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Good Choice for Animation We use these cameras in our clay animation workshops and we have been very pleased with them, even with heavy use. We switch out the memory cards to empty the photos, and allow students to keep filming without moving the camera. The two features that make this camera work well for animation are: Auto power-shutoff disabling. So the camera doesn't turn off while you adjust your puppet. It does go to sleep but a half-press of the shutter button wakes it right back up. Timer mode, 2 seconds. You can set it to take a picture exactly two seconds after you press the button. It beeps repeatedly which reminds the animator to take their hand off the camera (mounted on a tripod or stand) and out of the frame. The result is much less camera movement and accidental hand shots in your animation. Without this, even the pressure of your finger as you press the shutter button moves the camera enough to create shifting frames. We chose the 3x zoom, which is pretty low as far as zooming capabilities go, since we can always get the camera close to the artwork to get a clear close-up. The macro focus feature on this camera is easy to use, even for kids. A flower graphic on the button and the LCD screen indicate macro-focus is on.