Consumer digital camera suggestions?
Well, I'm finally graduated, and entering the world of real paychecks again. One of the first items on my list is... a new camera. (My current camera is a QuickTake 200, if that gives you any idea of why I might want to upgrade. Rebranded Fuji DX-7, 640x480, no flash. Still works like a champ, but I'm hoping for something a bit... nicer.)
The problem is... I haven't a clue where to start really. My wife and I would like to keep the cost low (under $300 would be nice), and we don't really need much in the way of 'pro' features. Just a good simple camera that takes good shots, that's all. I don't care about 'on camera editing', or integrating with a color printer, or any of that crud. I'll be using it with iPhoto, and printing but rarely. I don't need interchangeable lenses, I don't need MPEG movie capture, and I don't need anything more than PHD action (Push Here Dummy - ie, single button click and take.)
So I ask you all - what are your recommendations? The topics I've seen that I'd like to get some feedback on:
Recovery time: the Canon A410 has a *10 sec* time between shots. My QT200 is faster than that by far. I'd like to have sub 2sec if possible. I don't care if I see a nice preview of it on screen, I just want it to dump to storage quickly so I can take the next one. I'll review and delete later.
Batteries: The Canon A*** line all use AAs, which is kind of nice for in-the-field moments of 'oh crap, the battery is dying'. What's the life like on most batteries?
Storage media: Most of the time, I'll most likely just USB the sucker in to iPhoto, but of course extra storage media never hurts. Opinions on SD/MemoryStick/etc?
The problem is... I haven't a clue where to start really. My wife and I would like to keep the cost low (under $300 would be nice), and we don't really need much in the way of 'pro' features. Just a good simple camera that takes good shots, that's all. I don't care about 'on camera editing', or integrating with a color printer, or any of that crud. I'll be using it with iPhoto, and printing but rarely. I don't need interchangeable lenses, I don't need MPEG movie capture, and I don't need anything more than PHD action (Push Here Dummy - ie, single button click and take.)
So I ask you all - what are your recommendations? The topics I've seen that I'd like to get some feedback on:
Recovery time: the Canon A410 has a *10 sec* time between shots. My QT200 is faster than that by far. I'd like to have sub 2sec if possible. I don't care if I see a nice preview of it on screen, I just want it to dump to storage quickly so I can take the next one. I'll review and delete later.
Batteries: The Canon A*** line all use AAs, which is kind of nice for in-the-field moments of 'oh crap, the battery is dying'. What's the life like on most batteries?
Storage media: Most of the time, I'll most likely just USB the sucker in to iPhoto, but of course extra storage media never hurts. Opinions on SD/MemoryStick/etc?
Comments
I have a S410 and I'm quite content with it for simple, everyday photos. Mine accepts only Type I CF cards.. so you might want to check that out. I have 1GB and at 2400x1600 in SuperFine quality I can take about 491 photos.
Battery life is great. I can take close to 1,000 photos without having to recharge it. Never used AAs.. so don't know how fast they're consumed.
Anyway here are the premier camera review sites:
http://www.dpreview.com/
http://www.steves-digicams.com/
http://www.dcresource.com/
My sister has a Sony Cybershot, and it takes OK photos, although the Cannon I have is better. I have a friend who has an Olympus that does a nice job with the photos, but the user interface is annoying. So I'd say that, more or less, you get what you pay for in digital cameras. Fortunately, $300 buys a decent amount these days.
The camera is 4.1 megapixels and small. Really small. Some have even asked if it's an Elph. It takes great pictures, though you'll want to turn the intensity of the flash down or it washes stuff out. It has a really good response time, but the flash slows it down quite a bit. Even considering the flash intensity and response time with a flash, I'd highly recommend a look at it. I think they're going for $179 right now.
Battery life is awesome! The suckers last an unbelievably long time before needing a recharge, and the charger I have can put them back at full in 15 minutes. Rechargeable AA batteries have come a long way since I used them about 10 years ago.
Part of my job includes designing battery powered electronic devices, so I'm a little sensitive to this stuff.
Originally posted by Splinemodel
I suppose this is quibbling, but LiIons don't come in AA form.
Yes, it is quibbling, and yes, you're right. My bad. They are impressive little batteries, nonetheless.
I have a Canon A75 and find its picture quality excellent. It's only 3.2 Megapixels, but I can print an 8"x10" photo that looks like it was taken with 35mm film. It also auto-rotates the pictures 'in-camera' so you don't have to rotate them yourself in iPhoto.
I have also bought my daughter the update to the A75, the A530 4 Megapixel.
It's an even better, smaller model, and only uses two AA batteries for the same life as my A75s 4 batteries. I use rechargable 2500mah NiMH batteries, which I consider a must have item. They also last longer than disposables.
As well, both cameras have plenty of manual settings beside the Auto mode, and they do come in handy at times, such as night light shooting. They both have 3x optical zoom, as well as 3.2x digital zoom (which we never use, as the pictures degrade in quality).
A friend of mine has a 7 Megapixel camera, with 9x optical zoom, which is unusable except on a tripod.
They both come with movie mode, and judicous use of this as well as stills can make for some interesting home DVDs.
The A75 uses compact flash cards, and the A530 uses SD cards.
I have a 1 Gig card in each, and this seems to be quite enough for most occasions.
If you want a longer zoom certainly Panasonic would be the way to go. Also good to pick a model and check somewhere like http://www.dcresource.com.
Nice mix of well behaved auto settings and manual controls. You can use it as a fully auto point and shoot, and if you get tweeky later your adjust things to your hearts content.
Takes AA batteries. Get a set of NiMH rechargeables and you can take like 500 shots on a charge-- and if they go dry you can always grab some alkalines--which is the advantage of this set-up over proprietary format rechargables. Great ergonomics--perfect balance between smallness and usability. Flip out, swivel-able LCD, very helpful for shooting high or low or backwards. Excellent image quality.
2.4 fps continuous shooting mode till the buffer's full, about a frame a second thereafter.
Groovy panorama mode (edge of last shot displayed in finder so you can line the next one up and so on, panorama "stitching" software provided).
"Real" video, 640x480 at 30 fps, no limit (you can shoot till your card is full). Lower res and speed also selectable.
This series has always been a solid bargain, but now that $300 gets you 5 MP it's a steal.
5 megs means you can print 8x10 and have it look great; it also means you can crop an image after you shoot and still have some usable resolution.
Prices being what they are it doesn't seem like there is any reason not to get 5 MP camera anymore, conversely 5 megs is really all most people need for casual use.
Review here
Sample pics (and vids) here.
Image quality wise, it's the best camera, especially if you like to shoot indoor.
PS : I do not have this camera, nor any Fuji products, but if I had to buy one, it will be this one.
Hmm. That didn't sound right.
Originally posted by addabox
The correct answer is the Canon A610. Generally sells at right around your price point.
Has Canon taken care of the dreaded CCD issue (scroll down) That plaques the A70? I've got an A70 and it's maddening. I hesitate to look at Canon's to replace it. Other than that I would look for a fast shutter response. (I'm not sure if that's the proper term, but I'm talking about the time between hitting the button and the actual snapping of the picture.) How do the A75 and A610 do in that department?
Originally posted by Guartho
Has Canon taken care of the dreaded CCD issue (scroll down) That plaques the A70? I've got an A70 and it's maddening. I hesitate to look at Canon's to replace it. Other than that I would look for a fast shutter response. (I'm not sure if that's the proper term, but I'm talking about the time between hitting the button and the actual snapping of the picture.) How do the A75 and A610 do in that department?
Yes. They acknowledged that was a problem with a batch of CCDs (which Canon does not manufacture) and offered to fix any affected camera for free regardless of warranty status.
The problem seems to have been limited to the 3.2 chip in the A70.
Current Canon's are much faster as far as cycling time between shots goes. The A610 has a burst mode that does 2.4fps and does around a frame a second after the buffer fills.
Originally posted by john.outwater
This being my first digital camera and my first mac I was hoping for the simplicity of plugging it in and having iPhoto download all the pics and such. In short, does that site mean this won't happen?
Yes, iPhoto will do that. Don't worry. They're just saying their software is not currently compatible with 10.4.x. It works perfectly fine here, with a PowerShot S410.
iPhoto has no trouble downloading all the pics.
Originally posted by Gene Clean
Yes, iPhoto will do that. Don't worry. They're just saying their software is not currently compatible with 10.4.x. It works perfectly fine here, with a PowerShot S410.
iPhoto has no trouble downloading all the pics.
Ok, well I did notice that your camera is on Apple's list of compatible cameras, however if you say it will work, I will take your word for it.