Need Digital Camera Advice

[TuxedoPk]

I'm getting ready for my Tahiti/Bora Bora trip in August and realize that my old 4 megapixel, 3x optical zoom Kodak isn't going to cut it for taking great quality photos.

I'll be mostly shooting from ship to the Islands and will need both quality wide angle and zoom capability. Without good photography skills I need a camera that will allow me point and shoot capability.

Should I be looking at cameras like the Nikon Coolpix P3 or DSLR cameras, and if so, what type of lense will I need? Do I need image stabilization since the boat will sure to be rolling somewhat as I'm shooting?

[DonCig]

I like to do a lot of shooting of Photos off of boats, and I have found that a small pocket digital and a digital SLR can both fill the bill.
I use both and I would reccomend that you buy the small digital unit first and then the SLR second.
My favorite small pocket digital camera with no budget constraints is the following:
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=145&modelid=13019

If you are on a budget then the following is my favorite:
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=145&modelid=11157

And one of the best bangs for the dollar in digital SLR's for shooting outdoors is the following:
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=12929

And my favorite SLR:
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=11933

And the cardinal rule that I follow when shooting from a boat or any other moving object is to use a shutter speed of at least 1/500 of a second.

Don

[RedDog]

I have a CoolPix - an old one and it shots great pcs.

I now use a Canon Rebel XT Digatal SLR and with some post processing in PhotoShop the results are great. A lot of megabytes per shot though.

Your current camera will do the job. 3 M-Pixels is a fair amount.

If you must - buy a Rebel XT 8.3 MP or better (I don't like the lower end Nikon SLRs - flame time:eek!: ):

I think a XT can be had for 8 or 9 hundred
add a big zoom - the sky is the limit on that
add 1 Gig chip - get bigger if you don't have a laptop to download pics to

My kit is:
Rebel XT 8.3 MP
Sigma 18 - 125 mm f3.5-5.6
Canon 75 - 300 USM f5.6
Canon 50 f1.8 - so fast and cheap

[RedDog]

PS - I borrowed a Canon lens from DonCig once. A Canon 10-22mm????

It was an incedible lens. The retail $ on it was probably closes to my complete camera cost

[txtaz]

Nikon D-70...Best rated semi-pro Digital SLR still...Interchangable Nikor lenses and all kinds of programs.

Da Taz<<<Canon...smanon

[Sofa King]

Listen to me, Do not get a big ol Nikon SLR if u are an active person and wanna put it in your pocket and not look like a turist geek. My buddy lost his sun glasses two days ago and i jumped in and got em! However my Sony Dsc 200 7.2 meg was in my pocket and i'm sure I ruined it but i'm letting it dry out. Try to get a 7.2 that is water proof. Who makes one cause I gotta buy one.

Arip

[TuxedoPk]

After spending the night and early morning reading up, I'm leaning towards the $450 Sony DSC-H5 primarily because of its 12x Carl Zeis image stabilized optical zoom, 7.2 megapixels, and 3" viewfinder. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/sonyh5/

The 3x optical zoom on my 4 megapixel Kodak LS 443 has never captured the pictures I want and I end up erasing the bulk of what I shoot. (The shots from my nephew's graduation last month were so small as to be useless)

-Don, I do not have any budget constraints per se, but don't want to spend more than is necessary either, nor have a camera that is more complex to use than I'd really like. I really didn't want to spend more that $1000 and I believe that a DSLR camera with the decent optics and equivalent zoom would cost me 3-4x the price of the DSC-H5. Am I correct?

Redog- Found the Rebel XT for $319... seems way too low to be real http://www.royalcamera.com/canondrxt.html

[Carl C]

Tux, I'm now using a DSC-S85 (C.Z. lens, 4.1 mp) and at full resolution and a good photo printer my pics are better then film. My only complaint is the lag time between pushing the button and the pic registering and the camera shuts itself off after a few minutes. This means the cam is not good for aiming and snapping quickly (as in wildlife pics). Do the new SLRs address this problem?

[DonCig]

My favorite camera review site is the following:
http://www.dpreview.com/

You can get the Rebel XT body for $719 from Dell and you can pick up a decent lens for around $400.
http://www.dpreview.com/shop/merchants.asp?id=canon_eos350d

If you favor Nikons, then wait about 60 days and pick up a Nikon D70 at a decent price, Nikon is replacing this model with a new one in 20 days.

The point and shoot pocket cameras have come a long way and the quality of the finished photos can be exceptional, but there are still things that are a lot easier and faster to do with an SLR. Carl, the newer SLR's from Canon and Nikon have fast shutter response times, some of them as fast as film cameras. The pocket cameras all seem to have a little more of a delay in the shutter mechanism.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos30d/page11.asp

Don

[TuxedoPk]

"My favorite camera review site is the following: http://www.dpreview.com/"
- That's the site that pushed me towards the H5

Don, would you still recommend going with a DLSR if you knew the camera would most likely permanently remain in the AUTO mode and be used as a point and shoot? (I don't see myself getting into photography as a hobby any time soon and don't expect to be needing a DLSR for a few years at best if I decide to pursue astrophotography)

[DONZI]

Another nice camera. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Panasonic/panasonic_dmcfz30.asp
I have the FZ- 20 and happy with it after a couple yrs..
Pic. taken from standing on South Beach.

[RedDog]

Another nice camera. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Panasonic/panasonic_dmcfz30.asp
I have the FZ- 20 and happy with it after a couple yrs..
Pic. taken from standing on South Beach.

Cool picture - send me the full-res file and I'll tweak it some in PhotoShop and return

[DonCig]

"My favorite camera review site is the following: http://www.dpreview.com/"
- That's the site that pushed me towards the H5
Don, would you still recommend going with a DLSR if you knew the camera would most likely permanently remain in the AUTO mode and be used as a point and shoot? (I don't see myself getting into photography as a hobby any time soon and don't expect to be needing a DLSR for a few years at best if I decide to pursue astrophotography)

If you are going to only point and shoot, I would buy one of the better pocket cameras. If you shoot a lot of night flash photography, I would read the reviews and pick one that does a good job with flash, this is the area where some of the pocket cams are lacking.

Don

[TuxedoPk]

Picked up 6mb Sony Cybershot H2 at Walmart (only store with a 30 day money back return policy) and started reading a digital photography book.

OK, I'm hooked on going to an SLR (started to remember how much fun it was shooting film on my Minolta SLR 20 years ago) The clincher was on the wide angle side- the digicams can only get down to the 30mm range vs. the 12mm range.

After spending way to much time reading up on all the top rated DSLRs I've narrowed my search down to 2 cameras.

Canon EOS 30D and the Nikon D200 both selling within $400 of each other with the online sights giving the best of class to the Nikon.

Which is a better brand Canon or Nikon?
Which camera should I go with?

[DonCig]

It's like asking us which girlfriend to marry, if one is a blonde and one is a brunette, you will probably look back in 5 years time and realize you married the wrong one. And if you ask your friends which one you should marry, they are going to lie to you so that the good one is left for them.

Buy the one that floats your boat!

Don