Recommended Digital Camera ... Need Opinions
 

Hi,

I am considering buying a new digital camera...before doing that I want
to ask this question to the people here:

What do you recommend?

what is the best "affordable" digital camera on the market...something
that includes optical zooming as well...

I'm looking for best picture quality (not necessarily high MP
resolutions)...but good quality and sharpness...as well as stability
when taking pictures...so the pics don't come out very shaky...

I know it's hard to post such a question...

but what do you think I should buy...

I am looking for a good camera in the range of (less than US$ 350)

Thank you...

Re: Recommended Digital Camera ... Need Opinions
 

Freddy wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I am considering buying a new digital camera...before doing that I want
> to ask this question to the people here:
>
> What do you recommend?
>
> what is the best "affordable" digital camera on the market...something
> that includes optical zooming as well...
>
> I'm looking for best picture quality (not necessarily high MP
> resolutions)...but good quality and sharpness...as well as stability
> when taking pictures...so the pics don't come out very shaky...
>
> I know it's hard to post such a question...
>
> but what do you think I should buy...
>
> I am looking for a good camera in the range of (less than US$ 350)
>
> Thank you...
>
Read the camera info at www.dpreview.com. You'll get better advice here after you narrow
down your choices to a few makes/models. And when you do that, tell us more about what
you will use the camera for.

Re: Recommended Digital Camera ... Need Opinions
 

In article <1115654528.161700.176150@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups .com>,
"Freddy" <zfreddyzzz@gmail.com> wrote:

> I am considering buying a new digital camera...before doing that I want
> to ask this question to the people here:
>
> What do you recommend?

Freddy-

Your request reminds me of the youngster who goes into the hobby shop,
collects a pile of goodies in a shopping cart and proceeds to unload them
onto the checkout counter. He says to the cashier, "Stop when you get to
a dollar"!

You are likely to get as many opinions as you get responses. My
suggestion: Get the best Olympus you can afford. Go for 3X optical
zoom. (Is the Olympus 6080 in your price range? It takes outstanding
pictures.)

You are not likely to get any significant stability improvement in your
price range. Therefore, you want a camera with a lens that has a wide
aperture and a capability for high ISO rating. With only 3X zoom, you
minimize the problem of amplified camera shake with long focal length
lenses.

Remember that whatever is the "best" today will be obsolete tomorrow. In
a couple of years you are likely to want a camera with some newer feature
or capability that isn't available today. At that time, you will have two
years more experience on which to base your next purchase decision.

Fred

Re: Recommended Digital Camera ... Need Opinions
 

Fred,

Thank you for your reply,

and yes..lol..I am like a kid in a candy store...you're right about
that...

But I also have a question...I owned a Canon A60..and it was a good
camera...but what do you think about the Canon S1 IS...I guess it
should be a good camera...but do you know its down sides???
there is also the Canon A510...

what about the olympus D-75...it's also a 3.2 MP with a 3X optical
zoom.

as I'm not sure which camera I'm going to buy...I just wanted to take
an opinion here to see some down sides of certain cameras...

Hope you can help...

Freddy

Re: Recommended Digital Camera ... Need Opinions
 

Sorry .... it's the Olympus D-575

Thank you

Freddy

Re: Recommended Digital Camera ... Need Opinions
 

"Freddy" <zfreddyzzz@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1115734523.190484.244880@f14g2000cwb.googlegr oups.com...
>
> ...but what do you think about the Canon S1 IS...I guess it
> should be a good camera...but do you know its down sides???

> Freddy
>

The extent to which one considers the following as *serious* flaws depends
on the person. They don't bother me -- see http://photofan.multiply.com for
samples. For the price and features I was after, it is still the perfect
camera for me.

- Noise level above ISO 200
- Level of chromatic aberration under certain conditions
- Lack of low light AF lamp

Sounds like you've narrowed your choices down to three cameras. If you're
still uncertain, check out some of the links on my home page.

Renee

Re: Recommended Digital Camera ... Need Opinions
 

Thank you Renee,

So I don't sound "ignorant"...you used many technical words that I have
no idea about and I guess most of the digital camera users have no idea
about...I just asked for a simple opinion ... I didn't want to go
research terms like "noise level", "chromatic aberration" and "lack of
low light AF lamp"...

once again...thank you for posting and I find your site
interesting...but I wanted an opinion that a beginner can understand..

Thanks again,

Freddy

Re: Recommended Digital Camera ... Need Opinions
 

"Freddy" <zfreddyzzz@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1115921734.387342.44040@f14g2000cwb.googlegro ups.com...
> Thank you Renee,
>
> So I don't sound "ignorant"...you used many technical words that I have
> no idea about and I guess most of the digital camera users have no idea
> about...I just asked for a simple opinion ... I didn't want to go
> research terms like "noise level", "chromatic aberration" and "lack of
> low light AF lamp"...
>
> once again...thank you for posting and I find your site
> interesting...but I wanted an opinion that a beginner can understand..
>
> Thanks again,
>
> Freddy
>

Freddy, I'm replying to this not to be confrontational, but rather to be
helpful to other beginners who might see this.

More often than not, by the time someone has narrowed their short list to
three or so cameras, they've done the leg work that comes before it. That
includes learning or wanting to learn some basic digital camera terms.

You asked for the downsides of the S1 IS and I gave you a short, precise,
honest answer. Noise, Chromatic Aberration, and Low Light Auto-Focus Assist
Lamp are not really advanced terms. They are basic digital camera terms that
anyone in the market for a digicam should be familiar with. They are
important elements when judging a camera's performance under a variety of
conditions, and determining how these factors weigh upon a person's final
choice.

As I said, I gave you a short but accurate answer in my first reply. If I
had provided an explanation of what these terms mean in that message, it
would have gone on and on and I'm sure no one would have wanted to read it.
Not only that, you would have been insulted if you knew what they meant
already and I posted an explanation presuming that you didn't.

There's more to picking out a camera than just getting enough yea or nays on
it. Even beginners need to do their homework in order to make a truly
informed purchasing decision. If you or anyone else don't want to look up
what those terms mean, someone might be kind enough to provide an
explanation if simply asked.

Just the same, you're welcome.

Renee

Re: Recommended Digital Camera ... Need Opinions
 

Freddy wrote:

> Thank you Renee,
>
> So I don't sound "ignorant"...you used many technical words that I have
> no idea about and I guess most of the digital camera users have no idea
> about...I just asked for a simple opinion ... I didn't want to go
> research terms like

>"noise level",


Like grain on film, grittiness when making adjustments to shoot in low
light.


>"chromatic aberration"

Rainbow fringes in high contrast scenses like branches against a bright
sky, indicates a not-too-fancy lens or a lens trying to cover too broad
a zoom range.


>"lack of low light AF lamp"

A flashlight that beams out to assist the autofocus in low light.
Without this, the camera is unable to focus and may even refuse to take
a picture at all.


>
> once again...thank you for posting and I find your site
> interesting...but I wanted an opinion that a beginner can understand..
>
> Thanks again,
>
> Freddy
>

--
Paul Furman
http://www.edgehill.net/1
san francisco native plants

Re: Recommended Digital Camera ... Need Opinions
 

On 10 May 2005 07:15:23 -0700, "Freddy" <zfreddyzzz@gmail.com> wrote:

>Fred,
>
>Thank you for your reply,
>
>and yes..lol..I am like a kid in a candy store...you're right about
>that...
>
>But I also have a question...I owned a Canon A60..and it was a good
>camera...but what do you think about the Canon S1 IS...I guess it
>should be a good camera...but do you know its down sides???
>there is also the Canon A510...
>
>what about the olympus D-75...it's also a 3.2 MP with a 3X optical
>zoom.
>
>as I'm not sure which camera I'm going to buy...I just wanted to take
>an opinion here to see some down sides of certain cameras...
>
>Hope you can help...
>
>Freddy

Freddy,
if you owned & liked the A60 (2MP) camera, is there some
reason not to consider the A95 (5MP) which can now be had for about
$260.00 US in many reputable on-line retailers such as B&H?

It's just a consideration, all things considered I think it's
a very good little camera with a lot of features.

Good luck, hope you find what you want.

Respectfully, DHB


..
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the President,
or that we are to stand by the President, right or wrong,
is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable
to the American public."--Theodore Roosevelt, May 7, 1918