Digital Cameras....which one is best?
- Thread starter Franko
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Franko,
What exactly do you intend to us it for? That could help with a suggestion.
Why 5 meg pixels? My new one is 4 and more than sufficient for most work including prints of 8x10.
There are a few camera buffs lurking around here including our beloved leader Mike.
PM in bound with some leads.
What exactly do you intend to us it for? That could help with a suggestion.
Why 5 meg pixels? My new one is 4 and more than sufficient for most work including prints of 8x10.
There are a few camera buffs lurking around here including our beloved leader Mike.
PM in bound with some leads.
D
dutchie
Guest
I have a Nikon coolpix that I'm really happy with. I bought it for the quality of the lens, and the simplicity of it. It takes great pictures, and I would recommend it to anyone.
I would look into cameras with good lens from camera manufacturers (like Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, etc), but not electronics manufacturers (like Samsung, etc). The theory being that Nikon et all are really good at making cameras, whereas the others are relatively new to the game. The exception being Sony, but only their cameras with Zeiss lenses, a very good lens.
Good luck.
I would look into cameras with good lens from camera manufacturers (like Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, etc), but not electronics manufacturers (like Samsung, etc). The theory being that Nikon et all are really good at making cameras, whereas the others are relatively new to the game. The exception being Sony, but only their cameras with Zeiss lenses, a very good lens.
Good luck.
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Canon powershot S410
I bought it on vacation in the US and it was 250 USD. I think in Canada they run something like $500 though.
Small, 3x zoom, 4mega pixel (more than enough)
Check anandtech.com in the digital camera section for reviews and whatnot.
I bought it on vacation in the US and it was 250 USD. I think in Canada they run something like $500 though.
Small, 3x zoom, 4mega pixel (more than enough)
Check anandtech.com in the digital camera section for reviews and whatnot.
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Danjanou said:
Oops...should have given some clarity....
Going to be taking some very detailed pics....of restored vehicles, works in progress.....including groups of people.
I want something that won't be concidered "obsolete" in 2 months. I know that is a relative term.
I was looking at buying a 3 meg Sony Cybershot...a little on the old side....then I looked at the quality of the pictures, geesh. Looked like it was made on sandpaper. The 4.1 is a bit better but not close to what I'd concider to be a 'normal' standard of picture quality....looking from a 35mm point of view.
I've talked to a few shutter bugs recently and they've been saying that a 5 meg would suffice for most photographers out there...and anything bigger would be a waste of my money.
I'm leaning toward the Cybershot series from Sony.....it's slim design and ergonomics are pretty much what I'd concider to be enough....especially when on ex or tours.
Although I'm open to any suggestions.
Regards
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Canon A80 Powershot under 450 Cdn. I especially like the swing out viewer.
4.0 megapixels (effective), 3x optical zoom/3.6x digital zoom, auto and manual focus, program and manual exposure, JPEG file format only, ISO range 50-400, 4 AA batteries, movie mode with sound.
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_a80-review/index.shtml
4.0 megapixels (effective), 3x optical zoom/3.6x digital zoom, auto and manual focus, program and manual exposure, JPEG file format only, ISO range 50-400, 4 AA batteries, movie mode with sound.
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_a80-review/index.shtml
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Franko, before you buy a camera, look it up on Steve's Digital Camera Reviews:
http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html
There are plenty of sample pictures on that website, for almost every camera out there, along with long reviews.
I'm personally partial to Canon Powershot cameras, as I've been using a G5 (big lense, great quality, not so portable), and an SD300 (VERY small, still great quality, and VERY portable)
http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html
There are plenty of sample pictures on that website, for almost every camera out there, along with long reviews.
I'm personally partial to Canon Powershot cameras, as I've been using a G5 (big lense, great quality, not so portable), and an SD300 (VERY small, still great quality, and VERY portable)
George Wallace
Army.ca Dinosaur
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Franko
I got a HP 945 5.3 Megapixel camera at Staples. I think you must of seen me using it. By now it should be down in the 500 CD range.
Where are you hiding these days? PM me, as I should be around Tuesday.
GW
I got a HP 945 5.3 Megapixel camera at Staples. I think you must of seen me using it. By now it should be down in the 500 CD range.
Where are you hiding these days? PM me, as I should be around Tuesday.
GW
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Franko take a look at Fuji (the links I sent you via PM)
An underated line IMHO that give a great bang for their buck, and I think Mike B will agree.
for what you want 4 meg pixel should be fine. I'd look at a bigger better zoom though and/or the ability to upgrade.
Which reminds me have to start the pleading whining campaign with the domestic niner for that new lens. :'(
An underated line IMHO that give a great bang for their buck, and I think Mike B will agree.
for what you want 4 meg pixel should be fine. I'd look at a bigger better zoom though and/or the ability to upgrade.
Which reminds me have to start the pleading whining campaign with the domestic niner for that new lens. :'(
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Franko - I'm assuming you're looking for a point & shoot sort of camera rather than a D-SLR? If so, you won't really need more than 4 m-pix for what types of photos you seem to be taking, you'll still be able to get the detail you're looking for... I find the 4-mpix about on par with a 400ASA film for 8x10 enlargements.
T
T
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Sony Cybershot T1, it is the size of a deck of cards and has an internal 3X zoom, so the zoom is still optical, but never actually leaves the cameras body. It is 5 mp, but the best part is the 2.5 inch screen that takes up almost the entire back of the camera. This in my opinion produces some really good pictures. The big problem with some digital photos is that we take them without setting them up correctly like in the old days of film. now you snap a shot and it looks good on the little postage stamp screen on the back, then you get home and your hand is actually coming out of your navel, and none of the detail you want is there, like your kid doesn't look like yours. But it looked OK in the little screen. So, the big screen gives you a half size of a normal photo, letting you see fantastic detail on the picture. This morning at Blacks, the Sony one step down from the T1, was on sale for 399. It has all the features of the T1, but is about 10% bigger, and doesn't have the internal zoom, but the 2.5 inch remains.
Bert
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The nice thing about the Sony Cybershots is the video encoding. Audio and video are encoded
in an MPEG 1.1 format by the camera that can easily be integrated in VCDs and DVDs with shareware
utilities found on the internet. I usually blast my videos to VCD.
I have a Sony Cyberhot P72 3.1 Mpix with 256 MB stick. I can take about 6 mins of video
at a resolution of 640X480.
in an MPEG 1.1 format by the camera that can easily be integrated in VCDs and DVDs with shareware
utilities found on the internet. I usually blast my videos to VCD.
I have a Sony Cyberhot P72 3.1 Mpix with 256 MB stick. I can take about 6 mins of video
at a resolution of 640X480.
Da_man
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I have a Kodak Easyshare DX7630 6.1 MP. Thats a 2856*2142 resolution.
Its go a Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon 3x optical zoom lens, 16 pre-programmed scene modes (Portrait, Sport, Landscape, Close-up, Night Portrait/Landscape, Snow, Beach, Text, Fireworks, Flower, Manner, Self Portrait, Party, Children, and Back light) for point-n-shoot simplicity
I paid over $600 for it, but i believe they are now about $400
Its go a Schneider-Kreuznach Variogon 3x optical zoom lens, 16 pre-programmed scene modes (Portrait, Sport, Landscape, Close-up, Night Portrait/Landscape, Snow, Beach, Text, Fireworks, Flower, Manner, Self Portrait, Party, Children, and Back light) for point-n-shoot simplicity
I paid over $600 for it, but i believe they are now about $400
Duke
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I have a Nikon coolpix as well. Great camera. 5MP. It only uses Nikon or aftermarket battery packs though. They can be expensive if you want to keep a spare set (or two) around. Battery life is generally good, though. You can buy an adapter to allow you to use standard AA batteries.
Watch out for interpolated digital cameras. These boost the megapixel count but are slow. Interpolated means that the actual CCD (Charge Coupled Device), the light sensitive element if you wish, is something less than the advertised value. In some extreme cases they don't even use CCDs, but use cheaper "Barbie-cam" CMOS sensors. They make the difference up by interpolating or 'joining the dots' between actual and interpolated points. Not really a problem except that the processing time to write your shot to the memory card can be long (>3 seconds), meaning you may have to wait for your next shot. Higher end cameras i.e. Nikon, Fuji etc do not use interpolation as much.
One caution on Kodak cameras, my first two were really hard on batteries. 15-20 shots and then a new set of 4 AA's! I'm not sure if this is still the case.
If you are going to print your own pics, get Adobe Photoshop 6 as a minimum and Lizardtech "Genuine Fractals" ( an interpolator) these will help fix any defects and allow you to blow up (with software interpolation) even lower resolution pictures to a decent size.
Try factorydirect.ca if you are interested in a refurbished unit.
Hope this helps,
Duke
Watch out for interpolated digital cameras. These boost the megapixel count but are slow. Interpolated means that the actual CCD (Charge Coupled Device), the light sensitive element if you wish, is something less than the advertised value. In some extreme cases they don't even use CCDs, but use cheaper "Barbie-cam" CMOS sensors. They make the difference up by interpolating or 'joining the dots' between actual and interpolated points. Not really a problem except that the processing time to write your shot to the memory card can be long (>3 seconds), meaning you may have to wait for your next shot. Higher end cameras i.e. Nikon, Fuji etc do not use interpolation as much.
One caution on Kodak cameras, my first two were really hard on batteries. 15-20 shots and then a new set of 4 AA's! I'm not sure if this is still the case.
If you are going to print your own pics, get Adobe Photoshop 6 as a minimum and Lizardtech "Genuine Fractals" ( an interpolator) these will help fix any defects and allow you to blow up (with software interpolation) even lower resolution pictures to a decent size.
Try factorydirect.ca if you are interested in a refurbished unit.
Hope this helps,
Duke
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One feature that you are going to want to look at, which I learned the hard way, is the quality of photos taken indoors. Some are much better than others (it's all about the CCD, I guess....). One's with flash-shoes are more expensive, but if you're looking for quality vice compactness, you may want to go that way.
I say that because, I assume that you will be using it in a hangar style of setting some times, and no matter how many magapixels the camera is, if the resulting photo is grainy and dark, it'll just be a big, crappy photo. Also, look at any video capabilities it may have, and if it's lame quality (320X480), don't bother with it, as a digital camcorder would be better for that purpose. It's hard to find a decent priced camera/camcorder combo (believe me, I tried). Anything that tries to be everything, usually isn't.
Get a decent tripod as well, preferably one with a detachable base-plate (so you can quickly release it from the tripod, without dicking around).
I have a Fuji FinePix6800Zoom, and while it's fairly nice, it does have a few shortcomings (the indoors shots are weak compared to others).
Oh yeah, get one with a Lithium Ion (or better) rechargeable battery, as they go through batteries like a MoFo. And get a second battery (I buy mine on eBay.... way cheaper than buying the OEM ones at big box stores). Make sure you get a memory card that is compatible with other devices that you may have (Palm, MP3, etc), as it makes life a lot easier (I have a SmartMedia card for my camera, but everything else I have is SecureDigital
). Memory cards are dirt cheap now, so shop around, and it wouldn't hurt to have 2 (or more).
And don't worry, it won't be obsolete in 2 months..... it's already obsolete as soon as it hits the store shelf. Gotta love trying to keep up with technology.
Al
I say that because, I assume that you will be using it in a hangar style of setting some times, and no matter how many magapixels the camera is, if the resulting photo is grainy and dark, it'll just be a big, crappy photo. Also, look at any video capabilities it may have, and if it's lame quality (320X480), don't bother with it, as a digital camcorder would be better for that purpose. It's hard to find a decent priced camera/camcorder combo (believe me, I tried). Anything that tries to be everything, usually isn't.
Get a decent tripod as well, preferably one with a detachable base-plate (so you can quickly release it from the tripod, without dicking around).
I have a Fuji FinePix6800Zoom, and while it's fairly nice, it does have a few shortcomings (the indoors shots are weak compared to others).
Oh yeah, get one with a Lithium Ion (or better) rechargeable battery, as they go through batteries like a MoFo. And get a second battery (I buy mine on eBay.... way cheaper than buying the OEM ones at big box stores). Make sure you get a memory card that is compatible with other devices that you may have (Palm, MP3, etc), as it makes life a lot easier (I have a SmartMedia card for my camera, but everything else I have is SecureDigital
). Memory cards are dirt cheap now, so shop around, and it wouldn't hurt to have 2 (or more).And don't worry, it won't be obsolete in 2 months..... it's already obsolete as soon as it hits the store shelf. Gotta love trying to keep up with technology.
Al
Duke
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Excellent point, Allan.
Graininess means insufficient light is hitting the CCD.
Make sure that whatever camera you get uses a standard hot shoe flash adapter, so you're not stuck with buying an expensive OEM flash!
The standard flash on most cameras is only good for illuminating a few square meters of space.
To Da_Man, if you mean Lithium Ion (LIon), that's great news. Too bad they didn't have that feature when I bought my first Kodak in 1999.
Duke
Graininess means insufficient light is hitting the CCD.
Make sure that whatever camera you get uses a standard hot shoe flash adapter, so you're not stuck with buying an expensive OEM flash!
The standard flash on most cameras is only good for illuminating a few square meters of space.
To Da_Man, if you mean Lithium Ion (LIon), that's great news. Too bad they didn't have that feature when I bought my first Kodak in 1999.
Duke
George Wallace
Army.ca Dinosaur
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Next Thing you will want:
A good Photo Editing program to correct some of the photos you take; change the size, crop, edit for the Web, change format, etc.
Go upstairs and see Mike in the Archives about PhotoShop and see what he can do with it. Drop by Base Photo and see some of our "Remusters" who are hiding there now and get some advice and ideas from them.
GW
A good Photo Editing program to correct some of the photos you take; change the size, crop, edit for the Web, change format, etc.
Go upstairs and see Mike in the Archives about PhotoShop and see what he can do with it. Drop by Base Photo and see some of our "Remusters" who are hiding there now and get some advice and ideas from them.
GW
