idiot camera recommendation

[look 171]

My wife left the van door wide open and someone walked off with our Nikon camera. We just usually go to Costo and purchase what's in the show case. what do you tech savvy people say. Our needs are:

Good interior photos. Our last one kinda suck. Not clear if pics were taken inside.

My wife uses the video feature a lot to film our kids. it was not that good, but quick for catching the moment. Any ideas on that?

The cycling period was slower watching paint dry. Is there one out there that will allow us to take pics faster so we don't miss our kids in action? I don't need a pro camera that will shoot a pic every nano second.

What's the standard mega pix. now?

[aigel]

A month ago I bought a Nikon Coolpix S3100 at Costco for $79 after instant rebate. Can't beat that in terms of bang for the buck. 14mpixel. Came with a 4 gig memory card, case and coupon for 100 free prints.

G

[rnln]

Look,
depend on what you want. An SLR, a pocket size, or average one what is convenience to take with you anywhere, but still have good picture quality?
I am not a pro nor someone who after every camera model to tell you which is the best, but I did a lot of searches a while back and here is what I think. If you want good photo and set your mind on a biggo SLR with a 30' long lense, I'll leave it to someone else to give you suggestion, because I don't know anything to say here . For those point and shoot, although the smaller it is, the convenience it is, but...
- bigger lense, better picture, almost no matter the number of pixel.
- people tend to think as long as you get Canon or Nikkon, it's the best. Or the more numbers of pixel, the better the camera. No, it's not always. For those point and shoot, it is a different story. There was time, I wanted a camera small enough for us to take with us anywhere, but doesn't have to be a credit card small. I bought a Nikken, Canon, Sony, and one more which I forgot what it was; which have the similar price range, number of pixel, etc. Layed them side by side on my desk, having the same targets (interior and in the back yard), same lighting, at the same time. I also did small target as text on poster, labels, etc. The Sonny turn out to be the best.
One problem though, I have not seen any point and shoot that can focus quick enough to move the camera while taking picture. All those I touched will take time to focus, long time.
One of these, below, is what I think good enough for most family purposes. If you choose an older model, with same lense size and similar soom length, price can be a lot lower. Go to one of those Sony outlet, if you have not been there.
http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666297852

[on2wheels52]

I get a bunch that come through the pawnshop. For myself, I don't want to lug around an SLR. I've gravitated mostly to the smaller Sonys, and one Canon. The number of megapixels just tell me how old the thing is. As rnin said, a bigger diameter lens is a plus.
Jim

[GH85Carrera]

I am amazed how good the iPhone does for most photos outdoors. It is always with me so it is handy. The big weakness is low light. It get crappy when the light level is low. It does fine for just happy snaps.



This was shot with my iPhone. Just a point and shoot.

Here is a cropped version that shows the detail.



It does not really replace a real camera but for something that you can have with you all the time it sure is decent.

If you need any sort of zoom you are out of luck. This is just a wide angle only.



In low level lighting is does just OK. Of course back in the stone ages of film you would be hard pressed to get this good from a hand held shot even with a good film camera.

[kach22i]

My Fuji JZ500 (about $200) has 10X optical zoom, shoots video (blurry during zoom unlike the more expensive Panasonic).

It is discontinued but I'm sure they make an equal replacement now.
Fujifilm JZ500 14.1 MP Digital Camera 16008391 B&H Photo Video

The main reason I got this camera is that for it's type it does better than average in low light situations. However there is a setting which takes a low light picture, a mico-second later a second low light photo with flash automatically. This is a great feature, almost good as the 10X zoom.

The body is a little slippery, but overall I can recommend it as a simple point and shoot with bonus features. I've had mine for over a year with no problem.

Sample - I took this last spring: could not have gotten this close without the 10X zoom

[look 171]

Not too concern about zoom. I will check those out. We are not looking for the best pic quality. Never close up pic of a small bug or anything like that, just a little camera to shoot family pictures and videos. The interior pictures were blur most of the time, so that was a PITA. Maybe it was adjustment I needed. Will auto setting self correct that?

[ben parrish]

Panasonic Lumix LC5...great camera, fantastic lense, wonderful price.

[Zeke]

You can't beat a DSLR, but with video they are expensive. And they really need your attention to all the features to get out of them all they can do. They would be good for interior shots of your work, not just a flash on a person or group shot.

But, if you don't want all that hassle, I have to defer to those that know point and shoots better than I. I'm told a new iPhone is as capable as most P&S cameras.

[intakexhaust]

Hope my comments might help. Your interest for inside shots, video and speed:

I rarely lug around an SLR. Have used compact / pocket middle class (10X optical and up) point and shoot and all have their plus and neg's. All of them require manual settings to get the most out of them. Lens and CMOS is whats important. Invest in a memory card with a Class 10 latency.

The Sony's are about paying for the name but I really like them. Side by side comparing basic specs are usually a third to double the price. Lots of gizmos packed in them and the panorama auto stitch works as advertised. House brand lens to Zeiss doesn't matter. Sony's not going to ruin a reputation and put a cr@ppy lens on their camera. Never had a Nikon so can't comment. Olympus is decent but the auto functions results are not exactly what you expect. Fast to manual configure settings and shoot, and impressive results. You really have to experiment with the Olympus to get the most out of it. Still have two in the household.

Favorite and ironically cheap to buy is a Canon. Right now I use daily the Canon Power Shot SX230 w/ HD. Only 12.1 MP but with a larger CMOS,, 14 X optical and shoots an excellent 1080p HD. The low light shooting is excellent and by far always seems the best. Akward location for the flash but outstanding features and output. It's not as user intuitive compared to the Sony or Olympus but the end results seem far better than the others mentioned in its class. Paid a ridiculous cheap $125 at a Target store ($150 w/ 2 yr extended warr. and taxes).

[RWebb]

new iPhone 4 is way better than before - I've started to use it much more after seeing what other people have posted here with it.

Do you have lenses, etc. for the Nikon that was stolen?

If so, maybe buy a body to take them.

If not, decide on what you want - basically 3 levels:

DSLR - low end Nikons are really good & you will not have to relearn control positions, etc.

mid-sized things - G1 or something from Canon, and many others

compact - I have deviated from my long-term Nikon addiction to buy the Canon S-95; now they have the S-100.

or you can always buy a used film camera for cheap and get them scanned when developed

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by intakexhaust

Favorite and ironically cheap to buy is a Canon. Right now I use daily the Canon Power Shot SX230 w/ HD.

I'd be very interested in seeing some low level lighting samples.

FYI: Just like my camera, it appears to be discontinued. I can only imagine that the replacement camera for each of our models to be even better than the old.

Canon PowerShot SX230

I think I paid less than $200 for mine, maybe $159 if memory serves. Still more expensive than the Canon listed in this thread. The thing which sold me on the Fuji is that the zoom feature works in video. Only Panasonic and Fuji could do that at the time I purchased my camera. I should say that the refocusing after zooming with the Fuji is less than perfect, and takes a while to get right or used to.

Some low level light pictures I took, using the Flashless + Flash double picture feature.........I still end up lightening quite a few of them.
http://s184.photobucket.com/albums/x295/kach22i/Industrial%20Design%20-%20Transportation/?start=40

[matthew-s]

Originally Posted by RWebb

new iPhone 4 is way better than before - I've started to use it much more after seeing what other people have posted here with it.

Do you have lenses, etc. for the Nikon that was stolen?

If so, maybe buy a body to take them.

If not, decide on what you want - basically 3 levels:

DSLR - low end Nikons are really good & you will not have to relearn control positions, etc.

mid-sized things - G1 or something from Canon, and many others

compact - I have deviated from my long-term Nikon addiction to buy the Canon S-95; now they have the S-100.

or you can always buy a used film camera for cheap and get them scanned when developed

one more category is micro-four-thirds (m43). I'm giving this a good hard look to replace my aging Nikon D50 (that I don't enjoy lugging around). That is the 1/2 point between DSLR and point-and-shoot, I think.

[sc_rufctr]

Nikon coolpix AW100... Robust and it has it all. Check it out.

[azasadny]

We have a 5 year old Canon PowerShot SD100 that rocks and cost $200. Get the current version of this little camera and you will be impressed! I just got my wife and daughter Android HTC Inspire cell phones and they come with an incredible 8MP camera with dual flash!!!

[RWebb]

tell him about the video feature he asked about...

[look 171]

Originally Posted by sc_rufctr

Nikon coolpix AW100... Robust and it has it all. Check it out.

I just look it up, that's a cool camera. it fits us well because one of us will drop it, maybe in the toilet even with our little one messing with the camera all the time. Is there anything you do not like about it? I really like the cycling time between pics. How's the video?

[kach22i]

Originally Posted by RWebb

tell him about the video feature he asked about...

Back when I bought my camera (almost two years ago) Panasonic made this really nice looking $300 smaller point and shoot which boasted zoom in, zoom out while staying in focus the whole time. It was the only camera I found which could do this. However the low lighting quality and picture quality was reported to be no better than my Fuji (above average low level light'g quality) which was about half the price. I don't remember the model number, but the camera is shorter height wise, and longer length wise than typical. I also give it very high points on Industrial Design, not the type of camera you would want dropped in the toilet at all.

I spent two five hour days of Internet surfing to make my selection, I buy to keep for a long time.

[J P Stein]

Idot here.
Sony Cyber-shot.
I've lost the owners manual but it still does anything I want.....cept give head. ......

[LeeH]

I've been very happy with my 14mp Olympus TG310. It's another "Tough" camera that's designed to take abuse. Capable of HD video, plus it's water resistant to 10 ft. Only real downside I've found is battery life is too short, but extras are cheap on Ebay.