Digital Camera Recommendations

[Gaybutton]

I'm thinking about buying a digital camera. It's been about three years since the one I had went kerblooey on me and I haven't had one since. Before I get one, I wonder if some of you can make any recommendations as to make and model. I'd like to know what you think and what features you like. I'd also like to know if there are any particular makes and models to avoid.

[fedssocr]

One the one hand it is hard to say. But on the other it is easy to say that all digital cameras these days (especially from the well-known brands) are generally very good.

 

What sort of photography do you plan to do? How portable does the camera need to be? What will you be doing with the photos?

 

I have been shooting DSLRs for a few years. I just got a Nikon D90 recently which I am loving. I have shot a ton of photos on this trip that I am currently editing and narrowing down to make a photobook once I get home. Of course it is very expensive and then there is the cost of lenses.

 

I also have a little pocket-sized Canon SD600 which I like very much for snapshots in good light. It doesn't perform as well in low light. But I think these little Canon's are great cameras that you don't mind carrying because they are so small. But you can also get tiny cameras from Nikon, Casio, Sony, etc as well.

 

There are lots of features out there, some more important than others. Most point and shoot cameras these days also shoot decent quality video for short clips if you are interested in that. You will probably want to make sure the "shutter lag" is as short as possible. That's the time between when you push the shutter release button and when the camera actually takes the picture.

 

Don't get caught up too much in the "megapixel" wars. Unless you plan to make lots of big (poster sized) prints or are planning to do lots of cropping in software you don't need more than 6 MP. I have some gorgeous 13" x 19" prints from photos I took with a 6 MP camera.

[PattayaMale]

I have a Canon Power shot 750 digital. It is easy to use and transfer pictures to my computer with. The thing I don't like about it is that it only has a LCD 4" screen which shows the picture before you take it. However in bright light I can't see what I am shooting. Some have a thru the lens view finder in addition which is a good feature.

 

If you are looking for a DSLR so you can change lenses and have more features I can't help but maybe TOQ can.

[Gaybutton]

First, I appreciate the response. Somebody is going to have to explain to me what DSLR is. I have no idea what that means or in what way it is significant.

 

I'm looking for a pocket-sized camera that is a good point-and-shoot camera. I'm not looking to make professional photos. I'd like to have good quality photos when I travel and when I see something I think is worth taking a photo of.

 

My last camera was horrible when it came to taking night shots. If there is a camera out there that can produce good quality night shots instead of nothing more than a blur, that would be nice too.

 

That camera also was horrible when it came to using the flash. The flash was so powerful that it washed out most of the photos, especially indoor photos. So, I'm also hoping to find a camera that "knows what it's doing" when using the flash is necessary.

 

Another feature I'd like is for the camera to take its next photo quickly. With my last camera I had to wait several seconds for it to be able to take another photo and I missed a lot of good shots as a result.

[Bob]

GB, first you ought to decide what you want in a camera. For example, if you want something you can slip into your pocket, then that limits some of the choices. If you want the absolute best, go with an SLR (but that also means an expensive and large camera, lenses, etc.).

 

I've owned three digital cameras over the last 10 years and I happen to love the Canon Powershot one I have now. Medium sized, 10X zoom, 6 meg resolution (in spite of all the hype, that's more than enough resolution unless you plan on printing out fine photos larger than 8 x 10), and it cost me about $350.00. The 10X zoom is really an excellent feature that's come in handy many times. If I lost this camera, I would buy the newest Powershot model (one with an optical zoom of at least 8X) in a flash (no pun intended).

 

Ignore anything you read about "digital zoom." It's pure crap. I also don't favor the Sony brand because you end up paying 20% for the name only and often you're stuck with only Sony products (i.e., memory cards) that will work with the camera (although Sony products usually work very well).

 

Digital cameras started out with crappy (low) resolution and expensive and small storage. Those issues have disappeared entirely (even low-end cameras have pretty impressive resolution and you can buy a storage card for $15.00 that will hold more photos than you're likely to take in many months). Now it's all about convenience and features.

 

P.S. DSLR stands for digital single lens reflex. Idential to the old single lens reflex cameras (camera body, you attach various lenses to it, and, when you're looking through the viewfinder, you're actually looking right through the lens). The only difference is it's digital storage (e.g., no film, only a memory card).

 

P.S.S. I see you posted another resonse before I finished this one. Couple of comments: Don't plan on having any digital camera take good photos at night. In my view, none of them do a very good job of it (but, then again, it seemed that only an expert could make good night shots with the old SLR cameras). As to the "wash-out" of flashes at night, I've found that a problem with most cameras I've owned over the years. You solve that by going into the menu and lessening the amount of the flash a little (it's easy to make the change) and also remember that a flash shot at night is pretty much worthless beyond about 10 feet. Finally, most digital cameras now shoot quickly (the waiting part you mention has pretty much been resolved - but you can check out the specs for a given camera online).

[Gaybutton]

go with an SLR

 

Bob, you posted this while I was still writing the post above. That's where I wrote about some of the features I'd like to have.

 

SLR, DSLR. What is that? Please guys, don't assume that others, especially me, know what these things mean. Would someone please explain it?

[Bob]

GB, yep, we're stepping all over each other here. I was responding a bit to your first post, then saw you posted again, and tried to deal with that with the "PS" comments.

 

Whenever you see "D", it stands for "digital." I gotta believe you know what SLR stands for (single lens reflex) and I'd bet you owned one at some time in your life. God knows you're old enough! (slight interjection of humor into a boring topic?...hehe).

[Guest Geezer]

GB, I know of no DSLR which is anywhere near pocket size. Even if there were one any decent lenses would be too large.

[Gaybutton]

I gotta believe you know what SLR stands for (single lens reflex) and I'd bet you owned one at some time in your life.

 

I'm afraid not. I don't know much about cameras. I don't know what single lens reflex even means. Without someone explaining it to me, then it means someone hits the lens with a hammer and the reflex action is the camera leaps out of your grasp.

 

If that's not what it means, then for the third time now I'm asking for somebody to simply explain it instead of assuming I know. Sorry, but I'm absolutely clueless about it.

 

In all honesty, not only do I not know what it means, I also don't care what it means. All I want is for someone to be able to recommend a camera with the features I want, along with the features you think I ought to have. I really have no interest in the technicalities of lenses, SLR, or anything else. All I want is a good recommendation.

[Up2u]

GB, you don't know what a DSLR is (or SLR) and you want compact size and convenience. I would make life simple and get a Canon point and shoot like this one:

 

http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/compacts/sd880.htm

 

Canon badges the European and Asian models differently but you should be able to get this camera at Tukcom. I'm like fedssocr and have a big Nikon with thousands of dollars in lenses. For your purposes the mentioned Canon will be perfect. The KR site (www.kenrockwell.com) has a lot of information that will answer many of your questions.

 

 

 

[Guest]

I just bought this camera and love it. I took some pics of the ladyboy contest last night in Bangkok but I forgot my usb cord so I'll have to get one before I can upload them. The ladies were beautiful and the camera did a great job with them.

 

http://www.wired.com/gadgets/gadgetreviews...amp;slideView=2

[Guest dale1]

I just bought a "Canon IXUS 80 IS" from BIG CAMERA at TukCom .......... just under 10,000 baht .......... it is a wonderful camera ............ great resolution, easy to use, attached to computer swiftly, good warranty, lots of super features ............. and I bought one in CHOCOLATE color!!!!........... highly recommend

[Bob]

GB, you're a big boy, just google SLR....wikopedia has a short description for you.

[Gaybutton]

GB, you're a big boy, just google SLR....wikopedia has a short description for you.

 

Thank you. That idea finally occurred to me a few hours ago. Now I understand what it is.

[Guest MonkeySee]

I noticed that IT City located in the Tuk.com building on South Pattaya Road has a big ad with many deals on digital cameras. They have a Casio camera, 8.1 mega pixels, 3X optical zoom, 2.6" LCD screen for 6,790 baht featured on the front page ad. This also includes a camera bag, 2 gb SD media card and a trek mini 2 gb (whatever that is?). They also have a page full of other digital cameras on sale including Fuji, Sony, Olympus, and Nikon. I am sure the salesperon can give you some valuable information, too. The sale looks like it runs from Nov. 15-30.

[PattayaMale]

I know I mentioned this in my first post but I think it is worth repeating. In bright light most LCD screens on the back of the camera which allows you to see the picture you want to take and have taken, gets completely washed out.

 

My next point and shoot camera will have BOTH the LCD screen and an old fashion view finder...if they still make it.

[Guest GaySacGuy]

I have been using small kodak camera (the 03 series) 503, 603, etc. I think they are up to 803 but not sure. I am sure they would fit you needs pretty well...small, easy to use, digital media that you can plug into your computer, and just an all around nice unit. The later series number take larger pictures for better quality...megapixels and all that!! lol

[Gaybutton]

As an aside, since many of you seem to own and know about cameras, how come so few of you are participating in the two photo contests (in the pinned section of the message board)? Doesn't anybody like Chivas Regal?

[Guest jtrack33]

Maybe others have the same problem I mentioned a few weeks back when I tried to add an image of an Academy Fantasia participant with an erection....I have lots of images I'd really like to add, but can't.

I get the : "Select a file....Attachment space used 497.39K of 500K

Max. single upload size: 2.61K" message.

When I try to enter a link to a Picasa web album, it says "No dynamic links allowed...."

 

Maybe if you make it easier for me to add, then others will also.

 

 

[Gaybutton]

Maybe if you make it easier for me to add, then others will also.

 

Use the IMG function. That's how the picture below got here:

 

 

I use Photo Bucket. That's where I store my photos. Under each picture there is a direct link which can be copied, and then pasted, like this (use brackets where I put in parentheses. I can't demonstrate with the brackets because the brackets won't show in the post):

 

(IMG) link goes here (/IMG)

 

That's how it's done.

[Guest]

The Panasonic TZ5 has a nice lens & takes decent photos. It's a sort of compact with a reasonable lens. There are smaller cameras around though, if that is what you want.

[Guest TOQ]

I use a Fuji E900 which is a few years old and dont believe it is still available in Thailand. There were some in Tukcom on the second floor awhile back.

 

The newer model is the S8000fd and the S8100fd. Both should be available at Tukcom also.

 

Here is a link on some info on the camera.

 

http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_c...00fd/index.html

 

 

john

[Gaybutton]

Thank you all very much for these responses. I think I'm going to go for a fit-in-the-pocket sized camera. Apparently, most of them take decent enough pictures, so it's the features built into the camera that seem to make the most difference. I guess the most important peripheral features are the size of the LCD screen, whether you can still see the screen in bright sunlight, and whether the flash is going to wash out the photo.

 

What features would you say are the most important "must haves"?

[Guest TOQ]

What features would you say are the most important "must haves"?

 

I really like a viewfinder and find it a must. I like the LCD screen just for looking at the pic after it is taken. This way I know if I screwed it up and need to take another one

 

john

[Guest GaySacGuy]

As an aside, since many of you seem to own and know about cameras, how come so few of you are participating in the two photo contests (in the pinned section of the message board)? Doesn't anybody like Chivas Regal?

 

GB I have lots of photos, but I don't have the consent of the subjects to post them on the board. I just don't feel right about putting someone's picture out in public without them knowing about the photo being posted....and yes, I like Chivas Regal!!