As a shutterbug with an avid interest in photography, I'm often asked to recommend cameras to tantric friends because there are so many cameras out there - literally hundreds of choices which only makes it all the more confusing. My first question is what their budget is, my second question rates their level of technical expertise, and my third question is usually, "what exactly do you want to do with it?" The answers to these three questions usually resolve the choice down to a couple of candidates. For the tantric crowd, the questions usually wind down to the following five: what's the best camera to take on my vacation to a healing retreat in Thailand? what's the best camera if I want to get serious and explore my artistic potential? what's the best camera to shoot YouTube videos to promote my coaching business? what's the best camera for taking glamour shots for my dakini page? what's the best camera if I want to shoot a documentary about tantra?
Let me answer each of these situations:
What's the best camera to take on a vacation?
For travel and on the go, the requirements for a travel camera are weight, startup time and photo quality. A travel camera should ideally fit in your shirt pocket, and require only a few seconds to grab and boot from the beach bag. In general, the number of pixels advertised is less important than the quality of the lens and the software inside the camera helping you make a perfect picture. For a few years, I've 
been shooting with a Canon ELPH SD900, but I'm about to upgrade to the Canon HS 510, with much better low light capacity - meaning you won't need a flash in the evenings to take beautiful, rich photos. A while back, during the great pixel race, these point 'n shooters started offering too many pixels without enough light to going into each individual pixel. The result was grainy, noisy pictures whenever people tried to shoot without a flash to capture the ambiance of an evening in Costa Rica or Thailand. However, the latest generation of travel cameras have advanced dramatically. The Canon HS100, HS300 and HS500 line are spectacular offerings that offer a big juicy lens that lets lots of light in to enable yumminess in even the dimmest lighting situations. The Nikon and Panasonic lines are also quite good, but the Canon image processing software and the user interface are a tad better, so that's my pick. An HS510 will set you back just under $300, plus the cost of an SD memory card.
On the other hand, I have noticed recently that when I go to foreign countries, the old point and shoot isn't cutting it anymore. I'm starting to want something better, so I can shoot art photography while traveling, instead of just capturing memories. This means I need interchangeable lenses, so I 
can get crisp wide angles for landscapes or buttery depth of field, aka 'bokeh', for capturing the richness of emotion. Plus, I'm unwilling to bring my digital SLR overseas, not only because it's insanely heavy and I want to travel light but because I am unwilling to carry my DSLR backpack anywhere it might get stolen. Hence, I'm tempted to buy the new Nikon V1 'mirrorless' camera, which offers lightweight point & shoot convenience with interchangeable lenses. Also, the lower price point makes it feel okay to bring overseas... having a $800 camera stolen doesn't sting quite as badly as a losing camera bag with $10,000 in body, lenses and lighting. OUCH! I should know, I lost my entire photo kit during a trip to Sedona... but after the nymph-like dakini Ariel White did a tantric manifestation prayer for me, it was miraculously found by Shawn Roop, daka extraordinaire! Now that's a miracle!
Also, the Nikon 1 series has a really clever new feature, using their ultra fast slo-mo capability, called Motion Snapshot. The idea is this: certain glances at life just cannot be retold with merely a single photograph. With a single click, the Nikon 1 can add music and a slo-mo sequence that captures the emotional essence of the moment better than a single photo. Now if this isn't tantric photography, I don't know what the heck is. It's like using visual energy to open the heart chakra!
Take a look at this video clip of Motion Snapshot in action:
What's the best camera if I want to get serious about photography?
If you want to become a serious photographer, you need to buy a digital SLR camera. And you need to invest in a few faithful lenses. Usually, the entry level DSLR is either a Canon 7D or Nikon 
D7000. Either will set you back about $1500. That's just for the body -- you'll also need a few lenses for zoom, telephoto, wide angle and a something called a "prime portrait lens". Lenses usually go for about $500-1000 apiece, except for the prime, which will set you back about $2000. I know that's expensive, but heck, if you wanted to learn tantra... it's an equally expensive proposition, right?
Alternatively, you can buy one level lower, like the Canon Rebel T3i or the Nikon D3100. Costco offers the D3100 with two lenses, a camera bag and SD cards and a nifty training manual... for an amazing $900. The Rebel T3i is a better camera, and you can get one at Costco for about $700 with a single lens.
The key to becoming a real and serious photographer isn't buying stuff -- it's committing to shoot 10,000 photos a year, and to take a Photoshop class so you master the artform. After you've determined you really are a photographer, you can upgrade the body to something like the 1D or 5D, which will cost $2200 or $5000 respectively, and lots of more lenses. There is no end to how much money you can spend once you get hooked. My favorite novelty lens is the LensBaby that quite fun - it combines an old-fashioned bellows camera concept with an up-tight tilt-shift lens to maximize creativity. Anyway, serious photography may seem seriously expensive, but the secret is to "shoot your way" instead of spending your way, to an upgrade. That means figuring out how to make money shooting stuff... and use that money to upgrade your equipment.
In many ways, understanding art photography is like mastering the tantra of vision. It's all about the energy. Really. The first level of mastery is to see how energy flows in a scene, and capture that energy flow faithfully through composition and aesthetics. The second key is to work with the energy of your subjects. For example, I'm constantly asking my subjects to "look down at the ground, and on the count of three, look up into the lens... and shoot energy out of your eyes." You can't imagine how many great shots I've gotten using that technique. The deepest key is to wait, breathe, connect with the energy around you... and let the camera fly like an arrow from your bow. Like the zen archer who hits the bullseye blindfolded, I have taken shots that were purchased by magazines. Someone asked me why I like film and photography, and my answer is -- "Because I want to share a profound appreciation of what it means to be alive, and nothing is better than photography for capturing the essence of the present moment."
What's the best camera to shoot YouTube videos to promote my coaching business?
Honestly, YouTube video is of such low quality, that you should simply use a Flipcam or equivalent. My preference is the Kodak Playsport, which shoots true 1080p HD, offers built-in digtial image stabilization, and is waterproof so you can use it on a vacation to a sunny beach in Costa Rica. Slap in a 16GB memory card, and it'll shoot 2-3 hours of 720p footage. The only accessory you need is a spare battery. And it only costs a whopping $99!
To shoot promotional videos for yourself - you should remember that the quality of the video depends more on your skill and comfort as the talent, than the quality of the camera. This skill increases with practice, so instead of fretting about getting the right equipment - which is a procrastination strategy of the subconscious - just get a flipcam and a tripod to set it on... and get started!
What's the best camera for taking glamour shots for my dakini page?
The best? Well, if you're the best dakini around, I suppose you should use the absolute best camera around -- which is the Hasselblad H4D-60 Digital SLR, but be warned that'll set you back $40,000! More reasonable would be the cameras recommended for art photography above - any of the digital SLR cameras would be fine - anything from the T3i entry level to the "full frame" Canon 5D. However, two additional purchases are required. The first is a high quality portrait lens, like the Canon EF 85mm f1.2, which retails for $2200. The value of this lens cannot be overstated. It's absolutely required for professional portrait and boudoir photography.
The second is a piece of software called Portrait Professional, an airbrushing software program that has been "trained" via artificial intelligence in human beauty. Exceptionally fast and easy to use, and capable of the highest quality touch up, it lets you look your best, just by moving sliders. It's pretty cheap too - $40 for the entry level version. Published by Anthropics Software. By the way, use my coupon code to get an additional $15 off - "PRQQ-YNPH-LKEP-ZVDW".
Check out what it does below:
What's the best video camera if I want to shoot a documentary about tantra and sacred sexuality?
It's an amazing time to be a videographer. Equipment that used to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, is now affordable by normal people like you and me. Even parts of the Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire was shot on one of the DSLR cameras. Anyway, if want to shoot a documentary, there is no need to rent or buy a Red Epic 4K digital filmmaking system that would set you back cool $100,000 with cinema lenses -- consider a couple of low cost HD possibilities: one possibility is to get something like a Canon Vixia HD camcorder for $3-400, or if you want better quality imagery, get the Canon Rebel T3i - the first entry level DSLR with an articulating viewscreen so you can shoot in weird angles, and the world's first video auto-focus. 
Most camcorders simply put everything in focus, so they don't need to worry about focusing. However, skilled filmmakers realize that good filmmaking is all about directing the eye by using defocus/blur intelligently. For this, you need interchangeable lenses, like with the Canon Rebel T3i or the Nikon 1.
You can learn all sorts of guerilla filmmaking tricks by reading Shut Up and Shoot Documentary Guide: A Down & Dirty DV Production. It teaches you everything you need to get started NOW as a documentary filmmaker; the pages are crammed with 500 full-color pictures, tips from the pros, resources, checklists and charts, making it easy to find what you need fast. It also includes a DVD and useful forms, jump start charts, online resources, releases, storyboards, checklists, equipment guides, and shooting procedures. It's a must have resource if you're serious about your dream of making a documentary. Finally, if you want to look like a filmmaker, you can buy a Proaim matte box and follow focus to turn the camera into something that looks like a real movie camera. In the pix here, that shade in front is the "matte box" which is good for keeping the sun and lights off the lens... as well as scaring actors into a better performance. You mount all of this on top of a tripod, get a slate and a fancy beret, and you're ready to yell Action!
What's the best camera for every day shooting?
For everyday use, and to record UFOs, I use my iPhone's camera phone feature, augmented with clever apps, like Pano for panoramas, Instagram for aged photos, and Plastic Bullet for special effects. If you want to transcribe notes from the whiteboard at work or scan business card, you can even get an app called JotNot that helps you do that. The coolest app requires a small add-on so you can record immersive 360˚ panoramic video -- kogeto's DOT. It's amazing the range of accessories now available for the iPhone 4 Camera -- it's growing by leaps and bounds, given the superior camera on the device.
A company called Photojojo produces lens accessories for the iPhone. And my favorite add-on is their telephoto lens, pictured here. It's an 8x telephoto lens that's made specifically for the iPhone 3 or iPhone 4. Priced at $35.00, they're making you an offer you can't refuse. Plus, not only does the measly 35 bucks buy you a zoom lens, also comes with a case and a tripod to hold your iPhone. The wildest accessory is the iPhone Camera Lens Dial Case - it's pretty ugly, but it sure is practical. Instead of having several of the miniature lenses lying around in your pockets, the case comes with three and you can easily switch between them, by simply turning the dial. The device comes with a 0.7x wide angle lens, 1.5x telephoto zoom, and 0.33x fisheye lens.
And that's it. Are you more or less confused now? All you have to do is apply what you know about tantra to the art of photography. Remember that it's not about the size of the lens, it's what you do with it. Trust in your inner wisdom. Approach every photo session as a ritual, and invoke divinity before you begin. Align your photography with your breath. Look for the polarity and the balance in every shot. Create a tantric energy circuit between you and your subject. Be in the present moment instead of thinking about the past or the future. Surrender when you press the shutter release and let the energy of what is flow into your camera lens. And remember that photography reveals the innermost beauty, so shoot with your heart and not your eyes. Follow these simple rules and you're sure to capture the magic of life.
I've placed links below so you can take a look at the various cameras and items at Amazon:
Canon HS 510 Travel Camera
Canon EOS Rebel T3i Entry Level DSLR
Canon EOS 5D Mark II 21.1MP Full Frame Digital SLR
Kodak PlaySport Waterproof Pocket Video Camera
Canon VIXIA HF-M41 HD Camcorder
Hasselblad H4D-60 60 Megapixels Digital SLR
Canon EF 85mm f1.2 Portrait Lens
Nikon 1 V1 HD Digital Camera Kit
The Shut Up and Shoot Documentary Guide: A Down & Dirty DV Production
Proaim DSLR KIT-3 with Follow Focus and Mattebox
