Shall I Treat Myself For Xmas....

[laudrup]

Hi Guy's,

I've currently got a KodakDX3700 which does the job quite well, but is hardly inconspicuous so i'm toying with the idea of buying a new cam!

I'm pretty much a novice and don't know a great deal about camera's so I may be wasting my time.

I like the look of the Konica Minolta Dimage X50 & the Casio Exilim EX-Z55...but haven't got a clue what I need! I don't want to break the bank so could probably spend around £200 or so.

Does anyone have any tips? I'd like something small and easy to operate, or should i make do with what I've got until i get better at shooting!

Any advice appreciated

Regards

Laudrup

[laudrup]

Cheers Dude...i'll check em out in the sales!

[archman]

I've used a Casio EX-Z3 with some pretty good results. I would think the Z55 would be really nice, considering it's 5mp. The Casios have a big LCD which I've always liked.

[deliriouspixel]

If you wanna make photos rather than snap photos then you need something with
with fully manual exposure. I suggest the Canon A95 for around $300.

[laudrup]

cool...i'm going to wander around the shops tomorrow to see what I can find

[laudrup]

I've seen this CASIO QVR61 in the sales for £199, it's got 6mp and is a relatively decent size. Seems pretty god it's got manual & auto exposure, a decent battery life and 3 x optical zoom for a decent price.

Does anyone have any experience of these? There doesnt seem to be many reviews about online though!

[deliriouspixel]

Theat QVR61 doesnt have full manual exposure. By manual exposure they mean they have a few settings you can tweak but nothing to really force the cam to shoot the way you want it to. Its still a point and shooter.

[Cbird]

I'd like to chime in ... but requiring your help too! I am also considering upgrading to a "decent" camera in the next few days. I've searched and looked around for a while now. All I know is I need a good zoom (10x optical at least) and full manual settings. Unfortunately, no budget for an SLR -not even close. So my choices have been trimmed down to these:

Canon Powershot S1 IS-
pros - packed with features and it wouldn't surprise me if it has a microwave oven hidden inside too... :wink: 10x optical, stabilizer, feels like a real camera and a beautiful learning tool
cons - 3,2 MP "only"

Canon A95 -
pros - 5MP --lots of good reviews
cons - 3x only, compact design, not as attractive as the S1

FUJI S5500 (or S5100)
pros - 4MP, 10x
cons - no stabilizer

I've also tried the Konica Minolta Z3, but its design is either love it or hate it... I think I'm mostly hating it, and many reviews say images have a lot of noise.

There are many people out there loving the Canon S1 despite the 3.2MP. I know I like Canon resolution a lot. But perhaps I could add a teleconverter to the A95 and get 6,4 optical...should that be enough? I think it would be a bit ugly, wouldn't it?

Or should I go with the 10x 3.2MP (should that be enough...?) S1 and then let Photoshop take care of the rest.... (that's the option I mostly thinking of as of now).

Any comment will be greatly appreciated!!

[deliriouspixel]

Forget the zoom on a pocket cam. Youre gonna endup with zoomed blurry images. Just suck it up and get as close as you can then crop the image in post processing. The more MP the merrier for cropping.

[laudrup]

I plumped for a Casio QV-R61. It was in the sales reduced from £400 to £199. It has 6MP, Manual & Auto Exposure, is pretty compact and has the all important burst mode!

I've just got it back from work and have charged it up and put it on a relatively low resolution(so the it'll fit on imageshack) and have taken a sample picture of my guitar!

Let me know what you think!

I'm looking forward to getting up early for work to give it a go on the journey in!

http://img25.exs.cx/img25/4818/cimg00112hh.th.jpg (http://img25.exs.cx/my.php?loc=img25&image=cimg00112hh.jpg)

[laudrup]

Doh...just read your comments Delirious..i fell for the blurb...I thought it was manual exposure, I'm quite pleased with the pic quality though in low light with no flash.

[deliriouspixel]

Looks like you got a good deal on it laudrup. Your biggest problem with it is gonna be the lag introduced by the autofocus and the slow shutter speeds the camera chooses for no-flash photography. Hold it as steady as you can and shoot stationary objects. Everything else is gonna have blur.

[archman]

The Z3 does have a rather weird design, and I guess I'm in the category of those that love it (OK, so I have a Z1, but it's basically the same design). The Z3 will give you 12X zoom, and I understand it has an anti-shake device built in. But I'd still be a little leary about that statement. I think the only good quality you'd get with that much zoom is by using a tripod. Still, I love my Z1 and would highly reccomend anything in that series.

[laudrup]

I've had a fiddle with the settings and i'm going to try it on ISO500 which is it's fastest shutter spead and see how I get on tomorrow. It seems to have an option to turn on manual focus but I need to get to grips with the different settings before I can say for sure.

[Cbird]

Thanks for the information, friends!
I'm going to move this thread elsewhere because this is laudrup's and it's two different conversations. I'm very sorry to have interrupted, mate! Please accept my apologies.

[laudrup]

Dude don't be daft...you've not interrupted, we're both probably pretty new to this game and these experienced guys are helping us newbies learn a bit more.

I'm sure the guy's want to help you too...after all if you catch some good shot's they'll be getting the chance to get a peek of them on the board! :)

As a slight aside...i overslept this morning, was late for work and forgot my cam...Doh...I've still not managed to get any shots! I've got to get some tomorrow morning...it get's dark at about 4pm at the mo' so it's got to be an early effort

[Cbird]

Thanks for kind words, laudrup. I've shot a lot with my tiny Sony DSC-P32 camera, 3.2 MP, no zoom... and got some decent results, but with my new camera what I would need is zoom. I'm "envious" of people shooting long distance (the front shots they get are awesome and I know I could get similar results). Hence my doubts about this camera, the Canon Powershot S1 IS. I had it in my hands today (again) and it feels so right. Excellent design and feel. And the swiveled LCD is just cool and handy (I suspect). Yeah, I know, "but does it take good pictures?" Some say it does, other say it could be better. From what I've seen after weeks of searching, is that it produces shots good enough with that Canon image quality, and, after all, it's not the camera but the photographer...

Another option I am starting to consider, albeit a more expensive one, is getting the new Sony DSC-V3 (7.2 MP) 4x optical. I could then use the two Memory Stick cards I already own... but the camera is more expensive than the savings that this implies.

But what would be better, to have 10x and 3.2 or to have 4x on a 7.2 and then crop?
If the Canon S1 should have 5MP, it would be the perfect camera....
Any opinions are more than welcome! Thanks!

[archman]

Hey CBW...I have a feeling the pros are gonna say go with the higher MP and crop (if you have too). And as far as the swivel LCD...I've watched Gonja and Pez use those things with some amazing results...Good luck on your camera hunt!

[Cbird]

A tough decision! Thanks for your comments! Perhaps I'll ask Canon if they're going to upgrade the S1 anytime soon...

[jordan_m3]

My girlfriend bought me a trip to cancun for xmas, and I'm needing a new cam so that I can bring back some nice shots for you all. I have an Olympus camedia c4000 right now- no burst mode though. I'd like to spend about 400 us on a new one. Any suggestions fellas?

[deliriouspixel]

jordan I suggest the canon A95 and a 1 gig CF card with two sets of 2500mah NIMH rechargable AA batteries. That should fit your $400 budget.

[Rasta4Eyes]

a pair of 512's would be better IMO. A gig's worth of info is a lot to lose.

[nafOc]

hehe you're always the sceptic :-)
Really good point tho.