Digi cams...

I've asked this before - http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/t30932.html - but i wanted to get some more info before i decide on which digi cam to get. Today i have been told i can get £300 towards anything related to my business from the DSS, cool eh?
I've got my eye on this at the momenthttp://files.automotiveforums.com/uploads/805882fp2800.jpg However let me know wot u guy's use - those who didnt reply in last post - along with prices. Thanks

olympus 2100

olympus 2100 go to digitaldepot.com

Nikon 995 CoolPix

ya... go for olympus man... it's a piece of work.. WOW :D

I just bought a Canon S30 powershot and am very pleased with it's telephoto macro capabilities, but its wideangle macro sucks.

Here's a very good site for camera reviews www.dpreview.com

Ehh i have a little business , i'm selling digicams and other electronics beside my regular company....
Myslef i use canon G2 :D now , but it's very expensive , i also have olympus E10... but the best cross between value , functionality , quality and size (i can't be snowboarding with a enormous camera in my pocket) has to be olympus old series 3030 , 3040 or 4040 .. they're really great IMO... fuji 6900 isn't bad either , but this 6.9 million is cheated... Olympus C700 UZ is also good , it has wonderful 10x optical zoom plus 2.7x digital ... but it's only 2.1 million , but usually it's still more than enough...

yeah but 2100 has 10 times digital zoom this is 1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1345136382

Originally posted by primera
yeah but 2100 has 10 times digital zoom this is 1 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=1345136382

I'm sorry but i think , that digital zoom that big is useless... honestly... Digital zoom ain't nothing but cheating , it makes your pics blurry and more "pixelated".... If you really need it you can zoom in a bit like 2x digital in addition to optical zoom...

I want the camera to be able to take up close up shots of my models, so what do i need to look out for. This digital zoom, i assume, is for long distance shots?

Originally posted by flyonthewall
I want the camera to be able to take up close up shots of my models, so what do i need to look out for. This digital zoom, i assume, is for long distance shots?

'lo Chris...


It really depends on the main use you want to put your camera to.

What sort of price bracket are you looking at?

Do you have a rough idea of how many MegaPixels you need, bearing in mind that (usually), more MP is better (and sadly, more expensive)?

Are you going to use it mainly for taking shots of your models?

Are the pictures going to be used online, or will you be looking to print them - if so, what size prints will you be wanting?

As mentioned above, digital zoom is a cheat. Look for a camera with a decent (read: larger) "Optical" Zoom.

Digital Zoom "fills in" detail using clever electronic routines to get the extra information - this *can* make your images pixelated.

Optical zoom picks up on and amplifies details that *actually* exist in the subject...

Digital zoom is usually used above the optical limit. Ie. You may find a camera has a 3x optical zoom with 4.5x or larger digital zoom. When zooming in, you'll get up to 3 times larger before the digital zoom takes over and starts "making up" the extra information.

For close-up work, you need a camera with a "Macro" mode - usually signified by an icon of a flower - most have this (even my 35mm film camera has it). This is usually used below 1.5m - 2m and uses seperate focusing technology to make extremely fine detail clearer.

Let me know more, and I'll have a better idea. I can point you to various sites that can give you all the information you need - www.dpreview.com (http://www.dpreview.com) is a *really* good place to start. Look for the user reviews to get an idea of what real people actually think of the cameras they've bought!

Hope this helps

Well the thing here is, for macro shots you can use wideangle or telephoto.

Wideangle is setting your camera to the lowest zoom and getting it right up close to the model, while telephoto is setting your camera far away from the model and using the zoom to magnify the model. Telephoto if I remember correctly squishes the picture SLIGHTLY while wideangle does something else, I personally can't tell the difference.

On my Canon I used digital zoom once and it worked like a charm, although you're not getting any more optical information the software was good enough to fill in everything correctly, it's better used if you are using a high MegaPixel camera, as when you resize it smaller any pixellation (if at all) is hidden by the smaller size.

I prefer telephoto because you can use the flash effectively because of the longer distance the light travels, your models won't be bathed in white light.

One final thing is you really need to consider cameras with the ability to add on lenses and cameras without that ability. You can always buy macro lenses, but they won't fit cameras that don't have the right type of lense. The Nikon 775, 885, and 995, Canon Powershot G1 G2, and some Olympus come with that ability, while the Canon Powershot S30/S40 and other ones don't.

Thanks Ty,

-my price bracket is £300
-Pixels - as many as poss for that price
-main use is taking shots of models
-pictures are to be used mainly online

The camera show in first post is one i have my eye on at the moment, it seems to get very good ratings and has a 6x optical zoom and 3x digital zoom, i've seen it for just below £300.

Originally posted by flyonthewall
Thanks Ty,

-my price bracket is £300
-Pixels - as many as poss for that price
-main use is taking shots of models
-pictures are to be used mainly online

The camera show in first post is one i have my eye on at the moment, it seems to get very good ratings and has a 6x optical zoom and 3x digital zoom, i've seen it for just below £300.

What model is it? I guess it's a Fuji, but I can't tell the model from the picture...

6x optical zoom? Wow, how many MegaPixels does it have? It's a Fuji Finepix, right?

If I recall correctly, Guiddy uses a Fuji Finepix, and just take a look at his pictures..

Originally posted by Tyrell


What model is it? I guess it's a Fuji, but I can't tell the model from the picture...

Ahh... Found it (a 2800 Zoom) http://www.fujifilm.co.uk/fujidc/fp2800z/index.html .

List price is £340 - Not a bad camera by all accounts - 1600x1200 - You'll probably get some decent 5"x7" photos with it if you use a good printer (Epson Stylus 890/895), but not much bigger.

For the same price, you could try a Fuji FinePix 40i http://www.fujifilm.co.uk/fujidc/fp40i/index.html and get a much smaller 4.3MP camera, with an MP3 player built in?

Not your scene? No, mine neither.

I spent a bit more (£450ish) and got a Fuji 4800 Zoom (2400x1800, 4.3MP)http://www.fujifilm.co.uk/fujidc/fp4800z/index.html. I wished I'd put the extra £100 to it, and got the 6800 Zoom instead, but I still feel I have a great camera - The colours are excellent (if a bit vivid) onscreen....

Sorry guys, should have been a bit more specific! Yes its a Fuji Finepix 2800 http://www.internetcamerasdirect.co.uk/fuji-finepix-2800-deals.htm

Originally posted by flyonthewall
Sorry guys, should have been a bit more specific! Yes its a Fuji Finepix 2800 http://www.internetcamerasdirect.co.uk/fuji-finepix-2800-deals.htm

...If you could stretch the extra £58, you could have a Fuji 4700. Essentially the same as mine, but in an earlier case...
http://www.internetcamerasdirect.co.uk/fuji-finepix-4700-reviews.htm#reviews

For a review of the 2800 Zoom, try:
http://www.xxx-tv.co.uk/reviews/Fuji_Finepix_2800z/fuji_finepix_2800z.html

The 4700 Zoom:
http://www.xxx-tv.co.uk/reviews/Fujifinepix4700/fujifinepix4700.html

Or the 40i:
http://www.xxx-tv.co.uk/reviews/Fujifilm_Finpix_40i/fujifilm_finpix_40i.html

...But how will you print out your photographs???
(And you *WILL* want to)!

BTW, If you wanna see *my* new camera...
http://www.minolta.com/cameras/camera_mh/slr/dynax5/index.html

So simple, yet so complicated. I'm having fun just working out which speed *film* will work for me - but hey! I enjoy technical stuff - I'm in my element with it...

Regards
Mark

Originally posted by Tyrell


...But how will you print out your photographs???
(And you *WILL* want to)!



Thanks again mark, i don't have a printer right now so printing photos is not my main concern at the moment.