Which is the Better Camera for Beginners: Canon PowerShot SX400 Camera vs.Nikon Coolpix L340 Digital Camera

I am very passionate about three things in life: my daughter, the outdoors, and photography. Now when it comes to photograph, I am just an amateur since all of my photos have been taken on a Samsung Galaxy Ace.

 

 




While the Acer does take wonderful pictures, I can only imagine what kind of pictures I could take if I had a real camera. Since my birthday is coming up in June, I think I may treat myself to a real camera but I am struggling with which to choose from two that I have found. I was hoping that maybe my readers can help me decide which would be better for me.

Choice #1 is a Canon PowerShot SX400 Camera.
With the Canon Power Shot SX400 digital camera, you can:

• Give yourself the power to really zoom quickly and easily. 
• The advanced yet simple-to-use SX400 IS gets you up close from virtually anywhere with a 30x optical zoom and 24mm wide-angle lens with Optical Image Stabilizer. 
• Give your images and video what they've been missing. 
• Zoom in on your child's face in a crowd, capture action from up in the stands, or a pet's most playful moments. 
• Offers incredible Canon image quality with a 16 megapixel sensor and the Canon DIGIC 4+ image processor for richly detailed, brilliant images and true-to-life 720p HD video. 
• Intelligent IS for shake-free images
• High Speed AF for effortless shooting
• Smart AUTO that automatically chooses the proper camera settings for the shooting situation. 

From all of the reviews I have read, this seems like a great camera for a beginner like myself. The only thing that gives me a reason to doubt this camera is that you do not have manual control over focus. Now if you think about it, most of your cell phones are pretty much set up like that and it works really well. 

I checked out Amazon to read more reviews and came across a review from Jonathan Moye and his review along with the pictures that he posted, it making me lean more towards this camera.

Choice #2 is Nikon Coolpix L340 Digital Camera.

The Nikon L340 is a model that makes capturing beautiful images easy with simple operations. 

• It packs a 28x optical zoom (up to 56x when Dynamic Fine Zoom is used) 
• NIKKOR lens that covers the wide-angle 22.5 mm to super-telephoto 630 mm angles of view (equivalent focal lengths in 35mm [135] format) in one of the smallest bodies in its class. 
• It also offers a large grip that fits easily and comfortably in the hand, simple and intuitive operation.
• Vibration reduction (VR) function that offers excellent compensation for camera shake
• Large, high-definition LCD monitor.

For the most part, the reviews are good with this camera also. The only downside that I see is that it takes AA batteries which I can only imagine how much money I would be spending on batteries.

One review on Amazon that really caught my eye was from kyle hook's Pen and the pictures in his review was amazing.

So these are the two cameras that I have narrowed my search down to. Do you own a Canon PowerShot SX400 Camera or a Nikon Coolpix L340 Digital Camera? Do you own another type of camera that you fell in love with that you can recommend to me? Leave me a comment with your reviews or suggestions and I will check them out.