Great camera picks for vacation photo taking

PRIME – April 2014 By Gary M. Kaye Editor, In the Boombox (www.intheboombox.tv) While the cameras on smartphones are getting better and better, there are still plenty of us who would prefer a dedicated camera. In part it's tradition, and in part it's because there are still lots of things you can do with a good camera that you just can't do with a smartphone. And, this year, many of the newer cameras coming to market have some smartphone capabilities, including Wi-Fi connectivity – or even cellular connectivity – so you can upload your pictures while you're still on the scene. Here are some of the hottest new offerings from Sony, Samsung, and Nikon, covering a variety of functions and prices. The Sony DSC-RX10, list price $1,300 – If you are serious about photography, but don't want to be bothered with the hassles of interchangeable lenses, this might well be one of the best cameras you can find. One of the camera's strongest features is a Carl Zeiss Vario-SonnarT lens with a remarkable 24-200mm range. In other words, from the wide angle to the telephoto, this will let you get your shot. It has a fast autofocus, and sports a 20.2 Megapixel sensor. One of my favorite features is its sharp OLED viewfinder, which lets you hold the camera to your eye so you need not worry about bright sunlight interfering with the view on the touchscreen. Yes, it's pricey, but it will do just about everything a good interchangeable lens camera will do without the bother of changing lenses on the run. The Sony Alpha A7 (body only), list price $1,700 – If you do want to go all the way to a top end interchangeable lens system, this one is pretty amazing. It is what's known as a Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens camera, which means you get the quality and flexibility of a traditional SLR in a much more compact form. But the A7 is the smallest camera to use what's known as a full frame sensor. The full frame, which is the digital equivalent of a 35mm film frame, is the Holy Grail of the industry. Most digital cameras use a smaller sensor, either a format called APS-C or micro four-thirds. The full frame sensor delivers much more light, giving you a better and sharper image. The A7 also brings with it a new range of full frame lenses, the FE series, including several Zeiss lenses. It can also use the Sony E-mount lenses made for the NEX line, and it's easy to get adapters so you can use almost any legacy lens you may have had for a Canon, Nikon, or any other DSLR. This camera has a ton of bells and whistles, and I would advocate it for the serious photographer who wants to be able to do it all, and can afford it. The Sony Cyber-shot DSC WX350, list price $320 – One of the complaints about point and shoot cameras is that they don't get you close enough to the action. The Sony WX350 is an ultra compact camera with a big zoom, 20x optical, which can be doubled to 40x digitally. The camera delivers 18.2 megapixel images. It has Optical Steady Shot, to smooth things out for both your stills and full 1080p HD video. It is both Wi-Fi and NFC (near field communications) enabled so you can send pictures right from your camera to your smartphone, then on to the world. It comes in either black or white. Samsung Galaxy Camera 2, list price $450 – This camera has just about all the features of an Android smartphone except the ability to make phone calls. It is Wi-Fi enabled so you can send your pictures off instantly, and it runs Android Jellybean, so you can install your favorite apps. It comes with built-in editing software, so you can modify your pictures right on the big 4.8" display. It has an effective 17-megapixel sensor. And, it also has what Samsung calls its Long Zoom feature, which is 21X optical zoom, as well as the ability to pinch – zoom on the screen to make things even bigger. Samsung WB350F, list price $260 – For Samsung these days, point and shoot photography is increasingly about sharing. The WB350F SMART Camera has both Wi-Fi and NFC, so you can simply touch the camera to an NFC enabled smartphone to share pictures, a feature Samsung refers to as Tag & Go. This camera also has Samsung's Long Zoom technology, a 21X optical zoom that begins with what's effectively a 23mm wide angle lens. The camera has a 16.3 megapixel sensor, and a suite of tools to use once connected with a smartphone. Photo Beam instantly transfers images being viewed on the camera to the paired smartphone, while with AutoShare, images are backed up instantaneously, as they are being taken. Using MobileLink, photographers can select which shots they want to copy over to their smartphone, making it easy to organize the contents of the camera. Also in Remote ViewFinder mode, smartphones can be used to control the WB350F, allowing photographers to enjoy greater shooting freedom. Samsung WB2200F, list price $449 – This camera combines many of the top end features and styling of a good DSLR with the convenience of a point and shoot camera. Like many of the other Samsung cameras it features Tag & Go for wirelessly sharing pictures either through Wi-Fi or NFC. Perhaps the most outstanding feature of this camera is what Samsung calls its Super Bridge Long Zoom, featuring a 60X optical zoom. It has a 20mm wide angle lens, meaning photographers can shoot everything from a broad landscape down to pinpoint details. It has a dual grip to make it easy to hold in either landscape or portrait mode. One of my favorite features is that this camera includes and electronic viewfinder, or EVF, which makes it much easier to see what you're shooting without worrying about your display being washed out in the bright sun. I think EVF's are a huge plus for the boomer and senior set who need all the visual help they can get. The WB2200F also comes with all of the advanced sharing and editing features of the WB350F. Nikon COOLPIX P600, list price $500 – Nikon is also bringing out a 60X optical zoom in its P600 camera. The camera, which features DSLR style design, has an effective 35mm equivalent range of 24mm to 1440 mm. That's huge! And with digital zoom you can double that to 120X. The camera comes equipped with an Electronic Viewfinder in addition to the variable angle viewing screen. For the first time in its Coolpix line, Nikon is introducing a lens with the ED technology found in its Nikor DSLR lenses. The camera comes equipped with Wi-Fi, and you can use your smartphone with it as a remote control, great for self-portraits or group shots. It also has a GPS tracking and mapping capability so when you put your pictures together you can see where you've been. As an added feature, it also has a bird watching mode and a moon mode. Nikon COOLPIX S9700, list price $350 – This compact point and shoot camera features a 30X optical zoom, which can be pushed to 60X with the digital zoom Nikon calls Dynamic Fine Zoom. It has a 16.1 megapixel sensor. The camera comes with a Vibration Reducing feature called Lens-Shift VR that helps reduce camera shake. Sometimes it can be more difficult to hold a small camera steady than a large one, especially shooting video. It also features Wi-Fi Connectivity, and has built-in GPS so every picture can be encoded with the coordinates of where you were when you snapped it. It has a 3" OLED monitor screen. This camera is available in both black and red. Nicon COOLPIX AW120, list price $350 – If you're looking for a camera that will take a licking and keep on ticking, this is the one. Nikon's AW 120 is built for adventure. It's waterproof, shockproof, and freeze proof. It has a 16-megapixel sensor and not only includes GPS technology, but also an electronic compass to help you find your way. It can shoot full HD 1080p video. And you can share your video or stills with the built-in Wi-Fi. This model of the COOLPIX was designed so you can use the controls even with gloves on, and you can mount it on a chest harness in order to capture a point of view experience. The AW120 comes in a variety of colors, including blue, black, camouflage, and so you won't lose it in the snow, orange. Gary Kaye is the creator of In The Boombox (www.intheboombox.tv), the first website to cover technology from the Baby Boomer perspective. Kaye has been covering high tech for more than 30 years with outlets including NBC, ABC, CNN and Fox Business. He is a regular contributor to AARP and other websites on issues regarding the nexus of technology, seniors and baby boomers.