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My very old camera suddenly died, and I need to get a replacement ASAP. I hadn’t even been thinking of getting one and there are lots of them to sift through. Reading a manufacturer’s glowing description is fine, but they certainly don’t tell you the bad points.
Does anyone have one that they love? One they hate? I am looking for one that is easy to use (meaning lots of automatic settings) and would appreciate any recommendations to give me a starting point. 😕
Hi, I remember you hehe! Also when I put in let’s say digital cameras in my search engine, when you look through the list of sites there are some that give reviews. That helps! They usually list the pros and cons for various models and you just have to figure out which con you can live with. Like with some Canons someone listed a con that it didn’t come with a case–very small thing and doesn’t affect the operation of the camera per se. I don’t know if you have Consumer Reports, but I’ve seen some good points brought out on that site–what to look for etc. Don’t know if you have to be a subscriber to view this but the subscription is reasonable. Check out so see how much you can view without it.
That was my fear–going in a store and having some jack rabbit try to shove a product down my throat that they have an overstock on. Plus, you may be dealing with personnel who don’t know quat about what they’re selling except to give you that eyes glazed over crap of–‘This is a real good camera’–Why’–‘Well it just is.’ Yeah right! 😡
Personally if I were still looking for a camera–I’d still be up in the air. It just happened that I got my credit card points statement and saw I could get one through that. It works for me but I’m not going to say it is the best camera ever–still quite new to me. One thing I have to say about getting the base accessories is that you will want to get a better battery for them–the ones that came with my camera started to crap out within a day. Also the memory cards that come with them only hold about 39 pictures so get an upgraded memory card. When I registered my camera with Canon, they did give me a 15% discount on my next order for accessories–will come in handy.
So best of luck and hopefully someone with more savvy than I can recommend something good for you! 😀
I always go to cnet to look at the reviews. >.> You can sort by price, megapixels, etc.
http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/?tag=TOCleftColumn.0
I’ve had two Sony Cybershots and liked them both (the first one never broke, but I got a newer one as a gift). I also have a DSLR, but you’d have to be pretty serious to lay out the cash for one of those. 6.6;
Get a Cannon. Some of the other top line brands have gone to crap in the last couple years, but Canon has just been getting better and better. Not all of their stuff is great, but for the most part you can’t go wrong with one.
I’m glad you mentioned memory sticks, LadyFirebird. I’ll need to make a list of which ones my card reader will support. My old camera uses Sony InfoLithium batteries and chargers, so I’m hoping new cameras still use those.
I went to the cnet web site you provided, kitsunelady, and that is really a good site. Short, sweet, and to the point if you want to use their rating stars, or categories galore if you are looking for models with certain features or prices. It also explains the various terms, features, abbreviations, etc., and I need that right now. It looks like I’ll be spending quite a while there.
Evidently some cameras come now with the red-eye reduction. Does anyone have that, and does it really work? The eyes on my blue-eyed cat always come out red. I am lousy at fixing it through software programs, so this feature interests me.
One thing I am definitely not wild about is changing lenses for everything I do. I think what I want is one that takes really good quality pictures for me, not one that takes a lot of time to use.
Hmm…if my camera has red-eye reduction, I don’t know about it. But I’ve never had a problem with red-eye that I can recall, because there are some easy ways to avoid it; here’s what wiki says on the matter :
The red-eye effect can be prevented in a number of ways.
1. Using bounce flash in which the flash head is aimed at a nearby pale colored surface such as a ceiling or wall or at a specialist photographic reflector. This both changes the direction of the flash and ensures that only diffused flash light enters the eye.
2. Placing the flash away from the camera’s optical axis ensures that the light from the flash hits the eye at an oblique angle. The light enters the eye in a direction away from the optical axis of the camera and is refocused by the eye lens back along the same axis. Because of this the retina will not be visible to the camera and the eyes will appear natural.
3. Taking pictures without flash by increasing the ambient lighting, opening the lens aperture, using a faster film or detector, or reducing the shutter speed.
4. Using the red-eye reduction capabilities built into many modern cameras. These precede the main flash with a series of short, low-power flashes, or a continuous piercing bright light triggering the iris to contract.
5. Having the subject look away from the camera lens.
6. Increase the lighting in the room so that the subject’s pupils are more constricted.
7. Some computer digital image editors have the ability to lessen the red eye by adding a hint of blue to it.Mostly, I just never use flash. In fact, I can’t remember the last time I did – I’ve avoided having to by use of a tripod.
I have owned several Canon cameras. I currently own a Canon Powershot SD1200 IS and LOVE it for a small ‘point and click’ camera. Drag0nfeathers liked it when I brought it to Anime Boston last year (I got it just in time for the convention). It has the new Digic 4 processor too which is pretty sweet. If you are going for a DSLR and are looking at a Canon, I suggest going for the newest Rebel (T1i). It’s features are on par with their high end model, has the new processor, and take HD video.. pretty much all of the same features (with HD video added), but for half the cost.
My mom has a Nikon coolpix and loves it. Nikon is another good brand. If you really just want something simple, Kodak Easyshare isn’t too bad.
I seem to have red- eye reduction on mine and now that you think of it, I haven’t seen much in the way of red-eye in pictures of my dogs or in the pics I took at Anime Boston. 😕
I’ve had several cameras. From a cheap digicam to a Canon Powershot S5IS.
The picture in the following link was taken with a Kodak easyshare Z612:
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2148085620048730416ingnOjCanon powershot S5IS:
Those are beautiful photos, Blackdesertwind. When I got to the bear, I thought “Wow…I wonder how close you were to that bear?” That is really a great shot.
It’s pretty daunting trying to decide; there are so many and so many features that it was hard to tell them apart at first. A lot of them take regular batteries, and that makes me nervous; I take lots of pictures, and I can see buying an endless supply of batteries. I am a lousy picture taker, so I end up taking hundreds of pictures of something just to get a few good ones. I am hoping a new camera might help cut that down, but I am leaning toward a camera with lithium ion rechargeable batteries.
I am thinking about getting the Canon G11, basically because it has good reviews, and I was able to pick it up and handle it. It is a bit smaller than I would like; but BestBuy is pretty much all that is left around me, so I am rather limited in what I can actually see. Sam’s Club, WalMart, Target, Staples, etc., all have the smallest cameras or the large DSLs, and not much in between. Canon seems to be quite popular with forum members, online reviewers, and store salespeople too; so that influences me quite a lot.
syn789 wrote:Those are beautiful photos, Blackdesertwind. When I got to the bear, I thought “Wow…I wonder how close you were to that bear?” That is really a great shot.
It’s pretty daunting trying to decide; there are so many and so many features that it was hard to tell them apart at first. A lot of them take regular batteries, and that makes me nervous; I take lots of pictures, and I can see buying an endless supply of batteries. I am a lousy picture taker, so I end up taking hundreds of pictures of something just to get a few good ones. I am hoping a new camera might help cut that down, but I am leaning toward a camera with lithium ion rechargeable batteries.
I am thinking about getting the Canon G11, basically because it has good reviews, and I was able to pick it up and handle it. It is a bit smaller than I would like; but BestBuy is pretty much all that is left around me, so I am rather limited in what I can actually see. Sam’s Club, WalMart, Target, Staples, etc., all have the smallest cameras or the large DSLs, and not much in between. Canon seems to be quite popular with forum members, online reviewers, and store salespeople too; so that influences me quite a lot.
LOL thanks
I was very close to this mother bear and her two cubs. They were in a tree beside the road so I stopped and took like 80 pictures! Alot of bad ones but some good.My camera take AA batteries but I buy the Panasonic rechargeable Ni-MH batteries and my setting in the camera is for best pictures so I can’t take as much then I could if the setting was low, but I sure take more then I need. I take at least over 500 pictures when I go out for the day for that purpose and my batteries don’t run out.
I also keep an extra set of batteries charged up just in case I do run out.Good luck in chosing your camera. If you take wildlife like I do get one with a strong zoom right away.
I’ve upgrated over the years but I’m still planing on upgrading eventualy to a SLR with a 300 lens so I won’t have to be so close to bears and such to take fairly good pics….lol! 😈I wouldn’t recommend Olympus. Mine takes wonderful pictures, but it has the horrible downside of needing a memory card that most computers won’t read! It takes an xD and most computers only read the more common sD cards. It’s been the bane of my existence since I got it.
Having said that, it has lots of fun automatic settings that make it easy to shoot really nice quality photos, for a camera that isn’t all that expensive (mine was $150CDN – on sale).
I have the SP550UZ model. 7.1 mP 18x optical zoom (it’s what got me in, that’s for sure), large LCD display, in camera editing. Easy and fun to use. But the CARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AUGH!!!!!!!!!! 🙄
*hey, I just found out my laptop reads the xD cards… go figure*
If you do consider getting one, make sure your computer can read the card first, or you’ll be relying on the cord for the rest of the camera’s life….
Dragon87 wrote:If you do consider getting one, make sure your computer can read the card first, or you’ll be relying on the cord for the rest of the camera’s life….
Hey Dragon, my computer doesn’t read cards but I purchased a USB card reader for really cheap since it was on sale for $10….works wonders! 😉
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