Camera''s (Mara--I already did a search--have ? for you too)

[divergrrl]

Ok..I need a new camera. I have a 6mp Olympus point and shoot. The macro on it sucks, and I can''t get a good wide angle shot.

My son is almost 2 and I can''t get a good shot of him (too slow of shutter speed, but after reading one of Mara''s posts in an old thread about the workaround on her Canon, perhaps my Olympus has this too...must consult manual) and I also can''t get good shots of my ring.

I have diamond studs to post, my two RHRs....I want to play! LOL.

I''m torn between forking out some serious cash for a digital SLR, like the Canon RebelXT EOS. (8mp, 18 -55mm zoom lens, fast shutter speeds). It''s $699 at Costco, plus I''d have to get a 2g or 4g card, an extra battery, etc. It''ll be a lot of $$.

Then I''m wondering, well, I''m not a serious photographer, I''m a lame amatuer at best. All I do is take pics of my son, my dog, my house, and my vacations. (oh and my bling, don''t forget the bling, for crying out loud its why I''m here).

So part of me thinks, if I can find a camera with good macro, good zoom, and fast shutter speeds, and less bells and whistles than a digital SLR, then I''d be set!

Any suggestions?

Jeannine

 

[nejarb]

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Cybershot-DSCW100-Digital-Optical/dp/B000ENRFNS

i''m also looking to get a new camera, and i''m pretty sure this is the one. it looks like a good balance among price/quality/easy to use/extra features/size. there are alot of user reviews, mostly great, on amazon. the only criticism i''ve read about it is that it has an anti-shake feature that doesn''t work very well.

it seems to me like there''s no perfect mini digicam out there, at least not at this point.

 

[divergrrl]

Nejarb, I checked that one, and it''s a lot like my Olympus now. I need something better than a 3x optical zoom. thanks for the recommendation.

Mara, what model is your Canon?

 

[angel777]

divergrrl,

canon elphs are terrific cameras. they are small , sleek and take amazing pictures.

here is the one I would recommend:
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=145&modelid=14227


I currently have a much older model, with 4 mega pixels, and it takes terrific pictures.


Perhaps you could go to best buy or circuit city and check out their line up. See what they have, hold the cameras. Sometimes buying something so expensive sight unseen is hard.

 

[angel777]

OOPS!
posted the wrong link.

here is the one I like:

http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=145&modelid=12466

 

[nejarb]

divergrrl, what is the significance of 3x optical zoom? I''m hopeless when it comes to cameras. Does this mean that I won''t be able to take good pics of ladybugs, or that I won''t get pics of something far away?

 

[rfath]

A great resource for camera information and totally fair reviews is dpreview.com. They have several search features that allow you to find a few cameras that interest you most, and great reviews for each of them:

Lets you search for a list of cameras by feature

Lets you compare cameras side-by-side

Lets you read full reviews for those cameras, including their standard test images.

 

[divergrrl]

thanks guys, I actually did a little research last night on Amazon. The Canon Elph is just like my camera now. 3x optical zoom is what I already have, so it won''t work for me. These are technically "Point and shoot" cameras, which does not cut it for great macro or distance shots. Just fine for family snapshots (in fact they work great for everyday) but if you want to snap a good shot of a toddler in motion or a pretty pair of diamond studs, you need a little more technology.

The 3x optical zoom (and I''m not a shutterbug, so this is all laymans terms) lets you zoom out via the lens. It doesn''t go far. Digital zoom sucks so I''ve heard to ignore the digital zoom capacities --- it basically reduces resolution on the picture)

A SLR camera (professional) has lenses on it and can go wide angle, macro, etc. It has super fast shutter speeds, so you don''t have shutter lag between shots. You can get great action shots.

I did find some cameras in between the SLR and a point and shoot for about $349 12x optical zoom, 6mp (6 is enough for me, I''m more into zoom, macro, fps --frames per second).

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EMWBV0/ref=pd_rvi_gw_1/002-7027480-7168019

The tiny sleek personal cameras (aka the Point and shoot) like the Elph and others are not good for the type of photography I am wanting to do. I already have a nice camera like that---a tiny digital point and shoot if I need it. A nice one too that takes good pics. I don''t like this level of camera because it has slow shutter speeds, can''t get toddler action shots, can''t zoom out wide for beautiful house shots or sunsets, and it has a sucky macro mode.
I want something more professional, but without the 1k price tag. So I don''t care about how small it is, as I am a girl, I generally carry a purse, backpack, diaperbag, etc....so having a tiny camera isn''t worth the tradeoff. I dunno...we''ll see.....I may get the above camera for my DH (his work is making him buy a digital camera, and they are paying for it) and if I like it I''ll get one too, or if I hate it, I''ll suck up and buy the SLR.

Jeannine

 

[divergrrl]

I just realized I sound like a total pain in the tuckus. But I have a toddler at home and finding time to research this and that these days has proven difficult. (soooo tired, by the time he goes to bed, I''m wiped & my brain fuzzes over, I read the same paragraph over and over...LOL..who knew someone so small could take down someone so big?)

But I brewed some more coffee, he''s enthralled by cookie monster right now, I''m going to the comparison links listed here.

Thanks

 

[divergrrl]

I think I found it.

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMC-FZ7-Digital-Optical-Stabilized/dp/B000EBK3FW/sr=1-1/qid=1163104532/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-7027480-7168019?ie=UTF8&s=photo

 

[divergrrl]

rfath ---your links ROCKED....huge Thank you!!

I was able to compare this Panasonic Lumix to the Sony I was considering and for $100 less, the Panasonic is a better camera.

ok...dilemma solved.

 

[Mara]

diver...sorry i was out of town so im late responding.

i have the canon sd550. aljdewey just got the sd770 or something like that. it''s the same camera basically just more advanced features, more image stabilization, better zoom etc. her camera is definitely the next gen of my camera. i wish i had waited and gotten that one. but my camera is awesome...it was $300. i have only ever heard the best things about canons, almost everytime someone had great pictures even offline i''d ask about it and typically the camera was a canon. on here it seems like the best photos are taken with canons OR other brands but more ''expensive'' cameras in the other brands.

the only downer about my cam and i knew this before was that the image stabilization is not the best, aka there''s not a lot of counteracting the hand-shake. i keep it kids and pets mode which seems to do the trick, i read that tip online. and for diamond pictures obviously i adore this camera. it''s let me do so much more than my old one.

my next camera will definitely be a next gen canon with image stabilization and better zoom. but i only buy a camera every 3 years or so. haha.

oh and i used some online camera review sites to help me make the decision, i think one is like DLPreview.com or something. they have very extensive articles and reviews on cameras and comparisons.

 

[SuzyQZ]

My 2cents...

I just got the Canon Powershot SD800 IS which was just released last month (October 2006). This camera really ROCKS!

It takes incredible pictures of diamonds in the macro setting, great panorama and video, has internal stabilization and the low light and no flash pictures are just fantastic. It has a slightly wider lens than other small point and shoots so you can get great group shots. Then even have a setting (what they call "scenes") that is specifically tailored for "kids and animals" that captures fast moving kids and animals really well.

If you want to see how this camera works on macro diamond close ups, I have a thread on SMTR right now called "New Camera = LOTS of Pictures" all those pictures I took with my new Canon SD800 IS camera.

You should know that I am 100% a novice and totally camera retarded, the camaera can take all the credit for any good pictures in my thread.

 

[Ann]

Date: 11/9/2006 5:21:06 PM
Author: SuzyQZ
My 2cents...

I just got the Canon Powershot SD800 IS which was just released last month (October 2006). This camera really ROCKS!

It takes incredible pictures of diamonds in the macro setting, great panorama and video, has internal stabilization and the low light and no flash pictures are just fantastic. It has a slightly wider lens than other small point and shoots so you can get great group shots. Then even have a setting (what they call ''scenes'') that is specifically tailored for ''kids and animals'' that captures fast moving kids and animals really well.

If you want to see how this camera works on macro diamond close ups, I have a thread on SMTR right now called ''New Camera = LOTS of Pictures'' all those pictures I took with my new Canon SD800 IS camera.

You should know that I am 100% a novice and totally camera retarded, the camaera can take all the credit for any good pictures in my thread.

I just ordered the same camera for my daughter. From all my research the Canon came out on top, a lot. And supposedly they are good in low light and that new image stabilization is handy with a small camera.