Ok, so I got one for Xmas but I have to pick it out. I’ve researched a bit online but it’s rather overwhelming as this is my 1st camera purchase of any kind. Honestly, I just don’t have the energy to sift through all of the stuff that’s out there and I’m hoping to streamline the process by getting some info from you guys. I’m looking for something under $350, preferably.
Specific camera suggestions or just things to look for would be helpful. What features are the really important ones and which ones are unneccesary for the novice? Hidden cost info would also be nice.
hi jaylew, I don’t know a lot about this but S/O has done a fair bit of research and if you are going to use it for sporting photos his advice is that “shutter speed” is important and that Sony are the best in this area. Also if you want some info you can look at http://www.imaging-resource.com/ which has a lot of info.
I recently got a new digi cam as a present for helping a friend train for kona last year. My old Canon S10 (5 yrs old and still kicken) needed some replacing. Tops on list were:
-fast start up, no waiting for 5 seconds from turn on to ready to go
-fast fast shutter with a good multiframe mode (multiple shots in a row)
-image quality, 4mp or better
-battery life
-good zoom, I was hoping to better the average 4x zoom
-a powerful flash, it sucks taking pics at night with a crappy flash and a lot of the smaller digi cams have pretty crappy flashes
-fairly small but this wasn’t a major priority as I was planning on getting a super tini digi cam later (and did) for riding and other outdoor stuff
What I got after quite a bit of research was a Fuji 550. I never really liked the Fuji’s before and still don’t like much of thier line but the 550 is really nice. To start off with it starts up almost instantly and is ready to go fast. It has a sleep mode which it wakes up from even faster. You can control everything, actually too much for me which gives you access especially to super fast shutter speeds something that many digi cams lack. It’ll go 4 frames per second in high resolution (6mp) burst mode and even more in 2mp mode. 4x Zoom baby with the option of a add on lens for 8x. Flash is actually a little too powerful sometimes but rules at night or with longer range shots. Batteries, AA rechargebles which seem to last forever and are cheap, plus you can use alkalines if you need too. Pretty light too, all plastic body which I wasn’t fond of but a nice padded bag takes care of that. OTher perks include simple control layout, BRIGHT LCD, fast and smooth (some cams are sooo jerky) zoom. PRICE, got it for $349 locally, damn that’s a steal for this camera. It’s listed as a 12 mega pixel but it’s really a 6 MP with interpolation to get to 12. I’m not too fond of this feature but haven’t found it to be a problem. The only problems I’ve found are: the pop up flash sometimes gets stuck, lens cover failed to retract properly once, macro shots aren’t that great. If you doo look into this camera make sure you get the 550 as they make a 530 and 540 which look the same but use an older CCD and give up most of the cool stuff I mentioned. Just got a cool little Sony DSC-U50 for riding. Took it with me today on a ride to Hawi:)
I got the wifey a new one for Xmas: Pentax optio 43WR. Small, like a deck of cards only square. Nice lens/zoom. Rugged and water resistant (important because we do a lot of hiking, canyoneering etc together). Very impressive little camera for <$350. I did a fair bit of research and liked this one the best.
I have been researching cameras as well and the Fuji 550 is at the top of my list. It has the quick turn on speed as mentioned above and also has a setting for mutliple shots in quick succession. Hopefully this means that my wife will no longer get a nice picture of just my back wheel. www.cnet.com has some reviews of different cameras as well as links on places to buy them. I found the camera, software, and a bunch of free developing for $350 and then I will also get a $40 gift card in a few weeks all at a local photo shop. Good luck shopping.
did a ton of research on this one about 4 months ago before our baby was born. i consulted a lot of online sources as well as consumer reports, friends, etc and one name kept popping up so i bought it - the canon powershot a75. it’s 3.2 megapixels (plenty big for printing out 4X6 and 5X7s), digital zoom, big and crystal clear display screen, able to take video for 2 minutes, easy to use, etc.
i’ve been real happy with it. the best part has been putting together movies from the stills with iphoto and imovie (it’s nice to have a mac too!) feel free to ask any specific questions if you have any.
oh yeah, it was $249 with a 128mb memory card upgrade included.
I bought my wife a Nikon Coolpix 2500 two years ago, and that was a pretty good camera at the time. We liked it so much that we recommended it to several friends, most of whom bought one. Nobody has had trouble with the camera. The only complaints that we had with the Coolpix was that it was not great for poor lighting or fast motion because the focus speed was only good, not fast.
I just my wife a new Canon G6, which is incredible, but out of your specified price range. It is instant on, has tons of features, shoots instantly, and is 7.1 megapixels. Best of all, it can capture action shots pretty well.
As someone else mentioned, megapixel count is the #1 thing that most people consider, because it tells you to maximum possible resolution, hence picture quality, that the camera is capable of. But you should look at the overall camera, not just maximum megapixels.
I have long used PC Magazine’s review to help me find computer-related items to buy, and have been largely happy with the results. Check out http://www.pcmag.com/ and look at digital cameras in your price range. It should help you narrow it down quite a bit.
We’re not doing much to narrow the choices for you, but here’s another data point to increase the variance.
I bought my SO a Canon Powershot A95 for Christmas. So far it has lived up to all expectations and then some. Shutter lag is very important to me, and this camera is much quicker than the Olympus I had at work. Equally important is image quality. Reviews at Steve’s Digicams and Digital Camera Review gave the Canon high marks in that regard. I also wanted it to have a solid automatic mode for my spouse with the option of shutter or aperture priority for me to play with (I have been a professional photog in the past but don’t shoot much these days). I have not experimented with the manual controls as yet. Since I have no intention of rendering images larger than 8-1/2 x 11 inches, the 5 MP resolution is more than adequate. Indeed, for most purposes, 1600 x 1200 pixels is fine.
I paid $280 for the camera and another $70 for a 128MB compact flash card and NiMh batteries and charger.
I have a Nikon Coolpix 3200 I got 2 years ago for about $350. They are currently selling for $199. If you spent $300 now you’ll be getting the $600 camera I was lusting after but couldn’t afford. I think all the cameras in the $300 range are “good.” Each has some minor strengths and weaknesses but if you don’t already know what specific strengths and weaknesses matter to you, you won’t notice.
As for “hidden costs” you’ll need to buy a storage card since the one that come with the camera will only hold about 10 pictures. Cards range in price from $25 to over $200 but a $50 one will hold about 75 picutes and they are reusable. Most cameras do not come with a case so add on another $15.00.
I’m going thru this myself since I’ve been a SLR/medium format film user for years. More or less decided on the Nikon D70 because I can use most of my Nikon SLR lenses with it, but it’s a about a grand.
Here’s a good site that might help out. Covers and compares a lot of the current offerings:
We own a Nikon coolpix. It is alright, but not great. I wanted to by my dad a camera for Christmas and did quite a bit of research on ease of use, clear picture, etc. I ended up buying the Canon powershots A95. I paid under $300, plus got a free 128 MB memory card with it. It was great! My dad, who is completely computer illiterate, picked it up right away and used it. The features are really easy to use. The picture quality was great. The only complaint, a pretty common one, is that is uses AAA batteries, so yo have to change them more frequently than the NiCd rechargeables.
I second the votes for www.dpreview.com in general and The Canon PowerShot A XX series in particular. I own an A80 and have been very happy with it. It seems that Canon have been at this for a long time, and they do a nice job of matching their processors w/ their lenses and other hardware. Only drawback is the relative lack of an optical zoom (3-fold), but on the dpreview site there is a series of reviews of larger-zoom digis (although they are more expensive).
Not sure where you plan to purchase, but I, and a few other folks I know who bought cameras this season, found Dell offering 15% off digital cameras, plus additional stacking coupons(you can find eligible codes by doing a google search).
Also, I do know a few people who bought the Canon A95 and their initial impression is that it is a good camera(this seems to be the choice of camera that the photgraphy buffs I know are buying their non-photography buff relatives, although I do not know if this is simply coincidence or a strong endorsement of the camera.)
Another vote for Fuji. I have an older model (4700) yet many people have commented on the picture quality and even questioned that it was a digital photo.
“It is never too late to fix your childhood!” Tom Robbins
I just gave my wife the Nikon CoolPix 4200. Right at your price. Have only used it for 2 days and love it so far. Software seems easy for someone of my low level, which is very important!
Goto www.stevesdigicams.com and click on “Best Buys”. The guy does seriously in-depth reviews on all the stuff he looks at. He generally gives good marks to Canon.
I have had three Canons (one SLR - an AE1 Program - and two digital - an A series and just bought the S500 Elph). I have loved them all and never been disappointed in image quality.
The three biggest questions you gotta answer:
What size camera do you want? My wife was always complaining our old camera was too big, so I just got her the Elph for Christmas. The thing is so small I can stick it in my jeans pocket.
How much zoom do you want? Most pocket-sized cameras only have 3x optical. If you plan on needing more zoom, you’ll need to get a bigger camera. A friend has an Olympus with a 10x optical lens that truly rocks for outdoor pics - you can zoom right up on people/things from way far away. I wouldn’t put much trust in the digital zoom as it takes away from picture quality.
How many megapixels? I’d get at least 3+. You need that much to print decent 8 x 10s.
Here’s another vote for the Cannon. My husband-to-be and I researched in August, because we needed a camera to take to our wedding on top of Ben Lomond in Scotland. After much deliberation, we decided on either a Nikon or a Cannon. We went to our LCS (Local Camera Shop) and found the Nikon took an annoyingly long time to focus. So we ended up with a Cannon Powershot A80, and a 265MB card. We have an 11x14 that we took on our trip that is amazing in its clarity and detail. We love it. And the flip out LCD is awesome if you want to take pictures of yourself and actually see the shot.
You’ve got to check out the new Panasonic DMC FZ cameras. If you buy on line the FZ3 is right in your price range. These are real cameras, not pocket, point and shoot cameras. They have a real veiw finder like a 35mm and the screen on the back. Fully automatic or adjustable. I got the FZ15 for Christmas but I’ve been using it for about three weeks. It’s awesome and a huge improvement over the Sony I got my wife a few years ago.