Digital camera purchase

[Paddy]

Well graduation is arround the corner and rather than pay ~£30 for EACH photo, i am considering buying or renting a digital camera and then doing my own prints.

I am after something reasonably compact, but good enough for portrait work.

Can anyone recommend a make/model or features that i shoudl look for or avoid.

TIA

[Paddy]

Ooops... I forgot about the new forum....

Cheers Sasq

[Paddy]

I have seen the FUJI FINEPIX F601 reasonably priced....

[az]

What do you intend to spend, what do you need in terms of features, do you want optional manual control, how big, are looks important, have any flash memory already you want to re-use?

Other than that, my current standard compact digicam advice: Minolta Dimage F100. 4mp, good quality, small, chic, manual controls, and relatively cheap, since it's last year's model. Or the Dimage F200 for just a little more, evolutionary successor to the F100. Looks better in blue

AZ

[KvHagedorn]

Just buy the most expensive one you can find.. can't go wrong there.

[az]

Actually, you can... see Kodak DCS14n, Leica Digilux 1... (yes, yes I know it was a joke )

AZ

[Paddy]

Cheers... to be honest... I don't know what i want or need... If i buy one, i'd like not to have to replace it - ever [read long time]

I want it for graduation portriat photos so i need to be able to get an A4 image - that should scare the neighbours!

[az]

Then you should really go for 4mp because of the magnifications. he best purchasing decision you can make is take the cams that are in your price range and appeal to you visually and have some basic features you need (optical zoom, at the very least 3mp uninterpolated, better 4, should be "pocketable", 'cause a very good camera left at home won't produce a lot of nice pictures ) and the features you want (good macro ability, optional manual controls etc - you should really not go for a cam that doesn't have manual controls if you plan to keep it for a long time - your skills might improve, and the cam should be ready for at least the beginning)... so, take all the cams that fit your profile in your hands, play with them, shoot a little (or pretend to, most shops won't give you a memory card to really try the cams, but be sure to ask for batteries - they add a lot of weight, usually making the cameras handle better, and they allow you to play with the menus).

Drop every cam you don't feel comfortable with off your list. Don't shop only for the latest and greatest - last year's models can be great bargains sometimes, and next year, your cam will be last year's model anyway.

That said, take a look at the Minolta F100/200/300 (the F100 is the greatest bargain, F200 has still a good price, is the current model, and has some evolutionary steps up from the F100, F300 only adds 5mp on top of the F200's features, but costs quite a bit more, and you don't need 5mp).

If you think you'd rather have a VERY small cam, or you want to take your camera swimming/diving/shooting in heavy london rain/deserts, and you're ready to sacrifice some image quality for that (still good enough for your everyday needs, and the occasional A4 print), take a look at the Minolta Dimage Xi/Xt and matching marine cases.

AZ

[mutz]

What's the max you want to pay for camera, storage card, and probably, for portraits, flash?

[az]

I think any external flash would be too expensive, save for maybe an old dumb slave flash that isn't irritated by the cam's pre-flash.

AZ

[Paddy]

OK... i've done a lot of browsing today.

I can pay upto £400.

Storage card: Well my iPaq takes CF2 or is it SD... I don't know - anyway, I am not bothered... the cheaper and bigger the better

I don't want to purchase an external flash - I am an amature photographer at best... I want a camera that will be able to produce good quality print-outs at upto A4 size.

Looking at various models today they all seemed rather similar. I wasn't able to check printouts of the cameras, but I was *assured* that the difference between 3MP and 5MP is marginal. That I can believe.

My experience of digital cameras is that they tend to over-expose pictures and have a slooow shutter speed so that the slightest movement of the subject results in a blurred picture.

I am not after a camera that will take a pic for the cover of vogue, but i want to be able to print out the pics that i like and not be dissapointed.

I dont want a large SLR type one... something small and compact is the way forward for me.... A cradle would be nice, but i have only seen them with the fuji models.

Other features are optional... the ability to create short films doesn't really appeal to me as i want the camera for photos... but optional extras would be nice....

Essentially: Camera £250-£400
Small and compact
Good output for printing
Quick exposure time to avoid blurred images
Manual controls for the tweaker in me

Does that help?

[az]

Then take a look at the Minolta Dimage F200, for instance. I don't follow the other manufacturers that much.

BTW, the difference between 3 and 4 mp is marginal at photo sizes, but may become more noticeable at A4+.

AZ

[VJ]

Originally posted by Paddy
I am not after a camera that will take a pic for the cover of vogue, but i want to be able to print out the pics that i like and not be dissapointed.

You mean you already have the model for the cover of Vogue ?

An interesting place to look is the buyers guide on http://www.dpreview.com . (somwhere in the left menu) It allows you to select certain features and display the cameras that satisfy them. Only 2 things should be taken into account: the number that can be displayed is limited (and it doesn't notify you of this !), and the prices are at the time of release of the camera (these can have changed if the camera is a bit longer on the market). I do have the impression that dpreview is a bit behind when it comes to reviews of the smaller, new cameras, but you can find them most likely on http://www.steves-digicams.com .

The difference between 3MP and 5MP is as Az said. It only becomes interesting when either enlarging or cropping (of course, most people do want to zoom down to pixel-level on a computer monitor, but this is far from realistic)

The "quick" exposure time for avoiding blurred images can be somewhat troublesome, if the aperture is too small or the ISO-level is too low.

Perhaps interesing to note is that a lot of cameras have a relatively long shutter delay (e.g. between the press of the shutter button and the actual photo is some delay - can be up to a second for some cameras - even when the camera is prefocussed). A lot of timings can be found on http://www.imaging-resource.com .

By the way, I've heard good things about the Canon G2 (most likely its successors G3 and G5 are similar). The smaller Canons (e.g. S40 or so) also seem to be quite advanced regarding manual settings.

Happy hunting !
(and don't be overwhelmed by the terms you encouter; just ask over here if there are questions I'll answer them, and Az will correct me; or something like that )


Jörg

[mutz]

Yeah Paddy, I have the Canon Powershot G2 and the G5. Both surpass everything else in that class I've seen. The G2 has been discontinued, so you might be able to pick up one second hand and also be satisfied with it for a long time. Both are "prosumer" cameras.

The Canon A70 and S50 are smaller, but also top in performance and popularity.

In the end, you've got to find out what's comfortable in your hands and will do all you want plus some to grow into.

[Paddy]

Arg... I just cant pick one