Digital Camera

[Will Wood]

I'm pretty sure I've posted this here before, but alas I never ended up getting a camera.

I've been without a digital camera for sometime now, and being the cheapo I am stayed off buying a new one because I had a camera phone. But I've finally got sick of the ultra low quality low resolution crappy pictures that I can't take in night because my flash sucks..


Paycheck was a bit more than I expected. I'm willing to spend up to$250.
Most picture will probably be taken outside in the daytime.
I'd really like a camera that had a short video mode with sound.

I'd spent more than 250, but considering I'll have to spring for an expensive memory card I'm going to have to limit myself a bit. I realize that if I'm going to be truely happy with a camera I can't really worry about the price.

But considering I know NOTHING about cameras .. I know theres a couple people on here that know quite a bit.

[atm743]

this sony is mega cheap and takes really good pictures all you need is a big memory stick for it

http://cgi.ebay.com/SONY-CYBER-SHOT-...QQcmdZViewItem

its a nice cam and they are cheap

[Kai]

Sony makes terrible digicams.

For that pricerange, the FujiFilm Finepix line of digi-cams is actually pretty excellent. Best bang for that buck, if you ask me.

[Cameo]

Sony makes terrible digicams.

For that price range, the FujiFilm Finepix line of digi-cams is actually pretty excellent. Best bang for that buck, if you ask me.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my fuji... It does 20 second video (which is great), but has no sound. I am sure that you can get a model a bit higher end then mine with sound though.. As for quality, it has been droped and in the rain so many times I can not count. Yet it still is doing a great job. The quality of the pics greatley depends on what mode you choose. I go for the middle mode of the 3 options and i get great qulaity prints even with cropping. My only possible dislike is the fact that I go through alot of batteries since I use the camera so much... I highly suggest in additon to getting an extra memory card that you get 3 sets of recharageable batteries (or $50 worth of throw away's at IKEA, they do recycle them..).
~steph
ps: this review made possible by Muzikman, who gave me the abitliy to constanly get memories captured...Thanks

[Will Wood]

One question about that though..
How long after you press the button does it take a picture, and how long till you can take the next one?
My last camera had about a second delay and two second lag time before you could take one again.

[Cameo]

One question about that though..
How long after you press the button does it take a picture, and how long till you can take the next one?
My last camera had about a second delay and two second lag time before you could take one again.

that depends greatly on what flash/shutter speed you have.. I tired it out just now cause you made me curious.. Looks like on the slow no flash it does take a second or so, as does the auto setting and the red eye reduction setting... the regualr flash and no flash settings are pretty quick. I know that on the video mode it takes about 2 seconds or so to store the data. I have not noticed anything substantual enough to bother me previously when I took pics. I do use the video mode alot though, then I can grab a image from that and use it as a photo...they just are not quite as high resolution that way.

If i want to take a really nice pic, or something is very special occation I take my cannon film camera. the digital is the camera that I keep in my purse and goes everywhere with me. Yet I still prefer to use the digital over the cannon film. I am odd.

[Jaan]

I have two digital cameras and I would recommend them both, but they each have different strengths.

The first is a Fuji FinePix and they're great cameras for the price. Decent optical zoom and pretty much brain dead point and shoot. If you want to use advanced features they can be hard to get to and not all are there. The memory cards (xD) are expensive too compared to other brands. The cards work faster and use less power however. You can get a FinePix for $150. This is the camera I bought for my Mom lol.

I have an Olympus Camedia too and I'm impressed with it. A good version would be about $250 with a high optical zoom 5.1 megapixels but I mention it because it's so good. Great in low light and with many manual options. If you think you'll want to get fancy with the camera later on this is what I would get.

[Hexis]

Gotta throw in a suggestion for Canon. I would suggest looking at whatever P&S Canon is in your budget. You should be quite happy with whatever one you pick. They have some super tiny ones and some larger ones with some more features.

In general I like Canon, Nikon and Olympus for P&S Digital. I dispise Sony for their lack of normal memory (Memory Stick is a joke). I don't have negative feelings about other brands, just little or no experance.

In the Digital SLR realm there is only Canon.

[rkjunior303]

Canon.

I have a Digital Elph SD300 and it rocks. Super small and it takes phenomenal pictures!

[Muzikman]

For $250 you are very limited. Any camera you find is going to have shutter lag in that price range. You have to start getting into the higher end camera before the shutter lag starts to go away. The lag is also due to focusing time. The cheaper cameras take a long time to focus, there for when you push the button you have to wait for it to focus and then the shutter lag. If the subject is not very well lit, a lot of cheaper cameras will take a long time to focus, if they can focus at all.

Basically, at $250 get any camera you want as no one is really going to be better than the other. And you will have to live with the shutter lag.

[Will Wood]

How much am I going to have to spend to at get, at the least, a camera with faster shutter speed? Because I really don't want another camera that has slow shutter speed, at all. Anything an extra $100 could get me?

[rkjunior303]

How much am I going to have to spend to at get, at the least, a camera with faster shutter speed? Because I really don't want another camera that has slow shutter speed, at all. Anything an extra $100 could get me?

Expect to spend $500 MINIMUM.

[Hexis]

I would say that anything short of the DSLRs is not going to be that big of a differenace. The AF systems on P&S anything is not going to be fast.

Shutter lag is pretty easy to deal with. Half depress the shutter button so the camera will focus and meter the shot, wait for the moment you want, then fully depress the shutter release. That will take the shot nearly instantly (since the shot is focused and metered). This will not work for moving subjects that are moving (since the focus will be off).

[Muzikman]

The Canon S2 IS has decent shutter lag less than a second for full press.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canons2is/page4.asp

Though it is well out of your price range.

Your best bet is to see what is in your price range and then head over to dpreview.com and read the review about it. If there is no review then it's usually not worth buying (unless it is very new).

[Hexis]

If there is no review then it's usually not worth buying (unless it is very new).

True for the most part. Tho they still don't have a review up for the 1Ds mk2.