WHAT IS A HYBRID CAMERA ?

A Hybrid camera is a cross between a normal camera & an SLR camera . Most Hybrids are smaller than SLRs but have the same basic shape - a camera with a decent grip & viewfinder with a TFT screen on the back . Hybrids have features like SLR cameras - fast continuos shooting ( shown as fps in the mini yellow boxes - frames per second ) - manual exposure modes like Aperture & Shutter priority, Scene modes - Centre & Multi zone auto focus - Multi segment & Spot metering - Various ISO settings - Single shot & continuous auto focusing . Hybrids do not have interchangeable lenses ( you can add on teleconverter lenses though ) - they have huge built in optical lenses that does away with the need to have more than one lens . Hybrids have powerful built in Flashes & some have a Flash Hotshoe . Most Hybrids have Electronic TTL viewfinders along with a TFT screen - both can be used for picture taking or picture viewing . In effect a Hybrid camera is a mini SLR camera !

WHAT IS AN SLR CAMERA ?

An SLR is a single lens reflex - a camera that has a mirror between the lens & the image sensor so you can see what you are taking through the TTL ( through the lens ) viewfinder . SLR cameras also have interchangeable Lenses so that you can get lenses to suit all your photographic needs . Most come with a standard 18-55 lens ( equivalent to 28 to 85 in 35mm terms - wide to short telephoto ) . Now it gets confusing - some manufacturers use a different image sensors so to get the correct focal length ( zoom range ) you need to know how many to times the amount shown - Nikon , Canon , Sony , Pentax , are all approximately 1.55x so a 55 - 200 lens is in fact an 85 - 310 . Olympus use a different system called four thirds - Olympus D lenses are 2x so a 14 - 42 would be a 28 - 84 lens . Another point to realise is that your old 35mm lenses may fit on to Digital SLRs but the image quality from them may be very poor unless you have pro lens - you need to buy D fit lenses for Digital SLRs . SLRs are fast to use & very well made . Most SLRs have a TTL viewfinder which you use to take the picture & a TFT screen on the back that you use to view the picture after taking it (Hybrid cameras you can use both for taking & viewing ) .

WHICH IS THE BEST TO BUY - A HYBRID OR AN SLR ?

Go to most shops & they will tell you than an SLR will give much sharper images than a Hybrid . They will also tell you that the more pixels you have - the better the picture you will get . They are wrong to an extent in both cases . Some Hybrids are capable of producing as good if not better printed images than SLRs costing under £800 . Outdoors in bright light you would see very little difference but indoors a good Hybrid will give much better results because the built in Flashes on some Hybrids are better than the pop up Flashes on lower range SLRs - to get quality indoor shots from an SLR you need to buy an add on Flash - this means more cost & more to carry around with you . With an SLR you will need to get another lens like a 55 to 200 ( again its more cost & more to carry round ) - a Hybrid has a huge built in zoom lens so no need for another lens . Hybrids are smaller & more easy to use . Most Hybrids are much cheaper . Bear all this in mind & you can see why we recommend you buy a Hybrid camera … unless you are a serious pro photographer in which case you will be willing to buy something like the Nikon D-200 & the expensive bits to go with it ( a good SLR kit will cost you over £1,500 ) . If you want a camera that's high quality , big zoom , easy to use but with the scope to learn then the Hybrid is better for you .

ONE LAST THING TO MENTION …

I test most cameras that come out - including SLRs & Hybrids . On Sunday 9th Sept 2007 I did a full test between the Kodak Z-612 Hybrid & the Canon 400-D SLR . I tested the cameras both indoors & outdoors . At the end of the test I printed 5 pictures from each camera to 15x11 inches size . Outdoors there was little difference between the cameras - indoors the Kodak was noticeably better . My conclusion was that the Kodak Hybrid is the better buy for most people - & its cheaper !

Listed below is our full Hybrid Digital Camera price guide . The Cameras highlited in red are the ones we currently recomend - you can click on any of these highlited cameras to go directly to a page with details about that camera .

To view our prices for Digital SLR Cameras or Digital Compact Cameras please click on the link buttons at the top to your left . You will also find a very usefull guide on Lens sizes for Digital SLRs in our Digital SLR Lenses page to your left .

Please note that the prices listed are as up to date as we can possibly make them but are subject to change without notice . For our very latest price on any Camera please call us on : 01978 264242 Monday to Saturday - 8.30am to 6pm ... or email us at : wrexcam@btopenworld.com .

PLEASE NOTE ... ALL CAMERAS INCLUDE SOFTWARE , LEADS , INSTRUCTIONS , BATTERY / BATTERIES .

MAIN POINTS TO REMEMBER BEFORE BUYING A DIGITAL CAMERA

• Forget the make of the Camera - many Cameras are produced for the make whos name is on the Camera .
• The amount of pixels the camera has only matters if you are going to enlarge the picture to above 10x8 inch size . For a 14x11 inch size you would be best going for a 6 million pixel plus camera .
• The quality of the lens is by far the most important thing where picture quality is concerned - ask us if you want to know if a camera has a good lens or not - the ones we recomend all have good lenses & many other also have good lenses - some do not & that includes those with famous names on them .
• Most Cameras have a 3x optical zoom . Those with larger zooms are much larger in physical size & are not as easy to use . A 3x optical zoom is fine for general home / holiday use .
• Do you need a larger screen ? . The 2.5 inch screens are much larger when you see them that a 2 inch screen . All screens can now be used to take pictures & view your pictures even when you are in sunlight which is why most modern compact cameras do not need optical viewfinders .
• Most Cameras now come with interanl memory for image storage . This is fine for day to day home use but if you are going on holiday or you intend to let us print your pictures for you then you will need a Memory Card . The amount of pictures you can take with each Card depends on the Camera you buy but as a very rough guide have a look at our mini chart below - decide on a camera then look at the chart - look along the line that shows the amount of pixels the camera you have decided on has - then look for the amount of pictures you can take on each card .

PIXELS / VIDEO MODE	1 GIG	2 GIG
10 MILLION PIXELS	300	600
8 MILLION PIXELS	380	760
7 MILLION PIXELS	430	860
6 MILLION PIXELS	480	960
5 MILLION PIXELS	600	1200
4 MILLION PIXELS	750	1500
3 MILLION PIXELS	1000	2000
1 MILLION PIXELS	2800	5600
640x480 15fps VIDEO MODE	15 MIN'S	30 MIN'S

PRICE	MAKE	MODEL	PIXELS	OPTICAL ZOOM	ZOOM RANGE	CARD TYPE	INTERNAL MEMORY	SCREEN SIZE	BATTERY TYPE
£199.00	FUJI	S-8000	8 MILLION	18x	27-486	XD	58mb	2.4	4x AA
£229.00	FUJI	S-2000	10 MILLION	15x	27-415	XD	55mb	2.7	4x AA
£239.00	FUJI	S-8100	10 MILLION	18x	27-486	XD	58mb	2.5	4x AA
£159.00	KODAK	Z-8612 IS	8 MILLION	12x	36-432	SD	21mb	2.5	CRV3
	£89.99	KODAK 0.7x CONVERTER WITH 55mm THREAD
	£89.99	KODAK 1.4x CONVERTER WITH 55mm THREAD
£199.00	KODAK	Z-1012	8 MILLION	12x	36-432	SD	32mb	2.5	CRV3
	£89.99	KODAK 0.7x CONVERTER WITH 55mm THREAD
	£89.99	KODAK 1.4x CONVERTER WITH 55mm THREAD

£199.00	PANASONIC	FZ-8	8 MILLION	12x	36-432	SD		2.5	LITHIUM
ASK	PANASONIC	TZ-5	9 MILLION	10x	28-280	SD		3.0	LITHIUM
£319.00	PANASONIC	FZ-28	10 MILLION	10x	27-486	SD	50mb	2.7	LITHIUM
£349.00	PANASONIC	FZ-50	10 MILLION	12x	35-420	SD		2.0	LITHIUM
£189.00	SONY	DSC H-10	8 MILLION	10x	38-380	MSD	32mb	3.0	NP BG1
	£99.99	SONY DHO 758 CONVERTER 0.7x
	£99.99	SONY DH1758 CONVERTER 1.7x