So you are looking for a new camera.

trishw78

have you tried www.pixmania.com

laura l

i like taking photos and have been complemented on being creative and artistic and am very spatially aware. i love photography and would like to get into it more. i want to invest in an SLR. i would appreciate your recommendations and advice for a first time SLR buy. They are not cheap so i would appreciate your knowledge regarding which features to look out for and which brand packages are best. Thanks.

Kintarō Hattori

Wrong forum again Laura
I'm sure a mod will move it for you into the main photography forum.

Have you checked the stickies, in particular the one below. They are an invaluable help when deciding on a new camera:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055557678

Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, Sony.... all the big name manufacturers all make excellent cameras and each one will produce fantastic images. There is no one company/model to go for, they all have something to offer. Common advice on the forum is to go into a camera shop and get a hold of one in your hands and see what feels right for you.

Currently I use a Pentax and I love how it feels, heavy and solid. A while back I used a camera from another company and it just didn't feel right in my hands. It was too light and there was no top LCD panel :eek: which is something I couldn't live without in a camera.

It might sound like funny advice. You're wondering why I'm not making reference to a specific make or model but really they are all excellent camera's and the one that is best for you is the one that sits most comfortably in your hands.

estee

Hi, new user looking for some camera advice

Either February or December of 2010 (December looks more promising) I will be going on a week tour to Alaska to witness the Northern Lights. Naturally, I want to take photos of this phenomena, but I want to do it right. I currently had a higher end Canon point-and-shoot, but that doesn't cut it for me. High end or not, its a point and shoot. I want something to capture as best as possible.

Now when it comes to money, I'll probably have like 500 to 1,000 bucks available for this purchase, maybe 1,500. I don't need such a good camera often at all, so I'll be doing what I've done in the past with expensive HD camcorders. I buy them, use them, and return it within the 14 days allowed for these types of electronics. That is why I can spend so much, cause it'll get returned anyways.

I've been a fan of Canon for years, but who knows if others are better. Can someone recommend me cameras or a good place to learn about camera specs? I've been to the Canon site and look at all the EOS cameras and have no clue what I'm looking at. Some stuff I know, but most of it is Greek to me.


So I ask, what camera should I get? Lenses? Filters etc?

Thanks for any help

trishw78

why don't you have a look at some shots on flickr of the various Canon cameras 1000D/50D/5DMkII/1DMkIV, also going into a bricks & mortar shop to hold the cameras is also a good idea, to see if you like the feel, how the menus are set out.

What is your budget?

as for lens find out what kit lens comes with the cameras. 16-35mmL while it's a nice landscape lens might just be waaay out of your budget. what else long term do you plan to shoot with the camera.

DaireQuinlan

estee wrote: »

I don't need such a good camera often at all, so I'll be doing what I've done in the past with expensive HD camcorders. I buy them, use them, and return it within the 14 days allowed for these types of electronics. That is why I can spend so much, cause it'll get returned anyways.

Hang on a sec, you plan to buy a camera, actually USE it on the trip, and then, in completely bad faith, return it when you get back from the trip and don't need it anymore ? Does this not strike you as a completely dishonest thing to do ?

CabanSail

estee wrote: »

Now when it comes to money, I'll probably have like 500 to 1,000 bucks available for this purchase, maybe 1,500. I don't need such a good camera often at all, so I'll be doing what I've done in the past with expensive HD camcorders. I buy them, use them, and return it within the 14 days allowed for these types of electronics. That is why I can spend so much, cause it'll get returned anyways.

Personally I find this practice to be quite dishonest. The fact that you are taking an item with the intention of returning it so you can use it in the meantime is not why there is a return policy. What you are doing may be legal but it is exploiting a loophole. I suspect that it may be a form of Fraud. The equipment you take away on your holiday and use will have to be paid for by the rest of us who genuinely purchase our gear. They cannot sell that camera as new anymore & so make a loss on it. Not that I would do such a thing, but if I did I think I would be ashamed of it, the fact that you seem proud of doing this amazes me.

kensutz

estee wrote: »

Now when it comes to money, I'll probably have like 500 to 1,000 bucks available for this purchase, maybe 1,500. I don't need such a good camera often at all, so I'll be doing what I've done in the past with expensive HD camcorders. I buy them, use them, and return it within the 14 days allowed for these types of electronics. That is why I can spend so much, cause it'll get returned anyways.

trishw78 wrote: »

What is your budget?

I think the answer is already in the original post :rolleyes:

As for what he plans to do with the return of the camera within 14 days, it's a bit dishonest and in fact disgusting.

niamhnichuinn

€150-€200 compact digital camera for christmas present
I am looking for a compact digital camera somewhere around €150-€200. It is for Christmas for my daughter and I have left it a bit late. She already has a DSLR (Nikon D60) so I am not looking for anything like this just something small that fits into a pocket. Something in and around 8mp and x3 optical zoom or higher with a lithium battery and an SD slot (i.e. not Sony)

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Merry Christmas.

Silenceisbliss

hey all, in a bit of a rush to choose out a camera for myself in argos before xmas, my mom's breathing down my neck asking which one. im studying like big nerd for exams and dont have time to do a big in depth review as i would normally do,

these are the candiates:

Fujifilm Z35 10MP Digital Camera - Black

Samsung ES60 12MP Camera - Black

Olympus MJU550WP Waterproof 10MP Camera

You're all photography heads, which would ye go for? I know that megapixels isnt really the ultimate thing to decide upon. Lens is more important, but which has a better lens????

I like that the Olympus one can be used underwater, that would entertain me for a while, plus i think its the best looking. but what about the other two???? am i missing something vital here??

cheers

Amsy

Hey

I would like to buy a new camera but I dont quite know which one I need to choose... Im doubting between 2 cameras:

- Sony Cyber Shot W210

or

- Samsung PL55

Can someone help me and tell me which is better and why?

Im looking for a camera with 12 pixels and a good zoom in a reasonalbe price

Hope someone can help me

Thanks in advance

tinofapples

Amsy wrote: »

Hey

I would like to buy a new camera but I dont quite know which one I need to choose... Im doubting between 2 cameras:

- Sony Cyber Shot W210

or

- Samsung PL55

Can someone help me and tell me which is better and why?

Im looking for a camera with 12 pixels and a good zoom in a reasonalbe price

Hope someone can help me

Thanks in advance

Folks,
We're in a similar position,looking to replace our old HP compact.Nothing overly expensive,in fact what you might call a budget camera. Was thinking maybe the 12MP Sony PC World & Currys had on special offer http://www.currys.co.uk/martprd/product/950600 or something similar spec and price. Have a voucher for Amazon so ideally something on that would mean less cash leaving the lamh !!

harr

you cant go wrong with amazon got my fuji s200exr there.it was 170 euro cheaper than the lowest price in any of the dublin camera shops and it was free post.got it in less than 5 days.

Sandvich

Hi, I'd like to say thanks for the advice I got from here. I ended up getting a Canon Powershot A480 and I'm very happy with it. Though sometimes it can be hard to work since there's no manual focus, I've taken some very good quality pictures of it. Unlike some 10MP cameras it's actually possible to take pictures that remain somewhat crisp at that resolution.

jonnybravo

Hi All,

I'm looking for some advice on buying a new camera. Use the girlfriends Nikon Coolpix S3 at the moment but its getting a bit dated now so want to upgrade to something better. The biggest problem that I find with it is that when I zoom the image gets blurry. Think from reading that this is because its a digital zoom rather than an optical zoom (sorry complete notice here). Another problem is that when I take photos in low light they always come out very dark but not sure if thats from my use or the camera.

I have been looking up some of the following cameras and I'd appreciate if anyone had any opinions on them. I'll just be using it for taking photos travelling so will be taking a lot of scenary shots. Budget is about 300e.

I've tried to come up with a list of the cameras I'm interested in and have compared them on dpreview (link is below). I'm thinking of the Coolpix S8000 mainly because it seems to have a good optical zoom. Any opinions at all will be wecomed

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=nikon_cps8000%2Csony_dschx5%2Cnikon_cps6000%2Cnikon_cps4000%2Ccanon_s90%2Ccanon_sx20is%2Cfuji_finepixz200fd%2Cnikon_cps570%2Cnikon_cps630%2Cnikon_cps70&camsel=nikon_cps70&show=all

charybdis

Oh thank god you actually used the thread!

jonnybravo wrote: »

Hi All,

I'm looking for some advice on buying a new camera. Use the girlfriends Nikon Coolpix S3 at the moment but its getting a bit dated now so want to upgrade to something better. The biggest problem that I find with it is that when I zoom the image gets blurry. Think from reading that this is because its a digital zoom rather than an optical zoom (sorry complete notice here). Another problem is that when I take photos in low light they always come out very dark but not sure if thats from my use or the camera.

I have been looking up some of the following cameras and I'd appreciate if anyone had any opinions on them. I'll just be using it for taking photos travelling so will be taking a lot of scenary shots. Budget is about 300e.

I've tried to come up with a list of the cameras I'm interested in and have compared them on dpreview (link is below). I'm thinking of the Coolpix S8000 mainly because it seems to have a good optical zoom. Any opinions at all will be wecomed

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=nikon_cps8000%2Csony_dschx5%2Cnikon_cps6000%2Cnikon_cps4000%2Ccanon_s90%2Ccanon_sx20is%2Cfuji_finepixz200fd%2Cnikon_cps570%2Cnikon_cps630%2Cnikon_cps70&camsel=nikon_cps70&show=all

You're right about the reduced quality of "digital zoom", using it effectively throws away the outer parts of an image so it looks more "zoomed in" and causes a reduction in resolution and quality. It's a really bad idea and is something I really wish camera companies would stop trying to dupe consumers with.

If you're finding your images to be too blurry/dark you'd probably get better results by learning a little about exposure and photography as opposed to buying a new camera, but the camera needs to allow you to have some degree of manual control to exercise this knowledge.

I don't think a large zoom range (optical or otherwise) is a good figure of merit for how useful or good a given camera will be. For the vast majority of photographs you're likely to take you'd probably only need to use a couple of focal lengths that probably aren't too far apart, so it is preferable to get a camera with a more limited zoom range but doesn't compromise on lens quality or size and weight. Realistically, you'll probably need a lens that goes from a reasonably wide angle to a short telephoto. None of these cameras are ever very good with long telephotos as the quality of the lens and difficulty in holding them steady makes using them impractical.

Of the cameras mentioned in your comparison, the Canon S90 is the one I'd recommend. It's small, has a practical zoom range (meaning it'll be useful for landscape/scenery/people), has a reasonably fast lens (meaning it'll be useful in low light), it offers varying degrees of manual control, it controls noise reasonably well at high ISOs (meaning it'll be useful for low light), and it just seems like a well made and clearly thought out piece of technology.

That said, you'd almost certainly see a significant increase in quality if you were to buy a DSLR or Micro 4/3rds camera but you'd also have a significant increase in price and size which may not be of any benefit to you if you just want a compact camera for travel.

jonnybravo

Hi charybdis,

Thanks alot for your reply. In your opinion then is the optical zoom on the s90 sufficient? The s90 does sound like a great camera. Have read alot of good reviews on the camera. Not sure if the budget will stretch to it - will go search websites and see whats the cheapest I can get it. Just another quick question; if I was going to spend less money on a compact would I be better off getting the Coolpix S4000 which has an optical zoom of 4 rather than the s8000 which has an optical zoom of 10? Both seem pretty similar based on the comparison on dpreview.

Shiny

I am also on the market for a new body and am completely torn
between the 5DMII and the 7D. I have read about 10 5Dvs7D
articles at this point and am still changing my mind as to which
is more suitable every 5 seconds. :mad:

Applications:
Landscape/Travel
Gigs (always poor lighting)
Conferences(Infrequent)
Weddings (Infrequent)
Photo-shoots (Infrequent)

Basically I am constantly suffering in low light conditions
and am leaning towards the 5D.

Also as it is full frame, technically you could get away without
a wide angle lens and use a 24-105 almost exclusively ?

charybdis

jonnybravo wrote: »

Hi charybdis,

Thanks alot for your reply. In your opinion then is the optical zoom on the s90 sufficient? The s90 does sound like a great camera. Have read alot of good reviews on the camera. Not sure if the budget will stretch to it - will go search websites and see whats the cheapest I can get it. Just another quick question; if I was going to spend less money on a compact would I be better off getting the Coolpix S4000 which has an optical zoom of 4 rather than the s8000 which has an optical zoom of 10? Both seem pretty similar based on the comparison on dpreview.

I think the range it covers is sufficient for anything a compact camera would be reasonably useful for.

I really would discourage you from using zoom multipliers like 4x and 10x as a factor in deciding which camera to buy, they're really just a marketing technique used by camera manufacturers to confuse consumers into thinking they're making a meaningful decision based on a knowledge of the range of zoom. If you look at the 35mm-equivalent zoom range on DPReview, you'll see that the S90 and the S4000 are cover almost the exact same range; so their lenses are functionally identical in terms of range of focal lengths. The S8000 isn't quite as wide as the others but its zoom range extends to a 35mm-equivalent of 300mm, which is just silly in a compact camera. 300mm is a focal length often used in wildlife and sports photography, both of which I'm fairly sure all compact cameras are awful at, for various reasons. I also think that zoom lenses are fairly overrated, very many photographers use fixed focal length lenses that can't zoom and physically move around what they're photographing to get the desired framing.

A much better way of comparing the cameras would be to look at their relative pixel densities. The pixel density of a sensor is the area of the sensor divided by the number of pixels, the lower the density, the bigger the pixels are and the more light they can capture. Notice how the S90's pixel density is less than half that of the S8000's. Manufacturers use megapixel statistics to confuse consumers much in the same way the use zoom multipliers. Realistically, a compact camera with more than 6-8 megapixels is a waste of resolution and an inflation of file size for the purposes of marketing. The 14 megapixel sensor in the S8000 is excessive and is more likely to degrade image quality than improve it. If you want proof that compact cameras with a large number of pixels are silly, compare a 14 megapixel compact camera that costs a couple of hundred Euro to a five-thousand Euro Nikon D3s, released at the end of 2009, that has a 12 megapixel sensor. Which do you think would deliver better image quality?

I think the S90 is the best compact camera available at the moment, but it is expensive. I don't really know what cheaper cameras would be worth looking at as I'm not really familiar with them. I think once you get into the main price bracket of the compact camera market they all become functionally identical cameras and the biggest impact you can make on the images produced with them is by knowing about photography and using good technique.

Shiny wrote: »

I am also on the market for a new body and am completely torn
between the 5DMII and the 7D. I have read about 10 5Dvs7D
articles at this point and am still changing my mind as to which
is more suitable every 5 seconds. :mad:

Applications:
Landscape/Travel
Gigs (always poor lighting)
Conferences(Infrequent)
Weddings (Infrequent)
Photo-shoots (Infrequent)

Basically I am constantly suffering in low light conditions
and am leaning towards the 5D.

Also as it is full frame, technically you could get away without
a wide angle lens and use a 24-105 almost exclusively ?

24mm on full frame is the equivalent of 15mm on an APS-C camera, so if you think 15mm is wide enough on your APS-C camera, 24mm will be wide enough on full frame.

Why would you want the 7D? I can't see how it would be preferable over the 5D in any of the situations you've outlined.

dinneenp

Buying 1st DSLR- what I learnt

1. Most people recommend Canon or Nikon. Reasons include that they own one themselves, that they have a very big range of 2nd hand lens. Most people you talk to will recommend what make they have cos they're used to it...
2. Canon EOS 1000D/Rebel XS or Nikon D3000 (and older models) get a lot of thumbs up (for entry level). Both are newish and good for beginners.
3. There's nothing wrong with buying old models or 2nd hand. Will be a lot cheaper.
4. Look at the bigger picture- "you're buying into a system". Look at lens you might buy down the line, prices etc.
5. Don't bother with LiveView (it's v e r y slow. Sony LV is meant to be the quickest/least slow)
6. You can get bogged down reading a million reviews, sites etc. Borrow one from a friend if you can (you can also rent cameras) and see which feels best for you. If you have same brand as a friend/colleague then you potentially have more lens available.
7. Yes, DPreview.com is very good but it's very detailed too. Sometimes you just want a simple recommendation summary
8. Look at buying a 'package' (kits lens & 2nd lens)- it works out a lot cheaper than buying the 2nd lens afterwards.
   ( I went for a Pentax K-X with kit lens and 55-300. Why? It got great reviews everywhere, felt good in my hands, I got a good price from the USA)
   

Ghost Train

Sandvich wrote: »

Hi, I'd like to say thanks for the advice I got from here. I ended up getting a Canon Powershot A480 and I'm very happy with it. Though sometimes it can be hard to work since there's no manual focus, I've taken some very good quality pictures of it. Unlike some 10MP cameras it's actually possible to take pictures that remain somewhat crisp at that resolution.

Picked up A480 a week ago and find it very good quality. Also works with CHDK firmware which adds a lot advanced features.

jonnybravo

charybdis wrote: »

I think the range it covers is sufficient for anything a compact camera would be reasonably useful for.

I really would discourage you from using zoom multipliers like 4x and 10x as a factor in deciding which camera to buy, they're really just a marketing technique used by camera manufacturers to confuse consumers into thinking they're making a meaningful decision based on a knowledge of the range of zoom. If you look at the 35mm-equivalent zoom range on DPReview, you'll see that the S90 and the S4000 are cover almost the exact same range; so their lenses are functionally identical in terms of range of focal lengths. The S8000 isn't quite as wide as the others but its zoom range extends to a 35mm-equivalent of 300mm, which is just silly in a compact camera. 300mm is a focal length often used in wildlife and sports photography, both of which I'm fairly sure all compact cameras are awful at, for various reasons. I also think that zoom lenses are fairly overrated, very many photographers use fixed focal length lenses that can't zoom and physically move around what they're photographing to get the desired framing.

A much better way of comparing the cameras would be to look at their relative pixel densities. The pixel density of a sensor is the area of the sensor divided by the number of pixels, the lower the density, the bigger the pixels are and the more light they can capture. Notice how the S90's pixel density is less than half that of the S8000's. Manufacturers use megapixel statistics to confuse consumers much in the same way the use zoom multipliers. Realistically, a compact camera with more than 6-8 megapixels is a waste of resolution and an inflation of file size for the purposes of marketing. The 14 megapixel sensor in the S8000 is excessive and is more likely to degrade image quality than improve it. If you want proof that compact cameras with a large number of pixels are silly, compare a 14 megapixel compact camera that costs a couple of hundred Euro to a five-thousand Euro Nikon D3s, released at the end of 2009, that has a 12 megapixel sensor. Which do you think would deliver better image quality?

I think the S90 is the best compact camera available at the moment, but it is expensive. I don't really know what cheaper cameras would be worth looking at as I'm not really familiar with them. I think once you get into the main price bracket of the compact camera market they all become functionally identical cameras and the biggest impact you can make on the images produced with them is by knowing about photography and using good technique.

Cheers for the response - its given some good tips - not sure if my budget will stretch to the s90 but will do further research - thanks again

blastman

jonny, if it helps, I just bought an s90 within the last couple of weeks (after plenty of agonising!) and I would definitely recommend it, it's a brilliant camera.

Shiny

charybdis wrote: »

24mm on full frame is the equivalent of 15mm on an APS-C camera, so if you think 15mm is wide enough on your APS-C camera, 24mm will be wide enough on full frame.

Why would you want the 7D? I can't see how it would be preferable over the 5D in any of the situations you've outlined.

Thanks for the info! 15mm would definitely be wide enough on APS-C for
general use so that confirms that 24mm is ok for me FF also.

The only thing preventing me from getting the 5D is the price, as far as
I can see its an extra 700 for the privilege of full frame. This is based on
Kea Photo prices. Covey's 5DMK1 on adverts is tempting me also. :rolleyes:

Borderfox

5dmk1 is still a superb camera

mawk

my first non compact was a nikon d70s I bought off adverts here a while back for 300ish. C/w Two lenses which covered everything i ever needed to shoot and even though I initially felt over my head.. The slr learning curve meant i started getting some great photos i never could have gotten with a compact before long.

breadbin

jonnybravo, i think the most important part of a camera is its size. if you don't have it with you you wont take any pictures, let alone good ones. you sound like optical zoom is important to you so you will have to weigh the pros and cons. the pros are obviously getting in closer to the subject but the cons are size and it doesn't take much for you to leave the camera in the car or whatever. speaking from experience!!

i have a fantastic camera but use it very rarely cos its too bulky, have a canon ixus 800 now and even though its not as good as the other its used so much more often because it literally fits in a pocket:)

wish you luck with the new camera, some of the lumix cameras are worth a look too, heard good things about the TZ3 in particular:)

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonictz3/

at the end of the day though give a good photographer a crap camera and they'll still take good pictures but give a bad photographer a good camera and it won't help them one bit;)

Bobby_1

Hello, i'm looking to buy a camera. Does anybody know if there are any restrictions on purchasing in the usa and shipping back? also i'm thinking of buying a canon eos 1000d, any opinions would be appreciated and if anybody knows where there are any good deals going? thanks in advance.

AnCatDubh

Bobby_1 wrote: »

Hello, i'm looking to buy a camera. Does anybody know if there are any restrictions on purchasing in the usa and shipping back? also i'm thinking of buying a canon eos 1000d, any opinions would be appreciated and if anybody knows where there are any good deals going? thanks in advance.

No restrictions - just factor in import duties and taxes.

PaddyQ90

I am in the market for a Camcorder for the office, is this the right place to be asking?

Apologies if not