Digital Camera

[MissAva]

I have a lovely SLR and I use it often to take some really fun photos. I have had the same camera for "real pictures" since I was in HS. I was pres of photo club and so my rents bought me a nice camera...the thing is it is not digital. When I got my other camera I choose the one I did becuase all of my parents lenses and whatnot would fit mine. I know almost nothing about what makes a solid digital camera. I have tried reading online reveiws but they are often conflicting. At the moment I ahve a Olympus Sytlus 410 Digital. I have not been able to take any decent close ups: see my recent post to "show me your pears". I would love to hear everyones recomendations or what the pros/cons are of their digital camera. Thanks!

 

[lost on 5th]

Matatora

i should be able to help you out a bit i have owned several digital cameras, and have a LONG shopping list of what i would like to get when i have some spare cash.

what are you looking to use it for?

what SLR do you have and how much do you use automated functions?

would you use the digital (lets say a point and shoot) like it were a manual SLR?

and in the end... $$$ what range are you looking at?


***personally im a nikon fan, but mostly for the glass. the functions are a little clunky to some, but im at home with them. canon makes some really nice cameras... as does olympus. i can help yuo more when i know a little more

 

[MissAva]

My SLR is a Cannon and I love it...it is my baby. I am not sure about the price range it would depend on the camera prolly not more the 6 or 700$. I would use is mostly for goofing around quick shots of friends and for little trips, not major shots or the more serious ones. I would like to be able to have the ablity to take shots of things for PS or my friends with the same camera. I would want one that is not too big becuase I would like to able to take it with me the majority of the time. Thanks Lost on 5th I appreciate the help!

 

[Blue824]

I did a lot of photography in HS and sort of became brand loyal to Canon, they have yet to let me down.

While I haven''t upgraded my SLR to digital yet, I just bought another compact for every day casual use: the Canon s500.

I got a great price for it, and that''s why I chose it, or else I may have gone with the sd400. While it could be a little lighter, overall I''m very happy with it. I''ve been playing around with my settings and having a lot of fun! I''ve been very happy with the quality of the images. My brother just got the sd400 and is also extremely happy with his. It is also 5mp and smaller/lighter. When I was deciding a few months ago, I just didn''t think it warranted the extra $200 since I got a great deal on mine. I am sure prices are different now. My other brother recently got the canon sd20 (i think?) and the photos he uses in publications at his school and he has never been disappointed.

Personally, I wouldn''t spend over 400 on a camera for casual use, but I''m people disagree. To me, they''re sort of disposable...keep for a couple years and then get something new. Also, I like to take stuff out with me and have it 24/7. I guess for me if a 3-400 camera was stolen (or dropped underneath a car onto concrete into a puddle....) I would be annoyed but not really upset, 700 I''d be more upset! Also, my needs for casual photography won''t require me to have large photos, so I''m fine in the 5mp range. My older one was in the 3mp range and I thought that was fine for casual stuff.

There are numerous sites reviewing cameras. My last purchase I used www.pcmag.com
However, they did give your current camera a good rating.

 

[Blue824]

Now, just out of curiousity, do you have issues with how your images upload? Like they don''t look sharp or do you not like how they print out?

My first digital camera was a canon that I''m completely blanking on the model number, I think out of the A-series, it was a 3mp. I bought it specifically so I didnt have to haul around my slr on a quick trip to France and didnt want to deal with film. I took a bunch of pictures then came back to school and had them printed at CVS (bleh). At home I never go to drug stores for photo processing, but it was the only place really convenient at school. The prints were ok, but I was disappointed. I thought they should''ve been sharper, and they had looked sharper when they were on my computer. Well, sure enough, I went to make some reprints and I had them reprinted at Ritz/Wolf Camera the difference was INCREDIBLE. Like. If you held the two pictures side by side you''d would not have thought they came from the same camera. I could not believe the difference. So the point of all my babble was, if that''s what you''re having a problem with, perhaps try another place for printing!

 

[MissAva]

Actually the majority of my pictures come out just fine. I usally either print them at my parents (they have a nice color laser jet) or if I am at school, the wal-mart. Pictures of things that are not close ups come out nicely. I am not able to do things that are less then about 4 feet away though, so no cute close ups of my puppy and if I want to get detail shots of soemthing that just happens to catch my intreast I cannot really do those either.

 

[lost on 5th]

Matatora-

im doing some shopping for you ill pick a few and send them your way. blue824 is on target with price range and use

for a point and shoot... i dont think you would need to go over 400 for camera (and that is NICE point and shoot) the only upgrade over that would be larger memory card.

more in a bit..

 

[lost on 5th]

you need something with a good macro setting for the closeups. (REALLY close ups)

the macro setting on some of the canon digitals has a focus range of: 1.2" - 19.2" and under the normal setting it will focus at 12" to infinity

 

[lost on 5th]

how about this.. instead of giving you too many options.......

if i were to by a point and shoot camera today.. i would get a canon SD400 (same as what blue834''s brother got)

and the reasons why i would make this choice:

- you can get this camera at an excelent price. (amazon.com has it for $357.43 right now. and i found it lower even via. www.mysimon.com not to mention ebay.)

- it is at 5 megapixle. which would give you the ability to print a good resolution photo up to 13" x 17" at the highest setting. -or- crop the image in to a portrait or detial... and still be able to print it at 8"x10"

- it has a 3x optical zoom which is respectible for a compact camera. (there is a 4x digital zoom as well. but try to stay out of the digital zoom... reduces image quality. same as shooting large and cropping however) it is sim to: 35mm - 105mm range on your SLR

- the macro setting will allow you to take pictures of small sparkley things at amazing quality.

- the color settings will give you some control on the camera if you want to play around.

- 2" LDC screen is very nice to have.

- SD memory card and USB 2.0 make it a fast file transfer (if your computer is also a USB 2.0)... will work with USB 1.1 as well, but at slower speed


other than that... its a great small powerful camera, and im sure you will feel at home with the typical canon functions!

here is a good list of specs. tho the camera is cheeper elsewhere.. alkit camera

i would also get a second memory card at ~ 512 mb for good storage (more if you need it)


hope this helps.

 

[ammayernyc]

I just bought the sd400 and it is a FANTASTIC camera. With a large enough memory card (I have a 1GB) you can shoot almost 2 hours of good video. The pictures come out well. As usual, with little cameras, there is a fair amount of red-eye, but the camera has a red-eye reducer which works pretty well. The quality is fantastic. The camera itself is very small and very light. Fits right into your pocket. The LCD screen is pretty big, so you can easily see what you''re shooting. The shutter speed is also very fast.

In fact, I acutally have an extra one... long story. But it''s unopened. I got it for a good price, so if you''re interested, PM me and we can discuss.

Happy shopping!

 

[lost on 5th]

here is a review on it... for some added info/piece of mind.

SD400

** if you want more manual/SLR similar... there are other models to look at, but for what it sounds like you want to do... this is great!**

 

[movie zombie]

we just purchased the Canon PowerShot S2 IS on sunday.

yesterday afternoon i took it out of the box and managed to get set up to take some pictures.

please understand that i am a total nonmechanical, nongeek person. the very first picture i took was perfect. i played around with the camera a bit to get used to it and figured out somethings on my own...like how to delete shots i didn''t like. my plan is to take the user guide and go through it page by page.

i am so impressed with this camera! i called my husband to tell him we bought the right toy. this camera is going to be perfect for cataloging my irises next spring...and hopefully taking a picture of my spess. it has manual features as well as auto, 2 macro settings, movie and audio capability and more all for under $500.

this camera was meant to appeal to people with more experience than i with photography. i waited to get it because i wanted a camera i could grow with rather than outgrow. i originally wanted something a bit smaller but i think i''m in love with this camera!

peace, movie zombie

 

[Patty]

I love when other people do my homework for me. We are going to buy a new digital camera this summer and I think we''ll probably go with the Canon SD 400 thanks to all of your info. Thank you all!

 

[Blue824]

Date: 6/14/2005 9:46:58 AM
Author: Matatora
Actually the majority of my pictures come out just fine. I usally either print them at my parents (they have a nice color laser jet) or if I am at school, the wal-mart. Pictures of things that are not close ups come out nicely. I am not able to do things that are less then about 4 feet away though, so no cute close ups of my puppy and if I want to get detail shots of soemthing that just happens to catch my intreast I cannot really do those either.

Have you tried playing with the macro setting? Almost every camera has one! The button usually looks like a flower.

 

[FireGoddess]

I can't rave enough about the Canon Digital Elph cameras - I have the SD110, one of the grandpas of the SD400 (and I only got it a year and a half ago!) and I LOVE it. It takes great macro shots, and comes with great software. It's so light and tiny, it can fit in my jeans pocket easily and is definitely worth the price.

 

[MissAva]

Sadly this camera doesnt have a macro setting, or at least not one I have been able to find, I had the version that was older and it did. I thought that was what the flowers was for

, I know I should have checked. But honestly I had needed one to documents something that had happened and had to have it that day. Which is why I am being more careful this time. I am going to do a bit of reading about pricing info for the SD400 and sht S2 IS. Thanks guys!

 

[MissAva]

Okay a wee bit off topic but while looking at the cannons on amazon I came across this photo...

 

[movie zombie]

the S2 IS is a brand new release. as of last friday, the reviews had not yet been published. however, techie husband found forums about a month ago discussing its pending release and then forums of people who bought and were already using it in the last week or so. we weren''t able to find it in the bay area but on our way to the central valley on sunday we stopped at the best buy in tracy....they had just put it out that morning! even better, i got my daughter''s employee discount!

i originally was looking to get a smaller canon but decided to wait for the S2 IS....so far so good!

good luck with your research.

love the photo, matatora.

peace, movie zombie

 

[MissAva]

Looking at the S2 IS it is pretty spiffy, however it is to large to work for me. I like my SLR and dont want/need to replace it.
I was able to find the SD400 for 319$ SD400. Does this sound good to everyone else? Has anyone seen if for less? Just wondering I dont want to spend more then I have to. Thanks again ya''ll for all your help.

 

[Maxine]

Platinum Smith took those pics. of the gorgeous rings he made for Jade leaves....wonder what camera he uses......???

 

[Blue824]

Date: 6/15/2005 9:46:22 AM
Author: Matatora
Looking at the S2 IS it is pretty spiffy, however it is to large to work for me. I like my SLR and dont want/need to replace it.
I was able to find the SD400 for 319$ SD400. Does this sound good to everyone else? Has anyone seen if for less? Just wondering I dont want to spend more then I have to. Thanks again ya''ll for all your help.

PLEASE be careful when choosing your company online. There are a lot of these stores that offer amazing prices on cameras that do not have good track records. I know nothing about mpsuperstore.

For my first digicam I bought online and was so excited by the price, and I didn''t research the company. They were horrible. They gave me the run around, I called them to change the shipping address because they put the incorrect one on the order, I followed their directions for calling my cc company to authorize an alternate shipping address and they still sent it to the wrong address, over a week late, so it had to be overnighted to me at a significant cost to me. They had horrendous customer service and when they called to confirm my order they continuously tried to sell me other things and then got almost belligerent with me because I just wanted the camera. It was supposed to include a memory card, and did not. I was just not worth it to deal with them again. Very rude and I am almost 100% positive that they delayed my shipping and sent it to the incorrect address on purpose. When I called to check up on it they had no record of the change. Another friend saw a great price on another website, and they put it on back order for 3 months....not such a great price, and then gave her a really hard time when she tried to cancel the order.

Obviously that isn''t all of them, but there are a lot that just try to take advantage and it is good to check out. Sometimes there are huge shipping fees that really negate the ''lowest'' price offer. I just give that warning because those are two specific cases, but I heard many others after I shared my story with friends/family. It is really something to beware of. I get excited with fun purchases and it really sucks, for lack of a better word, when there are things that put a damper on the excitement!

Do a search online for the store. I''ve used a site called resellerratings (i think) and other places...be sure to read through the reviews and see what the problems were. Also, check at your local best buy/circuit city...sometimes the prices really aren''t that different. And another ''also''...look on Amazon.com. I was able to get mine there for significantly less than it was at best buy...I had dealt with their customer service before with no problems and just felt more comfortable with them, thats just in my experience though.

 

[lost on 5th]

i have bought a few things thru MPSuperstore.com before. havent had any problems. usually check for certification and that warantys will be maintained and you should be fine. have purchased a large format printer and supplies etc. w/o a problem

just to double check. email or call them.

1. make sure it is in factory sealed box and not referbished.
2. for digital cameras sold online... sometimes i was finding them sold with dif. batteries, but i dont think it applies to the canons (nikons typ. had rechargable batteries in place of AA)


also, take a look at shipping and tax. some times the lowest base price isnt the lowest in the end....

read this as well..... some good advise from their forum..
review...

...........i pretty much buy all major purchases via the net. have had a few sort of shaddy run-ins on cheap CD''s .... but other than that. you cant beat the prices available when a company doesnt have the overhead of a physical store.

.... take a look at prices if you bundel a case and upgraded memory card. accessories are high margin and they tend to give you a good deal if you buy all of it from them!

 

[lost on 5th]

movie zombie- you cant go wrong with the best buy employee discount! i worked there between college and my real job selling cameras, printers, computers..etc. was really a fun place to work.

once i got my job offer where i am at now. i bought a new tv, home theater setup, dvd, and much more before putting in my 2 week notice

 

[movie zombie]

Date: 6/15/2005 12:50:59 PM
Author: lost on 5th
movie zombie- you cant go wrong with the best buy employee discount! i worked there between college and my real job selling cameras, printers, computers..etc. was really a fun place to work.

once i got my job offer where i am at now. i bought a new tv, home theater setup, dvd, and much more before putting in my 2 week notice

smart move, lost on 5th!!!!

peace, movie zombie

 

[chudilo]

It''s so easy. Get the Canon DSLR (I have the EOS 350 Rebel XT), it''s right in your price range. Especcially since you don''t need a lens. Watch out for dell discounts.

I got my kit(with lens) from Dell for $740

 

[Rube]

I don''t have the digital camera you are looking to buy (sd400) but I used to own the Canon S10, and now have the S70, so I can say my Canons have been great!

 

[Blue824]

I love that there are so many canon lovers on here

I''ve never had anything but good experience with them!

 

[movie zombie]

Date: 6/24/2005 9:34:25 PM
Author: Blue824
I love that there are so many canon lovers on here

I''ve never had anything but good experience with them!

i''ve never owned a ''good'' camera but i''ve always known i''d go for a canon when i finally did....and i''m still loving my new S2 IS! the more i play with it, the more i know we got the right camera...for me, anyway.

peace, movie zombie

 

[MissAva]

I ordered the SD400 (I was able to find it new for 240$ with s&H).. I dont want a digital SLR just yet I like playing with the film too much...maybe later. Plus I think since I graduate in may that people will be looking for gifts in that price range soon enough. But while I have everyones attention has anyone noticed a difference in image quality based on the brand of your memory card? Just wondering if there are any I ought to avoid. Thank again for all your help.

 

[bstraszheim]

I bought the Canon SD400 about three weeks ago and it''s fantastic. The pictures are great. Just yesterday I went to CVS and printed out an 8 x 10 picture from the SD card, even that large it was just crisp and beautiful! It''s so tiny that I keep my cell phone in my left front pocket and my SD400 in my right front pocket : ) Oh and it takes wonderful jewellery pics!

Let us know how you like it!

I wish you well,

Bridget