chomerics Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Originally posted by thebac If you answer the following questions, I might be able to give you more specific advice. (The following survey is adapted from poster Rex914 from dcresource.com) * What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you? * How big will you print the pictures? * What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify) * How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10) Note that there is a tradeoff in image quality vs. optical zoom and size. High-zoom and ultracompact cameras tend to have smaller sensors and lower image quality, so please don't say "10" for image quality and high zoom/smallest size possible. * How important is performance (speed) to you? Digital cameras suffer from shutter lag, so you might have one camera that takes GREAT pictures, but you're often a second to slow, and another that takes good pictures, but it takes them virtually instantly. * Do you care for manual controls or do you prefer the camera do the work for you? * (If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD) You a pro bac, or do you do it on the side? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chomerics Posted April 28, 2005 Share Posted April 28, 2005 Originally posted by Nerm First, thanks for all the responses. I'll check out the links. They look like they can answer a lot of the questions I have. 1. I'm looking to spend $400 or less including extra memory and good batteries. I can go a little higher if it makes a big difference. 2. My wife and I have a baby on the way (our first, and yes I'm excited... and terrified). I have the feeling that we will be taking a TON of pictures indoors. Other than that, we tend to take pictures on vacations and holidays, probably less than 200 pictures per year (except for baby). 3. I’m not interested in photography really, just want good quality family pictures. I would probably also be interested in photo editing. Things like getting rid of redeye, centering the photos, and zooming in and out a little. Nothing that is too complicated or that takes an ounce of artistic talent. I'd suggest getting a midline cannon, they're pretty good. The optics in the Nikon's are a little bit better, but they have a real hard time with focusing inside. It is notorious with their line, it has something to do with their IR assist logic, but their outside pictures are phenominal. . . You should check out the A95 or the S70 by cannon. THe A95 is a 5Mp for around $300 and S70 is a 7Mp for around $450. A good 7Mp will blow up to near photogaph quality at 8 1/2 X 11 or a regular sheet of paper. Olympus makes some good digicams, as does fuji and sony. I have used a few of them, but IMHO I like cannon the best. I currently have a Nikkon 5700, but I am hoping to get a Cannon 350D in the near future Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebac Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 Originally posted by chomerics You a pro bac, or do you do it on the side? Thanks for the compliment, but I wish! I've just owned quite a few, and I spend a lot of time following what's happening on the digicam market. How do you like the CP5700? I've never owned a Nikon. DSLR's are tempting, the problem is just that once you buy the body, you'll still need (expensive) lenses, so I've shied away from them for now. I agree that the A95 is probably a great "generic" recommendation. Unless you have specific needs (small size or more zoom power or wide angle), it's considered a great all-rounder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdsknbill Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 Originally posted by chomerics Bill, it looks like a scam site. I'm not saying it is, but there are a TON of digital camera scam sites out there. They are based in Brooklyn NY and here's how they work. THey offer prices which are "lower" then prices advertised elsewhere, but there is a catch. You have to buy "accessories" in order to get your camera. THese "accessories" are outrageously priced and they will not let you buy the camera without them. THey usually call you back to "confirm" your order, then pressure you into buying a couple hundred dollars worth of junk. This is how they make their money, and they will NOT sell a camera without an accessory package. I'm not saying the above site is one of those sites,but it sure looks like it. Not a Scam site Chom. It is legit. They don;t pratice any of the tactics that you metioned. I was completely satisfied with the product, as well as the service. No High pressure BS. Just a good deal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chomerics Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 Originally posted by rdsknbill Not a Scam site Chom. It is legit. They don;t pratice any of the tactics that you metioned. I was completely satisfied with the product, as well as the service. No High pressure BS. Just a good deal Cool, I saw the link on DPreview and bac said they were legit, good enough for me . I just wanted everyone to be aware of the camera scam sites out there. There are a bunch of them, they are all in Brooklin NY, and they all do what I mentioned above. Glad you the site though and youe experience was good. I didn't meant to jump on your case or anything, I just wanted others to know what to look out for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chomerics Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 Originally posted by thebac How do you like the CP5700? I've never owned a Nikon. DSLR's are tempting, the problem is just that once you buy the body, you'll still need (expensive) lenses, so I've shied away from them for now. I agree that the A95 is probably a great "generic" recommendation. Unless you have specific needs (small size or more zoom power or wide angle), it's considered a great all-rounder. I absolutely fell in love with the CP5700 when it came out. The pictures I could take were amazing, and I liked the 7X zoom feature. It has a bunch of options which most cameras have, but the main reason I got it was because of the optics, and zoom capibilities. When I purchased it, the Cannon Rebel wasn't out yet, and the D10 was the first "mid-range" DSLR for $1.5K. I couldn't justify spending that kind of money on a camera, yet I somehow could justify spending $1K on one. Anyway, the camera outside is incredible. I have taken a few macro pictures which are studio quality with the camera, but I am still learning. Macro focusing is hard to accomplish, you really have to work at it to get the shot you want, and I usually end up taking 10 pictures for one shot. The autofocus works good outside, but it is horrible inside. You can barely focus on anything indoors, not good. I almost returned it because of this reason, but I decided to keep it just because of the outdoor picture quality. Unfortunately, the camera broke, and I have to get it fixed. Right now, I have a Olympus 7000 I use, but it is nowhere near as good as the Nikon. This is due to the optics quality. I am hopefully getting a Cannon 350D in the near future, it is an incredible camera. The awsome part about the low-end DSLR Cannon's is that they still use the same CCD and software and the mid-range ones Their focus tracking is unbelievable, as it will follow the object, and change focus with it. It's truly a remarkable camera. Once it comes down to around $650 I'm jumping in, but that may be two years form now. . . or if I get a big bonus from work BTW, the CP5700 isn't a DSLR, so I can't change the optics , although I can add on different lens' to change the focal length, but the "add on" lens' are pretty cheap and crappy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdsknbill Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 Originally posted by chomerics Cool, I saw the link on DPreview and bac said they were legit, good enough for me . I just wanted everyone to be aware of the camera scam sites out there. There are a bunch of them, they are all in Brooklin NY, and they all do what I mentioned above. Glad you the site though and youe experience was good. I didn't meant to jump on your case or anything, I just wanted others to know what to look out for. No sweat brother Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blondie Posted May 1, 2005 Share Posted May 1, 2005 I bought this camera yesterday. I could not pass it up for $97.57. Blondie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Posted June 5, 2005 Share Posted June 5, 2005 Really appreciated the link Mardi Gras Skin posted. It was really helpfull. I've bought two cameras since this thread was here, one for me and one for Dad, based on reviews from that site. The Sony DSC-V3 that I got for myself is at least a semi-pro model (which I really don't need), but it offers some features that I thought might come in handy. It has a 4x optical zoom (I wish cameras would just let you switch the digital zoom off. If I want to crop my pictures, I'll do it with my computer), and some nifty features. The autofocus, in some modes, actually uses a laser to draw some lines on the target, and then focuses on the laser lines. It also has an IR LED emitter that acts like a "flashlight" to illuminate dark scenes, so that even in the dark, you can still use the LCD to aim the camera. (The flash fires when you take the picture). And the ISO rating (which I think of as being similar to the "film speed" is double that of most others in it's class). (I get the impression this unit is being discontinued, but it's still available on Sony's site, at least.) ----- The one I picked out for Dad had different objectives. He has vision problems, which for one thing means the resolution of the camera isn't that important. (It's mostly to keep him happy. It's unlikely he'll be producing very good pictures, no matter what camera.) So I went to Circuit City, and picked out the one with the biggest LCD and the biggest buttons.. Any features more complicated than "point and click" I actually considered a disadvantage for this mission. I got Dad a Sony DSC-W5. I fooled with Dad's camera a few days before I gave it to him, so I could answer questions. And I'm really impressed with how well it fits my hand. There's a ridge on the front that guides your finger into a good spot, and there's a textured area on the back with no buttons that's a natural place for your thumb. (Don't know how well it would work for lefties, but I assume that's true of almost all cameras). They make another model, the -W7, that seems identical to Dad's, except with 7MP resolution vs. the 5MP in Dads. Both have 3x optical zooms. Strikes me as the best 7MP (or 5MP) snapshot camera (if there is such a thing) I've ever held. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NY_Skinsfan Posted June 6, 2005 Share Posted June 6, 2005 Plain and simple....Nikon D70 http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=2&productNr=25214 For a Printer...Epson has the best dpi for the best photo quality http://www.epson.com/cgi-bin/Store/consumer/consDetail.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&oid=37368458 But, Epson does not provide a 4x6 matte finish which I prefer for my photos...It only comes in a glossy finish for the 4x6 sizes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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