Time for a new camera....ideas?

[Michele]

Wow! Thanks everyone. My internet has been on the fritz for a while so I haven't been able to check in and respond back. Thank you so much for all your advise. This is a big help.

[roni]

We have a Nikon Coolpix 4300. It is our first digital. We like it. I am sure there are many, many others that do a competent job. There are some link I went to that had a bunch of information on digital cameras, much of it I did not understand, so I went to Wolf Camera where a smart and attractive young woman was very helpful and we quickly narrowed the hunt down to Canon and Nikon and one other brand I do not remember.

Ron

[Bumper]

Originally Posted by denisea

Check out the LCD... is too light or dark... is it too small or too large... is it located in a good position... does it have the ability to swivel (this is a must for us). Once you decide which camera feels best then go home and search the net for best price and order it.

D makes a great point here. I had forgotten about this issue. Frankly, Mrs. B takes most of the pictures in the Bumper family. She has a much better eye than me for composition and framing and things like that. She has often commented that the LCD display on the Canon could be larger, and that it can be somewhat difficult to see if you're reviewing your pix in full sunlight. It's in the body of the model we have, so can't be any larger. A bigger display, with the swivel feature, would be a welcome addition. I suspect the viewing in bright light issue isn't solvable. You'll just have to go to a nearby bar to check out your shots in low light conditions...tough, eh?

[Halitosis]

You certainly got a lot of action on this one, Michelle!

For my dos centavos worth, about 6 months ago I bought a Contax SL300RT for the following reasons:

1. Small - it's about the size of a deck of cards and 16mm (0.6") thick and weighs about 5 ounces.
2. Good Pictures - max 3 megapixels, but the salesman claimed that with the Zeiss lens the result rivals 4 and 5 meg jobs.
3. Optical Zoom - 3X plus 3X more digital.
4. Moveable LCD - The body actualy pivots in the middle so you can adjust the LCD angle separate from lens - I found this a must with my old Sony Mavica, especially on bright sunny days in Playa.

Cost-wise it wasn't cheap, about $500 USD for the camera and by the time I got the extra battery, SD Memory Card plus taxes, etc. it set me back about $700.

I comes with it's own little case (works great for carrying in my pants pocket) and the usual stuff - USB cable, battery charger, etc. Contax is a German camera company now owned by a Japanese company, Kyocera so it has a pretty good national pedigree.

It has lots of features:
Still, Continuous, and Movie modes
Built-in Flash
Self-timer (for getting yourself in the shot)
Automatic or manual control - e.g. Aperture, Exposure, White Balance, etc.

I've taken it on two trips so far and taken over 1,000 keepable (my skill level is somewhere between rank amature and complete klutz) that amaze my family and friends. Every time I use it people comment on how small it is and want to know if I'm James Bond's brother (or grandfather).

If you're serious about "small" (and I was very serious) it's worth a look. You won't find this one at your local Best Buy or Wal Mart, so you'd need a pretty good camera store.

[Arcaneind]

At my work, the professionals only use the Nikon digital cameras. I played around with them and found they were okay, but nothing special. We also have a cheaper Minolta-Konica and it is terrible.

I own a Fuji and have had it for a couple of years. It's idiot-proof (hence why I have it) and takes good shots.

I've played with the Canons and I like them. Some have too many bellsa nd whistles that nobody needs.

What I think you should really consider is the following:

- Buy from a "camera" company (Nikon, Canon, Pentax, etc) and not another type of company (Kodak, Panasonic, HP, etc.). The camera still needs a good lense to capture the image thru.
- Digitals eat batteries. Try to get a rechargable one if possible that you can put normal batteries in if need be.
- Once you buy one, stop reading this thread. You don't need todoubt yourself!

http://www.steves-digicams.com/ is a good spot to check.

[Michele]

Update...leaning toward the Canon Powershot S60...discuss.

[denisea]

Originally Posted by Michele

Update...leaning toward the Canon Powershot S60...discuss.

Appears to be another excellent Canon product. However, knowing that you are moving to Playa, the one thing that concerned me right away was the comments on the LCD monitor.

Originally Posted by www.dpreview.com

The LCD monitor is a fairly typical 1.8" 118,000 pixel unit, it's sharp and bright with sufficient resolution. However it has no anti-reflective coating which means that in bright sunlight the screen can be less easy to use.

Considering the sun shines most of the time in Playa, this could be a potential annoyance. I also much prefer the swivel type LCD monitor because it offers much more flexiblity in picture taking... especially for awkward shots or shooting in crowded or overhead type situtations.

[Halitosis]

I have a correction to my ealier post. After checking out Arcaneind's link, I found a few places that carry the camera for $270. I also found that the camera aparently now goes by the name Kyocera Finecam SL300RT.


The link to the specific review is
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2003_reviews/sl300r.html
with thanks again to Arcaneind.

I also agree with denisea about the swivel/pivot LCD and the Play sun. the SL300RT has the nicest swivel I found in my research. It's too bad I didn't check here first and save the $200 that I would have found.

[david479]

How much do you want to spend ?another one is how much is the memory?Batteries?I have had this camera almost a year and love it.Kodak dx4530.Batteries last long time.Memory 256mb for 35.00 and you can buy a Telephoto.and a Wideangle lens for a good price.See pic I posted in earlier post a random pic for sample.Camera was 299.00 and its a 5.0 megapixle.Just another opinion.Hope it helps.

[Michele]

Originally Posted by denisea

Appears to be another excellent Canon product. However, knowing that you are moving to Playa, the one thing that concerned me right away was the comments on the LCD monitor.

The monitor is not so much of an issue for me personally. I have never become accustomed to using the LCD screen to actually take pictures, only to view them later. While my husband likes to use the screen to take pics, he says he would actually prefer the non-swivel variety. The lack of an anti-reflective coating is cause for concern. We currently have an Olympus Camedia. The screen is nearly impossible to see in bright sunlight and it is a bit annoying.

[Montana Guy]

but it's 4pm Friday afternoon in the office and any ambition went out the door an hour ago.

While traveling back from Burma sailing trip in March my Nikon 2500 coolpix disappeared along the way. Great little camera for outdoor shots even if only a couple megapixels. No sliding cover to get jammed with beach sand and yet the lens was protected. Relatively fast turn on and focusing to grab a quick picture. The flash was nearly worthless.

Cannon A-80 sounds comparable by all reports, except probably better flash, for a good point and shoot pocket camera with nice results.

Not familiar with the Contax. Wired magazine this week rates as best buy a similar one from Casio with 5 megapixel for $300 or so. Not quite as compact but for the cost difference.

I ended up buying the Cannon S1 for the 10x zoom with stabilizer. I tried a couple shots from a slow moving kayak of a pelican on the opposite downstream river bank and for picture that had the bird in it, the picture was clear - even with the handheld 10x zoom. See my full notes and comments by others on the Cannon digital camera forum re the S1. List is maybe $500 and is sold for $470 at WalMart and $370 or so at CostCo who also throws in a case and battery charger so I bought on line through CostCo. The S1 is bigger than shirt pocket size, but smaller than an old 35 mm with lens.

I like the S1 or nature type photography, but still miss the shirt pocket fast point and shoot camera that is often ready for the unplanned shot.


Steve

[Mikey]

The Canon S500 Is a really nice camera. It also takes video and you can add up to a 30 sec voice byte with each picture you take. They are built like tanks but fits nicely in your pocket. The battery life is good, great if you dont use the monitor. The delete mode is very easy and quick. The pics are great. Plus you can get an underwater case for it. We used ours in Playa and all over Tulum in and out of the case and it was great. No worries.

[Michele]

Thanks all. I'm still shopping!!!

[Rixx]

Michele,

I'm currently using a Nikon 4500. I have been with Nikon over 30 years. So, I'm kind of partial....

As long as you stick with the 'real' camera people you'll be fine. Canon has made tremendous moves in the electronics world recently. Either one, and you'll be happy.

As far as the purchase....if your not in any big hurry, you can get some screaming deals on E Bay. That is where I bought mine.

HOWEVER, you must be careful! Don't deal with an individual, go with a reputable company. There are a few... Cameta Camera ( Bought mine thru them) 47th St. Photo, B&H, to name a couple. You also need to make sure your not buying a 'grey' or import model, as they have NO warrantee in the U.S. You can really save dealing with the 'Superstores' vs. retail stores.

Sometimes they trick to sell you a 'package'. Be CAREFUL there! Most the time, the accessories are all 'off brand' stuff. Especially the lenses. (Tele-Wide angle) Stick with the brand names!!

Another thing......

I'd purchase Photoshop elements for sure! It's the best, cheapest photo-editing program around. And believe me.....it's worth the price!! You images will look twice as good after editing them. You can find it for 99.00 or less. It's a MUST.


Also...last min thought...

Nikon has a online store that sells their refurbished cameras. SAME warranty as a brand new one, less than 1/2 the price. Some people say that the refurbs are better cameras than the nornmal 'new' one. Because they have been checked very closely 2 times, vs once. Actually, I JUST checked their site...they have a GREAT deal going on the Cool Pix 5700. 5 + Mega Pixel, 8 X optical zoom. It's one HELL of a camera. Was the top of the line Cool Pix last year. It retailed for 1199.00. They have it as a refurb for 499,00. I'm telling ya' this is a STEAL!!

You know....I'm thinking about it now..........!!

If I can be of any help...let me know!!!


Good LUCK!!

Rixx

[Michele]

Thanks Rixx! I have been known at times to be an ebay junkie, but I haven't even thought about that venue. I will, carefully, check it out. Good tips!!! I will also look at Photoshop as MY pictures could always use a bit of tweaking. :p