Digital camera, what makes a good one

[dnej]

Wanting to buy a digital camera. Any camera buffs point me in the direction, of where to start.What makes a good camera.
Regards David

[gcourt]

G'day David
Start by having a look at www.dpreview.com
covers the basics to the pro's with reviews of every digi cam on the market.
cheers
Glenn

[Billo]

not much of a camera fanatic , but in short, picture quality comes down to the pixels ...good place to start comparisons
Software that comes with also makes a huge difference to the versatility

[aido]

watch your camera can still stay in focus when you zoom in (optical zoom)

[macca]

Decide whether you want a compact or slr style camera, get at least 3.2 megapixels and buy as much optical zoom as you can afford because digital zoom sux.

Great buying in the shops at the moment Fuji S500 10 x optical zoom 3.2 mp and free batteries and charger.

Macca

[Dug]

I flog the mongrel things to mugs ;D
No sorry I sell high quality cameras to our discerning clients.
There are so many options and variants, what do you want to do with it? & how much do you want to pay? are probably the best starting points. Email me if you like or I'm happy to post the info. Personally I think digital photography is the work of the devil and all who use it should be burnt at the stake. But then I have just spent $2,500 on a digital camera #:-[ OH The shame of it :-[

[Zeeke]

What makes a good digital camera is one that turns on, then takes a pic!

Tim

[Dug]

Sick to SP's and Flies Tim ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

cheers dug

[aussiebasser]

Kodak DX6490.
Distance about 60 metres. Great camera, easy to use. Optical zoom is important.

[Tezza985]

Just bought myself a Pentax Optio 30 for $260. It has 3.2 megapixels, 3 times optical zoom, and 4 times digital with an easy menu and being new to digital photography myself i wanted a camera that could use a variety of batteries with the option of an a/c adaptor to save batteries whilst downloading to the computer.

Here's a pic taken in programme mode, just point and shoot.

Tezza.

[dnej]

Thanks everyone. That gets me started. Are any telescopic lenses from an slr film type compatible with digital , or is the system completely incompatible
Regards David

[Gorilla_in_Manila]

David,
I believe Canon EOS lenses (AF lenses) are compatable with the new EOS digitals.
Cheers
Jeff

[gunna]

No expert in this but the few things I picked up when researching to buy one.

If you don't plan to blow photos up much larger then don't bother with big megapixels. 3.2 is more than enough for the usual 6x4 shots. Even less os ok.

Get as much optical zoom as possible. Don't get conned by digital zoom.

Think about cost of batteries - and whether they are specialised or something like AA. Could make a difference if you need new batteries & the local servo is the only place open.

Get a large memory stick.

Check the lag time between pressing the 'go' button and when the picture is taken.

Take it out in the sun & check how well the LCD works in sunlight. Nothing worse than taking a shot of THAT fish then not being able to see the quality of the shot immediately.

[Mortalkombat]

Guys have a look at the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ3 should be good for action shots and cheap compared to Canon 300d
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0407/04072203panasonicfz3prev.asp

[Mortalkombat]

I currently have a Kodak dc4800 the guys talk about lag have a look at an example on a Blue Marlin two shots

[Mortalkombat]

Next one i was pressing the button wildly to try to get a good pic this one though is a classic with the lure flying through the air :o :o :o

[bay_firey]

It's just about all been said

Interchangable lenses - you will need an SLR (Single Lens Reflex) type camera, all my nikon lenses fit my new Nikon Digital

One of the bigest things that realy pushed me to an SLR was the lag time on a lot of digitals that I looked at. The Nikon is every bit as fast as my 35mm Nikon, turn it on focus and shoot

[jeffo]

nick- what shots!! was that before or after the tag was in.. DOH! ;D

[Dr_Dan]

What kind of $$$ we talking about for SLR? Looking for good camera, is digi the way to go? Or is it not worht the extra money?

[Dug]

The Nikon D70 fits existing nikon lenses but remember to multiply the focal length X 1.5 and it is fast but at $2,500 you would expect that. the new sony P100 is nearly as fast but only 3X zoom. But at 5 MP you can easily crop your photos.

[bidkev]

Decide whether you want a compact or slr style camera, get at least 3.2 megapixels and buy as much optical zoom as you can afford because digital zoom sux.

Great buying in the shops at the moment Fuji S500 10 x optical zoom 3.2 mp and free batteries and charger.

Macca

I'm with Macca and I'm an ex pro photographer so I'm fussy, but it depends on what you want to spend and what you want to do with it.

As has been said, http://www.dpreview.com/ is a good place to look but I'd forget the official reviews, just read the buyer's reviews as they are the evereryday users.

Unless you want interchangeable lenses and you'll have to spend mega bucks for that, I can't fault the 10x optical zoom on the fuji 500 and the 2x digital is one of the best I've seen. I take a lot of "head and shoulder" portraits and it's spot on in this respect. The time lag can be a problem initially, but you get used to it. If you're not in a rush, hang around till you see a "special". A while back they were giving a free wide angle lens with this camera and that's worth $240!

You get what you pay for, but at $500 I consider this the best (for what I want anyway)

some pics (not perfect 'cause they've been resampled). The dolphins show that you *can* get used to the lapse.

cheers

kev

[bidkev]

Another......caught the movement in the water without blurring

[bidkev]

Another.........shooting in a garage doorway, towards light, without fill in flash. Exposure perfect, skin tones perfect and still retained detail in the eyes. Ther are better cameras but at $500.......I consider this the best I have tried.

cheers

kev

[bidkev]

Ooops! forgot to attach

[Dr_Dan]

Kev,

I've had no real experience in photography, but am keen to get into it a fair bit. My old man is an ex pro photography, but hasn't really been doing much for the last 20 odd years. So he can't really help with choosing a digi camera. What kind of piccies can you take with the 10X zoom?

I figured that with the Digi cam, i would be able to practice without the huge $$$$ associated with developing crap photos!

Dan

[macca]

Dan

The zoom simply brings far away become closer, sounds simple.

I have a camera with 3 x zoom. Handles all my fishing photo's,

no worries.

Like I have said in previous post when you spend the money get as much optical zoom you can afford.

I have a sony, it's easy to use, came with rechargeable batteries and the 128mb memory sticks are cheap.

When I get home from fishing just plug it into the computer(usb), the computer(xp) recognises the sony straight away with no software loaded. I just use the software that comes with the printer to print the photos. Nothing could be easier.

My sony is compact, however later on I would like to buy a slr style digital with heaps of zoom, to bring those far away shots closer in.

Hope this helps

Macca

[gcbfc]

I have a Canon 300D SLR Digital. I've had 4 other Standard Digital Cams of varying prices..last one a FUJI cost me $1500 a couple of years ago. Took good stills, but was crap for 'action' shots of marlin jumping etc.

Now....I spent the $2K on an SLR and when I click, it takes the shot. VOILA.. and its 6.3 Mega Pixels, so whats crappy on the shot I simply crop out. Also, you can change any EOS EF Lens in and out, so Zoom, Close up macro whatever you want is a lense away.

HOWEVER.. and here is the big thing. If you buy cheap lenses (lets say under $500) you get cheap shots. So you'd need to at at least another $1000 to get a decent 'fast' lense for action stuff to get really good shots.

Cheers

Wayne

[bidkev]

Kev,

I've had no real experience in photography, but am keen to get into it a fair bit. #My old man is an ex pro photography, but hasn't really been doing much for the last 20 odd years. #So he can't really help with choosing a digi camera. #What kind of piccies can you take with the 10X zoom? #

I figured that with the Digi cam, i would be able to practice without the huge $$$$ associated with developing crap photos!

Dan

Hi Dan,

Without lookin' it up, so I may be a tad off, but I reckon the 10 x comes in as equivalent of a 340 SLR lens (your dad will clue you up what that means). Perfect for candids, sport and wildlife, without the weight and length of the SLR lenses. It also comes with an adaptor/lens hood with a 52 mm thread for attaching accessories such as convertors and filters, and this thread is pretty much ok if you were to look for 2nd hand filters at cash convertors and the like. If you wanted to lash out on a 2x convertor later, then you would have a lens equivalent to a 700mm, and the lens is also pretty fast for a lens of this zoom range.

I've had 16x12's printed up from this camera and for a 3meg camera, they ain't bad.

The only thing I can fault it on is that the settings dial can be easily knocked out of position.... say you had it on auto........you may find that in putiing it in and out of the camera bag you may have knoked it onto another setting. I've stuck a tiny bit of blue tack on mine :-)

Oh! And it is *bloody* excellent on battery usage, compared to most.

cheers

kev

[MulletMan]

Optical zoom - optical zoom - optical zoom!
Forget the digital zoom figure!

[littlejim]

DNEJ,

the most annoying thing about digital cameras, covered already, is SHUTTER LAG.
Personally I would look for one that can take photos of moving people/kids/fish (try it out in the shop).
After that go for pixel count etc. etc.
As the game photos show, it is disappointing to have a 6 megapixel photo, at 6X zoom, in perfectly rendered colours with no edge distortion or colour bleeding, of the splash the fish left rather than the fish. All because it takes the camera half a second to get itself sorted out after you press the shutter button. Make lack of shutter lag the first priority. (My $188 DSE camera has a fair bit of shutter lag as you may have gathered.)

[bidkev]

Forgot to mention Dan,

This camera also uses the latest xd cards which use less power and write at up to 80% faster than cards used by other camera manufacturers. It makes for faster sequence shots and less "jumpy" video. Go here for review of this technology:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0207/02073002fujifilmxd.asp

cheers

kev

[MY-TopEnder]

Hey Kev, was it the Fuji Finepix S5000 you were reffering to?

I've just done the research in the last few months and bought the S5000 myself. 10x Optical zoom, XD card, 3.2 megapixel... easy to use camera as a point and shoot, with heaps of manual options for the enthusiast. Its handy using AA batteries to.

[dnej]

Kev, I must be going nut, I cant find that camera on the referred web sit. Is that the exact model ref.
Regards David

[bidkev]

Hey Kev, was it the Fuji Finepix S5000 you were reffering to?

I've just done the research in the last few months and bought the S5000 myself. 10x Optical zoom, XD card, 3.2 megapixel... easy to use camera as a point and shoot, with heaps of manual options for the enthusiast. Its handy using AA batteries to.

That's the one Les. I'm a Canon EOS man actually and was sorely tempted to buy Canon digital SLR so that I could use the lenses that I had. This camera seemed such a good buy and compact considering the zoom, that it converted me. Try a shot at full zoom (2x digital), I reckon it's the best I've seen under A4 print in that price category.

cheers

kev

[bidkev]

Kev, I must be going nut, I cant find that camera on the referred web sit. Is that the exact model ref.
Regards David

It's a long link David and sometimes long links break. The last link I gave you referred to the memory card technology. Try this for user's reviews :

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/read_opinions.asp?prodkey=fuji_finepixs5000

and if that doesn't get you there try:
http://www.dpreview.com/

look under the menu, choose cameras, choose fujifilm and a page should come up with all fuji's cameras. Click on the image of Fujifilm Finepix S500Z and the review page will come up. You can also access the user's reviews form underneath the image. Hope it works

cheers

kev

[jaycee]

I have a fiji S5000 and think its a great camera. Chech it out on ebay, some good prices around at the minute.

[lordy]

I got a bash around one from Kmart. Its a Fujifilm A205, only 2megapixel but 3x optical. Came with 16mb car and a free bonus 32mb card. Combined that is good for 75x 2mp pictures. Quality is much better than I expect. Prints to A4 were surpisingly good (I thought they would be grainy but they were more than good enough). For $179 I'm happy, it does every I want in a boat camera and its cheap enough I won't cry if I drop it in the drink.

The Panasonic Lumix with 12x Leica lens looks like a beauty. I've read plenty of reviews and they rate the lens very highly for a camera in that price range. It came down to that one or the cheap one from Kmart (wussed out and went with the cheap one).

One day when I win the lottery I might take a punt on a Sigma SD10 (or equivalent).

[Payneful]

A quick note on digital camera lag ... I have a kodak DX3900 and it has a two stage shutter button. If you hold it down half way it locks the focus and does whatever else it has to do and when you press it the rest of the way it instantly takes the photo. I beleive this has been the case with most kodak digital cameras.

So what I do is point the camera where i want the shot to be taken and hold the button halfway down to let if auto focus etc, when the subject (eg jumping fish, car, peroson etc) is where i want them in the photo i simply press the button down the last little bit and away she goes. Perfect photo 9 times out of 10.

Sam.

[bidkev]

That's the way to go Sam. I think all cameras have a pre-focus nowadays. What you're trying to explain (I think), is "pre-emptive focusing". With action shots you press the shutter button half-way down to focus on where the action is likely to occur (preferably at a fast aperture for greater depth of field) and when it does occur you trip the shutter. For example, you focus on the hurdle if you're trying to get a shot of a hurdler taking the hurdle. You have to try and "see" the picture before it is actually taken.

That's ok in theory but if, (for example), a fish jumps out of the water where it is not expected, then with bottom of the range digitals, it has been and gone by the time you focus and the shutter lag has taken effect. As has been said, the only way to overcome this is to go top of the range slr digital.
depends how many of those shots you are likely to need as to whether the price is cost-effective.

cheers

kev

[bruce4x4]

G'day guys, Harvey Norman catalogue today Fuji FinePix S3000 3.2meg 6xoptical zoom is that any good for a start up camera. Price $399

[bidkev]

G'day guys, Harvey Norman catalogue today Fuji FinePix S3000 3.2meg 6xoptical zoom is that any good for a start up camera. Price $399

I'd go the extra 150 bucks for the 10x optical and free lenshood/convertor on the S500 but read this before you decide:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/read_opinions.asp?prodkey=fuji_finepixs3000

cheers

kev

[adriancorrea]

I just picked up one of those Fuji slr for the missus for that price. ;) ;) ::)
Great camera, very user freindly, learning something new every day.
I am very happy with the pics and quality of what I have taken so far.
I have attached a pic I took
see If I downsized it properly

worth the money guys and gals

Tight Lines
Adrian