Hey, I'm in the market for a new digicam. Looking for a good point and shoot that does everything well and narrowed my choices to 3. If anyone has experience with these or can suggest any others, just chime in.

My price range is in the under $300 range mp size doesn't matter (but at least 6mp) as I know lens quality and ccd performane is more important. Low light performance is something that I find is hard to get in the compacts, as I've searched many of them. Not somehing I absolutley need, but I would like to start shooting nightime city scapes and would like good quality n the pics.

 

Canon or Olympus
Olympus Stylus 600 will give great performance for the money.
6 mega pixel, water resistant and great optics under 300.00
I use a camera for work everyday. My work camera is a Canon SD500
My Pleasure camera is the Stylus 600. My wife`s camera is the Stylus 500

 

I have a Sony DSC F-828 right now and have had it for about 2 years now. I have about 20,000 images on it and it is now starting to give me focusing problems. Next month I am going to trade it in and I think I am going for the Canon 30-D. I do not like the size of the body, it feels a bit bulky but maybe with a longer lens it will feel right.
The 5-D is also an option I am looking at.
What kind of pictures are you planning on taking?
Close-up or scenery?
What ever you get, try to get a camera with the most optical zoom, high digital zoom makes the pictures more pixilated at a higher magnification.

 

Heres What most of my pics are of:


B&W Barns, Abandoned Homesteads, Sheds, etc.
Outdoor Scene Scapes
Daytime Portraits (mostly people outdoors)
City Scenes and Achitcture
Storms, clouds, sunsets

 

I have a subcompact Pentax Optio S-4 which has served me well. My only complaint is that focus in really tight macro mode is sometimes off, but then it's a camera that fits in an altoid tin...

I got the GF a 5mp Pentax, similar to the A10 but lower resolution, which has also been great. I would not hesitate to recommend Pentax.

Prior to my Pentax I had a Fuji, which wasn't very reliable. It seemed to have a software issue that would lock it up until you pulled the battery... Though others have had good luck with them, I won't own another.

At work we started with some Sony cameras that had problems after a while (the disk burner type). Eventually we bought 6 Olympus point and shoots that have been great. They are in rough service, and none have had a problem (but we do keep them in pelican cases).

If you decide to go SLR, I'd go Cannon...

I've bought several things from B&H photo, and have been very pleased. Their prices are good, they have every camera from $$$$ professionals to every point and shoot you could think of, along with every pelican case, tripod, or whatever all at one place...

Their menu is really easy to use, and can quickly show you all the point and shoots at a particular resolution, or everything they have by one brand.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...rch&Q=&ci=1082

Edit: I was just fooling around there and found a 39 megapixel Hasselblad for $ 31,994.95. That ought to take good pictures of barns and stuff.

 

(Quote)
Edit: I was just fooling around there and found a 39 megapixel Hasselblad for $ 31,994.95. That ought to take good pictures of barns and stuff.

That should give a really great picture especially if you are going to e-mail it..

Isn’t it amazing what is out there when you get into the professional, medical and industrial realm?
Things you never knew existed.
Jim

 

I have to say, my current camera is a Panasonic DMC-LC4 (4mp). And other than low light, have been very pleased with its features and performance. So I simply didn't even bother with trying to shot in those situations, but I hate that I miss out on some great opportunities to get great shots. I have several pics taken in 4mp that were blown out to 11"x14" with very little to no pixelation. I attribute this to the Lieca lens system and immage processor. So I'm only slightly partial to Panasonic. But I have read several reviews that they still haven't fixed the low-light capabilties of their cams yet. I'm also wanting to upgrade from the video capture of my current cam which is now over 3yrs old.

I know I would be getting a D-SLR soon, cause I consider myself a serious amature, so I'm debating to just bite the bullet on an entry level SLR and waiting a few months to a year and looking at whats available in the compact market at that time. If I did, there's no question that the entry level DSLR I choose will be the Pentax K110D.

 

Yeah, looking at the upper end is always interesting. What amazes me is how good today's consumer digital cameras are for the price.

That D-30 would probably be my pick in a SLR right now, too. The D-5 is nice, but it's gotten up into price range of diminishing returns (where spending twice as much doesn’t get you twice the camera, computer, or whatever).

Edit:

Streetsmoker- didn't expect another person posting at O'dark-30. The K110D probably wouldn't be too bad of a camera. I started out with a k1000 35mm, and still like Pentax, but in digital SLR's I guess I just have a personal preference for the way the Cannon is set up.

Edit again: Just pricing 4 different 110D package deals on B&H. That looks like a lot of camera for the money, especially if you have some pentax lenses already...

 

Yeh Jeff, alot of people skip Pentax and go strait to Cannon or Nikon. I have some of their optics in other things like binoculars and gun scopes, and believe Pentax is rite at the top or slightly above the others' in their lens quality. Everything I read about that particular Pentax D-SLR, is that the kit lens is not some cut-rate piece of garbage, and worth keeping. Unlike the Cannon and some Nikon's.

 

After a few years of using digital cameras and the limitations that comes with it I'm ready to step to the digital SLRs. Doing some research Canon and Nikon seems to be the top choices.

MikeyB

 

If you are looking for a high quality pictures capable of being blown up larger than 5x7 or larger than you need to look at the d-slr type. The small point and shoots while they can take great pictures the sensor is very small and not a true frame size. That is why they say on the digitals that a 35mm is more like a 40 something. So when you enlarge at all you start seeing degradation. The canon d30 or the nikon d80 are good cameras and you wont find much feature difference between them and the higher levels of the line. (Though the d30 or 80 are well above your price range) The main difference being the sensor size, a larger sensor equates to better quality in larger picture sizes. If you dont blow up anything bigger than 4x6 then it will probably be a non issue. Also dont make the mistake that more megapixels equates to a better picture above 6 or 7mp (until you get into dslrs with their larger sensors). For the most part that is a marketing thing on the smaller point and shoots. More mp's may produce a better picture but to get it with a small sensor means you give up other things that add quality to pictures.

I would suggest looking on the net for some camera review sites (ones not affiliated with a store). There a several out there and give good in depth reviews and sample photos.
A site for example like http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos400d/
the review on this camera is about 20 pages long and is very in depth. At the bottom of each page just hit next and it will take you to the next page.

 

SLR if you have the dough.

I bought my wife a Canon PowerShot SD600 for Christmas and it takes a great picture. Check out CNET.com for some reviews. Good luck!

 

From your post I voted for the Fuji from past experience. But if you have the cash a D-SLR is the way to go. They are sweet if you take them time to learn them. Nikon makes some sweet D-SLR's

 

Check this out. I found a great deal on the Pentax 100D mentioned above at Beach Camera. They also have a less expensive 110D that is itentical in every way other than optical image stabilization.


http://beachcamera.com/Shop/product....ku=PKK110D1855

http://beachcamera.com/Shop/product....ku=PKK100D1855


I really think, feature for feature it's a better camera than both the NIkon D50 and Cannon XT, which are my other 2 choices in the entry level catagory. Makes you wanna jump to DSLR's now don't it????

 

unless you are a SERIOUS photographer I would stay away from D-SLR.... you can get a very very good camera with near DSLR capabilities without the extra expenses and issues that many dont think about. The Canon PRO 1 is a advanced digital with SLR-like qualities and the famed L-series glass on a self contained body. What you get is 8mp resolution...fully auto to fully manual and a lense that is the best Canon makes. This is for someone that is a serious photographer but cant afford a 1200-4000 dollar DSLR body and then spend another 750-3000 dollars on two or three lenses depending on quality. Plus DSLR are heavy and bulky.

Now I have Canon 5D and the Pro1 but am first to admit that you can get some outstanding pictures with the crop of 6mp cameras out there now from Canon, Nikon, Kodak and Fuji...Fuji has some outstanding prices for the options and quality you receive.

If you have not yet made your mind up I have some resources I will share to help you make a more informed decision that is best for YOU!

http://www.dpreview.com/

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare.asp A search tool....

http://www.steves-digicams.com/

http://luminous-landscape.com/reviews/

http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/

All things being the same...it is the photographer that makes the largest impact on the photograph....not the camera. Dont believe me? Then pick any compact, dslr or advanced digital camera from this site below and compare shots in the hands of experienced photographers....

http://www.dpchallenge.com/camera.php

Then select a brand such as Fuji, Canon, Nikon, etc....and it will list models and numbers of cameras registered on the site and how many photographs...then just peruse some pics. here is the photographs for my FIRST DIGITAL camera...a fixed lense Pro1 by Canon. The work here is what made me decide to buy it as my first digital http://www.dpchallenge.com/camera.php?CAMERA_ID=756

Here are some of my pics with this same camera....

www.pbase.com/brock63 Just click thumbnails for each gallery and keep clicking...

http://lowcountryreflections.instaproofs.com/ Some prints for sale using my non-SLR fixed lense Canon Powershot Pro1 just click on 2005 PRINTS under Photographer Showcase.


Good luck....