To move from casual snapshots to more creative photography, you need a camera that gives you more control. Digital SLRs mean bulk and expense, so check out these enthusiast compacts, which combine manual controls with a pocket-friendly size and weight.
Many people freak out at the mention of manual controls, imagining it's a choice between a camera that does everything for you and a camera that does nothing. In reality, creative photography is about nudging the camera away from its one-size-fits-all automatic settings to get a better or more interesting result. You don't have to do everything, you just push the camera in the right direction. As you change one setting, the camera automatically adjusts the others to match, so you still get the correct exposure. As you experiment, you'll start to understand how the settings affect your image, and you'll find yourself taking greater and greater control.
Most enthusiast cameras have four main modes: program, shutter priority, aperture priority and full manual. In program mode, the camera operates automatically, but you can shift the program, usually by tweaking the shutter speed up or down. In shutter priority, you tell the camera which shutter speed to use. You might set a fast shutter speed to 'freeze' a speeding car, or use a slow shutter speed to convey the movement through motion blur. The camera then adjusts the aperture to give the correct exposure.
In aperture priority mode, you set the aperture, which determines how much of the image is in focus. With a large aperture, your subject is in focus, but the background is blurred. This is a nice effect when you're shooting a portrait. Conversely, with a small aperture, everything is in focus, which is more appropriate when you're shooting landscapes. Once you've made the right choice, the camera adjusts the shutter speed. Finally, in full manual mode, you set both the shutter speed and the aperture.
At the budget end of the range, the Canon PowerShot A540 gets you into creative photography for AU$399. We like a lot of things about the camera, including the swivelling LCD and the option to use standard AA batteries, but it makes it into this round-up by virtue of its manual controls and solid performance. Other options include the similarly priced Fujifilm FinePix F650 and the more expensive Olympus SP-350, but it's hard to see why you'd choose either of them over the PowerShot A540.
Canon PowerShot A540
Solid image quality plus manual and automated exposure controls make the Canon PowerShot A540 a nice low-cost option for snapshooters and photo enthusiasts.
Canon PowerShot G7
The Canon PowerShot G7 acts as a good second camera for professionals or for those who want to have manual controls on a relatively compact shooter.
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2
The LX2 ups the ante of the LX1 by upping the sensor resolution and LCD screen size of the 'triple wide' offering; it features a 16:9 wide aspect ratio CCD and LCD as well as a 28mm wide angle lens.
Nikon Coolpix P5000
A few performance issues with the Nikon Coolpix P5000 diminish the appeal of an otherwise nice compact camera for amateurs.
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