Looking for a good Digital camera

SouthernNights

Past South Carolina Chapter Leader
I would like some advice from those of you that are into photography.

I am looking for a good all purpose camera. Doesnt have to be a cadilac. Something that can take landscape shots and close up "room" shots. What specs are important to look for?

I have also heard and seen 35mm digital cameras. They seem kind of costly but I really dont understand how it could be 35mm and digital or is that just describing a style of camera?

One of the most important thing is a camera that will take replicate true color. Is this done with lighting attachments or the camera or a combination of both?
 

davebennington

Senior Member
Larry,

I use a Sony "steady shot" it is the camera that has been used at all the rallies we attend. I don't know if the newer version is as good but they do "recover" and have faster shudder speed than mine. If I needed a new digital camera there are a lot of good ones out there but I would purchase the Sony again.

Dave
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Hi Larry,

I use a Nikon D90 but it's a large DSLR, so I don't take it everywhere with me. I do carry a small Sony pocket cam in my briefcase and that one also fits my cargo shorts pocket. I usually have that when camping. I break out the Nikon when I am at a location where I want super awesome pics. I also have an SB 600 flash for the Nikon that is very nice (but $$$).

I want to replace the Sony as it's very old and the flash is no longer very effective (they don't last forever). I read a review on Gizmodo on their recent top picks for smaller format digital cams and I'm leaning toward their overall best pick - the Canon S95 ~$400.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
You're asking some big questions that don't have little answers unless you're going to visit a Best Buy and take the sales rep's recommendation.

You need to decide a couple of things about the camera you want:

Size/form factor: tiny, compact, full size...
Built-in flash?
Type/size of viewscreen and how it works - i.e. is the viewscreen used to frame the shot?
How does the viewscreen or viewfinder work in low light (i.e. the flash may light the scene when you take the picture, but will you be able to see the subject to properly frame the shot?
What type of storage do you want? Presumably external vs internal. But do you care what type of storage card is used?
What type of batteries and battery life? Standard batteries are convenient if you're bad at keeping rechargeables recharged. In any case, a removable battery is my choice. That way, the camera will outlive the battery.
Do you want to also be able to shoot video?

There are many things that I haven't mentioned. If you want to look for yourself, try the buying guide at:

http://dpreview.com/

You can select the features you want (ignoring those you don't understand) to narrow the choices. The site has very detailed reviews including pros/cons and sample photos.
 

2010augusta

Well-known member
The 35mm digital cameras, refers to the sensor size. Since the sensor is 35mm, the camera focuses at the same distance as a 35mm film, so if you already have a bunch of lens and filters they are interchangeable.

We recently upgraded to a Fujifilm HS10 super-zoom camera. I can take very wide angle to near telephoto shots all with only one lens.

These super-zooms or bridge camera are not nearly as expensive or as large as a DSLR, but have more bells and whistle and large zoom range than the pocket cameras.
 

Moose

Well-known member
I use Nikon D80 DSLR and Canon Ti DSLR when I want to take really good pictures and want to pack around different lenses, etc.

For a pocket camera I use Canon A1100IS. It is a 12.1 Megapixel camera. There are 2 things I MUST have in a pocket camera.

First, they MUST have an optical "viewfinder" in addition to the LCD screen. This is for sunny days where it is hard to view the LCD screen and for poor eyesight when you don't have your reading glasses, etc. Also you can hold the camera much more steady when it is held against your eye than with your arms extended out while you look at the LCD screen.

Second, they MUST use conventional AA batteries as opposed to the "proprietary" batteries. Why? Because it is easier to pick up batteries when you need them. (Funny how the only time your batteries run out is when you are using the camera, eh?) I use rechargable AA batteries and always have sets on charge in my home, RV and truck.

I used to use Fuji but once I had my first Canon I haven't changed brands of pocket cameras. I like Canon. For DSLRs its like trucks. Whatever you like and works for you.
 
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TXBobcat

Fulltime
I have a Nikon D80 and a Cannon Powershot A550.

A lot depends on how much you want to spend, how much you know about using all the settings on a camera.

If you want to take some nice shots but are not intrested in setting shutter speed and F stop you should look mainly at the smaller automatic cameras. My A550 cost in 2007 about $200 with a 1gig SD Memory Card. The Nikon Coolpix is also a good camera. As Jim B said these you can carry in your pant pocket.

Digital Single Lens Reflex Camera's like the Nikon or Cannon EOS Rebel are great cameras, but if they are large, bulky, heavy and you should take more time to setup the camera to take photos that you can do almost anything with. I have been learning how to manually set my D80 to deepen the color, stop motion, adjust the focal length and such.

My biggest problem back in 2007 was the FujiFilm S7000 was a good DSLR but it would not stop motion, so I went to my favorite camera store that I have used for many years and we came up with the Nikon D80 with a 18-200 VR Zoom lens. This camera and lens should run you about $2000.

What got me to go with the Cannon A550 was when we went into Mammoth Cave and my Nikon was almost bouncing off the rocks as we were going down the steep stairs.

I would strongly suggest you find a good camera shop in your area and visit them and ask a lot of questions. As they suggest cameras go to the link for Digital Photography Review and read the info about the suggestions. Sorta like buying your Bighorn, read a lot about the cameras before you buy one.

FWIW
BC
 

jpajax

Well-known member
I have a Fujifilm Finepix S1800 it is not real expensive and it takes real good photos and hd movies. Go on line and Google it I think you will like what others say.
 

szewczyk_john

Well-known member
I'm partial to the Canon digital SLRs. You can buy interchangeable lenses for different situations. The little pocket cameras take good shots but I found nothing beats the full SLRs for the scenic outdoorsy pictures that I like to take. The disadvantage is that the SLRs are heavier. The Canon line has a cheaper Rebel all the way to professional models. Some allow you to set the aperture and Fstops while others allow you to just point and shot.
 

SouthernNights

Past South Carolina Chapter Leader
Thanks everyone. I have skimmed through the replies and need to reread them again. I have been on some sites trying to do some research but really dont understand what I am reading.
I wish we did have a camera shop in town. But we dont even have a good Wal-mart. (Even if we did have a good Walmart,, I probably wouldnt go to anyway.)

being able to put a camera in my pocket is not important. Action shots are not important either. What is impotant is true color definition. As I understand it, a bridge camera is a compromise between two different types. That might be where I am heading.
 

Nabo

Southeast Region Director-Retired
Larry - I've been using a Nikon Coolpix for a number of years but got for Christmas a Canon Rebel T1i with 2 sets of lens, one wide angle and one zoom up to 250mm. It's been a long time since I have used a 35mm type camera (Canon AE) but this is real e-z to use on auto settings. I'm working on trying to remember the f-stop setting just in case I want to do that kind of stuff but I really like the auto focus settings on this new one. Nathan got it from Good Sams a lot cheaper than Best Buy. He's now using the Nikon for his work.
 

SouthernNights

Past South Carolina Chapter Leader
Byrd,

I think the auotmatic capability is important for someone like me. Then I can start learning about all the settings slowly.
I love technology-I just dont understand it all.
 

Peteandsharon

Well-known member
I think you've gotten a lot of good answers so far. I've used a Canon Rebel for a few years now. A lot of the cameras these days will take good true color images. What you will find is that the more exotic you get as you move up from the point and shoot cameras to the digital SLRs is that you have more control over those images. That can be good or bad depending on your talents. Most people with digital SLRs end up trying to manipulate the settings (ISO, shutter speed, F-stop, picture style etc.) with mixed results. There is a difference in price as you move up but what really gets costly are the lenses. Having the ability to switch out lenses is a huge plus but the single costliest part of photography. Having said that, the lenses are also the most important part of good pictures once you have learned the basics of the camera.

I would think first about what my price range would be. I would also think about what types of pictures you plan to take. Do you require a rugged knock-about camera that might get thrown in a purse or are you the type of person that doesn't mind carrying around a camera bag with some pretty fragile/expensive glass inside? And finally do you see yourself being the type of person who will take those images into a Photoshop application and doctoring them. Then maybe having the ability to take raw images will become valuable and point you to an SLR.

Once you firmly understand where you want to go, get some good help to find what you need. Again speaking of the SLRs you can pay anywhere from $600 to over $6000 for a good camera body. A lot of variability.

But don't get discouraged by that. You'll probably end up in a good middle of the road camera and if you really enjoy it, you'll end up upgrading at some point anyway and you'll get a lot of enjoyment out of it.

Hope this helps,

Pete
 

Nabo

Southeast Region Director-Retired
Know that feeling about technology - sometimes too much for an aging soul.
 

SouthernNights

Past South Carolina Chapter Leader
My budget is no more than $2,000.00. I would hope that would get me into something fairly nice.
And Pete or Sharon-and Bob you guys have a good point about how rugged the camera needs to be. I would think the camera should be able to handle a little hiking and some dust.
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
Yikes Larry - for 2Gs, you can get an awesome Nikon or Canon DSLR. I'd consider the Nikon I have (D90) but instead of getting the outfit, get the body only, then get the Nikkor lens that Bob Curry has (18-200mm) - it's an awesome all-around lens. Wish I had one, but alas, my outfit came with an 18-55 and a 55-200. I hate lugging 2 lenses and changing them in the field (dust/weight/bulk).

Now that we know your budget, it sucked the wind out of my planned story. But I'm gonna share anyway for those looking for a nice pocket/purse camera.

I was at Costco today and strolled by the cameras. Though my mind was set on the Canon S95 (~$400), they didn't have it so I looked at the lower priced cams. $300, $200 and I was about to skip the rest when this Samsung PL200 caught my eye. The features were awesome for $100!!! If this camera performs well with the features it has - I'm gonna be pretty happy :)

Jim
 

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dewwood

Well-known member
Like others have said, there are a lot of choices out there. I have found the most information on many different camera's (and RV's) on ebay. They have a huge assortment and there is lots of material. It gives you a good idea of what is available and how much you should expect to pay. I bought my Canon EOS 40D from an ebay seller. I did not buy directly from ebay but knew what I wanted and they put a package together for me.

Good luck!
 

SouthernNights

Past South Carolina Chapter Leader
Just cause the budget is 2k doesnt mean I have to spend that. And that is excatley why I asked here on this forum.
Not knowing that much about cameras, I didnt want some sales person pitching me something I really didnt need and spending money I really didnt have too.

If I can get by with 500, that would be great. But I have NO experience with nice cameras so without research and talking with people who do know, I have no idea what to expect $$ wise.

BTW Dan, great site that you posted. I am trying to digest some of the information.
 

Nabo

Southeast Region Director-Retired
OK - budget wise, the Canon Rebel camera I listed above was about $950, the package included the body, 2 lens (wide angle 35-55 & zoom 55-250), 2 year warranty and a case (not that I will use it but to store the extra lense). Right now I've been using the zoom only. I have a couple of extra lens from the old Canon but not sure if they will work with this new
 

TXBobcat

Fulltime
If I can get by with 500, that would be great. But I have NO experience with nice cameras so without research and talking with people who do know, I have no idea what to expect $$ wise.

I would highly suggest that you find a camera similar to the Cannon A550. It takes very good photos, is easy to point & shoot, and does not cost an arm and a leg.

Later when you have more experience go to something like the Nikon, or Cannon DSLR's. If you purchase an expensive complex DSLR you might find that you wish you had selected a good quality pocket camera.

Again try to find a good camera shop. Take some time and talk to them. Garland Camera in Garland TX is my home for purchasing photographic equipment. Also I have a friend that is so deep into photography that he climbs moutains and takes 3 days to get the light right using a bellows film camera. He is the one encouraging me to use the manual mode as often as I can.

Again FWIW.
BC
 
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