Digital camera advice

[Big Ed]

I know this isn't a photography site but figured there's some good technical people here. My current "work" camera has started to act up on me, so I need a replacement. I'm a real estate broker, so the camera will be used to photograph my listings.

The biggest challenge with shooting homes is the interior shots -- you need a pretty wide angle lens to shoot all but the largest rooms. I bought an accessory lens to do this with my current camera, a Canon Powershot A40. Problem was, the lens blocked the built-in flash and this model had no hot shoe to add an accessory flash, so I spent lots of time at the PC lightening up the photos after I took them. I'm sick of this, and ready for a one-step solution.

High resolution is NOT important. Even with my little 2 megapixel Canon, I have to reduce pictures before I post them on the web -- so pretty much any current camera will have high enough resolution for my purposes.

Also, at present many of the older agents who work with me have a hard time taking photos. If it exists, a simple point and shoot camera with a wide angle lens and built in flash is ideal, as it would free me from having to shoot every damn listing we take. But having said that, all the point and shoots I've seen do not have any wide angle capability.

I'm not strictly limited in budget for this purchase, but would prefer to keep it under $500. If it requires more than that, I'd probably just go full digital SLR to replace my film SLR.

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

[TWork]

Check out the Canon S2 IS. Has a more substantial built in flash, image stabilization and definitely sub-$500. Not particularly wide angle, but I think you'll have trouble finding something really wide on any P&S.

[island911]

ebay - one of the older high-end models. fewer mega-pix, but lots of functionallity . . and add-on lenses.

[fastpat]

Originally posted by Big Ed
I know this isn't a photography site but figured there's some good technical people here. My current "work" camera has started to act up on me, so I need a replacement. I'm a real estate broker, so the camera will be used to photograph my listings.

The biggest challenge with shooting homes is the interior shots -- you need a pretty wide angle lens to shoot all but the largest rooms. I bought an accessory lens to do this with my current camera, a Canon Powershot A40. Problem was, the lens blocked the built-in flash and this model had no hot shoe to add an accessory flash, so I spent lots of time at the PC lightening up the photos after I took them. I'm sick of this, and ready for a one-step solution.

High resolution is NOT important. Even with my little 2 megapixel Canon, I have to reduce pictures before I post them on the web -- so pretty much any current camera will have high enough resolution for my purposes.

Also, at present many of the older agents who work with me have a hard time taking photos. If it exists, a simple point and shoot camera with a wide angle lens and built in flash is ideal, as it would free me from having to shoot every damn listing we take. But having said that, all the point and shoots I've seen do not have any wide angle capability.

I'm not strictly limited in budget for this purchase, but would prefer to keep it under $500. If it requires more than that, I'd probably just go full digital SLR to replace my film SLR.

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

Your best bet is to spring for a digital SLR camer and buy a wide angle lens for it. The camera is a business expense, the lens quality will improve your shots without going to higher pixel density, and won't block the built in flash. I use a Nikon 7900, it's not a SLR but it takes very good pictures inside and out with it's ED glass lense system. I don't know if it would do what you want, and no additional lenses fit it.

[gr8fl4porsche]

There definitely is a learning curve with my Nikon D70s Digi SLR.

A point and shoot may be the way to go if you just need average quality photos and don't have lots of time to play around with the SLR's. It is easier to get better shots quickly with the p&s's. The SLR's are better when you get better.

I'm still struggling. Last night I took over 100 shots at a tour of the New Busch Stadium - 3 or 4 are decent shots. All were taken using the Auto setting. I would have been better off using my old Olympus p&s. One day I'll figure it out. There is a reason they call them Prosumer models.

[jhc]

I have both digital slr and wide angle point & shoot. The Panasonic LX-1 has a 28mm equivalent Leica wide angle, 8 megapixel, 2.5" lcd, 4x optical zoom, native 16:9 aspect ratio, built in flash and full manual controls in addition to idiot & video mode. It runs about $450 and if that doesn't do it for you then you will have to step up to digital SLR such as Nikon D50 or Canon XT, both will run about $1000 with a decent but not top notch wide angle.

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

what kind of SLR do you have? Nikon and Pentax Digital SLRs can use the old lenses from their 35mm cousins. I think the newer Canon EOS lenses will work with the new SLR Digital, but please don't quote me.

[Big Ed]

My SLR is a Minolta.

[masraum]

!!!!!VERY IMPORTANT NOTE!!!!!!!

If you need very wide angle for shooting a whole room then a DSLR may not be for you. Most of the DSLR cameras have a sensor that is smaller than a frame in a 35mm camera, consequently, an 18mm lens on an DSLR is is like a 35mm lens on a film camera. You can get an older used Canon 1D or one of the new 5D's to get a full frame DSLR, but I'm betting that's more than you want/need to spend. Not only that, but most DSLR's get best results if you do a little post processing. Most point and shoot cameras have some processing built in. Just find a good point and shoot with a really wide angle capability built in. Go to dpreview.com for more info.

Originally posted by fastpat
Your best bet is to spring for a digital SLR camer and buy a wide angle lens for it. The camera is a business expense, the lens quality will improve your shots without going to higher pixel density, and won't block the built in flash. I use a Nikon 7900, it's not a SLR but it takes very good pictures inside and out with it's ED glass lense system. I don't know if it would do what you want, and no additional lenses fit it.

PS I have a Canon Digital Rebel XT. It's a great camera. And yes, many of the older EOS lenses will work with the newer EOS cameras, but not 100%.

[masraum]

Originally posted by gr8fl4porsche
There definitely is a learning curve with my Nikon D70s Digi SLR.

A point and shoot may be the way to go if you just need average quality photos and don't have lots of time to play around with the SLR's. It is easier to get better shots quickly with the p&s's. The SLR's are better when you get better.

I'm still struggling. Last night I took over 100 shots at a tour of the New Busch Stadium - 3 or 4 are decent shots. All were taken using the Auto setting. I would have been better off using my old Olympus p&s. One day I'll figure it out. There is a reason they call them Prosumer models.

You're best bet is to get out of "auto" mode and use Av. Also, you may want to get a fast lens if you don't already have one (fast=low minimum f-stop number). For the canon the basic 50mm lens has a minimum f-stop of 1.8. With that large an aperture it's easier to take pics in low light situations. Much easier than an f-stop of 4 or 5.6 which is what a lot of zoom lenses will get you. The important thing with that fast a lens is to think about the depth of field that you want and adjust accordingly.

[Big Ed]

Originally posted by masraum
!!!!!VERY IMPORTANT NOTE!!!!!!!

If you need very wide angle for shooting a whole room then a DSLR may not be for you. Most of the DSLR cameras have a sensor that is smaller than a frame in a 35mm camera, consequently, an 18mm lens on an DSLR is is like a 35mm lens on a film camera.

I have heard this before, which helps to make the process nice and confusing. Can I trust when a P&S camera says (for example) 28-90mm that it is the equivalent of a film camera, or is the an adjustment that needs to be made.

[masraum]

Originally posted by Big Ed
I have heard this before, which helps to make the process nice and confusing. Can I trust when a P&S camera says (for example) 28-90mm that it is the equivalent of a film camera, or is the an adjustment that needs to be made.

Most P&S cameras give an effective focal length meaning that they've already done the conversion for you and you should be able to trust what's listed on most P&S cameras.

Only DSLR's have this issue and if you look at the camera on the web most sites will list the factor. It's usually 1.5 or 1.6. Just multiply that by the focal length. You don't actually get more magnification, it just seems like a tighter shot because some amount of crop is built in.

[Joeaksa]

Originally posted by jhc
I have both digital slr and wide angle point & shoot. The Panasonic LX-1 has a 28mm equivalent Leica wide angle, 8 megapixel, 2.5" lcd, 4x optical zoom, native 16:9 aspect ratio, built in flash and full manual controls in addition to idiot & video mode. It runs about $450 and if that doesn't do it for you then you will have to step up to digital SLR such as Nikon D50 or Canon XT, both will run about $1000 with a decent but not top notch wide angle.

I have the Leica version of this camera and love it. Was using it out of the box with no instructions in a few minutes. You can find them used for $900-$1200. Lens is unbelieveable and well worth the money.

[mjohnson]

Try a DSLR of whatever religion/brand you like for ~$500. If you're pusing your budget limit, just get the bare body without the kit lens.

Your solution for tight internal photos, even with the 1.5x focal length problem of the smaller sensor, is one of the older Tamron f/3.5 14mm lenses. KEH.com should have some for ~400. They are trustworthy, and their "bargain" rated used lenses are perfectly usable.

14mm x 1.5 is about 20 mm equivalent, which is a great film SLR focal length for interior photos.

Mike
'78 SC

[jhc]

Here is an interior shot from the Panasonic LX1:

You can get wide angle zooms made for digital slr's that have the sensor crop for about $400 to $800. I have the Tokina 12-24 f4 and Sigma 18-50 f2.8 for my 10D.

You can also stitch photos together to make a panaramic photo using your existing point & shoot. If you can find a used Nikon Coolpix 5000 or 8400 they both had 28mm equivalent lens and the 5000 had an accessory lens that was 19mm equivalent. Unfortunately the older P&S cameras have severe shutter lag and other problems compared to the current bunch.

The pelican of digital photography is dpreview.com.

[masraum]

Originally posted by jhc
Here is an interior shot from the Panasonic LX1:

You can get wide angle zooms made for digital slr's that have the sensor crop for about $400 to $800. I have the Tokina 12-24 f4 and Sigma 18-50 f2.8 for my 10D.

Yep, my thoughts were that if he was looking for a P&S and didn't care if it was 2 MP that he wasn't going to want to spend 800-1000 on a camera and then another several hundred on one of the ultra wide angle lenses, especially since he can probably get a 20-25 angle lens on a much cheaper easier to use camera.

If it was for his own hobby/pleasure then I'd be all over convincing him to get a Rebel XT or D70.

[ae86_16v]

If you need a P&S you could easily spend just a few hundred bucks.

For something small and pocketable I definitely recommend the Canon SD Series. Or the Sony T Series is nice but it is a big more expensive.

If you want DSLR I recommend the Nikon D50 or Rebel XT.

[Steve Carlton]

Like masraum said, dpreview.com is a useful site. You can specify some parameters on this page. Excellent prices can be found at www.pricegrabber.com as well as others.

[TerryH]

The camera is a tax write off, eh? Then get a good one. Most digital cameras take good outdoor photos. Most digital cameras take horrible flash photos at any distance over 5 feet.

I would opt for a higher end SLR with a hot shoe for flash attachment. One highly rated for indoor flash use. DPreview.com is an excellent site that I have used for years.

[K.B.]

Big Ed
If you want to stick with Minolta, the 7D DSLR is a great work of art. It has all the knobs and buttons on the camera like a 35mmSLR does, less of those silly menu choices burried several layers down. Konica Minolta just sold out to Sony however, and its anybodies guess as to what is going to happen. If you have a lot of expensive lenses for Minolta already then it is worth it to stick with Minolta. If your most expensive lense is $200 then I'd switch to Cannon or Nikon. Nikon comes up with better flesh tones if you are going for studio work. Cannon has faster lenses if you are into sports and fast action.

If you just want a small easy to take along camera, check some of the low price Kodak models. They refocus quickly and are pretty bomb proof. You can also get a cheap printer for $130 bucks to print 4x6 prints quickly.

Cameras have become a lot like computers, whatever you get it will be somewhat obsolete in 3 or 4 years anyway -