Digital Camera- what kind?
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Joined: Jan 2003
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From: Connecticut
Cameras
I have been doing some professional digital photography over the last couple of years and I have been an amateur photographer since the 80s.
You would get much better advice if you could be more specific on what you are looking for. I actually have a couple of digital cameras for different situations.
Do you want a tiny camera to carry all over the place?
A medium sized camera with good images?
A larger/pro camera with killer images?
What is you budget?
My most recent camera is a fun little camera. It is the Casio Exilim (but the optics are by Pentax from the Optio-S). It is the size of a stack of credit cards, shoots 3.3 MP, and has a 3X optical zoom. It doesn't take publishing quality pictures, but it is pretty darned good for its size. The pictures I took on dyno day at XX Tuning in CT (in the photo gallery) were taken with the Exilim in "fine" mode. they were scaled down a little for the gallery.
I am not busting your chops, but alot depends on what you want. Here is some advice that is good no matter what you want.
1) The mega-pixel rating is less that 1/2 the story. My pro Nikon camera is 3.4 MP and my little pocket Casio Exilim is 3.3 MP. I can assure you the pictures are NOT of comparable quality.
2) The 2 best sites for reviews and information that I know of are:
http://www.dpreview.com/
http://www.steves-digicams.com/
3) The key to good images on a digital camera is the optics. The digital sensors tend to be smaller than film. That requires a better lense for a good image.
4) Optical zoom is good, digital zoom is pointless. Digital zoom is just cropping the picture.
5) Budget for a memory card of 128M to 256M. Many cameras come with small cards to keep the price down. You can take more pictures on a bigger memory card/stick
Once you go digital it is tough to go back.
You would get much better advice if you could be more specific on what you are looking for. I actually have a couple of digital cameras for different situations.
Do you want a tiny camera to carry all over the place?
A medium sized camera with good images?
A larger/pro camera with killer images?
What is you budget?
My most recent camera is a fun little camera. It is the Casio Exilim (but the optics are by Pentax from the Optio-S). It is the size of a stack of credit cards, shoots 3.3 MP, and has a 3X optical zoom. It doesn't take publishing quality pictures, but it is pretty darned good for its size. The pictures I took on dyno day at XX Tuning in CT (in the photo gallery) were taken with the Exilim in "fine" mode. they were scaled down a little for the gallery.
I am not busting your chops, but alot depends on what you want. Here is some advice that is good no matter what you want.
1) The mega-pixel rating is less that 1/2 the story. My pro Nikon camera is 3.4 MP and my little pocket Casio Exilim is 3.3 MP. I can assure you the pictures are NOT of comparable quality.
2) The 2 best sites for reviews and information that I know of are:
http://www.dpreview.com/
http://www.steves-digicams.com/
3) The key to good images on a digital camera is the optics. The digital sensors tend to be smaller than film. That requires a better lense for a good image.
4) Optical zoom is good, digital zoom is pointless. Digital zoom is just cropping the picture.
5) Budget for a memory card of 128M to 256M. Many cameras come with small cards to keep the price down. You can take more pictures on a bigger memory card/stick
Once you go digital it is tough to go back.
Thread Starter
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From: Vermont
AndyB- Thanks for the info.
I'm looking for a camera that will take good to great pics. I don't care if it is really small. I actually like the digital cameras that are a little bigger, I think they are easier for me to use.
My budget is under $800.00
Fuji has a 3MP camera out that I like, It's in the Finepix line. Do you know any thing about these cameras? any good?
On a seperate note, how is that new exhaust?
I'm looking for a camera that will take good to great pics. I don't care if it is really small. I actually like the digital cameras that are a little bigger, I think they are easier for me to use.
My budget is under $800.00
Fuji has a 3MP camera out that I like, It's in the Finepix line. Do you know any thing about these cameras? any good?
On a seperate note, how is that new exhaust?
Last edited by notlownf; Nov 25, 2003 at 03:25 PM.
350Z-holic
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From: SoCal
I just ended up getting a Nikon Coolpix 3100. It has a good picture and manual controls so you don't have to play around with menus so much. You can find them for under $250 online.
There's a 128 MB card now for $20 after a couple rebates on dealnews.com. Even amazon was selling them for 30 bucks.
I also got 4 recharagable batteries and a charger, since I hear these things eat up batteries.
There's a 128 MB card now for $20 after a couple rebates on dealnews.com. Even amazon was selling them for 30 bucks.
I also got 4 recharagable batteries and a charger, since I hear these things eat up batteries.
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From: virginia
i love my fuji a303......i did alot of research and it seemed to be the best 3mega camera out at the time i bought it for the price. I bought it with a battery charger and bigger mem stick for about 250.....its cheaper now (that was first of the year). IM researching cams right now myself to get one for my gf.....she wants alot of zoom and im looking at some of the cams at cnet, good luck
350Z-holic
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From: SoCal
The Fuji FinePix 3800 seems fine (top of the 3 MP on Consumer Reports), since it has the huge lens with a 6x optial zoom. It doesn't have manual controls, and apparently it's not good if you wear glasses.
One annoying thing: you can read online sites for hours or days, and still not know how these cameras compare! There isn't really much difference in the quality anyway as far as I can tell. I just gave up and bought one.
One annoying thing: you can read online sites for hours or days, and still not know how these cameras compare! There isn't really much difference in the quality anyway as far as I can tell. I just gave up and bought one.
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From: Honolulu
You can buy the new Digital Rebel for about 900 bucks. It does accept the entire line of Canon EF lenses, of which there are about 50. If you're interested in more than a point and shoot, I'd probably look here. Before you invest though, answer these questions. Do you know what aperture priority, shutter priority, depth of field and ISO mean? If not, do you want to? If the answer to both of those questions is "No" then this is probably too much camera for you.
I personally like Canon cameras, but not really for any particular reason.
In addition to AndyB's list of photo sites, I would add
http://www.photo.net
It's great.
I personally like Canon cameras, but not really for any particular reason.
In addition to AndyB's list of photo sites, I would add
http://www.photo.net
It's great.
Re: Digital Camera- what kind?
Originally posted by notlownf
Looking into new digital cameras. Anybody have any suggestions or likes and dislikes about your cameras?
Looking into new digital cameras. Anybody have any suggestions or likes and dislikes about your cameras?
Get a CANON!
I have a Sony and it's not that great for the price. I would never ever get a Sony camera again or product just because I think they have too many ovepriced products, even their laptops.
Right now I have decided to get the Canon A80. It's priced around $400. It uses AA batteries (i like this) and is 4.0MP.
Image quality is excellent.
Victor
I have a Sony and it's not that great for the price. I would never ever get a Sony camera again or product just because I think they have too many ovepriced products, even their laptops.
Right now I have decided to get the Canon A80. It's priced around $400. It uses AA batteries (i like this
) and is 4.0MP.Image quality is excellent.
Victor
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From: Vermont
Originally posted by Mike Wazowski
I have a Sony and it's not that great for the price. I would never ever get a Sony camera again or product just because I think they have too many ovepriced products, even their laptops.
Victor
I have a Sony and it's not that great for the price. I would never ever get a Sony camera again or product just because I think they have too many ovepriced products, even their laptops.
Victor
Thanks to everyone for the info. I'm going to check out the Canons. as of right now I'm leaning toward the Fuji S5000
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From: Stevenson Ranch, CA
Canon A80 is a great choice. We just got one to replace the Kodak digital camera we have had for a few years now. The A80 has a ton of features and accepts additional lenses if you want to go that route. Takes great night pics (if you use a tripod). It also uses the "Compact Flash" memory cards which is a big plus for me because we had a bunch of those from the Kodak.
Here is a link to a review of the A80..........tells ya everything you could want to know about it.........as well as some sample pics taken with the camera.
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/ca...ew/index.shtml
Do a search for this camera and get some price comparisons.........you can beat that $400 price at a lot of different places.
Here is a link to a review of the A80..........tells ya everything you could want to know about it.........as well as some sample pics taken with the camera.
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/ca...ew/index.shtml
Do a search for this camera and get some price comparisons.........you can beat that $400 price at a lot of different places.
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Joined: Jan 2003
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From: Connecticut
Nikon or Canon
I agree with Victor, stay away from sony cameras. (They are an electronics company making cameras, not a camera company).
If you want great pictures stick with a company who's primary reputation as a camera maker is on the line. My recomendationa are Nikon then Canon. Both make great cameras. I prefer Nikon, some people prefer Canon first Nikon second.
I prefer Nikon because of the quality of their glass and I believe the lense in a digital camera is the most important factor (since most manufacturers buy similar CCD arrays for their detectors). Then again Canon is no slouch at glass work either.
At your price point I would look for a camera with some sort of swing screen. I find this very usefull for shooting low, high, etc. (ie the view finder can be aimed seperate from the lense) Nikon has the split bodies, Canon has a swing out screen. I like that feature. (great for camera not at head height shots).
If you know what you like in cameras in general, and you know your price range ($800) I would hit www.dpreview.com and check out the Canons and Nikons in your price range. For that kind of money you can get a nice camera, but probably not a high end digital SLR. (you are probably in the "prosumer" level) The serious SLRs are still over $1K last time I looked.
DPREVIEW has sample image from all the cameras and some in depth reviews. They also have a side by side feature comparision. Nice.
Do not be too impressed with 4 vs 3 megapixels. Many 4 MP cameras have an array of the same physical size as a 3mp camera. This can actually make the picture look more blurry. (counterintuitive but true.) In your price range I would probably look for a killer 3.4 MP instead of a low end 4mp. (unless the 4MP array is physically larger)
dpreview lists the detector sizes. In general bigger is better. (bigger in dimensions, not pixels)
(If a 4mp array has the same dimensions as a 3mp array the smaller pixels of the 4mp array actually make it more sensitive to defects in the lense and chromatic aberations. They approach the resolution limits of the glassware.)
I can't recommend a particular camera since it has been over a year since I did an in depth market review and cameras evolve very quickly these days. If you boil it down to a couple of cameras I would be glad to compare them and give you my opinion.
If you want great pictures stick with a company who's primary reputation as a camera maker is on the line. My recomendationa are Nikon then Canon. Both make great cameras. I prefer Nikon, some people prefer Canon first Nikon second.
I prefer Nikon because of the quality of their glass and I believe the lense in a digital camera is the most important factor (since most manufacturers buy similar CCD arrays for their detectors). Then again Canon is no slouch at glass work either.
At your price point I would look for a camera with some sort of swing screen. I find this very usefull for shooting low, high, etc. (ie the view finder can be aimed seperate from the lense) Nikon has the split bodies, Canon has a swing out screen. I like that feature. (great for camera not at head height shots).
If you know what you like in cameras in general, and you know your price range ($800) I would hit www.dpreview.com and check out the Canons and Nikons in your price range. For that kind of money you can get a nice camera, but probably not a high end digital SLR. (you are probably in the "prosumer" level) The serious SLRs are still over $1K last time I looked.
DPREVIEW has sample image from all the cameras and some in depth reviews. They also have a side by side feature comparision. Nice.
Do not be too impressed with 4 vs 3 megapixels. Many 4 MP cameras have an array of the same physical size as a 3mp camera. This can actually make the picture look more blurry. (counterintuitive but true.) In your price range I would probably look for a killer 3.4 MP instead of a low end 4mp. (unless the 4MP array is physically larger)
dpreview lists the detector sizes. In general bigger is better. (bigger in dimensions, not pixels)
(If a 4mp array has the same dimensions as a 3mp array the smaller pixels of the 4mp array actually make it more sensitive to defects in the lense and chromatic aberations. They approach the resolution limits of the glassware.)
I can't recommend a particular camera since it has been over a year since I did an in depth market review and cameras evolve very quickly these days. If you boil it down to a couple of cameras I would be glad to compare them and give you my opinion.
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 1,389
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From: Connecticut
PS:
Originally posted by notlownf
On a seperate note, how is that new exhaust?
On a seperate note, how is that new exhaust?
I love it !!
After a few hundred miles it is breaking in nicely. The sound has gotten a little deeper and "bigger".
It is still pretty quiet, but when I get the revs up and floor it I get music.
My favorite part is when I am stopping. I take it out of gear and as the engine revs down there is a killer "burble". The guy at work with the Audi RS6 even commented on it.
I am super impressed with Borla, particularly for the reasonable price they get foe a true dual stainless.
Originally posted by nbdyfcnsqnc
...I also got 4 recharagable batteries and a charger, since I hear these things eat up batteries.
...I also got 4 recharagable batteries and a charger, since I hear these things eat up batteries.
1 V1000 Smart Charger (110V AC and 12V DC)
12 AA 2000mAh Powerizer NiMH Cells
I ordered batteries and a charger from this company and they last about 8 times as long as regular alkaline batteries, per charge! At SEMA I shot ~200 pictures with flash before they died (and I forgot to charge them up before I left). I put four brand new Energizers in and they lasted for about 25 shots before they died!
EDIT: I think if you use the code batteryspace that knocks another 5% off plus they are offering free shipping to people in CA until 11/30 (sorry Chris).
Last edited by Anyone2u; Nov 25, 2003 at 06:51 PM.
Is you're a casual user I suggest
Sony DSC-P10
For someone who knows how some stuff about cameras
Sony DSC-V1
Both of these sony cams are 5 megapixels
For a serious photographer who doesn't need to be specific about lenses and prefer to travel light
Sony DSC-F828 (8 mega pixel)
For a serious photographer who prefers something like a lens changeable SLR
Canon EOS 300D (6.3 mega pixel)
The last two cameras, you can find for under $800 but with lens or acessories you'll probably go over. I wouldn't recommend Canon 300D since things are changing so rapidly right now.
Sony DSC-P10
For someone who knows how some stuff about cameras
Sony DSC-V1
Both of these sony cams are 5 megapixels
For a serious photographer who doesn't need to be specific about lenses and prefer to travel light
Sony DSC-F828 (8 mega pixel)
For a serious photographer who prefers something like a lens changeable SLR
Canon EOS 300D (6.3 mega pixel)
The last two cameras, you can find for under $800 but with lens or acessories you'll probably go over. I wouldn't recommend Canon 300D since things are changing so rapidly right now.
Last edited by 350zroadster; Nov 25, 2003 at 06:39 PM.
Oh yeah, I personally have Sony DSC-V1. It's a mid sized camera with lots of features.
-It is laser ranged so accurate focus in the dark.(good for party pics)
-Apeture & Shutter control that stays out of the way
-takes images in night vision
-Good movie function
I use it for casual pictures or practice. If I wanted to take really good photos, I would use a film SLR anyways.
-It is laser ranged so accurate focus in the dark.(good for party pics)
-Apeture & Shutter control that stays out of the way
-takes images in night vision
-Good movie function
I use it for casual pictures or practice. If I wanted to take really good photos, I would use a film SLR anyways.
