Expert: John Oliverio - 11/20/2005

Question
Hi. I am a amateur photographer looking to have a little more control over the types of shots I take... mostly I take landscape shots.

I was wondering about the sorts of advanced digital cameras that would allow me to manually zoom (or at least not the auto-focus you get on normal cameras), and set shutter speed. Currently, I am using an Olympus Camedia C-370 (?) camera, a cheap digital. I was mostly wondering which brands would sell the cheapest sort that would suit my needs, and which brands are commendable? If possible, any specific suggestions such as a make and model for the camera type. Any help would be very greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

Angela Bennet, Australia.

Answer
Angela,
I'm a little confused as to what you are looking for.  Zoom and auto-focus are two different things.  The only cameras that currently offer a true manual zoom are the digital SLR's like the Nikon D50.  All cameras made today are auto-focus, though SLR's allow you to turn off the AF and focus manually and some point and shoots allow an AF overide (that doesn't work very well).  

If you are looking for a compact point and shoot that allows you to set shutter-speed, you may want to look at the Canon S80.  So far, it is the most capable and user-friendly in that respect I've seen to date.  If you want a digital SLR, I'd suggest you check out Nikon.  The D50 is one of the least expensvie of it's type on the market at the moment, along with the Olympus Evolt-500, which I'm also fond of.

John