What Camera to Buy?? - Read me Before Posting

Fionn

hiya
dont know if you've made a decision or not yet, but anyway the three cameras you linked to there are all pretty good!!
any of them will suit you starting off.

I've got the Powershot G7 and i think it's a fine compact, it can be as easy or as complex as you want! it can go from fully automatic shooting with face tracking recognition and lots of other features to full manual control - very similar to a SLR. I don't have many examples actually posted up, but i there's two on my Flickr that you can look at one's a red motorbike and the other is a yellow flower with an ant standing on it - choose different sizes and look at the large version to see how sharp they come out, be aware that you wont get as good results with low light photographs using this or indeed other compacts but still acceptable snaps.

beer4life

Hi guys just so ye lnow I got the new Panasonis Lumix DMC-TZ3. It has 7.2mp 10x mega optical zoom, 3.0 inch lcd. Am very happy withit, I decided to go for compact cause I wanna be able to carry it around the place at ease. I paid 445.00 euro in the Galway Camera Shop for it, then I was asking would he throw in a card or a case free but no luck. In the end he gave me a tenor of a 30euro card and 2 quid of the case. Im a happy bunny think its good for me to start with something simplke like a compact.


Thanx for all your help guys!!:D

Timans

Guys,

I'm going to be buying my first Digital Camera this summer at some point, price range is up to €300 or so. I want a good camera which will give me good picture quality. Want a practical camera as well, but would like to learn about the manual techniques etc. Originally, I wanted a compact camera but am adjusting.

I don't know anything about specs or camera's in general so, help me.

Thanks.

beer4life

Just another quick question guys. The guy in the shop never offered me insurance for it, of course I never thought of it and OI was talking to a guy who works in Currys about it that night and he said I should definitely get insurance on it. So should I bring it back and try and get it insured? Cause al;l I have is a one year gaurantee

Stephen

If you have home insurance it may already be covered under that - call them and find out.

Mark#1

I hate posting a "what [insert item here] should I get?" query, but I've tried putting the names of the three cameras I'm currently considering buying in the search function here but none returned anything. At all.

My wife either has a knack or has been lucky for taking great photos over the years - whether with my Olympus 35mm from 1988 or the OM10 I got in 1990 or the Pentax Z-10 I got in 1994 (subsequently stolen), or her own Panasonic 35mm compact zoom or her Fuji S3000 (tried to use a Dixons PSU with it which fried something inside and it's been scrapped).

So we want to get a decent starter-to-improving DSLR. It'll be mostly for family stuff, some countryside/wildlife/scenery, occasional motorsports - probably the usual stuff everybody wants a decent camera for.

My dad is a professional wedding/portrait photographer, with a Fuji S1 or S5 (I think - not sure) and a Nikon D200, but he has no experience of cameras on the market at our budget level, so he's not much help till I tell him which one I'm considering.

So I'm looking at these:

Nikon D40 + Nikon 18-55 kit + Sigma 55-200: €780 from Conn's

http://www.connscameras.ie/flat_areaEQLproductsAMPCategoryIDEQL40_entry.html

http://www.connscameras.com/flat_areaEQLproductsAMPCategoryIDEQL7892_entry.html


Canon EOS 350D + Canon 18-55m (€630 from cameracentre.ie)
http://www.cameracentre.ie/digital_canon.htm

+ Canon 55-200mm (€150 from Conn's)
http://www.connscameras.ie/flat_areaEQLproductsAMPCategoryIDEQL109_entry.html


Olympus E400 + Olympus 14-42mm & 40-15mm: €800 from Conn's

http://www.connscameras.ie/flat_areaEQLproductsAMPCategoryIDEQL43_entry.html


Aside from the MPs which are easy to understand, the rest of the specs seem pretty similar, except for . . .

The Canon has the smallest LCD screen, the Olympus is the lightest, the Olympus' sensor is the smallest (17.3mm x 13mm), the Canon's sensor is CMOS while the other two are CCD, the Olympus's lenses give shorter telephoto potential - probably not an issue - but the Olympus lens also gives better wide-angle potential (though probably not by any noticeable degree?)

What specs and features are the deciding factors for us? Why should I buy one of these over the others?

One thing that we really hated about the S3000 was the shutter lag. Would my guess that DSLRs (just like film SLRs) don't suffer any shuter lag at all be correct?

I don't want to say that these are the only three that we're interested in - by all means we'll look at anything that's recommended, but before someone posts a well-intended "well if you get only one lens to start off with and leave the telephoto till further down the road, you could use your budget to get a better body & lens kit initially", we do want to get a body and lenses to cover wide angle to decent telephoto right from the start and our budget is €800.

I apologise if these types of newbie-advice posts are frowned upon here, but I did try to search and I have looked at letsgodigital.org and other sites, which are all very useful, but I'm looking for Irish opinions on the cameras and possible vendors.

Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for any replies.

Mark

Stephen

From that selection I'd get the Canon 350D. The Nikon D40's major problem is that it does not have a built in autofocus motor so you can only AF with lenses that have their own - i.e. pretty much only new Nikon ones. I believe DSLR's do suffer a little shutter lag but in my experience its shorter than I am capable of detecting, especially when I compare it (entry-level Nikon D50) to my old point & shoot (Nikon E5600).

Mark#1

Yeah, leaning toward the 350D. Spoke with Conn's Cameras this morning (REALLY helpful) and of the three, he recommended the 350D + 18-55mm kit and a Sigma 70-300mm APO.

As an aside, for a while now I've wanted a reasonable digital P&S for myself that can be used underwater, to 18m or so (current dive cert is PADI Open Water). I know the MJU700 can go to 5m or something stand-alone, and something like 30m with Olympus' specific housing. Anyone got any thoughts or recommendations, either for cameras or resources?

Thanks,

Mark

sineadw

Can't help you on the underwater one (although I bought a disposable one in Aldi the other day for €6 ) but I'd definitely recommend the 350D. You can get the Sigma 70-300 APO from Kea on ebay for about €130 btw, if you want to save a bit. Think that's without postage though. I saw it in Pixels on Liffey Street for €200 yesterday. €220 most places.

Get the 50mm 1.8!

Mark#1

That's a few recommendations I've come accross for the 50mm APO - would that be recommended in addition to or in place of the 18-55mm? Is the 50mm APO macro?

Is a macro lens only useable for extreme close-up work or can it also perform as a standard equivalent 50mm lens?

Anyone know of a waterproof housing for the EOS 350D? That could be an option if I paired the 350D with a 50mm macro.

Thanks,

Mark

sineadw

Not the macro - the regular Canon 50mm 1.8 EF. Its very cheap (€80-130 depending whether you go ebay or real Irish shop). I got mine a few weeks ago and it hasn't been off the camera since. I think everyone with a canon would echo that recommendation. Its just a great all-rounder, and for its price its very fast. The 18-55 kit is 5.6 at 55mm wide open, so pretty lousy unless you're in good daylight or lose quality with a high ISO. I'm not really one for big wide-angle shots anyway.

I have a 100 prime macro for my film camera and it also makes an excellent portrait and mid-range regular lens. I think that goes for most macros? Although I don't know the 50mm one.

duffarama

There is a waterproof housing available for the Olympus E-400, don't know how much it costs though.

For me the double kit lens option for the E-400 would be perfect, check the review sites and you should find what camera suits your needs, cameralabs and dpreview are good places for research

Mark#1

Yeah, I saw that housing for the E400 on an Oz website. It's an olympus housing, rather than an aftermarket item by a different manufacturer. I found it in a UK shop for about £850! :eek:

That actually seems to be pretty reasonable (for what it is) compared to most housings by Nexus, Subal, Ikelite, etc.

What puts me off the Olympus is the 17mm wide sensor, where the 350D & D40's are both over 22mm. So the on-the-face-of-it MP advantage of the E400 doesn't really mean much.

I did come across an Ikelite housing for the EOS 350D in the US which would cost €702 including shipping to Dublin, but excluding duty. That seems acceptable to me, as an MJU700 or MJU720 + housing would actually cost similar.

But I guess I'm getting ahead of myself - we just need to get the DSLR to begin with.

Mark

loyatemu

anyone here used the Canon powershot S3? I want to get a better camera but don't think I can justify buying an SLR - this looks a good compromise - lots of manual options, big zoom, high quality video (with zoom, which is fairly rare) and the tilt and pan LCD could be quite useful for taking shots from odd angles.

http://tinyurl.com/yg27dh

anyone any opinions?

latchiko

loyatemu wrote:

anyone here used the Canon powershot S3?

I've never used the S3 but I did use its predecessor the S2. It was a good camera with a lot of features and I would recommend it. I'm sure the S3 is even better. I have since upgraded to an SLR, but I learnt a lot from the S2. It gives you a lot of creative control (should you need it) and I did find the LCD useful for tricky angles.

Beelzebub

Can anyone recommend either of these.

It seems to be a pretty good beginners DSLR.

humbert

I hate being another "which one", but I'm completely clueless and too often I've seen people buying things I do know something about get caught up in features hyped in reviews and miss whats actually important.

With that in mind I'd like to ask the knowledgable people of this forum what they thought of this camera. CANON Digital Ixus 950 IS

I'm thinking of buying a camera for holidays/travelling mainly but that would also allow me to take some tentative first steps in photography.

masseyno9

Ok, here's the story. Heading away inter-railing in a while and need to get a camera. Been looking at
samsung L73 http://www.pixmania.com/ie/uk/549433/art/samsung/l73-in-black.html?itag=6506
Sony DSC W35 http://www.pixmania.com/ie/uk/542318/art/sony/cyber-shot-dsc-w35.html?itag=6506#

Seem to be fairly similar on the face of it. Leaning towards L73 because of the fact it takes SD cards (universal etc..) and i also like the look of the control system.

Anyone have any advice or other suggestions? Must be a small, pocket friendly camera, and around the same price as the ones above.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Pyjamarama

Hi all,

Sorry in advance for torturing you all with another which camera?? question but at this stage I'm going insane trying to decide betweeen the millions of models.

What a camera for general use, want good quality images outdoor and low light. At the moment I'm a point and shooter but want to improve!

At first i was looking at the Sony Cybershot W55 but it seems to be just automatic functions and you can’t really alter anytihng manually.

My price range is €250 – 300.

So now I have been thinking about:

Panasonic Lumix L27 – pros are the 6X optical zoom, image stabilisation, cons is no viewfinder

Fuju Finepix F20 or F30d – seems to generally get great reviews for picture quality everywhere I looked, cons are its only 3X optical zoom and also no viewfinder

Canon IXUS 70 (seems to be the best model of IXUS in my price range!) – again generally gets good reviews and has a viewfinder, cons are its only 3X optical zoom. Also from previously using a friends Canon I never really liked the colours and lack of definition of the photos – perhaps it was just set wrong I don’t know!! But I have read people mentioning that about Canon’s in general.

I’m leaning towards the Lumix but the lack of a viewfinder does bother me. I imagine the optical zoom is a good advantage – it’s the best in a compact I’ve seen in this price range. I’m going travelling soon so image quality is my top priority, will be taking a lot of pics of scenery etc. If anyone can think of a better camera let me know!!

Thanks

Scoual

hi pyjamarama,

i wouldn t go for any camera without viewfinder personnally...it can be sometimes impossible to take pictures in certain light conditions (either very bright or very dark). I don t own any myself but had to use a friend's camera and not having a viewfinder was distracting and also energy consuming.
just a thought...

Pyjamarama

Hey Scoual,

Yeah it's a big issue for me but thought i was perhaps blowing it out of proportion, it is so hard to find compacts with viewfinders these days (well in my price range at least!) Damn Panasonic, if the Lumix had a viewfinder I would be 100% on it.

When i think about it i used my viewfinder quite a lot on my last camera so its probably stupid to spend 300 quid on a camera when an important element is missing. Hmm ...

Pyjamarama

Pyjamarama wrote:

Hi all,

Sorry in advance for torturing you all with another which camera?? question but at this stage I'm going insane trying to decide betweeen the millions of models.

What a camera for general use, want good quality images outdoor and low light. At the moment I'm a point and shooter but want to improve!

At first i was looking at the Sony Cybershot W55 but it seems to be just automatic functions and you can’t really alter anytihng manually.

My price range is €250 – 300.

So now I have been thinking about:

Panasonic Lumix L27 – pros are the 6X optical zoom, image stabilisation, cons is no viewfinder

Fuju Finepix F20 or F30d – seems to generally get great reviews for picture quality everywhere I looked, cons are its only 3X optical zoom and also no viewfinder

Canon IXUS 70 (seems to be the best model of IXUS in my price range!) – again generally gets good reviews and has a viewfinder, cons are its only 3X optical zoom. Also from previously using a friends Canon I never really liked the colours and lack of definition of the photos – perhaps it was just set wrong I don’t know!! But I have read people mentioning that about Canon’s in general.

I’m leaning towards the Lumix but the lack of a viewfinder does bother me. I imagine the optical zoom is a good advantage – it’s the best in a compact I’ve seen in this price range. I’m going travelling soon so image quality is my top priority, will be taking a lot of pics of scenery etc. If anyone can think of a better camera let me know!!

Thanks

Ok think I've solved my own problem by a bit more research - Canon Powershot A710 IS seems to have everything i want - IS, 6X optical zoom and optical viewfinder, hurrah! Everyone seems to say mostly positive stuff about it, people's views???

BFassassin

Hi guys.
Im looking to get a new camera and was thinking of getting a DSLR for some good quality pics. I see in argos that there are some good offers on cameras at the minute and was thinking of them. There is a Sony Cybershot H2 for €375 and a Panasonic Lumix DMCFZ7EBK for €330. Are these any good or would it be worth looking out for a Nikon D40 ( Ive heard these are good) or any other recomendations. I am only looking at spending max €400. I am not a keen photographer but i want a camera that is capable of taking good action shots as i like football and rallying and that will be what i plan on using it for the most. It would also be used for the general holiday photos etc. If you have any other suggestions then they would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

RichyX

Beelzebub wrote:

Can anyone recommend either of these.

It seems to be a pretty good beginners DSLR.

I've had a K100D for the last 3 months or so.

Would highly recommend it.
Bloody good value and nice to use, it's my first DSLR too.

Both of the kit lenses, 18-55mm and 50-200mm, are well worth the money.

It should be easy to get it for 450€ online or in any of the UK shops.
A steal at that price.

If you've any specific questions feel free to ask.

RichyX

BFassassin wrote:

Hi guys.
Im looking to get a new camera and was thinking of getting a DSLR for some good quality pics. I see in argos that there are some good offers on cameras at the minute and was thinking of them. There is a Sony Cybershot H2 for €375 and a Panasonic Lumix DMCFZ7EBK for €330. Are these any good or would it be worth looking out for a Nikon D40 ( Ive heard these are good) or any other recomendations. I am only looking at spending max €400. I am not a keen photographer but i want a camera that is capable of taking good action shots as i like football and rallying and that will be what i plan on using it for the most. It would also be used for the general holiday photos etc. If you have any other suggestions then they would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

For 400€ you won't be getting a new SLR, let alone with a good lens.

If you're willing to spend that much I'd say go a bit further and get a proper SLR rather than those 2 superzooms.
It's worth paying for the sort of high ISO performance you'll get.

The D40 is very good camera but limited due to it lack of a built in internal focus motor. ie it won't be able to auto focus with a lot of Nikon lenes.

Take a look at the Pentax K100D I mentioned above.
It's very near your price range and an excellent camera.

BFassassin

Thanks for the info RichyX ill have a look into it

hawthorn

I just have a simple request; any recommendations for a digital camera, budget 250-280. Was considering about Nikon Coolpix S200, but good and bad reviews. And info on it?

I just want the best camera I can get for simple everyday, casual use.

Thanks

h

sineadw

I have an older Coolpix, bloody great camera. Lovely lens and very easy to use. I still use mine the odd time.

BFassassin

Ive had a look around and i dont think i need a Dslr but i have saw this panasonic camera which has a 10x optical zoom which i think is impressive.
Any opinions on it?
http://www.pixmania.com/ie/uk/554387/art/panasonic/lumix-dmc-tz2-in-black.html#

RichyX

BFassassin wrote:

Ive had a look around and i dont think i need a Dslr but i have saw this panasonic camera which has a 10x optical zoom which i think is impressive.
Any opinions on it?
http://www.pixmania.com/ie/uk/554387/art/panasonic/lumix-dmc-tz2-in-black.html#

It's slightly bigger brother has had some good reviews - http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonictz3/page14.asp

Some issues, but it depends on what you're after really.
Looks like a good choice to me.