Request for suggestions for a digital camera

bdraft · 08-14-2009, 04:27 AM

I read the thread that "HawMan" posted and have thought of some of the questions that was asked to get a better idea of what camera wouls suit him. I personally don't know about him, but I do need a digital camera, (I want to say "new digital camera", but that would imply I'm upgrading, which I'm not). His post is here:

Need a new Camera!

Starving Artist, post the first rely to him, I'm going to quote parts of his post in this post....

Quote:

May i ask - do you have experience with a SLR? are you upgrading to a DSLR? a Second DSLR?

Uh, I know what they are and have seen a few if that counts as 'experience'. Upgrading, no. The cameras are old and film type and mostly "point-and-shoot" types. My sister has a camera that I think was a "Minolta" or maybe another one in the early 80s that started with an "M", you could adjust the focus range on it. That is about as 'high end' of a camera as I've operated.

I do seem to have a small gift for photography though....I have never taken a picture of my finger or hand while I'm trying to get a picture of something else. Some small thing hua??

Quote:

Have you given consideration to the type of shooting and/or style you want to do?

Type of shooting: Indoor and outdoor....occasional moving scenes, (this is not video, video is mentioned below). General all around shooting.

Style I want to do?? I'm going to assume that means 'camera' style, if that isn't what is ment I'm sorry I don't understand the diffrence:

I want a good general all around camera. I'd like to have a zoom on it (prefer mechanical to eletronic), and that shake reduction stuff (prefer both mechanical and eletronic, found out that there was two methods to do this when I was at a site that let you choose the features you wanted then searched for cameras, I can't think of the name of the site, if anybody knows it I can run my list of things I want through there and then post the results and see if any of you think any of them are woth anything), maybe red-eye reduction. I would like it to be able to take video with sound, but it isn't a deal breaker....

Basicly, a camera that will work "point-and-shoot" style, but one that I can change settings if I want when I get better....basicly an automatic that can be switched to manual when I get more experience. If I do set it to manual though, I don't want to have to reset it to manual every time I turn the camera on, especially if that means it forgets my manual settings. I'd prefer to be able to operate it in manual mode, switch to automatic, then back to manual and it didn't forget my last manual settings, that would infuriate me.

Quote:

The type Video you expect to shoot?

What ever catches my fancy. If it does video though, I don't see why it shouldn't also do audio though.

Quote:

Type storage media you want to shoot with - SD ?

What ever is fast, cheap, and good. I don't have any media yet so there isn't any legacy issue to deal with. I got one of those "7 in 1" or "12 in 1" media readers with my sister's computer when I ordered it last year or so, but my PC doesn't, so I'd also like to be able to leave the media in the camera and access it through the camera from a USB port. I do have a FireWire (IEEE 1394) port on my board, (both of us acually), if it's nessicary or prefered.

I can only afford to spend $200USD to $300USD, outside range maybe $400USD....doubt I'll be able to go more than that.

Quote:

accessories you'll need to do the type shooting you want or expect to do?

Neck strap, maybe a case to keep dust off....I'm hopeing that the camera as the ability to close something over it's lens. A couple cameras I saw at Wally*World had this feature that when you turned the camera on, it would open up a hole in it's front and then the lens barrel would poke out....shut it off and it sucks it back in and shuts down....not sure if those were film or digital though. A car-charger if the camera has it's own batteries or rechargeable ones, or will accept rechargeables.

If you can remember that shopping site that I mentioned above, let me know what it is please....or let me know of one that does it, shopping site or not.

I would also like to it have a RAW mode that is supported by Irfanview if possible....

thank you for your time;
bdraft

**TheAtheist** · 08-14-2009, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bdraft

Type of shooting: Indoor and outdoor....occasional moving scenes, (this is not video, video is mentioned below). General all around shooting.

Almost all cameras will be fine for these moving scenes of which you speak - if you mean long shutter times to create blurs etc.

Most Digital SLR cameras will be perfectly capable of working well in low light conditions. You will find some of the cheaper cameras will struggle in low light and will produce noisy images. My camera, which is whats known as a bridge camera, is pretty shocking in low light without a flash(which is not always helpful or advantageous in low light as it can create harsh, overexposed images)

Style I want to do?? I'm going to assume that means 'camera' style, if that isn't what is ment I'm sorry I don't understand the diffrence:

I want a good general all around camera. I'd like to have a zoom on it (prefer mechanical to eletronic), and that shake reduction stuff (prefer both mechanical and eletronic, found out that there was two methods to do this when I was at a site that let you choose the features you wanted then searched for cameras, I can't think of the name of the site, if anybody knows it I can run my list of things I want through there and then post the results and see if any of you think any of them are woth anything), maybe red-eye reduction. I would like it to be able to take video with sound, but it isn't a deal breaker....

I presume the OP of that comment was refering to whether you would do more Portraiture, landscapes, sport, etc photography. Some cameras are more suited to certain situations. More to the point, if you were going to specialise in, for example, wildlife photography, you would want to look at specific lenses ( see here for a lense very useful for wildlife)

I can only afford to spend $200USD to $300USD, outside range maybe $400USD....doubt I'll be able to go more than that.

I'd reccomend perhaps, if it was my money(i can but wish right now to have that much!!) using that upper limit, if only to allow you to spend, say $350 on the camera, as well as the accessories you describe below....

Neck strap, maybe a case to keep dust off....I'm hopeing that the camera as the ability to close something over it's lens. A couple cameras I saw at Wally*World had this feature that when you turned the camera on, it would open up a hole in it's front and then the lens barrel would poke out....shut it off and it sucks it back in and shuts down....not sure if those were film or digital though. A car-charger if the camera has it's own batteries or rechargeable ones, or will accept rechargeables.

If you can remember that shopping site that I mentioned above, let me know what it is please....or let me know of one that does it, shopping site or not.

I would also like to it have a RAW mode that is supported by Irfanview if possible....

thank you for your time;
bdraft

I'll wait for someone with more experience to drop in next and see what they reccomend!

bdraft · 08-14-2009, 02:13 PM

I wasn't really thinkig of a DSLR. They are probably too complicated and cost too much. The cheapest DSLR I saw was about $680USD, and it wasn't really a SLR because you couldn't change the lenses on it. It just looked like one. It was put out by a major brand.

The video is a "nice to have but not a deal breaker" thing, though if it can do video I don't see why it can't do audio. (I know, they didn't install a microphone, but that is just lazy to me.)

It will be intresting to see what other have to say....

thank you for your time;
bdraft

08-14-2009, 02:13 PM	#3 (permalink)
bdraft Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 59 OS: WinXP Home, sp3 My System	Re: Request for suggestions for a digital camera I wasn't really thinkig of a DSLR. They are probably too complicated and cost too much. The cheapest DSLR I saw was about $680USD, and it wasn't really a SLR because you couldn't change the lenses on it. It just looked like one. It was put out by a major brand. The video is a "nice to have but not a deal breaker" thing, though if it can do video I don't see why it can't do audio. (I know, they didn't install a microphone, but that is just lazy to me.) It will be intresting to see what other have to say.... thank you for your time; bdraft