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View Full Version : Thinking of new camera



MOP
12-15-2004, 08:37 AM
Looking at digitals attempting to come out of the dark ages, just how many pixels do you need for decent photos? Some say anything above 3.5 is enough, a buddy just got a 5 up from a 3 says he does not see any real difference but camera has a ton of nice features. Any recommendations want to stay around $400. Would consider a decent used one.

Phil

Tim Morris
12-15-2004, 09:32 AM
Phil, I am in the large format imaging business -photo, as well as ink jet etc.. There is a difference in the megs you buy, the higher the megs the more detail you get which is evident when you enlarge. I have a 5 meg that I can print to 30" in a pinch, 24" and smaller is ideal. If you don't need to enlarge up for detail 3.5 is fine. Should be able to get 5 megs for $400,
I bought 2 of them online (stateside) about a year ago under $400 ea. :canada:

Lenny
12-15-2004, 09:45 AM
MOP, I bought the Canon S1 IS and the thing is unreal. Movies etc. Stabilizer and 10 times OPTICAL ZOOM. It took about 400 shots in Key West and I don't have one that did not turn out like a photographer clicked it. :yes:

Very happy and probably about $400 there.

The digital "toasting" software is waaayyy to advanced for me to ever even get close to using in full capacity. But if you have time to sit down and read it all I think the sky is the limit.

Ranman
12-15-2004, 10:23 AM
For the averagenon-pro, I think Canon makes a kickass product. I have the Digital ELPH S400 and love it. If you want to research them check out

http://www.imaging-resource.com/

Tim Morris
12-15-2004, 10:38 AM
Here's another...

http://www.viewz.com/shoppingguide/digicam9.shtml

Lenny
12-15-2004, 10:48 AM
MOP, here is what I bought from Tim Morris' link...

http://www.nextag.com/Canon_S1ISKIT~61150681z5znz500001zz1z500001zdigita l_camera_reviewszmainz2-htm

MOP
12-15-2004, 11:16 AM
Boy you guys don't no how much I appreciate you helping out the digital dummy, I am leaning toward one that looks like the Lenny posted which looks like a good candidate. I have tired eyes from Ebay, will talk them over with Bonnie as it will be our shared family shooter. My old K1000 will still be my work camera. Again thanks!

Phil

RedDog
12-15-2004, 11:19 AM
Over 3 million pixels would be good. I have a FujiFilm FinePix S5000 that I like a lot and and is in your price range - http://www50.shopping.com/xPF-Fuji_FinePix_S5100.

Important - don't pay attention to advertised digital zoom. With the digital zoom you lose too much resolution. Look for optical zoom in the 10X range.

This is what I want to upgrade to. I doubt that Santa will think I've been that good - http://www50.shopping.com/xPF-EOS_20D_with_18_55mm_Lens

Maybe the prices will come down some in the new year...

Rootsy
12-15-2004, 02:48 PM
I have a canon S50... 5 megapixel... more than i NEED>. i never use the RAW format.. 1200 x 1600 and then resize with photoshop if desired.. has all of the bells and whistles right down to full manual control. it WAS 400 bucks when i grabbed it last winter but is now discontinued... you may be able to find one on clearance somewhere stilll... has a steel and aluminum chassis so it is pretty tough... battery life could be better if there is one gripe.. but optics are superb... i never bother to use the digital zoom and it only has 3X optical.. ok 2 gripes... it takes standard flash memory cards... a 256 meg card is hard for me to fill up on a week long vacation unless i am taking a lot of video...

Tim Morris
12-15-2004, 03:31 PM
Discontinued? I know about that! The cameras I mentioned earlier are Nikon 4300 CoolPix...also discontinued.

A fellow in my office has used mine and wants one that's why I know. Research on his part has landed him the following info:
Nikon 5200
3X Optical Zoom
metal body
with software
$439 :canada: / $307 USD

$93 left for Bonnie under the tree

MOP
12-16-2004, 12:06 AM
Phil,
check your email. Nikon 5400 399.00 after rebate. Stronger zoom etc.

This is turning out to be tougher than I thought, I spent a few hours ruining my already tried bulbs :kyle: reading reviews on "Imaging Resource thanks Randy" and a couple of others. I like different things about a few of them, what I would like but don't want to spring for would be one with Lenny's cameras features and 5+MP that would be killer. I am not sure I need 5MP but Bonnie does and a few local buds say thats what I should be looking at. Have to contemplate my navel a bit longer on this one! :boggled:

Phil

Tim Morris
12-16-2004, 07:10 AM
Contemplate you navel a bit longer? Huh? You gotta get off the couch, we've done all the shoppin' for ya. MadPoddle came in right on target at $399 - a regular Santa he is.
It's obvious to me now - camera under the tree for Bonnie,
Phil gets $1 for kerosene in the shed.

MOP
12-16-2004, 08:07 AM
Contemplate you navel a bit longer? Huh? You gotta get off the couch, we've done all the shoppin' for ya. MadPoddle came in right on target at $399 - a regular Santa he is.
It's obvious to me now - camera under the tree for Bonnie,
Phil gets $1 for kerosene in the shed.

Well here is where "we" are at now(term used a little loosely!, its a split extra gift! Bon would like one of the tiny aluminum with a printer dock 3XZ OK in her book. I like the larger SLR types with more lens zoom, I read the reviews on all of the cameras suggested. That made things worse, they all had very good points not a bad one in the bunch. Must say Red Dogs upgrade(WISH) camera gave me a heart attack $$. The 10X zoom and image stabilization Lenny's has me thinking, I might have to raise the bar to go with optical rather than pixel stretch. I am going to do a little more reading in the 4-5MP ratings, am wondering if I can get Bon's type with the features I want. Still need to settle on whether or not I need real long zoom and 5MP, I have done OK with my K1000 for many years but have wished it had better zoom quite a few times. Clarity is important, but how many pixels for the average guy like me. More tired bulbs today, hopefully I will get it all together and warm up my credit card. A little less to do today put 5 motors to bed and woke up two yesterday getting ready for winter plus 3 hours Xmas shopping have a little less to do today so may get this done. As far as the shed still thinking of ideas!

Phil

pmreed
12-16-2004, 11:35 AM
Phil, Take a look at the Olympus C-770 Ultra Zoom. 4MP and a street price around $350.
Olympus C-770 (http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_product_lobbypage.asp?l=1&p=16&bc=2&product=960) Both the Canon and the Nikon mentioned above sound kick-ass, but you seem to still be looking for info...gathering evidence??
Anyway, I've got the old 2.1 MP version of the Olympus and the 10X optical zoom is fantastic. I used it to take pictures at the APBA races, back when they were fun, and being able to reach out with the optical zoom was important. I don't do anything bigger than 5x7, so my old camera resolution still suffices. If I upgrade, it'll be to a digital SLR like the Nikon D70 or the Canon 20D so I can use it in another hobby of mine, astronomy. Good luck in your search. By the way, don't let the guys bust your butt...pull the trigger when you're ready!!

Phil ( the other one :cool: )

Formula Jr
12-16-2004, 10:16 PM
I found this site to be useful.

http://www.steves-digicams.com/best_cameras.html

My 3 meg does pretty much what I want it to do for 120 dollars. Most home photo quality printers will only print up to 8X11 anyway.
digital zoom is a joke. Thats not really a feature.

Also, don't get tricked by special batteries, memory or special interface wiring. These things will later bite you in the butt.

While looking for a camera my FIRST list was:

1. Must use two AA Nickel Metal Hydrides which you can find at 2000 mah.

2. Must be able to recognise and use SD Multimedia memory cards up to the limit of memory (512meg) and take movies for as long as the memory will allow with sound. You don't need the more expensive memory locking kind.

3. Must use a standard off the shielf USB cable.

4. Must have an intuitive user interface. Some of the cameras I looked at had such odd menus and strange buttons that it made them almost useless.

Then you build from there.

Action photos I have found to be almost impossible to take with any of the five or so Digital cameras I've played with. They take too long to startup and range find and by then the action is usually over. Film still works best here unless you go up the scale to the 1000 dollar range. Now that I have a bed scanner, I'll sometimes just take the old ME Super Pentax.

mattyboy
12-17-2004, 06:18 AM
If the pic in Tim's avatar is the one I took at 1000 islands it was taken with a 50$ knock of camera, not the best but when it hit's Davy Jones locker I'm only out 50$ ;)

Tim Morris
12-17-2004, 07:08 AM
Now, now Matty,
Pic in the avatar was from my Nikon 4300 5mp.
Here we go - full circle.
MadPoddle chime in pls: 'here we go round in circles'

mattyboy
12-17-2004, 03:55 PM
sorry Tim looks just like this one I took same angle ;)
3.2 megapixels

gcarter
12-17-2004, 09:31 PM
I got this email today.....







The link is http://www.nikonusa.com/fileuploads/pdfs/5400rebate.pdf

DONZI
12-18-2004, 05:49 AM
After some research,this was the one for me.$500.00. Use the site for side by side comparisons. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Panasonic/panasonic_dmcfz20.asp?dontcount=1

MOP
12-18-2004, 11:48 AM
This has been a great post with good input across the board on what is for me a complicated issue. There are so many very good offerings out there. Even though I raised the bar to $500 I am torn between DONZI' Masonic and Lenny's cameras. The 10X lens magnification, image stabilization and a full minute of motion on Lenny's I think is winning out. I like to shoot pics of birds in our yard and shoot my grand kids up on stages doing their kid things so I want good zoom. I did take the time to go to a local digital studio as its called, the guy was nice enough to show just where the pixel issue goes for the film putz like me. For us point and click shooters 3 or better is is more than adequate, he related it to computers saying so many have so much more then they could possibly use because of media hype. Anyway 4MP for the enthusiast and 5+ for the pros. He stretched a 3.2 in stages after 8X11 it started going south, even a 2MP did very well for most anything I will shoot. He said things are evolving so rapidly that he feels within a couple of years 10MP's will be the low standard and spit cheap, easier to use and most all will be stabilized. I asked about printer docks, he said they are very expensive to use compared to printing several on your regular printer, average 50 cents a shot on a dock compared to four or more on 20 to 60 cents a sheet on your printer. He said to burn them to a CD that that is the cheapest, will need to learn how to use my burner better. I asked about Lenny's Canon S1 IS he thought for the buck it was a no brainer and thinks Canon has truer color saturation than most, need to ask about DONZI's Panasonic. After looking at a ton of comparisons I was surprised just how much some cameras screw up the color.

Nope still have not plunked the bucks down but soon!

Phil