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Looking For A Camera

S

StanFan

Apr 5, 2007
1,997
2
41
Toronto, Ontario Canada
#1
Hi,

My parents want to buy me a gift for graduating college, and I thought that getting a nice digital camera would make for a good present. I don't need a camera that films video, just one that can take good pictures both indoors and outside. I'm wondering if anyone could share with me their experience with their own cameras and perhaps recommend a good camera.
 
#4
Here's the thing about digital cameras that most people don't talk about, in low light situations (indoors) they suck. You live and die by the flash which is good to about 8 or 10 feet.

Compared to a comperable film camera.

Fujifilm owns the low light shooting game.

After having a bunch of different digicams, a month ago I picked up a Fujifilm F20. 6+ megapixel, Depending on the memory you get, up to an hour a video with sound and will take excellent pics in low light.

The really amazing thing about it is the sound quality of the thing. You can take it into a bar or festival and get very usable recordings. No distortion, you can actually hear the freakin' bass...it's just amazing.

All in the size of a pack of cigaretts and a pricetag of $139 on line. It is, IMHO, the ultimate musicians digicam.

Other than that, mega pixels are not everything. You want to look and the size of the receptor plate which is the digital equivalent of the film size. Due to the size of most small point and shooters, the receptor plate is small even though they can cram a ton of pixels on it. The SLR body form allows for a much larger receptor plate physically and even though it may have fewer megapixels is capable of taking a much nicer pic.

Still, for a musician that always seems to be in a bar or at some dark place where they want a picture...you can't beat Fujifilm.
 
#5
We just picked up a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX07. 7.2 megapixels that will take photos up to 3072 x 2304 pixels. As far as I know it is the only one that has a 28mm wide angle lens in addition to normal and zoom (for a non DSLR with swappable lenses).

It also will shoot video for up to an hour and a half depending on the memory card. Very nice quality photos.

Also, I got it at Best buy for $229. List price on it was $350.

Every digital camera will have it's strength and weaknesses. For an all around great digital camera, this one (to me) is the best bang for the buck.

You can read a review here...

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/fx07.html
 
#6
I've been into photography for years, but am just getting to know my way around digital cameras.

I have a Kodak P880, which is now discontinued, but still available if you search for them. It's an excellent camera for the price, which was $365 US dollars when I bought mine last September. It's an 8 mg camera, and it's got a 24-140mm zoom lens, and the lens is pretty fast at f2.8. The results this camera gives are pretty impressive when printed up to 11x14 inches.

If you can't locate one of these, I'd say check out a Fujifilm Finepix S9100, which has similar specs: 9mg, lens is 28-300mm and you can get it for $377 US dollars at Invalid Link Removed Click on digital cameras, then advanced digital cameras.

Both cameras I mentioned are hybrid or advaced amateur digital cameras, meaning that they have a good variety of shooting modes available, a hot shoe so you can use an external flash unit and a permanently attached lens.

They straddle the gap between point and shoot cameras and the more expensive DSLRs.

Two good sites to read reviews on these and many other cameras are:
www.imaging-resource.com and
Invalid Link Removed

The next camera I have my eye on is the Pentax K10D.

Good luck.

Mike

P.S. To echo what Steve said, try to get a camera which has a hot shoe which can accept an external flash, as most of the pop up units on digital cameras are weak. An external unit will give you much better results if you don't mind the bother of carrying a separate flash unit with you.
 
#9
MAJOR METAL said:
Michael Jewels knows all about photography , I have seen his work. :)
Click to expand...

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Kevin, but I still can't figure out how to post my photos here without having to post them at hosting site. I'm working on it, though.

I did, however, figure out the avatar thing recently, (after 6 years :rollno: ) as you can see, so there's still hope for me. :D

Mike ;)
 
#10
Michael Jewels said:
I've been into photography for years, but am just getting to know my way around digital cameras.

I have a Kodak P880, which is now discontinued, but still available if you search for them. It's an excellent camera for the price, which was $365 US dollars when I bought mine last September. It's an 8 mg camera, and it's got a 24-140mm zoom lens, and the lens is pretty fast at f2.8. The results this camera gives are pretty impressive when printed up to 11x14 inches.

If you can't locate one of these, I'd say check out a Fujifilm Finepix S9100, which has similar specs: 9mg, lens is 28-300mm and you can get it for $377 US dollars at Invalid Link Removed Click on digital cameras, then advanced digital cameras.

Both cameras I mentioned are hybrid or advaced amateur digital cameras, meaning that they have a good variety of shooting modes available, a hot shoe so you can use an external flash unit and a permanantly attached lens.

They straddle the gap between point and shoot cameras and the more expensive DSLRs.

Two good sites to read reviews on these and many other cameras are:
www.imaging-resource.com and
Invalid Link Removed

The next camera I have my eye on is the Pentax K10D.

Good luck.

Mike

P.S. To echo what Steve said, try to get a camera which has a hot shoe which can accept an external flash, as most of the pop up units on digital cameras are weak. An external unit will give you much better results if you don't mind the bother of carrying a separate flash unit with you.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Mike. I'm checking out some of the reviews right now.

Dan
 

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