Not altogether diamond related.........Digital Cameras......

[ccuheartnurse]

Hi All,
I''m interested in buying a digital camera & have spent some time checking out what seems like every digital camera review website I could locate. I''ve so far narrowed the field down to 2 models. One is the Cannon S45 & the Nikon Coolpix 4300. Both have gotten great reviews, with the Cannon coming out slightly ahead.
Any thoughts?? Any opinions as to what other styles I might check out? I''d like to keep it relatively compact in size & around the 4 mega. pix. range.

Any ideas would be most welcome.

Judy


** I''ve been to a few stores & it seems that the Cannon S45 just cant stay on the shelves long enough. Is it that good?

 

[crowmama]

Go to Steve's Digicams at http://www.steves-digicams.com/ . There are forums, reviews, and lots of information. I found it essential before I felt comfortable investing in my camera (Nikon Coolpix 5700).

Good luck!

 

[tonysgeko]

and
[/u][/u]

 

[ccuheartnurse]

Thanks Guys,
Oh boy I have a lot of reading to do! That camera lingo is a completely different language.

Those sites look great & I like the forum (Q&A's).

Judy

 

[davidc]

Hi Judy,
I am the owner of a Nikon but during my search I also considered the Olympus line of cameras like the Olympus C4040.

-- David.

 

[CutPimp]

I own an S40 which is the basically the S45. The S45 is just an updated version of the S40. Exact same specs 4mp etc.
I love my S40 and have never had a problem with it. Its a great compact high res digi camera.
I also have the new Canon G3 which if you don't mind a little bigger camera you get a better optical zoom and a few other features the S45 does not have. Other than than it is basically the same camera as the S45

 

[ccuheartnurse]

David,
Why did you choose the Nikon over the Olympus? I think I looked at the Olympus cameras. I recall the larger lens but dont need that kind of zoom power. I'll go back to check out the 4040. David, you're in Toronto arent you? The Cannon S45 is sold out at about 5 places I've called so far (Henry's & Downtown Camera as well).

Judy


Can you tell I'm getting my ring soon.

haha Although I dont want a Macro specific camera for the few pics I'll take of my ring. Its more for people/scenery shots.

 

[davidc]

Judy,
It was a very hard choice for me to make between the Olympus C4040 and the camera that I eventually bought which was the Nikon 995. Both of these cameras take excellent pictures. Things that I liked about the Olympus: Camera takes better pictures in dark lightening conditions, smaller in size than the Nikon, can use AA batteries (and if I recall correctly, I think that no rechargeables come with it). However, the Nikon 995 has a rotating lens which one either likes or dislikes. I myself tried it and liked it very much. This feature just pushed the decision towards Nikon.

I am in Toronto. Other good camera places to check out are Vistek and Aden Camera. If you want to considered non-camera stores, Future Shop has the Canon S45 available on-line and you can also visit your nearest Best Buy store.

(Thanks for the insurance info!)

Hope this helps,
-- David.

 

[ccuheartnurse]

Cutpimp, I've read consistently that Cannon S40/45 have problems with red eye pics. Do you find that?

David, the olympus is now discontinued. I just called Henry's. I'll check the other stores you mentioned.

Judy

 

[PoopEater]

If you are wanting to do macro photography, I'd highly recommend Nikon's line of cameras. These two pictures I attached are crops straight from the camera. They need no special lenses or other accessories. This first pic is the closeup. The next pic is to give you perspective on how small the subject of the photo really was.

on edit: These pics were taken with my nikon coolpix 995. Nikon released an updated version of this cam, the 4500, which is the same basic camera with 4MP. I have thousands more pictures, and would be very willing to post more if anyone is interested!

 

[PoopEater]

this is for perspective. see how small that flower was!

 

[ccuheartnurse]

Thats phenominal! I'd love to see upclose jewelery shots if you have them. I'm not sure if I like that rotating feature. I've tried them & I just dont like it. The one from Nikon I'm considering is the 4300. It has a 4cm macro distance whereas the Cannon S45 has a 10cm distance. But as I mentioned, I'm not buying specifically on macro mode capabilities. I want an overall great camera for trip & family pics. AHHHHHHHHHHHH! All the ones I'm interested in except the Nikon are out of stock! Whats in the air in Toronto. Sheesh. Makes you kinda wonder why I can buy the Nikon everywhere. haha You Nikon people, I was told by a salesman that Nikon includes software in their bundles to fix red eye pics. He also mentioned that its an added cost with Cannon for that same type of software. Any thoughts?

Back to the drawing board.

Judy

 

[DiamondDealHunter]

As far as vendors...check out
www.buydig.com
They've got everything and their prices and service are great. I personally have bought a Canon S40 and G2 from them along with a JVC Mini DV video camera. I have received all my purchases within 3 days with standard shipping.

You can also check out PC World mag or website for their top cameras.

Good Luck

 

[PoopEater]

Hi Judy. The rotating feature does take some getting used to, but now that I have it, I wouldn't want it any other way. It enables me to take above my head shots easily, allows any flat surface to act as a virtual tripod (just rotate the lens to get the field of view that you want), and allows some really cool perspective shots to be taken. I will post some more examples (non macro) after lunch. I don't own any jewelry, so I cannot show you any pics of rings

 

[ccuheartnurse]

Ok, I located a Canon S45 at Aden cameras & coincidentally enough, there are 3 at the BestBuy store near Sherway Mall. I'm just going to go ahead & get this camera. Also, Vistek, Henry's & Downtown camera have "dozens" on order for prepaid customers. Oh well, I guess I've lucked out. Also, not sure if this is standard on any other camera, but I like the feature that you can use a cable to your TV & therefore turning your pics into a slide show. Hmmmmmmm, has some wonderful adult possibilities doesnt it?!

Judy

 

[Rhino]

I too have the Nikon 5700. That camera ROCKS. When I need a smaller size camera that's the one I bring and it's macro is great. The colors are also rich and vibrant not to mention the zoom lens (optical) covers 35mm to a whopping 280mm!

I've alse read great things about the Minolta 7hi as well.

I have 2 digi's. One is that Nikon, the other is my Olympus E-10 digital SLR which is my beast. I've didn't upgrade to the E-20 not seeing enough of a reason to upgrade. I'm eyeballing the new Canon D60 but do not want to take the leap until I see Olympus next generation digital SLR.

This gorgeous sunset was taken with my E-10. When you consider the E-10 and the E-20 (the 5 megapixel version) have lens that are a constant F2.0-2.4 with a 35-140mm zoom THAT ALONE make these cameras well worth their weight in gold. If you were to purchase a lens for a 35mm camera or digital SLR that was an F2.0-2.4 35-140mm zoom you'd pay way more than you'd pay just for the camera alone making those particular Olympus' a great value.

Peace,
Rhino

 

[ccuheartnurse]

Many Thanks to all of you on the board for your advice/opinions. I ended up purchasing the Canon S45 at BestBuy here in Toronto. Would have considered getting something over the boarder but then there's warranty issues & so I just swalled the extra costs & bought it locally. I am very pleased with my camera. Its a nice size & the pics are wonderful. Ahhhh, dont ask me to post any yet, I'm still trying to figure the thing out! LOL The salesguy almost talked me into buying the Nikon 4300. I have previously owned 2 Canons prior to the digital one & so I just gravitated towards the S45. I'll post some pics once I get the hang of the camera.

Judy

 

[futures]

Like this forum there are several good forum sites for Digital/Classic camera hobbyists. I found all the reviews great and decided on the Nikon CoolPix 5700 even with its faults (poor camera in dark situations). For value, I would lean on Canon G2 or G3 if you can afford them. Just use a search engine pop in the camera you're thinking of and the word review!

 

[ccuheartnurse]

Just bought a 512 MB memory card at Downtown Camera today. They are half price now. The guys behind the counter just couldnt believe their memo to sell the memory at half price. I got the Ultra, lifetime warranty included. All I need now is an extra battery & I wont have to think about anything except learning the manual & learning the camera. haha

Judy


The price $300Can.

Sounds high, but yesterday they were $600.

 

[divergrrl]

so buying a new camera...now this site has taught me that my digi cam sucks too! grrrrrrrrrrrr

 

[pricescope]

My Canon G2 and my old dog.

 

[ccuheartnurse]

Nice Pic Leonid! Your old dog is a beauty too.

Judy