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Gear / Technical Help => Photo / Video Recording => Topic started by: twoodruff on October 11, 2004, 10:12:40 AM
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I am looking for a digital camera with all the accesories (CF cards, batteries, anything else I need). I am a relative newbie to photos, I have a pentax k1000 for non digital photos, and am looking to spend around $300 to $350 for the total package. I would like something I can use for awhile as I want to take pictures of my little girl as she grows older. I have spoken with a few of you about this and would like some other suggestions.
I am looking into the canon powershot a85, the kodak easy share cx7530, Fuji FinePix E510 5.2MP, Fuji FinePix S3100 4.0MP, Nikon CoolPix 4100, and any other suggestions you may have
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Not too familialr with what pixel rating would be the best but go optical zoom over digital zoom. 4x seems like it would be enough for what you guys say you will be using it for. Hell even no zoom is usually enough like my folks camerca from 1977 when my oldest bro was born was damn good for most shots.
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I will say this too. I like actuall film in a camera. It makes it easier to get hard copies of it. I mean I have had some sweet digital photos in the past and then wanted a hard copy but never got around to it.
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http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html
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Trey...my sister and brother in law just got the S3100 for thier trip to Playa del carmen, Mex. They took some nice pics with it! +T to my bro in law for snapping some boobie pics on the beach (no..not of my sister :P ) ;D
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I have a Canon A80 and I love it....Lots of features for the money. I would stay away from the A85 which is supposed to be an updated version of the A80. When Canon did the retro on the A85, they removed the tilt on the LCD part of the camera. I am only about 5'7" at best and I cannot tell you how cool its been to be able to see what I am looking at because of the movable LCD. I would go with the A95 because you get 5.0 megapix instead of 4.0, and the same LCD screen that was on the A80. There are a few Canon users on the board as well as some specific A80 owners that may agree with me.
Check this out for more inforamation: A80 http://www.dpreview.com/news/0308/03082003canona80.asp
A85 http://www.dpreview.com/news/0407/04072002canona85.asp (LCD does not Tilt)
A95 http://www.dpreview.com/news/0408/04081905canon_a95.asp
(http://www.dpreview.com/news/0408/canon_a95-001.jpg)
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two things:
1. get a camera from a camera company, not a computer company. 2/3 of what you are paying for is the lens.
2. go for optical zoom over pixels at the same price point. while it is true that the more pixels you have the more detailed the pictures will be, if you are using digital zoom some of that will be negated.
i have an olympus c700, i think the c760 is the newerversion of it, i love it but it's got a kinda big form factor and i'd like to have something pocket-sized.
also, don't get hung up on the capacity of the card it comes with, you can pick up a bunch of 128/256 MB cards for dirt cheap.
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thanks for the info...i've been checking out cameras and i like what i see in the PowerShot A80 and A95. i remember when i went to this wedding in charleston last month somone had one of those with the movable screen and i thought it was such a good idea cause whenever i play with my brothers i always have a hard time with the screen. plus it looks like it has some nice features i would like to have in a camera. the question is, have you used it at a show? the camera will be more for personal use, but i would like to take it to the occasional show and was wondering how it was in that situation, i know my brothers digicam has got some good shots, but the majority are just blurs. any info would be appreciated.
mike
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the question is, have you used it at a show?
Mike, highwayjill here uses an A80, and she's uploaded a good number of shots to my site, moepics.com.
They're VERY GOOD, IMHO..!
(http://www.moepics.com/images/Picture%20061(2).jpg)
(http://www.moepics.com/images/Picture%20010(2).jpg)
(http://www.moepics.com/images/Picture%20032(1).jpg)
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I used my girlfriends A75 for these shots at moe.down... they look kinda janky due to my resizing them for web but the hi-res versions were nice! I think you'll learn that the features/settings available on these Canon's rawk... once you figure out how to dial it in for dark concert lighting it can really produce some nice shots.. Of course, you'll still get those blurry ones, especially if your not so steady.
(http://www.moepics.com/images/IMG_4039.jpg)
(http://www.moepics.com/images/IMG_4113.jpg)
Me playing with exposure:
(http://www.moepics.com/images/IMG_4067.jpg)
(http://www.moepics.com/images/IMG_4056.jpg)
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I have a Canon Powershot G3 and love it. I've had it almost 2 years (since it came out). It is a tad bit bulky when it has to be concealed at a show or something, but takes incredible pics. It is a bit higher than your price range, but very well worth it. I think the G6 just came out.
For a good everyday use camera I would go with something like the A95. You can't really lose either way.
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anyone know any good camera website to buy one of these? the A80 seems like an older model and probably isn't sold at bestbuy or the likes any more.
mike
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try using www.froogle.com
also i use www.computers.com for comparisons in price of all that kind of stuff.
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I have a Fuji Finepix S5000 that I have been quite happy with over the last year. I paid just over 500 for it early last September. They can be had for around 350 now. It has 10x optical zoom. It's only 3.2MP, but still takes very nice pictures for the $$.
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Watch out for no-name dealers!!! I wouldn't recommend just buying from the lowest priced store--go with someone reliable.
Personal experience has led me to deal with 17th Street Photo in NYC a LOT. The guys on the phone are nice people and the website is good, plus I know that the gear is really in stock, it's really what I paid for, it really has it's warrenty, etc.:
Canon A95 for $344 (http://www.17photo.com/product.asp?id=9459A001)
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I am going to a new camera shorty. I dont have lots for $$$. I like the canon alot and will prob get the a75. I am getting mine from newegg
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I have a 3.2 mp Kodak, and my girl has a 3.2mp Nikon - the Nikon takes way nicer pics to my eyes, fwiw...
check tigerdirect.com for your storage cards - they've got pretty good prices- I've ordered a lot of items from them in the past, never had a problem.
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anyone know any good camera website to buy one of these? the A80 seems like an older model and probably isn't sold at bestbuy or the likes any more.
mike
You can try ebay.....
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i ordered a new a95 yesterday
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camera arrived on Tuesday, incredibly easy to use, I ordered from Beach Photo, not so friendly sales people, not mean, just not so friendly. Camera arrived very quickly and seems like everything is good to go.
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trey, was that site on flashes helpful?
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trey, was that site on flashes helpful?
yes was helpful, I was looking into to using a flash with my non-digi as in film Nikon FG, this forum has giving me a bug.
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those pictures look nice, but what about when you're a distance from the stage and in low light. do they get blurry. i know my friends sony digital camera looks like butt in low light distant shots.
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fwiw, digi rebels can be had for well under 1k on the secondary market
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ok, i'm about ready to make the plunge and get a digi cam, my cell phone and built in camera on my mini dv cam don't cut it worth a shit.
i'm thinking about getting the fuji finepix s-5100. i found it for $302 on the internet, think i should go for it?
edit: scratch that, i think i'm going to go with the olympus c-765
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huge +T to ya nick, i saw this thread and though i should stop by and push the canon powershot a80 and about 1/2 way through, i see some of my pics :D I"m really happy with the pics it takes, and i LOVE the moveable screen. Bestbuy/circuitcity/etc probalby do still sell them, just in the "discontinued" section. I was kinda pissed the first time i saw one in one of the sunday paper circulars for way less than i paid for mine (mainly cause i'm still paying for it... gotta love 2 years no interest from best buy).... so... umm... this is my official plug for a canon powershot Awhatever has a moveable screen. OH yeah... i forgot to mention that i managed to drop my A80 onto a concrete floor from about 3-4 feet and nothing on it broke (that handstrap is there for a reason).
edit: nick, my donation is on the way as soon as my bank recognizes my atm deposit
edit 2: mike: a lot of the pictures do turn out blurry, you just have to take A LOT of pics to get a few that turn out good. I'd have to say that these http://bt.shnshare.org/gallery/um2004-08-19 are the best overall results i've gotten from the A80... which is about 1/4 of the pics i took that night
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nice pics highwayjill +t, maybe posting how you set your settings for trey and others using the powershot series?
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i usually use the auto settings, including the fast motion setting (the pic of the guy running) and NO flash. Sometimes if i dont like the way the pics are turning out, i'll try some of the different settings, but all the auto settings are usually good enough... If the band/venue has a good light show, you can usually get good no flash pics.