the Canon Powershot SX50 HS for $329 (it is $400 at Target) in case you are looking for a GREAT last-minute Christmas gift for the aspiring photog in your life. It has full manual controls and shoots RAW, making it a great tool for someone looking to learn the ins and outs of the craft of photography.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links which means that I may receive a commission if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase. I only share products that I believe will be valuable to my readers (most of which I personally use and love). All opinions are my own.