Getting Camera Tomorrow. Help!

Timans

Well, might be picking up a Digi Camera tomorrow so need some advice.

I don't know anything about them so would really appreciate the help.

Will be buying it SOMEWHERE in Dublin so shops are welcome too, I would like a good zoom on the camera and obviously good picture quality. I'd love to get into photography but I know that I can't afford a DSLR or anything at my budget.

Budget would be €350 MAAAX. I'd say (If even that )

Thanks.

kjt

Drop into Gunns on Wexford st, they won't send you wrong.
Great family!!!

oshead

kjt wrote: »

Drop into Gunns on Wexford st, they won't send you wrong.
Great family!!!

They are probably the cheapest too.

Timans

Any recommendations towards Camera's themselves though?

Will check Gunns out though, cheers.

TelePaul

Timans wrote: »

Any recommendations towards Camera's themselves though?

Will check Gunns out though, cheers.

Fuji S5800. It's a bridge camera.

Timans

Looks interesting Paul, thanks.

Only problem is I'll want to take this to gigs, how durable would a camera like that be?

TelePaul

Timans wrote: »

Looks interesting Paul, thanks.

Only problem is I'll want to take this to gigs, how durable would a camera like that be?

TBH durable is a secondary concern when it comes to gigs; I don't know offhand if a point and shoot will allow enough light in without a flash. I would think not. What kinda gigs are you going for?

Timans

Any gigs, Musical of course. The likes of Tool, Smashing Pumpkins, a broad range of music. Indoor, Outdoor etc etc.

I forgot actually, no flashes allowed in gigs is there? or do you mean that this camera's flash isn't up to much?

As a camera, what's it like?

TelePaul

Timans wrote: »

Any gigs, Musical of course. The likes of Tool, Smashing Pumpkins, a broad range of music. Indoor, Outdoor etc etc.

I forgot actually, no flashes allowed in gigs is there? or do you mean that this camera's flash isn't up to much?

As a camera, what's it like?

Okay, hmmmm. I wasn't expecting this!

By what gigs I really meant where, i.e what venue. Yes, alot of places will be anti-flash, and I'm pretty sure Tool are actually anti-photography, believe it or not! So photography use depends on the venue, sure. TBH if you're in the crowd and don't have consent to take photos, with either an SLR or compact, flashing away isn't very fair on the band or fellow gig-goers.

Now, the real issue is that a compact camera will not perform as well as an SLR in low light conditions. Someone will probably come along and argue the toss, but generally an SLR gives you much more control over exposure. You can also buy more specialist lenses, which typically can allow more light into the camera. A compact camera will usually compensate by exposing for a long period of time, and is thus prone to blurry images.

I didn't know you were actually gonna use this for gig photos, thought it was for general use. The optical zoom is pretty huge and it has image stabilising which is good too. A large lcd screen and quite a bit of functionality make it a decent compact.

Timans

and is the S5800 a compact camera then?

It certainly doesn't look compact, lol, but I know that isn't what counts.

So, what would you recommend for a person buying his first camera with a few to take regular pictures or scenery, bands, my new guitar and more?

TelePaul

Timans wrote: »

and is the S5800 a compact camera then?

It certainly doesn't look compact, lol, but I know that isn't what counts.

So, what would you recommend for a person buying his first camera with a few to take regular pictures or scenery, bands, my new guitar and more?

Well we use different terms to describe a cameras functionality, not really size. They are as follows:

SLR - single lens reflex, what you see through the viewfinder is what you get when you take the shot. Traditionally film was the medium for recording an image.

DSLR - Same as above but records the image digitally. The more pixels, the bigger the image can be printed without becoming distorted.

Compact/Point and Shoot - Common digital cameras, small, usually a small lens that can't be changed but allows a certain amount of zoom capability. You press the button and away you go, there isn't alot of functionality that can be user-selected.

Bridge - The Fuji falls into this category. It has a fixed lens but allows you to play with the settings and ultimately gives more control over the capturing of an image. And it's actually quite small when compared to a full-on SLR. And yep, it'll be good for the day-to-day kind of things you mentioned.

What's the guitar?

Thirdfox

For gigs though you really need both great high iso capabilities coupled with a fast lens... not something you usually find in a compact camera.

Canon 400D with 50mm f1.8 springs to mind - but is way over your budget.

One other thing to consider - some gigs will allow p&s cameras but not dSLR (they're afraid you'll sell the shots) - but on the flipside - the p&s will probably take pretty poor pictures (but better than potentially none with the dSLR! )

Failing all that - have a look and see can you buy a fuji f31fd or f30 - best compact camera ever made with high iso - almost within touching distance of some dSLRs. They've stopped making new ones but some stores may still have some in stock.

and I would advise you to get more research done and think carefully about your needs before buying a camera. It is quite an expensive item to have and it's better to find the suitable camera first time round

Good luck!

Timans

Paul, it's a Washburn X-50.

And yeah, thanks for all the replies, they are very much appreciated.

I do like the look of that Fujifilm but is it a good camera? It looks it and from what I read it's decent enough. The problem is, my dad wants to get me the camera as a present and we're heading up to Dublin tomorrow so he's keen to pick one up tomorrow.

I suppose a Bridge would be the best bet for now, I can always upgrade in the future if I found myself wanting to. But yeah, if there is any other camera's anyone would recommend or any general advice, I'd love to hear it before I go to bed!

The replies are genuinely very much appreciated guys, Thanks!

Thirdfox

If you think you may upgrade...do not get the bridge - with a p&s once you upgrade to dSLR you can still keep the compact for snaps and occasions where it would not be appropriate to bring a big dSLR camera (like some gigs!)

With a bridge you'd basically have two cameras that do the same job, just one does it better. And the resell value of the camera by then would be almost nothing as with any electronic good...

TelePaul

Timans wrote: »

Paul, it's a Washburn X-50.

And yeah, thanks for all the replies, they are very much appreciated.

I do like the look of that Fujifilm but is it a good camera? It looks it and from what I read it's decent enough. The problem is, my dad wants to get me the camera as a present and we're heading up to Dublin tomorrow so he's keen to pick one up tomorrow.

I suppose a Bridge would be the best bet for now, I can always upgrade in the future if I found myself wanting to. But yeah, if there is any other camera's anyone would recommend or any general advice, I'd love to hear it before I go to bed!

The replies are genuinely very much appreciated guys, Thanks!

I also like most of the stuff in the Nikon Coolpix range. But sure ask the guys in Gunns, they're generally very helpful. Make sure ya get a memory card with whatever you buy.

TelePaul

Thirdfox wrote: »

If you think you may upgrade...do not get the bridge - with a p&s once you upgrade to dSLR you can still keep the compact for snaps and occasions where it would not be appropriate to bring a big dSLR camera (like some gigs!)

With a bridge you'd basically have two cameras that do the same job, just one does it better. And the resell value of the camera by then would be almost nothing as with any electronic good...

I take your point but the bridge I recommended isn't massive and price wise is about the same as most compacts.

Timans

Ooooh, controversial opinions here.

I don't know what to do, on the one hand I can see the appeal of getting a very good Compact camera as it is easy to carry around, perfect for gigs and general usage but if I got more drawn to Photography then I'd be restricted.

I could upgrade but I probably won't have the cash to be spending on a big dSLR anyway. And besides, I am not paying for this one so whatever I get in the future will be down to my own bank balance.

I am swaying towards the Fuji s5800 at the moment but again, am open to other opinions. In the compact camera camera which are best?

Thirdfox

Canon powershots have good manual features if you want them (better than Nikon p&s anyway - no fanboyism, I'm a Nikon dSLR user )

Panasonic lumix has a 10x optical zoom compact camera - LZ3/TZ3 or something similar. It has image stabilisation too.

Basically it would come down to this (for me):
Do I need a camera that I can bring everywhere with me? -> compact
Do I need a camera that will give me the best photographs, provided I work at learning how to use it properly (spend time and money)? -> dSLR
Do I need a camera that has some good features but I'm not that into photography to care if some images would have turned out better if I had used a different lens etc.? -> bridge

I'm just concerned that very quickly the OP will find that ISO 800 on the fuji s5800 (is that a new model? I haven't found any sample images on flickr - here's gig photos taken with the s5700 http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=gigs&cm=fujifilm%2Ffinepix_s5700 ) will be inadequate and wish for a faster lens...

take a quick look at the other bridges too namely - see comparison here:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp
(one of the best sites for reviews and honest opinions on cameras).

you can create your own search by functions here:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare.asp

Thirdfox

Btw OP - a "big" dSLR can cost as little as €430 new (if you go for a Nikon D40 for example) - it's the lenses that really kill you for cost - some costing more than €2000 for a professional lens.

One of my "cheap", "consumer" lens costs enough to almost buy a bridge camera

It's all about compromises - is the quality of the bridge good enough for your needs? It is enough (and sometimes more than enough) for a lot of people... but think carefully about what you want to do with it and know what the limitations are...

Timans

Whoa, these are some quick replies coming, very thankful!

I think those gig pictures look extremely good quality! I'd be extremely happy with those to be quite honest. I don't need to take it EVERYWHERE but would like to take it quite a few places. But, If I'm going anywhere, I usually take a backpack to store the various crap I carry around so I don't think that will be a problem.

The quality looks very good to me, the s5800 is quite cheap for what it seems to be offering, why is this? Am I mad to buy it or is it just a good deal which I thought were dead these days! :eek:

Thirdfox

Timans wrote: »

Ooooh, controversial opinions here.

I know double posting is frowned upon - so triple posting must be perma-ban or something

but you haven't seen the really controversial topics yet - some "photographers" view their cameras as being part of themselves and defend a brand to quite frightening levels.

to really put the cat amongst the pigeons try asking:
so which is better Canon or Nikon? :cool:
and in the end there's always that one person who says Olympus :mad:

Thirdfox

Timans wrote: »

I think those gig pictures look extremely good quality! I'd be extremely happy with those to be quite honest. I don't need to take it EVERYWHERE but would like to take it quite a few places. But, If I'm going anywhere, I usually take a backpack to store the various crap I carry around so I don't think that will be a problem.

The quality looks very good to me, the s5800 is quite cheap for what it seems to be offering, why is this? Am I mad to buy it or is it just a good deal which I thought were dead these days! :eek:

The photos look good at a small size - maybe you're not planning to print big (or print at all) and in which case a bridge may do you fine. Also it's worth keeping in mind that people usually post their best stuff online - for every one pic you see there may be 100 shots that were deleted because it didn't look good.

That's one of the key separation points between the different classes of cameras - will it hinder or help me to get the shot that I have in mind. We are artists afterall

But bridge cameras are a lot cheaper these days - there's fierce competition between the big companies and between themselves and budget dSLRs like my Nikon D40.

If you are looking for a bridge there has never been a better time to buy...except in 6 months time when the newer, better and cheaper version is out (electronic goods almost never appreciate in value - just compare laptop prices now with that of 7 years ago). One exception I mentioned is the fuji f31/f30 - some second-hand ones have been selling to close to original value (because people see that it is a great camera).

Timans

Yeah true, I didn't think of it like that, they might have had 100 pics that were pure ****e before posting the good ones.

I am genuinely confused at what I'll do! I am still swaying towards the s5800 but not sure whether this is the wrong decision.

Make my decision someone!

TelePaul

Timans wrote: »

Yeah true, I didn't think of it like that, they might have had 100 pics that were pure ****e before posting the good ones.

I am genuinely confused at what I'll do! I am still swaying towards the s5800 but not sure whether this is the wrong decision.

Make my decision someone!

It's easy, just like buying a guitar. You assess your interest in photography, decide how much you're willing to spend and buy the best camera you can buy for that amount.

If you're not gonna go DSLR - and you don't need to, some of my better and earliest shots were taken with a compact Nikon - then you really have €350 to buy an awesome compact.

I would go into Gunns, ask a few questions, ask what they recommend and come home with a top notch camera.

TelePaul

Timans wrote: »

Yeah true, I didn't think of it like that, they might have had 100 pics that were pure ****e before posting the good ones.

I am genuinely confused at what I'll do! I am still swaying towards the s5800 but not sure whether this is the wrong decision.

Make my decision someone!

I had about 500 film prints that were **** before I started getting good. And they cost me a ****load to develop.

Timans

Didn't get a chance to head into Gunns today as we just stayed in Dundrum out of the rain. Didn't actually purchase a camera today but have decided to go with the S5800. Is it better than the S5700? yeah?

I say another Fuji in Argos for €315, Bridge camera, 6mp but with 3200 ISO as opposed to the 1800 on the S5800.

Hmmm. I've told me dad to just get me S5800 but I could change if someone were to tell me of the S5800's utter ****eness. Otherwise, I'd say I'll be happy with it.

http://www.argos.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=30001&langId=-1&catalogId=1500000801&productId=1500129459&Trail=FC%24Brands%3DFujifilm.Fujifilm&categoryId=1500010479&clickfrom=name

Its actually reduced to 260, and it has a better sensor than the s5800.

Ricky91t

Yeah id go with the fuji im 16 now..
And when i was 14 got my first fuji cam (upgaded from a rubbish point and shoot)
The image quality was excellent and i really liked this camera sadly the zoom just wasnt good enough.The s5800 looks like a really good camera and would be great for you.Im sure in about a years time you will want to upgrade to a DSLR (as i did)But untill then this looks like a great cam!!:D