OT: Digital Cameras

spasypaddy

I'm going to Orlando on sunday and realised that i dont have a camera (lost it in ibiza last year).

Now i know nothing about cameras, do i want a bridge camera or a point and shoot? I dont want to spend the earth but i reckon i can stretch to £150ish if the deal is correct...

Do I buy it on amazon (using prime) today, in gatwick sunday morning, or do i risk going into a best buy in america and get it over there? (Note i dont know when i'll get to a best buy so might lose some days holiday from the camera...)

Someone advise me please!

meanredspider

What's important to you? For me it's all about being able to carry it easily and getting reasonable shots. Are you taking "holiday snaps" or hoping to compose good photos? Do you take shots with people in every single one or big landscapes? Do you want to use in low light (party etc) conditions.

If I can draw an analogy - your post is like asking if you want a hybrid or MTB without saying what riding you're doing.

In answer to your other question - airport may well be best. US probably won't be with the poor £ exchange rate right now.

spasypaddy

i havent got a clue what photography i want to do.

i have a galaxy s3 which takes pretty good photos so i guess thats a point and shoot.

all i know is i dont want a DSLR as i cant afford to go down that route...


Can you give me the best point and shoot you'd buy for that budget and a comparison with a bridging camera for a similar and give me pros and cons of each

pretty please

walkingbootweather

I like some of the Panasonic Lumix models. Can use in 'point and shoot' model or dabble with settings. Got some decent results from mine. For your budget how about Panasonic DMC-TZ25EB-K?

kelsen

Here you go. Read the comments, they'll give you an idea of what's good/bad about each camera and whether it's a good price...

http://www.hotukdeals.com/search?action ... rds=camera

spasypaddy

walkingbootweather wrote:

I like some of the Panasonic Lumix models. Can use in 'point and shoot' model or dabble with settings. Got some decent results from mine. For your budget how about Panasonic DMC-TZ25EB-K?

thanks!

compared to that hotukdeals link (thanks kelsen) is that camera better than this one:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-Powershot ... 927&sr=8-4

walkingbootweather

There will be people on here that understand cameras much better than I, but they both look pretty good to me. I think compared to a phone or an older point and shoot model you will be impressed with the results of these modern cameras.

meanredspider

Think I'd go with the Canon. Neither of them are particularly small but a 20x optical zoom is useful

Check what you need in terms of memory cards - they don't normally come with one (not read about it in either)

spasypaddy

i like the look of the canon, ive used them before so like how they work and the results!

the other option im looking at is this one:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Canon-IXUS-Digi ... 052&sr=1-1

iPete

Not a P&S expert but can't go too wrong with a Canon Ixus, got my parents one a few years ago and was notably better than a mates budget camera, although was a bit naff with the on-board flash but get what you pay for and it'll do what you need it to.

In the market now I'd look for an end of the line S100, recommended one for a mate and they love it and l've been impressed with the quality, a real step above the ixus my parents got but twice the price.

DrLex

Don't forget to budget for a high capacity memory card or a few medium-sized ones; nothing worse than having to spend holiday time deleting shots so as to free up space.

essex-commuter

Do you want 35mm or 2 1/4 square?

spasypaddy

iPete wrote:

Not a P&S expert but can't go too wrong with a Canon Ixus, got my parents one a few years ago and was notably better than a mates budget camera, although was a bit naff with the on-board flash but get what you pay for and it'll do what you need it to.

In the market now I'd look for an end of the line S100, recommended one for a mate and they love it and l've been impressed with the quality, a real step above the ixus my parents got but twice the price.

Thanks, im leaning towards the ixus as well because it will slip into my shorts pocket better.

DrLex wrote:

Don't forget to budget for a high capacity memory card or a few medium-sized ones; nothing worse than having to spend holiday time deleting shots so as to free up space.

already got that on the list! Thanks for reminding me though. Will definitely get that off amazon today!

essex-commuter wrote:

Do you want 35mm or 2 1/4 square?

no idea what you're talking about...

essex-commuter

spasypaddy wrote:

essex-commuter wrote:

Do you want 35mm or 2 1/4 square?

no idea what you're talking about...

I wouldn't go down the digital route, it will never catch on. I worked professionally for 5 years, 3 Bronica's a Blad, Billingham bag full of lenses and a dozen rolls of 120.....never done me any harm.

None of this squillion pixel malarkey, F8 @ a fortnight always got me through.

spasypaddy

essex-commuter wrote:

spasypaddy wrote:

essex-commuter wrote:

Do you want 35mm or 2 1/4 square?

no idea what you're talking about...

I wouldn't go down the digital route, it will never catch on. I worked professionally for 5 years, 3 Bronica's a Blad, Billingham bag full of lenses and a dozen rolls of 120.....never done me any harm.

None of this squillion pixel malarkey, F8 @ a fortnight always got me through.

i did photography at gcse, i know how to develop my own film and pictures

prawny

Any point and shoot from one of the main brands would be good enough for holiday snaps. I've had a bridge camera in the past it was pap, too bulky but without the speed of a proper dslr.

My holiday camera setup is my old Nikon D80 and a cheap canon P&S that takes AA batteries and cost less than £50. To be honest, most of the time the canon does the job because I can't be arsed with carrying the nikon around.

Edit:

If I had the cash I'd get a waterproofish P&S for holiday snaps, you don't have to worry about it if you want to sit at the front at sea world or whatever then.

apreading

Might not be some peoples recommendation, but I would also consider a waterproof camera such as http://www.amazon.co.uk/Panasonic-DMC-F ... m_sbs_ph_4

The 'normal' picture quality wont be up there with the Lumix or Canon above (I would choose the Lumix personally but either are great) but if you are with kids spending time in the water than you can get some priceless photos of them at waterparks and underwater - the shots of my kids swimming with Dolphins and stingrays etc are worth the price alone.

If buying a really good camera, I would look at low light ability before most of the other fancy features - so the lower the F-stop (aperture) they can do the better. Canon seem to be one of the best for reducing noise in the pictures at low light. You will usually find that the longer the zoom range, the worse the cameras are in this respect.

Shake reduction is a great feature too, but no good for overcoming a slow shutter speed when photographing quickly moving subjects.

I would say that anything from the big brands - Panasonic, Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus would do you fine.

spasypaddy

no kids.

so will bear that in mind for quite a few years down the line!

Thanks for the advice


I dont know when a 20x zoom would be that useful thats my only thought...

Fireblade96

I'd add another recommendation for whatever the best Panasonic Lumix zoom model you can afford. Get the current model -1 for best value.
I got one a few years ago (in the States!) and it's great. Small enough to carry regularly and the quality is superb, I've had prints blown up and framed and they regularly get admired.

daviesee

Too many choices, and most can't go wrong.

Two points I'd like to add.

1. Get one with easy access to the flash on/off. Automatic is convenient but often won't switch it on when you want it (person in front of bright light) or off when you want it (fireworks).

2. A phone is never, never, ever as good as a dedicated camera no matter what the advertising blurb would have you believe.

And a further point for the future.

3. For life's precious moments (once in a lifetime trip, newborns etc) no point & shoot will match a DSLR.

apreading

daviesee wrote:

3. For life's precious moments (once in a lifetime trip, newborns etc) no point & shoot will match a DSLR.

I know where you are coming from and dont necessarily disagree (and have several SLRs myself) but they can beat an SLR in some circumstances - the BEST camera you can have is the one that is there when the precious moment happens, and p&s are often to hand or more practical at those moments. If you have a fancy SLR but leave it at home/in the hotel when that precious moment happens, it isnt much use...

Thats why as well as a Panasonic LX5 (small zoom but superb lens and manual controls), several SLRs & lenses I have a waterproof camera, as stated above. I find that since I got the LX5, I have become lazier when it comes to taking the SLRs out as the pictures are so good that unless I am doing something specialist it is nearly as good.

SLR still comes out when I set out to take a picture, but when I set out to go to an event but want to take good pictures then more often and not its the Panasonic. This Panasonic is not exactly what I would call a P&S though...

prawny

apreading wrote:

daviesee wrote:

3. For life's precious moments (once in a lifetime trip, newborns etc) no point & shoot will match a DSLR.

I know where you are coming from and dont necessarily disagree (and have several SLRs myself) but they can beat an SLR in some circumstances - the BEST camera you can have is the one that is there when the precious moment happens, and p&s are often to hand or more practical at those moments. If you have a fancy SLR but leave it at home/in the hotel when that precious moment happens, it isnt much use...

Amen brother.

spasypaddy

and thats one of the reasons ive moved away from a bridging camera and am angling towards the ixus as its pocket small

Wunnunda

A BIG +1 for the LX-5. Good auto functions, all the manual control you could ask for and ABOVE ALL ELSE (!) a cracking f2 Summicron lens that goes to 24mm wide-angle. Hardly ever used the flash. Not a superzoom but they always compromise performance and TBH you rarely use full telephoto. A good wide-angle lens is far more useful for general tourist photos (and indoors) than a super telephoto.

The LX-5 has been superceded by the LX-7 now. It's not cheap but is super quality.

graeme_s-2

Gotta love a cycling forum. OP asks a question and says he has a £150 budget. Consensus forms around a £300 camera!

spasypaddy

And graeme, normally i'd be the first to recommend something well over budget (look at my bikes ffs) however on this occasion i have stuck to my guns and bought the Ixus and a 16bg memory card.

Boom.

Done.

Wunnunda

Yes - I did realise what I was saying as I posted that...my main point, though, was to not get too carried away with big zoom ranges. I've always been disappointed with them and, truthfully, when in full-on rubber-neck mode I don't use them. Wide-angle rocks!

Another make I can't see mentioned is Sony. They make some nice little P&S camera's. My wife has a 5 year old Sony that is 'only' 5mp but in real world photography (i.e. PC screen and 7x5 print) it's still brilliant.

Canon are very good, but Nikon I've heard conflicting stories about. In general I think compact cameras are not their strength.

spasypaddy

i was very happy with my canon that i had previously, i was always going to gravitate towards them for a P&S.

im content that ive made the right decision.

I miss my old canon powershot, we'd been through some tough but amazing times together. Will never understand how he managed to survive 6months backpacking around south america. Poor little guy

Wunnunda

"Poor little guy" ? Never heard a camera 'anthropomorphised' like that before

Can't go wrong with the Ixus range. The only thing I'm not partial to with them is that some of them are very small to a fault and my ageing eyes and fingers get very frustrated.

spen666

Graeme_S wrote:

Gotta love a cycling forum. OP asks a question and says he has a £150 budget. Consensus forms around a £300 camera!

Yeah but should it be Campag or Shimano equipped and should he wear a helmet when using it?

spasypaddy

Wunnunda wrote:

"Poor little guy" ? Never heard a camera 'anthropomorphised' like that before

Can't go wrong with the Ixus range. The only thing I'm not partial to with them is that some of them are very small to a fault and my ageing eyes and fingers get very frustrated.

he was my friend. some of the things he saw before he was nicked in ibiza were a sight to behold. was a great little camera.

come back dear friend