In need of a new digi cam : what one do you suggest?

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  • I would say your first digicam will be the one you'll be learning what not to buy next time. :) Your first of will always be learning camera so it's wise not to spend too much on it. Concidering about one third to one half of what you spend on the equipment will go into batteries, media and accessories. Even worse if you buy a camera that uses regular batteries.

    Still this is a camcorder. The real problem is availibility of parts like batteries since most are made just for certain line of that model. You are going to need more than one battery. I barely got by with just 2 at the last Anime North masquerade.

    Don't bother with 8mm or non-digital formats. They're on the way out.

    Didn't have money for miniDVD camcorder. Considering that miniDVD are non -reuseable and only 30 minutes. I had fun changing tapes and batteries in the dark as it was.

    GOOD optic zoom. Forget digital zoom. Get a tripod unless you like holding your arm up for 2 hours and anti-shake only goes SO far.

    Always blank first 30 sec of the tape. I tried shooting right off the bat and video tracking screwed up on playback. LABEL YOUR TAPES AHEAD OF TIME! Tape 1, tape 2... and once you used up the tape, switch the write protect tab ON! Needless to say buy bulk unless it's a new brand you haven't tried. My Samsung SC-DC353 does NOT like Fuiji brand.

    Practice goes a LONG way. Most digital camcorder support flash memory. Get largest memory that _IS_ for your camcorder and play with the settings. Not only that, digital camcorders double as cameras.

    You want to compare camcorders this is excellent way. Buy small size memory card for camcorder you're looking at. Get a multi-flash card reader. (Make sure it's supports the memory you're getting.) Go to camera store and ask the clerk if you can use YOUR memory and take a few clips at the counter. take a few stills (pictures). Remember to remove your memory card. (turn off camcorder. take it home and play. Keep in mind that some camcorders have their own codecs even though they say MP4. Samsung does just so you know.

    Have fun. Be prepare to be disappointed. After all, what you think you want and what you actualy need will change as you break in the new camcorder.

  • [QUOTE=deleriumx]On one hand, the Nikon has a higher megapixel rating, but i've heard that isn't a good reason to buy a camera. Canon has an outstanding reputation, and one of my photographer friends has the 30D and takes wonderful pictures with it.[/QUOTE]

    I've seen stellar pictures with both the D200 and the 30D at galleries - more of a testament to the photographers really. Myself, I have had a chance to experiment with the control setup of the D200 and I love it.

    If you have friends who are shooting Canon or Nikon, it's convenient to shoot the same brand. I wish I could swap around gear with my friends, but they're shooting either Canon or Minolta.

    And megapixels should be among the least of your worries. So many things are more important with cameras at that level.

  • [QUOTE=SolarTempest]And megapixels should be among the least of your worries. So many things are more important with cameras at that level.[/QUOTE]
    :bigtu:

  • [QUOTE=Blue Eternity]I'm looking into getting a new Digi cam... and I was wondering what one everyone suggests are the best/most economical![/QUOTE]

    i'm sure you got your cam already... curious which one you picked

    ~*~*~*~

    IMHO... for other peeps... Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S500... Nikon Coolpix L2... Olympus FE-130... Samsung Digimax S500... Canon PowerShot A540... all are 'quasi' economical... and good starters... i've seen many novices end products from those cameras.

    [QUOTE=staereo]I will straight up say this. This WILL turn into a Canon vs. Nikon flame war if people let it go that way. They are both great pieces of equipment. [/QUOTE]

    soooo very true... someone once called this... a tastes great... less filling... argument... ::smirks:: at least not as bad as film vs digital LOL

    i used both cams... i like both... then again... i like mac and pc and xbox and ps2 ::shrugs::

    - Alex

  • My camera that I take with me and have used at con's a few times is
    a HP = Hewlett Packard. My other friend's however are all Sony users.

  • If you want you can try the Panasonic's range of FZ cameras. You will not go wrong there as they are cheap, highly capable (12x zoom) and easy to use too!

    The only issue with these range of cameras are the noise levels but I feel that the pros outweigh the cons. :)

  • [QUOTE=Kaorte]nevermind this post XD
    Im mainly looking for suggestions on what camera, not suggestions on how i should go about finding one i like XD[/QUOTE]

    1. we do look at old threads ;)

    2. okay... then buy a Nikon cool pix P2... or Cannon PowerShot SD800... both have good vibration reduction... if you just want to point and shoot ::snickers::

  • Kaorte-

    I went ahead and did a little searching for you on dpreview.

    I did a features search tool from the menu, lookinjg for the following features, as I find them most suitable for what I think you may be interested in, and what may help you to go ahead and get the best images possible.

    My search criteria is:

    Price (street): US$ 400 or less
    Release Status: Not discontinued (current or upcoming)
    Image stabilization: Yes
    Aperture priority: Yes
    Shutter priority: Yes

    Price, I chose as it is your price range. I assumed you wanted to buy new. I think image stabilization is a great feature for new shutterbugs and veterans alike. It removes hand-shake. Aperture priority makes shooting those nice blurred background shots easier. Shutter priority is great for capturing action, as you can set the shutter speed and shoot away, not worrying about getting blurred action.

    In order of average street price, low to high, here is what I found.

    Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z5
    Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ5
    Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ4
    Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7
    Sony DSC-H2
    Kodak Z612
    Canon PowerShot A710 IS
    Sony DSC-H1
    Canon PowerShot S2 IS
    Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z6

    They all feature 12x optical zoom (around 35mm-420/430ish.) except the a710, that is only a 6x zoom.

    Many of the features are similar, here is a link to side by side comparison:
    [url]http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=canon_a710is%2Ccanon_s2is%2Ckodak_z612%2Ckonicaminolta_dimagez5%2Ckonicaminolta_dimagez6%2Cpanasonic_dmcfz4%2Cpanasonic_dmcfz5%2Cpanasonic_dmcfz7%2Csony_dsch1%2Csony_dsch2&camsel=sony_dsch2&show=all[/url]

    Personally, I've heard GREAT things about the panasonic. I checked out the sample pictures though, and was troubled by two things. 1) they all seem a little bit washed out to me. This could be an ok thing though, as 'exposing to the right' causes this sort of thing. The way image sensors work is by levels of color, decreasing in cound on each level of dynamic range. Technically, slightly overexposed (but not blown out) images can be corrected with more color data than underexposed images. So, perhaps taking those images into photoshop and fixing the colors may yield overall a great exposure. Hard to say, not knowing. The other thing that troubles me about the panasonic is the CA I see where white meets dark. This shows as a small, often purplish line that traces the border. It seems to be in the panasonic images a lot, and thats a little unnerving. It can be seen VERY VERY pronounced here at the head of this bird. (baaaad) [url]http://img2.dpreview.com/gallery/panasonicfz7_samples/p1000716.jpg[/url]

    I will try to leave you to look at the samples yourself so you can form your own opinions. Look for what you like in terms of saturation of colors, contrast, sharpness, bokeh (background blur), color range, noise levels (graininess), and dynamic range (highlights to shadows). These are all proprietary to your the camera you buy, and will define how your images are created. Also, in this case, the following are also built into your camera, by way of an attached lens. CA is that purplish ring around borders of high contrast that I talked about above. Vignetting is where you get darker towards the outer edges of your images. Distortion (Barrel or otherwise) is where your image is distorted from what it looks like in real life. Also, contrast and resolving power have a lot to do with the glass on your camera.

    Ultimately, at the place you are in your photography endeavors, you should be choosing a camera based on what the camera does for you and how it fits you. Dont be so concerned over accuracy of a camera, and worry more about what YOU find pleasing.

    Even myself, buying canon for my choice in cameras, know that canon does NOT produce the most accurate colors of the choices available in the dSLR class I purchase in. But, I enjoy the saturated vibrant colors that it offers more than I enjoy real life colors. Something that comes from me using films like velvia back in the day of film.

    Soooo, hold the camera in your hands, try it out, check out the images it produces (not on an LCD, i mean look at them on your monitor or in print, at high resolution). You'll know the camera you like when you hold it and when you see those images. You'll just FEEL it fit right to you.

    Bruce :bigtu:

  • the only one I can suggest is a Fuji film finepix camera. its easy to use but helpful hint... DONT LOOSE THE USB CABLE! they are really hard to find and im still looking T.T;;

  • [QUOTE=animelover9909]the only one I can suggest is a Fuji film finepix camera. its easy to use but helpful hint... DONT LOOSE THE USB CABLE! they are really hard to find and im still looking T.T;;[/QUOTE]

    All fujifilm digital cameras are now referred to as finepix... if you want to check to see which one you have, I may be able to help you out.

    Bruce

  • Very cool, Kaorte! Just so you know, they all accept or include rechargable batteries from that list. NiMH for the panasonics, Lithium for some others, all at the bottom.

    Can't wait to see the pictures, no matter what you choose!

  • I'll keep that in mind and I didnt know that

  • lol did you know the model of your camera? perhaps we can help you find one

  • Congratulations, I look forward to seeing them!

    Bruce

  • Mine is pretty sexy. It's an Olympus FE-190, it's thin, doesn't eat batteries, and is 6 MP. :]