YugaTech Christmas Gadget Guide 2014: Cameras

You’ve seen the past few days our smartphone, tablet, smartwatch, and laptop holiday gadget guides. Today, we’ll discuss cameras of all shapes, sizes, and uses — in hopes that they win your hearts and pockets this holiday season.

It is no doubt that cameras are still the best option to take better shots that will sure make your moments last a lifetime. With cameras, there are a lot of form factors that you can choose from: There are point and shoot digicams for light and easy operation, action cameras for the adventurous, mirrorless shooters for the weight-conscious professionals, micro four-thirds, and dSLR cameras. Let’s get started, shall we?

Prices may subject to change without prior notice. Our basis for the camera prices are the ones we’ve seen on malls, and from the brochures and price lists from camera companies, unless otherwise linked to an online website.

For starters, who just want a fancy camera on their pockets or fancy buying a digicam but on a budget, the cheapest you can find on the market now are Nikon Coolpix L29 (Php 3,690USD 63INR 5,331EUR 60CNY 458) and Sony CyberShot DSC-W800 (Php4,499USD 77INR 6,499EUR 73CNY 558, Electroworld). Samsung has the DV150F which has a secondary screen and WiFi for easy selfie capturing and sharing over the internet. At the same price range, you can get a Canon Ixus 155 (Php5,998USD 102INR 8,665EUR 97CNY 744).

Let’s go a little higher.  Canon has the Powershot SX700 HS, a compact camera designed for travelling and is built with both NFC and WiFi, retailing in stores for Php16,998USD 290INR 24,555EUR 276CNY 2,109. Sony DSC H40 is a digicam that can be mistaken as a DSLR cam and can be yours for Php16,999USD 290INR 24,557EUR 276CNY 2,110.  A compact, rugged, waterproof, freezeproof and shockproof digital camera with built-in WiFi in the name of Nikon Coolpix AW120 is selling for Php19,990USD 341INR 28,878EUR 324CNY 2,481. We also have the Android-powered Samsung Galaxy Camera selling for Php21,900USD 373INR 31,637EUR 355CNY 2,718. A couple of bucks more, and you get the FujiFilm FinePix X20, a classic-looking point-and-shoot worth Php23,990USD 409INR 34,656EUR 389CNY 2,977. If you still want more, then there are the Sony RX100 Mark III (Php44,999USD 767INR 65,006EUR 730CNY 5,584) and the Fujifilm X100T (Php64,990USD 1,107INR 93,885EUR 1,055CNY 8,065).

Do you want to do more adventure next year? Action cameras are the ones that suit your needs. If you are up for an affordable action camera, the cheapest you can actually get now is the Qube X-Cam which retails for Php3,990USD 68INR 5,764EUR 65CNY 495 and Kodak PixPro Mercury (Php3,995USD 68INR 5,771EUR 65CNY 496, SM Department Store). If you’re not convinced with buying that, you can get ones we have reviewed such as the Playground Cam100, which is worth Php5,600USD 95INR 8,090EUR 91CNY 695. GoPro also released its own entry-level action camera, the Hero, which is on sale right now at Php7,990USD 136INR 11,542EUR 130CNY 992.

Spending a lot on a great camera designed to shoot fast-paced outdoor activity is can actually be an investment in the long run. Sony‘s got is own action cam, the HDR-AS100V, priced at Php20,999USD 358INR 30,335EUR 341CNY 2,606 (Electroworld). The GoPro Hero 4 Black and Silver are some of the most expensive ones you can find, and they sell for Php 25,990USD 443INR 37,545EUR 422CNY 3,225 and Php20,990USD 358INR 30,322EUR 341CNY 2,605, respectively. There is also the Garmin Virb Elite which is being sold for Php25USD 0.43INR 36EUR 0.41CNY 3,590 online.

For those who love to change their lenses and hold a camera a fraction of a DSLR’s weight, then a mirrorless camera may be what you need. There’s the all-plastic Samsung NX2000 (Php18,500USD 315INR 26,725EUR 300CNY 2,296), the Panasonic Lumix GX1X equipped with the company’s highly regarded touchscreen interface (Php19,400USD 331INR 28,025EUR 315CNY 2,408), the compact and colorful Canon EOS M (Php22,998USD 392INR 33,223EUR 373CNY 2,854), the extremely small and light Nikon 1 J4 (Php36,100USD 615INR 52,150EUR 586CNY 4,480), Sony‘s NEX 5RY with a Hybrid Auto Focus technology (Php37,700USD 642INR 54,461EUR 612CNY 4,679, includes two lenses) and the A6000 which claims to have the fastest AF performance amongst interchangeable lens cameras (Php39,999USD 682INR 57,783EUR 649CNY 4,964), and the mid-range FujiFilm X-E2 (Php66,500USD 1,133INR 96,066EUR 1,079CNY 8,253).

Still have more money to shell out? Luxury camera brand Leica just came to town in time for the holidays, and we checked that the Leica T costs around Php90,000USD 1,534INR 130,014EUR 1,461CNY 11,169 for the body alone. The cheapest lens you can but? A 18-56 lens worth around Php80,000USD 1,363INR 115,568EUR 1,298CNY 9,928.

In this category, only two camera makers have been successful in making the Micro Four Thirds system: Panasonic and Olympus. We have the Panasonic Lumix GX7, arguably the company’s most enthusiast-focused mirrorless camera yet (Php67,924USD 1,157INR 98,123EUR 1,102CNY 8,429), and the Olympus OM-D E-M10 which is great for outdoors (Php49,295USD 840INR 71,212EUR 800CNY 6,118).

*Prices indicated include the lens included in the kit package, unless otherwise specified.

For those who are very serious and want to take capturing moments to another level, a DSLR Camera may be good for you. These are full-range photography equipment though, and it can cost as much as a hundred thousand pesos if you’re really serious on your photography stuff. If you’re looking to try one without hurting your wallets, the cheapest you can get now are the entry-level Canon EOS 1200D (Php21,998USD 375INR 31,778EUR 357CNY 2,730) and the Nikon 3200D (Php24,400USD 416INR 35,248EUR 396CNY 3,028).

If you want a DSLR that’s not that bulky, Canon EOS 100D, at 407 grams, is a capable DSLR lightweight which costs around Php33,998USD 579INR 49,114EUR 552CNY 4,219. Nikon’s D3300 comes at a close second with 460g for Php26,900USD 458INR 38,860EUR 437CNY 3,338. The Sony SLT-A57 may be within this price range as well at Php28,999USD 494INR 41,892EUR 471CNY 3,599, but it isn’t as lightweight as the other two.

With mid-range DSLRs, we have the Sony Alpha SLT-A77V (Php59,999USD 1,022INR 86,675EUR 974CNY 7,446), the Canon EOS 70D with built-in WiFi (Php63,998USD 1,091INR 92,452EUR 1,039CNY 7,942, 18-55mm lens), and the Nikon D7100 with two SD card slots (Php64,900USD 1,106INR 93,755EUR 1,053CNY 8,054, 18-105mm lens).

As for full-frame flagship cameras for professionals, the Canon EOS 5D Mark III, which boasts of up to 6.0 frames per second, could be yours for Php190,998USD 3,255INR 275,916EUR 3,100CNY 23,703. The Nikon D810, which also has dual SD card slots and shoots up to 7 frames per second, costs Php151,000USD 2,573INR 218,135EUR 2,451CNY 18,739 for the body alone. On the other hand, Sony has the SLT-A99V, which takes pride of its Dual-AF System, is priced at Php120,999USD 2,062INR 174,795EUR 1,964CNY 15,016.

That’s it for our Camera Christmas Guide this year, folks. Got an amazing camera that’s not on this holiday list? We’d love to hear your suggestions at the comments section down below.

Ronnie Bulaong contributed to this post.