opinions on cameras

I am buying someone a digicam as a birthday present. nothing fancy. I am looking for something that is fairly simple (point and shoot), good quality, will take a decent picture but nothing out of this world, and is under 200.

Right now i am looking into the nikon 3200. I have heard and read that it is a good entry level digital camera, which is what i am looking for for her. Like I said nothiong fancy (normally she uses disposable cameras).

Anyway i was wondering what some of your thoughts were on this camera or others that meet my requirements.

that would be a good option. just make sure you stick with a manufacturer with a background in cameras, not electronics. IE take a canon or a Nikon over a sony.

you just HAD to bring that up, didn't you:p

you just HAD to bring that up, didn't you:p
yeah i know... but it's so true. and so many people looking for cameras don't even realize it. but when you think about it... it makes complete sense. Maybe I should just put it in my signature :)

LOl....You also need the stagea back in the sig.

But I was looking at another osny, and noticed it got some pretty good reviews...DSC-f828 I believe? Know anything about it?

Ok, thanks My3rd! That's great:)

thanks for the input guys. I decided to go with it, and will probly pick it up sometime next week.



... as far as the nikon/sony/canon thing, I have a sony DSC-P10 that I like alot. It is perfect for everything I use it for. I do graphic arts so pictures come into play alot and it works fine. I also have a Canon Optura 30 digital camcorder which is amazing, I recomend it to anyone interested in a video camera.

Ain't nothin wrong with a Sony ;) You've seen my pics.

The newer ones all use Carl Zeiss lenses in any case :D

I went on digi cam shopping trip last week with one of my stoner pommy backpacker mates. He got one of those new 4 megapixel Sony Cybershot (I Think) for $290 AUG which is about $200. Perfect.

Ain't nothin wrong with a Sony ;) You've seen my pics.



I think that had more to do with the operator than the camera :)

Iv used a couple of Cybershots, including one like yours, and it was not a pleasant experiance, very slow, and very limited control.
Apprently the new 2005 model sonys are much faster, and getting better, but they still lack the experiance with optics etc that Camera manufactors have.

That said the Sonys have a very unique style, and make some of the smallest and lightest cameras around, especialy when you compare size vs features there is little that comes close.
In terms of cool factor they offer a lot more than most other manufactors, but from my experiacne thier functionality is still lagging behind.

I have a Sony DSC T3.

http://productimages.sony-europe.com/DSC-T3_S_IM.jpg

Slim design, great pics :thumbsup:

Shop carefully.
Remember that digital technology is ELECTRONICS not Photogtaphy! I have a Canon SLR and a Canon Optura Digital Camcorder. Both are great for taking pictures. I bought a digital cmera by Fujifilm. It wasn't the cheapest camera out there, but it takes GREAT pictures. THe advantage of the SLR's is that you can control the depth of field, shutter and film speed for effects. Digitals you cannot. For a person that just wants pictures without manipulating it a digital camera is the most practical. The most important thing to remember is the higher the megapixels, the better overall resolution (at least 3 Megapixels). But you have to be sure to have a memory card / stick that holds at least 128 mb. because the higher the resolution of the picture, it uses more memory. I have a 128 mb card and can take up to 150-225 pictures on the same card with excellent picture quality.

Umm, what about dSLR dude?

THe advantage of the SLR's is that you can control the depth of field, shutter and film speed for effects. Digitals you cannot.
blasphemy. Tell that to my Canon 20D dSLR
http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B0002XEI44.03.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

my Canon G5 has shutter priority, aperture priority, full manual (including focus) as well as the iso (aka asa) setting. except for the manual focusing, i believe this is the same on all the Canon PowerShot AXXX series of camera's.

i believe this is the same on all the Canon PowerShot AXXX series of camera's.


It most certianly is, infact most of the Canon range have at least some degree of manual control, even its its just apature or shutter priority.
The beauty of digital is that its actualy much easier to provide manual contol over exposure.
And of course show me one 35mm film camera that lets your adjust white balance and ISO shot to shot.

As for all SLRs have full manual control, apprently someone forgot to tell Minolta, I just shot a wedding with my g/fs 35mm Minolta SLR, it had basic scenic modes only, and zero manual control over exposure.




If your looking to have manual control over your photography, then be sure to find a camera with the widest range of options you can find.
Most fujifilm digi cams offer manual control, it usualy easily selectable useing a small dial by the shutter button. Unforunatly it only adjusts in halfs of shutter speed, and apature.
The Canon A series and S series, like the G series are a little harder to select, but they let you select changes in 1/3s, or 1/4s, so you get upto twice the range of shutter speeds and apatures to choose from, very important to get the most control you can.
Most Nikons are similar, but becareful, as some of thier smaller compact models can be deceptive in thier range of ablities.
Like wise the Kodaks, they are very "user friendly" i.e. Idiot proof, i.e. simple. Offering only a limited amount of manual control.
Some of the Sonys offer quite a good range of control, but, many of thier new "fast" lens with apatures of F2.8 become very slow when zoomed only a small amount, and often have only two apature settings. Wide open, and very small. And Iv mentioned before that Iv found thier menus clumsy to use.


When I got my first camera, I had my eyes on a Kodak, after seeing their marketing and knowing thier history. I spent 6mnths searching in google, reading forums and most importantly comparing differnt cameras in store.
In the end I relegated the Kodaks and Sonys to consumers wanting a simple point and shoot (which they are very good at, better in many cases than my Canon) and settled on a Canon A40. When it went missing I replaced it with a Canon A80. I have never regretted either choice.

Shop carefully.
Remember that digital technology is ELECTRONICS not Photogtaphy!

Actualy a digital camera is half digital based electronics, and half photographic optical technology. It dosnt matter how good your sensor and processor are if they are stuck behind a really crap lens.
Its why it dosnt matter much power you pack into a cell phone camera, they will never take good photos.



For a person that just wants pictures without manipulating it a digital camera is the most practical.

I dont know, I think most people would agree its much easier to manipulate a digital image than a film one. Photoshop takes up far less space on my PC than a dark room would in my apartment.



The most important thing to remember is the higher the megapixels, the better overall resolution (at least 3 Megapixels).

No. Its a common misconception pushed onto us by bad marketing.
There is much much more to resolution and picture quality than the number of megapixels.
An old 4MP Canon 1d will still out perform a new 7MP Sony DSC-V3.
Despite being 4 years old and having nearly half the MP the Canon produces photos with much more detail, less noise and the ablity to be printed to a similar size. It uses a much larger full frame (35mm) sensor and a much better processor.

Heres a good article explaining some of the basics as to why:
http://www.thetechlounge.com/article.php?directory=beyond_megapixels_part_1



But you have to be sure to have a memory card / stick that holds at least 128 mb. because the higher the resolution of the picture, it uses more memory. I have a 128 mb card and can take up to 150-225 pictures on the same card with excellent picture quality.


Yes, infact with anything over a 4MP camera I would recomend at least a 256mb card, or several 128s. If your able to shoot RAW then you will need at least a 512mb card, prehaps several, especialy if useing a digital SLR.
One of the great things about digital is it dosnt cost you anything to take a photo, so theres nothing wrong with getting into the habbit of packing as much memory as you can and just blasting away :)

Also, always shoot at your cameras highest quality setting.
By useing less than its full potential you are actualy getting low quality images. The camera takes the photo at its highest resolution, then if you have selected a smaller resolution it resizes it in camera.
There isn't a camera made than can do that as efficantly as your PC with good editing software. If you are series about taking digital photos then you will leave any resizing till you get them onto a PC, and use a good program like Adobe Photoshop, or Ellements which is able to resamble your photos to a smaller size far more efficantly then your camera.
Don't forget to save the resized or edited image as a seperate file, you don't want to overwrite your orginal, and don't forget to add some sharpening after resizing to being back any lost detail.

BTW did I mention....


MY 20D is here!!!

and damn is it great! :-)

canon has a 2.0 gig camera out

canon has a 2.0 gig camera out


Huh? :eek7:

say what?

LOL, I meant to say they can hold over 2 gigs in mem. Largest camera resolution I have heard of is the Canon EOS-1DS Mark II Digi Cam.


16.7 Megapixel.......awesome

what do you mean a 2 GB buffer?

here's a medium format SLR 22MP
http://www.cdrinfo.com/Sections/News/Details.aspx?NewsId=11001
it's from mamiya... I think there are a few out there with higher resolutions that that. ??

i was looking at that camera but it was just too much for a hobby... here's what i got
http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=10464

Canon destroys HP when it comes to digi cams. Although we offer the best bang for buck compared to others

HAhahahhahaha. HP isn't even in the question.

Pssht, can you find a 5.1 megapixel digicam for like 300$?

i got my canon powershot G5 for 330 and i'd almost guarentee it looks better than any HP :-)

can u take panaramic shots? red-eye reduction from the cam itself?



HP is cheap, but for it's price, it's alright

yes i can :-)

full manual mode, 5MP, 3 minute video clips, panoramic, wide ISO range .... :-) it's a really good camera. not to mention a metal body.

http://www.notebooksbilliger.de/images/G5_Packshot.jpg