Digital camera advice

[dottiedef]

Several times I have read very detailed discussions about digital cameras. I am looking for advice and can not find these discussions easily. I remember that a lot of people really liked Canon--which one? Why do you like it. If you could guide me to some of these discussions, it would really be appreciated. I know it was on the Princess boards because that is what I read most of the time. Thanks so much for your time.:) :) :)

[dchip]

this website has info on all makes of cameras and forums for each individual brand...Sony, Canon etc. http://www.dpreview.com/

 

I use a Sony H5 and love the telephoto zoom range. You can check out my photos below. Many more in my galleries.

 

Just make sure you get a camera that fits your needs. That is the most important thing you can do.

 

Cheers, Denise

[chrysalis]

very highly rated is the CanonS3is, with its 12X zoom and image stabilization.....as stated above, that website has some good reviews to take a look at.

[TommyC]

You might try the attached for camera revews - you can sort by brand, by use and see recommended cameras:

 

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

 

It's updated regularly and contains some pretty good info. If you;re going to use the camera at, near or in the water you can get underwater cases made for some of these more reasoanable priced cameras. Good Shopping!

[steve20832]

Also try www.cnet.com click on "digital cameras"

I have a Canon PowerShot IS 700. I got it 3 months ago but love it so far.

[JustaTrace]

I am a part time photographer and I use Olympus. Their cameras are excellent quality and also very user friendly.

 

I have a digital SLR which is the EVOLT E500. It is 8mp and has excellent quality and wonderful functions. But, this is not a camera I would bring on a cruise.

 

My digital point and shoot camera is 5mp and is also an Olympus. It's the C5000. Again, great quality in photos and very user friendly. You have to watch camera shake, but with all point and shoots it's pretty much the same. Not much of a zoom, but for a P&S, it's good enough. It is also very light and small enough that you can fit it in a purse and carry on with no problem.

 

As far as Canon. Their point and shoot is okay. The powershot, but I have heard mixed reviews on the ease of use and the quality. Sony makes good P&S cameras, but I have not ever used one.

 

If you go to www.Henrys.com they have a great section and also helpful hints.

 

Good luck!

[JustaTrace]

Sorry, big white board again!!!

[MaryPoppinz]

I bought a Canon Rebel XT when they first came out last year, and I was instantly a better photographer than I was before (which really wasn't very good!)

 

I have been really happy with it, but I would not consider it if I had been committed to a camera that would fit in my pocket. So, I think you need to first thoroughly consider whether you are willing to lug a larger camera and it's associated lenses around on a trip. It really does impact your travel.

 

I agree with the recommendation to read the reviews at dpreview. It helped me a lot.

 

The last thing I would suggest is going to a good local camera shop. I had narrowed my search down and then went shopping locally. They had taken the same shot with every camera they sold. I compared the photographs and it was clear which camera I wanted. The two I had narrowed it down to (it was a Nikon D??) were very close, but in the end, I chose the Rebel XT because I had a few lenses and a speedlight from my film rebel that I can use on the XT.

[JustaTrace]

and I was instantly a better photographer than I was before

 

This is funny...you must have been a good photographer because it is NOT the CAMERA that makes a photographer good, it is the person BEHIND the camera. :)

[MaryPoppinz]

Well....I think it is some of both. :) A great photographer can make up for poor equipment, and a poor photographer can be made a little better with good equipment. The latter is what happened to me. :)

 

If you want to see what a great photographer can do with good equipment, look at Denise's photos (earlier in the thread.) They are spectacular.

[Kruuzin]

this website has info on all makes of cameras and forums for each individual brand...Sony, Canon etc. http://www.dpreview.com/

 

 

Dchip-Wish that site was posted yesterday. It would have been very helpful. Had some very helpful info. We bought an A710 is from Canon. Well, at least I could read up on it so that I know what to expect. thanks.

[dileep]

There are several good cameras from Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Fuji and Sony.

 

Other than features and price, there is another factor to consider. Sony's memory stick and the xD cards used by Olympus and Fuji cost much more than the Compact Flash and SD cards that the other manufacturers use. We take lots of pictures - >2000 on a 14 day cruise! I have a large collection of memory cards, and the fact that I can buy a 1 GB SD card now for ~$10 is a big plus!

 

Also, some of these cameras take decent video clips! Look for that feature too. Of course that uses up card space.

[hughdm]

I didn't see it mentioned, so try www.dpreview.com for in-depth reviews of digital cameras. They aren't trying to sell directly, although they have links to those who do. This is where all my more sophisticated photographer friends go.

[JustaTrace]

Another reason I love Olympus...mine takes both Compact Flash AND XD cards! :)

[gomomgo]

Another thing you may want to consider if you plan on snorkeling or diving (or anything near the water) is if the camera has an underwater housing you can buy. I have a Canon S2 IS that I love with its 12x optical zoom and stabilization feature, but it has no underwater housing available. So I bought a small Fuji A500 (5 mp with 3x optical zoom) and the underwater housing for it. It will work for any water activities I have as well as without the housing, but I will miss the zoom. Got the whole package for under $200.

[turbo46032]

Just came back from the Crown armed with a Canon S2 IS. Not the easiest camera to use, but I pulled a few major miracles with it (try Club Fusion without flash, or some spectacular Puerto Rico rainforest pics, and so on).

 

Looking at the pictures, however, one quicly realizes how much they need to learn about photography to truly take good pics. I also lugged my old Olympus SLR and was able to pull a few miracles with it as well, but only because i know it so well.

 

Definitely look at something with a stabilizer, lots of zoom, and lots of megapixels. Sony, Canon, Olympus, and Panasonic have some very good pieces. I think Canon came up with a compact 10x zoom 7mp camera (maybe the 700 series) just now. About the only aspect of the S2 IS I did not like was the flash, which could be a bit more powerful (the Olympus flash was MUCH better)

[FredS]

http://www.steves-digicams.com/ and this one http://www.digitalcamerareview.com/

 

I like Steves the best as he has photos taken by the camera, the site can get quite technical on details but gives a good idea of the camera.

[Kruuzin]

I like Steves the best as he has photos taken by the camera, the site can get quite technical on details but gives a good idea of the camera.

 

 

Steves is the site I originally looked at. The "dpreview" site is much more thorough. If I had seen that yesterday, I don't think I would have gone for the A710 IS. Steve's reviews were good on it, but the other site was better.

[Travelbug 2]

I am just your average Joe when it comes to photo's. Olympus is my choice. I find it very easy to use, it produces excellent quality shots with minimum effort and it was not expensive to buy.

I bought it for a Med' cruise in 2004 and have been using it regularly ever since.

 

Olympus "Camedia" D575 zoom.

[ultimatemaniaccruiser]

I like the S3. It has image stabilization and 12 times optical zoom which is quite handy. Not a small camera though. It's quite inexpensive at around 3 to 4 hundred dollars.

[NavySis]

I have an hp digital camera and I like it. It is not the best one out there, but it works for me. Yes it is only 5mp, but it takes good pics and it is a good camera for my needs. The only problem that I have is that the batteries keep running out. Does anyone know any goos batteries for digital cameras that don't keep running out all the time?

 

 

 

NavySis

[Jerm]

http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/digital-cameras/

 

here is a good site with some good user reviews and all the specs of each camera.

 

I just purchased a cannon A640 10 megapixel camera for around $300.00. I will let every one know how I like it after our cruise this month.

[tawcat]

i own 2 pentax optio cameras. an optio 30 and an optio m-10. a 3.3 mp and 6.0 mp respectively. both take great pictures and both are very compact, the m-10 being the smallest. if i were to pick one "best" feature other than size, price, and picture quality, it would have to be the fact that each use "AA" batteries. i've owned olympus and liked them as well, however, nothing worse than being on tour snapping away and your rechargeables die!!!!

 

there are so many cameras to choose from, tiny to bulky, cheap to overly expensive, and i think it depends upon what you are using your camera for that should determine what camera you buy. just a tip here. when you have narrowed your choices down to a few, go to one of your local camera shops and look at and touch all of them. i always thought i wanted to own a canon until i held one. although it was compact and filled with features, its metal body sure made it heavy for such a small camera. just my 2 cents!!

[turbo46032]

I have an hp digital camera and I like it. It is not the best one out there, but it works for me. Yes it is only 5mp, but it takes good pics and it is a good camera for my needs. The only problem that I have is that the batteries keep running out. Does anyone know any goos batteries for digital cameras that don't keep running out all the time?

vySis

 

Sanyo 2300 mAh NiMh's at Fry's or Costco seem to work. I have two sets for my Canon S2 IS (AA's)

[Dani24]

Canons are very reliable cameras, and you really can't go wrong with one. I own two Canons. One is a Powershot G5 (it's now discontinued, but any of the cameras from that line are highly coveted). This is a great camera for someone who wants all the bells and whistles, and options to add different lenses or flashes or other things. But it is much cheaper than a full pro camera, like the Digital Rebel SLR. My only complaint is that the camera is a bit bulky. I've still used it for a few years now, and have had great results with the camera. Battery life is amazing (although, it doesn't give you much warning before the battery dies, so always carry a spare). I also love, love, love the screen on that camera, because it flips out from the camera body and can be rotated all kinds of directions, and can even be flipped in to face the body of the camera for storage (to prevent damage to the screen). The swivel screen allows me to take pictures from all kinds of angles, while still being able to fully see the screen, so I know what I'm getting a picture of -- a great plus for a shorty such as myself who can rarely see over crowds (who often block what I want to see/get a picture of). I just raise my camera in the air, tilt the screen towards my face, and snap away!

 

Because of the bulk of that camera, I recently got a Canon SD 700 IS. It's much smaller, and easier to stick in my purse or a pocket when I don't want to lug around my larger camera. So far, battery life has been excellent, image quality is great, the camera goes from off to ready to take pictures incredibly fast (takes literally a second). It has a nice large screen on the back. My only complaint is that it doesn't have many features that allow you to control things like aperature and shutter speed. But, it's essentially a point and shoot camera (that does have some additional features like macro mode and potrait mode, etc.) Great if you're looking for something uncomplicated to get the job done. I had also looked at the SD 630, and it was a toss-up between that and the 700. The 700 has Image Stablization (which I like) and a optical viewfinder (even though I almost always use the screen). The 630 has a larger screen, seemed a bit slimmer, and I prefered the way it looked (though the 700 is still a very attractive camera).

 

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the Canon SD series cameras. They're pretty affordable, and well made. You can also take video (with sound) with them, and I've had great results from both of my cameras. Also, check out the A series if you're looking for something a bit more affordable, but also of good quality. They'll be a bit bulkier. Look at the A540. Great price, and it has functions such as aperature and shutter priority modes, and is rated very well. Don't bother spending more money for a camera with more than 5 or 6 megapixels. Unless you're planning on printing massive prints, you won't need it. 4 megapixels is actually sufficient for most people's needs. I like 5 or 6 just so that way I can crop pictures at home, to correct problems with how I composed the shot, without losing any quality.

 

Keep in mind that you'll need to spend a bit more for a memory card. I'd go for 1GB at the very least. 2GB is better, so you can click away without worrying about running out of space. I can fit well over 1000 pictures on my 1GB card for my G5 (and that's taking pictures at very high resolution). My 2GB can obviously hold at least twice as much. I never run out of space. You'll also want to spend a few bucks to buy a backup battery. There's nothing worse that being in the middle of a vacation or event, and having your battery die. If you have a spare handy, you can swap them out instantly, and continue capturing your memory. And, don't forget a carrying case to help protect your camera when it's not in use.