The last two guides I wrote were focussed mainly on point-and-shoot cameras that would cater to a large audience who want a hassle-free digital camera experience. However, this one is for those who are a little more serious about photography and want to experiment with different exposure modes and try out various shooting techniques without spending a lot of money on a D-SLR. This guide is gives you some of the best prosumer cameras available in the market today. Take your pick. Canon PowerShot SX 110 IS (Rs. 14,995)

Being the successor to the SX 100 IS is not a small task, but the SX 110 IS seems to be equipped to do more than that. Measuring 111 x 71 x 45mm (WxHxD), the SX 110 IS is just a few millimeters bigger than the SX 100 IS but is more than 70 gm lighter than the SX 100 IS. It packs a 9 MP CCD and a 36-360mm Canon lens that has 10x optical zoom capability and features their optical Image Stabilization (IS) function. The 3-inch LCD screen (230k) at the back is also a welcome upgrade. This is one of the few cameras that let you learn better photography and experiment with various settings. It features the much-needed PASM exposure modes as well as a full Auto and a multitude of Scene modes. There's also a new 'Easy Mode' that requires you to only "push the button" while the camera does the rest. An iSAPS (intelligent Scene Analysis based on Photographic Space) system, built in the camera, compares that scene to a large database of reference scenes stored in its memory and determines the best exposure for a wide range of conditions. Powered by the DIGIC III, the SX 110 IS also incorporates other Canon technologies like Face Detection, Motion Detection and Face Selector as well as an ISO range from 80-3200 among others. Other features include 11 preset shooting modes and 11 scene modes that allow you to simply click pictures under various lighting conditions. The Canon PowerShot SX110 IS uses 2 AA batteries for power and stores images on Secure Digital or MultiMediaCard media, including the newer (and higher capacity) SDHC types. For Rs. 14,995 the dealer should ideally bundle a 2GB SD card and rechargeable batteries (with charger) in the package.