Digital Camera shopping...

[mikester]

doink!

[Super_Dave_D]

You didnt say what kind of money you wanted to spend? Dont be afraid of the DSLR - all has a program setting where you can just point and shoot. I love mine.

If you dont care about the size of the camera - get the Canon 30D DSLR

It will handle all of your needs and then some. You can walk out of the house with no extra batteries and no extra memory and shoot pretty much all day. It is large though so I have to decide which camera I want to take out when I go.

[jriera]

Buy any within your budget ... it will be obsolete in a couple of months anyway ...

Got a Nikon D80 for Christmas (but I had too many Nikon objectives already), very happy

[FrayAdjacent911]

I just picked up a Canon SD1000 (7.1Mpix Digital Elph)

Very nice packaging, and it seems to take pretty good pics so far. I'll be using it as my primary camera when I'm at the Houston Grand Prix this weekend.

My 'main' camera is a 5Mpix Kodak DX7590 ('SLR-like', 10x optical zoom), which takes AMAZING pictures. Better than the aforementioned Canon I just got. It's not the current generation, but can still be had for less than $300.

[M.D. Holloway]

Had (and that is correct - had) a great Casio that Moses recommended. Loved it but alas it met the fate of an exuberant 4 year old determined to take a picture of her older brother riding his bike over a ramp. In her jubilation the camera went the way of all flesh when it proceeded to leave her grasp to meet a quick and violent end upon an unforgiving driveway made of Portland finest.

A buddy of ours sell Microscopes for Nikon - says he can square us a righteous deal on a sweet digi - looking at the P5000 but may go with S200. If I don't go for the deal I will get the exact same Casio I had before.

[tobster1911]

We just got the Kodak Z612 about a month ago.
Spec's

Very affordable and I love the way this thing takes pictures. It definitely is not a top of the line brand, but for the price....

Best features:
12x OPTICAL zoom
Image stabilization, again optical
SD card (picked up 1G Corsair memory for $10 on newegg)
Lithium Ion Battery. (downside = separate charger)
SLR-like (Auto mode but also separate control of f-stop, ect possible.)

We went to the zoo yesterday and I took about 75 pictures. It did fantastic at max zoom, though glass, low light. A few quick pictures.

This was across the open area about 30ft. Zoom was about 10x optical.


Believe it or not, this was through glass. The key was turning off the flash and playing with the exposure.


Full optical zoom (12x) and motion.


For comparison, here is only a little zoom.


Last one, This is full optical (12x) and into the digital about 3x. I was braced but this was from about 60ft or more.


Sorry for the long, picture intensive post. I am just really happy with this thing. For a non-power user, this camera is great.

[Super_Dave_D]

Originally posted by mikester
Probably have a hard time spending more than $500.

That puts you out of the DSLR range.

Check out the Canon SD800

One thing I think is the most important thing (other than the lens, mega pixels etc. ) on a dig cam is how fast the shutter releases once you press the button.

For that I would suggest going to your favorite camera store and testing them. This is a major cause for blurred photos. Ones with poor shutter delays causes blurring because the user starts moving the camera after pressing the button. My Sony does this so I have to be careful when using it.

Make sure you have an optical view finder as well. That way you dont have to rely ONLY on the screen.

[FrayAdjacent911]

One thing to point out, if you want a camera with good optical zoom, look for one that has good OPTICAL image stabilization. My Kodak doesn't, and that's about the only thing I think it's really missing. It would help a lot with zoomed in shots, that's for sure.

[WolfeMacleod]

Got a Canon G7 back around Christmas. Love it!
The pictures come out great, and the video capabilities are superb. Up to 1024x768 video resolution at 15fps (I think) or 640x480 at 30fps.

Would make an excellent in-car camera, if I could figure out how to mount it...

[Joeaksa]

Originally posted by FrayAdjacent911
One thing to point out, if you want a camera with good optical zoom, look for one that has good OPTICAL image stabilization. My Kodak doesn't, and that's about the only thing I think it's really missing. It would help a lot with zoomed in shots, that's for sure.

Agree and the stabilization really helps. I have a $2000 digital camera and a $180 Costco Panasonic with a Leica lens and stabilization.

Sorry to say but until I blow the pics up to really fine size, the Panasonic takes as good or better pics than the expensive camera.

6 megapix at Costco, on sale now for $180 or so...

[alf]

Originally posted by mikester
Probably have a hard time spending more than $500.

Get a used Nikon D50 kit here for $475.

http://www.nikonians.org/dcforum/DCForumID23/20791.html

[Groesbeck Hurricane]

go to the Nikon website and get a factory refurbished. Waaaay nicer than my Wife's sony was the Nikon we got for my sister in law!!!

[Jims5543]

For a point and shoot:

Casio Exlim

http://exilim.casio.com/

I paid about $275 for mine. I bought a no questions asked extended warranty for $50 for 3 years and I love it.

Its my 3rd one, I forgot I put my 1st one in my back pocket and sat on it, the 2nd one, my dad dropped when taking a picture of my family in the mountains and it bounced around in some rocks. It wored for 2 more weeks then died.

Hence my warranty now.

Great little pocket camera that takes awesome pics in any light and pretty impressive MPeg4 video as well.


You cannot beat a digi SLR for quality shots. We have a Nikon D50 and love it!!

[FrayAdjacent911]

Jim, I actually ordered an Exilim Z75, and though I liked it, the pictures were disappointing. WAY too much barrel distortion and color fringing. It might not be the same model you got, but it disappointed me.

Sure, my Canon does get a LITTLE barrel distortion, but it's not near as noticeable.

Maybe I got a bum unit?

[Zeke]

Wayne had a thread going about this not too long ago and there was some good advice. I don't remember exactly what we bought, but the things to look for seem to be a big view screen and not so much digital zoom. Optical zoom is better and 3X seems close to standard. If you find 5X, that might be worth it. Beyond that, I think you need to look at DSLR cameras.

[M.D. Holloway]

Jim,
Thats the camera I had until it took a digger. I thought it took great shots, 30 minute video and a very long battery life with easy down load.

[hytem]

Great pics. Tigers are magnificent animals. When they roar the ground literally shakes. Deep bass.

[LeRoux Strydom]

Another vote for the Nikon D80 that I have and enjoy, but seeing its out of your price range, how about the newly announced Nikon D40x - 10.2 MP sensor and simpler user interface compared with more expensive Nikons. Yet it gives you the freedom to explore the camera settings for your own creativity, you get the instant dSLR action shots without the shutter lag of P&S cameras as well as 3 frames/sec action sequences.

Canon dSLR's are plasticky, IMHO. Nikon rules.

[RoninLB]

Originally posted by Joeaksa
$180 Costco Panasonic with a Leica lens and stabilization.



6 megapix at Costco, on sale now for $180 or so...

i want this shirt pocket camera.

I guess i can just look for the 6 meg small Panasonic for $180?

[Steve Carlton]

There's a guy on a photography forum that works in a camera store who always seems to have sound, unbiased advice. I PM'd him with a link to this thread and here is his suggestion:

I had a quick look at that link, I'd be suggesting he takes a look at the Panasonic FZ-8 actually. It is the sharpest lens of all the big zooms. very quick focus, very fast glass (f3.3 at 420mm), excellent for sports, most effective image stabilization system. Not faultless, but the best bang-for-buck for what he is looking for. You might want to post that in there if you like.

Cheers

My suggestion would be a Nikon D40. With the 18-55mm cheap kit lens, which optically is excellent, you'd be in the low-mid $500s. You'd be like the cheapest house in the neighborhood, with room to grow for other lenses. The lack of 10x optical zoom can be compensated for to some extent by cropping better quality images, and you can get more reach with another lens when you're ready, too.