New digital camera suggestions

[Joel Wright]

Hi guys, I'm going to be buying a new digital camera in the near future, and I'm looking in the $400-$500 range. I'm almost entirely interested in just pictures, and not so much video. Although I guess that would be a plus.

Obviously in this price range it won't be a top of the line camera, but I would assume it would still get me a pretty nice one. My main concern is picture quality and clarity.

My old camera is biting the dust, so it's time for a replacement.


Thanks. 8)

 

[Andrew Khan]

I appreciate pictures more than video as well, but if I could get a Video Camera I would, and if I could afford one, I would, just because it would be a cool plus.

First, I would reccomend the Canon brand, just because Ithink it's the most reliable camera corporation. So, your looking for a moderat poitn and shoot camera then?

I know this is a great camera, seeing as I've used it before: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canona620/

I would reccomend it to anyone. It has superb image quality and has some great presets on it, all for a great price, and it has manual controls.

Another great camera htan I have used before as well is the: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canons2is/

Good Luck!

 

[Joel Wright]

Thanks for the suggestions Andrew. I really like that Canon A620. That's about exactly what I'm looking for. I may just get that one. Right in the price range too. :wink:

 

[B Ozanne]

I'm a big backer of Canon as well. I think you will be very happy with several Canon cameras in that price range. I have a Canon point and shoot and a Canon DSLR. I rarely break out the DSLR anymore.

Make sure your point and shoot has a manual mode. So you can adjust aperture and shutter speed. Also, make sure you have the option to shoot in raw.

 

[Greg Campbell]

Joel,

Your $500 upper limit puts you at the threshold of a DSLR. You can get a Nikon D50 new for $550, plus another $50 for more memory (true for any digicam you get.)

You'd still need a lens... With a cheap aftermarket lens, or Nikon's not-all-that-bad 'kit' lens, the camera will most likely (anyone else agree?) produce images as that are better than those from a $500 point and shoot.

I know this puts you around $650, and lord knows I'm usualy the one suggesting a lower end purchase. In this case, the image quality and operational flexibility of a DSLR just might be worth a few more $. (More spending will no doubt follow when you want to expand your lens collection... :? ) Just a thought.

If you go for a P/S, forget about counting those %^&$@$ megapixels! Look for build quality, lens sharpness and speed, battery life, weatherproofing, etc. There are SO many cameras that specific advise is hard to offer. Canon, Nikon, Pentax, and more all make excellent stuff. If you're feeling political, boycott Sony, lest the driver CD installs a rootkit on your computer! Head over to Dpreview, Imaging-resource or Steve's Digicams and start reading....

IMO, a sub $300 5MP point and shoot camera is a better buy than a $500 8MP. With the tiny sensors used in P/S cameras, the extra pixels will not bring a proportional increase in resolution.

-Greg

 

[Andrew Khan]

You could get a Nikon D50 indeed, but it's up to you, if you want a dSLR or just a small poin and shoot.

 

[Joel Wright]

Hey Greg, that Nikon looks pretty nice too. It's a little more than I want to spend, but it does have some very nice features. Pretty tough decision. That different type of sensor; the DSLR, is that a big step up from the regular P/S cameras? I'm still sort of a newbie when it comes to cameras.

How are the battery lives of these respective cameras? I know with my last camera, it ate batteries for breakfast.


Thanks again guys. 8)

 

[Tony Laubach]

My experiences with Canon's digital cameras came from the A85, and they've been great. The quality of shots I've taken with this P/S camera are great! My expectations in a camera are nothing more than to be able to add to my 8x10 collection and this camera works perfectly! I've even taken some incredible lightning shots with this using its manual settings and they've turned out great on the wall as well.

Any of the Canon P/S cameras I would recommend as long as they DO have the manual settings which give you greater picture-taking ability. I also picked up a cheapo lens adapter and set for this camera and it'll give me all the flexibility I need without having to spend a fortune on a DSLR.

 

[Andrew Khan]

The Canon P/S that I reccomended to you, as excellent battery life dude. IT's a great one to have, it seems most Canon cameras have great battery lives. MY Canon 350D has an amazingly long battery life.....it's crazy. My old Nikon, which was a Nikon D70, had horrible battery life, and lasted so short I might as well, just keep it charging while I shoot. Also, my old Nikon Coolpix 4800, "Ate Batteries For Breakfast." Maybe Nikon's have a bad battery life? I also have heard some pretty bad things about the Nikon D50 dSLR.


And yes, it is quite a big step up, because you have your lenses, sensor and a lot more responsibility comes into play with a dSLR than just a simple P/S.

 

[Greg Campbell]

Hey Greg, that Nikon looks pretty nice too. It's a little more than I want to spend, but it does have some very nice features. Pretty tough decision. That different type of sensor; the DSLR, is that a big step up from the regular P/S cameras? I'm still sort of a newbie when it comes to cameras.

How are the battery lives of these respective cameras? I know with my last camera, it ate batteries for breakfast.


Thanks again guys. 8)

As a general rule, a DSLR camera will produce better images than a point+shoot at comperable resolutions (megapixels). The larger sensor produces better tonalities, less noise, and sharper images. I've never used a D50, so please don't take my writings as hard advice. The D50 I played at the store with felt reasonably solid (For a DSLR! Compared to my Jurassic-era film bodies, they are all plastic junk! ) and the camera gets decent reviews. Is it worth nearly $700? I got no clue!

That said, a good $300 P/S will take sweet pictures. If you can, borrow a few diferent cameras and try them under overcast conditions. If there's a good camera store around, pay them a visit. If you get real lucky, you might even get a salesperson who knows WTF they are talking about. Tell him/her that you want to shoot weather, and maybe, just maybe, they will offer some good advice, instead of just pushing you toward the most expensive thing in the store. As mentioned, look for water and dust resistance, battery life, durability (no flimsy telescoping plastic lens poking out, waiting to be whacked), etc. (The few waterproof cameras I could find on-line all suffer dumbed-down controls.) Take your time and try before you buy!

-Greg

 

[Joel Wright]

Well, I ended up getting the Canon A620 P/S. So far I love it. It takes very good pictures for a P/S.

Thanks again everybody for the suggestions!

 

[Patrick Ware]

I just purchased the Canon SD550. It's 7.1 megapixel, very small, and takes great pictures. Remember, you will be more likely to use your camera when you have it with you and an SLR and all the attachments requires alot of arms to carry around.

 

[Joel Wright]

Originally posted by Patrick Ware
....Remember, you will be more likely to use your camera when you have it with you and an SLR and all the attachments requires alot of arms to carry around.

Yep. My buddy found that out today. He just bought a Canon Digital Rebel SLR. We went for a drive up north into Wisconsin and he brought along a ton of gear. Lenses, filters, etc. I just had my little camera bag.

Even though his pictures turned out very good, I'm still happy with the clarity of my pics and the ease of use with my A620. I'll post a few pics on here as soon as I get some new web hosting shortly.

 

[samuel stone]

Originally posted by Joel Wright
Well, I ended up getting the Canon A620 P/S. So far I love it. It takes very good pictures for a P/S.

I own a Cannon Powershot A520 (similar cam just not quite as good/expensive) and if your cameras performance is anything like mine I know you will be satisfied. I am also a fan of Cannon camera's as they have performed well for me.

 

[Andrew Khan]

Congratulations Joel! I am sure you will enjoy your Canon camera. It's a good one! SLR's and dSLR's are harder to lug around, and your less tempted to pull out the gear if a shot comes up, because of having to get all the equpment out and so on.