moving towards something more professional

flogen

While I don't have any serious interest in becoming a photographer, I do have an interest in getting into it as a hobby.
My last digital camera (which I bought years ago) was dear for the time, and as far as I know a pretty decent camera to have, obviously now it's really outdated (its a fuji a202 for god sake!).

Anyway, I wanted to get something new, and naturally something better. While I'm at it I'm looking to move to something a little bit more professional without going really pro and spending rediculous amounts for something I wont use to full effect. I want something that has a good shutter speed, and (I dont know the term for this) can "recover" quickly, as in not take 10 seconds to reload for the next picture like my current camera. I really noticed just how useless it is to have such a slow camera when I was taking pictures for the college newspaper and I kept missing good pictures. Also the more pixels the better. Card type isn't an issue, I am using xd cards at the moment, but I have a card reader for most of the major types so even without a cable I'd be sorted. Having an optical zoom would be nice, as well as a good sized lcd screen.

So for something with a good amount of pixels (at least 3 mil anyway!), optical zoom, good shutter etc, what kind of price range should I expect?

thanks for your help,

flogen

febreze

Right, I can recommend these options...

Firstly, there's the Nikon Coolpix 5700. This is about €560 on Amazon. Basically, it functions like an SLR with adjustable ISO ranges and shutter speeds. You can also pick up a range of lens accessories such as wideangle converter, macro converter, tele converter etc...

If you want a proper D-SLR (and are willing to spend a bit more), I would recommend you either look at the Nikon D70 or the Canon 300D.

Both offer very similar performance for a similar price. Nikon have better lenses, but Canon make a better quality camera. It's down to personal choice on this one really. With these cameras, as they are proper SLRs, you have massive room for expansion with accessories and you can exert full control over the capture of the image...

For full reviews of any of the cameras, check out Steve's Digi Cams

bigred

febreze wrote:

Nikon have better lenses

That may be the case for the cheap consumer lenses, but if you are looking long term to advance your photography to pro level, the canon glass is far superior (I await flaming Nikon fans any moment!). Canon bodies are better too, right from the 300D all the way up to 1D/1Ds MkII's. So, if you are looking into your crystal ball and hoping you'll have upgraded again in the next few years, for SLR's, go Canon.

As for the coolpix level of camera, Fuji make some great models, as well as canon and nikon. Try www.dpreview.com for info, it's the best site out there IMHO for reviews and forums

impr0v

I'm ashamed of myself for rising to the bait, but...

bigred wrote:

Try www.dpreview.com for info, it's the best site out there IMHO for reviews and forums

and would also be the same site which said that the D70 is..."a camera which is a significant step ahead of the EOS 300D in terms of build quality and feature set and a match, and in some instances better from an image quality point of view", seemingly at odds with your above statements.

The digital rebel is noted for having a light plastic feel compared to the solid feel of the D70 body, again from the site which you yourself said was the best out there: "[Nikon] have maintained build quality while still delivering a smaller and lighter camera, the D70 doesn't feel much less well built than the D100 but is lighter, it certainly feels much more like $1000 worth of camera than the EOS 300D could."

Have a look around for as many reviews as possible, it will soon become clear which is the better regarded camera.

bigred

Aha, you took the bait.
What I was actually getting at was that the higher level cameras 1D/1Ds VS D2H, D1X etc. are on different planets in terms of quality. Anyhoo, I feel sorry for people trying to buy new cameras and asking our "fair and unbiased" opinion. If you're buying a camera, best read the impartial reviews on sites like dpreview etc. because you wont get it here!!!!

BrianD3

Flogen, the type of camera you're looking for is often referred to as a "prosumer" and these are generally around 500-800 euros. The Panasonic FZ-20 is a good example of one of these and has received great reviews. From your original post I get the impression tha this may be exactly the sort of camera you're looking for.
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/panasonic/dmc_fz20-review/index.shtml


BrianD3

davmigil

This isn't anywhere in the same league as those already mentioned, but if your budget doesn't stretch it might be worth a look: Canon PowerShot A85

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/a85.html

Lots of manual settings if you want, reasonably fast 'reload'. Thinking of getting one myself, so if anybody has any opinions on it would be glad to know

Dave

flogen

BrianD3 wrote:

Flogen, the type of camera you're looking for is often referred to as a "prosumer" and these are generally around 500-800 euros. The Panasonic FZ-20 is a good example of one of these and has received great reviews. From your original post I get the impression tha this may be exactly the sort of camera you're looking for.
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/panasonic/dmc_fz20-review/index.shtml


BrianD3

They do look good alright, but to be honest 500 - 800 is probably a bit much.
Maybe I gave the impression that I was looking for something more professional that I am, or maybe I'm expecting something to be cheaper than it is!

I saw the FinePix S5000 Zoom... this any use (I know it's less pro than the above mentioned)?
What kind of prices would I be looking at there (saw it for under €400 so far), and are there better cameras within its price range?

thanks for the help,
flogen

BrianD3

to be honest 500 - 800 is probably a bit much.

LOL well in that case you can *definitely* disregard all of the posts in this thread that mention digital SLRs. A dSLR setup could easily run to a couple of grand.

I saw the FinePix S5000 Zoom... this any use (I know it's less pro than the above mentioned)?
What kind of prices would I be looking at there (saw it for under €400 so far), and are there better cameras within its price range?

The Fuji looks OK but also check out the following cameras which I think are more or less in the same price range
Konica Minolta Z3
Panasonic FZ3
Canon S1 IS
All of these have image stabilisation which the Fuji lacks. The Minolta and Canon have very good movie modes and the Panasonic has a nice lens. Check out specs. and reviews for these on the dpreview and dcresource sites.

Also don't rule out the Canon A85 that was mentioned. These have some manual controls and I believe you can attach add on lenses/filters to them (check that out). The A85 doesn't have the big optical zoom that the above mentioned cameras have but it's still a good little camera.

BrianD3

KoNiT

It would help if you said what you were looking for

what zoom do you require - or are you pushed? do you require 28-100+ zoom lens or would 38+ lens do.

What min megapixel
What Features would you like -Manual zoom or button control? - Macro?
Would you like to be able to control shutter speed, apreture size, etc.

dpreview buying guide Use this, its pretty handy.

I purchased the minolta dimage A1 a while back & the price has come right down. I purchased from http://www.buydigicams.com/