I am looking to buy a Digital Camera but am not sure where to start. Total noob with regards to feature sets etc. I am looking for something that is decent but it doesn't have to be a super professional one. One of the biggest features I am looking for is something SMALL and FLAT to make it easy for travel. Something that can be put in a loose pocket. Can I have any suggestions? What aspects should I look for in a camera? Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs..._compare:ss&ref=http://www.sony.com/index.php Cybershots looks nice. Powerful, portable, etc.
You're best bet is to just go into a store and look at their selection. Stores I recommend: Bestbuy, Staples, and even RadioShack. Each may have a nice phone on sale for their weekly sale.
http://www.dpreview.com/ I would look for a camera which has IS(Image Stabilization), but beyond that look for the dimensions of the camera. I've always liked Canon personally, but my brother had a Casio with amazing battery life. Once you've looked through that site above, I might try to narrow it down to a few cameras then go to Amazon to see what they say on there.
I'm looking for help on the same subject, but with different needs out of the camera. I'm about to have my first baby. Our current P+S camera is fine, but with my nieces, I always feel like I miss the good shot by a second or so. I don't want to have that happen anymore. I want something that will get me good quality pictures and fast shutter speed. I just bought a Canon SD4500IS (upon the recommendation of a couple Best Buy employees), and hate it, so am about to return that. But I need something that will be able to be better. That camera was ~$330, and I'd love to be able to stay below $400. Any recs please? There is so much out there and I'm just overwhelmed Thanks in advance for any guidance people can give
What did you hate about the SD4500IS? Usually, the canons "on paper" aren't the best bang for your buck because the competition generally has better specs (at least in terms of what people think they want) at better prices. But for point and shoots, Canon usually has consistently great performers with excellent IQ and a fast, accurate autofocus. I recently looked at point and shoots and it came down to the SD4000IS (similar to yours, but gives up the longer telephoto and adds a faster f2.0 lens (better for low light) and the Canon S95. I ended up just having my old camera repaired, but after I made my decision, this article came out: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/A-Love-Letter-to-a-nytimes-365722288.html?x=0 Take it for what it's worth...........but this camera is also very well received at dpreview as well.
Wow. Lotta love for the s95. Will do a little research on that. Anyone else have a favorite? FYI, my frustration with the 4500IS is that it had a pretty healthy shutter delay and the low light pics were coming out grainy. Those were the two selling points, but performance on both of those was below my old power shot. Thanks guys
Gotcha. I don't know why it would have a long shutter delay unless it was really struggling to meter or focus. Granted, I haven't played with that model, but you may have just gotten a lemon.......or it may suck. Small, point and shoots will never (well......not today) have great low light capability due to their small sensor, but maybe some day sensors and ISO's will reach a point where they can compete with DSLR's. When that happens, all the nice lenses for DSLR's will plummet in value. Why carry around a five pound rig when you can carry a few ounces in your pocket? It's all about trade offs with photography. You can have a camera that will do almost everything........you just need deep enough pockets and a strong enough back to carry it. Until then, it sounds like the S95 is a good compromise. I might still end up with one. I'm intrigued with the in-camera HDR.
Canons are nice. It really seems you're just looking for a cheap slim point and shoot that will take decent photos. My mother wanted the same thing, she just ordered this one and likes it a lot. http://www.amazon.com/Kodak-EasySha...OF6Y/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1288631704&sr=8-9 Slim, 14.1 mp, Image Stabilization, well under $200 with a case and memory card.. Can't really beat that.
Usually manufacturers will go for "pizazz" and "wow" to lure in customers to buy their new gadgets. What I've noticed is that the cameras with more features and more "advanced" features tend to be the ones that have this delay. I bought me a Fuji S5100 about five years ago, and the shutter delay wasn't even there. Everyone told me that it was a problem with their cameras... The bad thing about that camera was that it was bulky and it wasn't a "pocket" camera like the smaller ones. The LCD screen was smaller than most, and it was somewhat of a "manual" camera, because it had functions like an SLR, but it truly wasn't. I used it so much and was happy with it, but then I dropped it once and the power switch wasn't the same anymore. Because of that, I moved up to an SLR, but it wasn't a pocket one... ... you'll probably lose some of the features and advanced stuff the newer ones have, but if all you want is a faster shutter with less delay, I don't think you'll find many. I couldn't tell you which ones do this, but you have to go to the store and actually test the shutter speed at the "automatic" setting for all, and then try the other functions that are similar in all the cameras. For some, you will have to turn off the LCD screen while taking a photo because this is what drains the battery and it also makes the camera work more internally. My advice would be to stick with one from a company that specializes in not just electronics, but overall in other camera equipment, like Kodak, Canon, Nikon, or Fuji.
Here are a couple good guides about current cameras and what you should consider: Budget Priced Digital Cameras - http://www.adorama.com/alc/article/The-best-budget-priced-digital-cameras-right-now Compact Digital Cameras (below DSLRs) http://www.adorama.com/alc/article/Buying-Guide-The-best-system-compact-digital-cameras-right-now enjoy
Thanks for the advice guys. Went into a local camera store with the intention of playing with the S95 and then going to buy it on Amazon. While in there, the salesman had me compare that with the Canon G12. It was ~$100 more, but I was pretty impressed with the pictures and especially the speed. The local store was comparable with Amazon pricing on the camera, so I decided to not be a cheapskate to save $5 and reward the store for their help. I haven't gotten to play with it too much, but so far am very happy with what I ended up with.
