1st Digital Camera w/ $500 ceiling

by porch puppy May 14, 2007 2:01AM PDT

I spend a min. of $500 annually on film, processing, & re-prints. I currently use a Canon Z155 w/ 400 speed film. I shoot low light, an occaisional night shot, action, sequence shots, hang out of car windows to take pix, LOVE my macro & zoom features, & all adjustments are made by pushing buttons on the back of the camera. My current camera has more miles on it than most of the people I know.

I have a problem w/ the K.I.S.S. principle, so the more info I have, the less I know -- too much info I guess. I also am not dedicated to any particular brand of anything / quality + requirements get my money.

What I Am Looking For:

1st & foremost is good product support in English.
Solid construction
Camera shake compensation
Reads the lighting & makes the adjustment
Quality resolution in low light situations
Zoom & Macro are a must
Point & shoot simplicity - put the batteries in & go
Option of using rechargable OR regular batteries
Ability to shoot a quick succession of 3 to 5 shots
Timer & timed succession shots
Accessory availability
Date stamp would be nice

There may not be a digital camera that meets all of these requirements, but I am sure there is at least 1 that meets most of them & has some options I don't know that I want.

Any suggestions about specific cameras would be greatly appreciated. I have been referred to sites that sell cameras but that is not useful to me because that is where I started at. There are too many brands & not enough specific info that is helpful to me.

Discussion is locked

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Digital Camera

by snapshot2 Forum moderator May 14, 2007 5:12AM PDT

Here are two cameras that fit all of your wants:

Canon A570IS and A710IS

Here are the specifications:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=canon_a570is%2Ccanon_a710is&show=all

I don't know what you mean by timed succession shots.

But both cameras will operate in Burst mode at faster than 1.7 frames per second. Taking at least 10 pictures. Many more if your memory card is fast enough.

If you are interested in burst mode, I would suggest you get a fast memory card, such as:
Lexar Professional 133X
SanDisk Extreme II or III

They do have date stamp, but only in postcard mode;
which means the camera set to 1600 x 1200 (2 meg).

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Just the two I was thinking about

by KeithA39 May 14, 2007 6:53AM PDT

My wife has the 710IS and I love it, especially in low light, close-up situations. Very easy to use, but with a good deal of options available. I've been thinking of getting the 570IS for my kids and have read great things about that as well.

As far as having a solid body, both do, but neither is bullet proof, especially the hinges that hold the battery compartment door (you should handle that gingerly, but it really isn't that difficult).

Best of all, either should be available for well under your price ceiling. My wife's 710IS from Office Max was only $239 on a great sale.

I'm no digital camera authority, but definitely know where you're coming from. These cameras both feature quality, ease of use, quite a bit of useful feaures, and are sold at a good price point.

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response to KeithA39

by porch puppy May 19, 2007 10:39AM PDT

KeithA39,

Thanks for responding. I have spent hours reading through some of these threads & have found several Canons, 2 Fujis & 2 Kodaks that would probably serve me well. Now it is a matter of local availability & what I can actually physically handle to make a comparison so that I can make a decision. It will probably come down to apertures & pixels since I do print my photos & occaisionally enlarge.

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Timed Succession Shots

by porch puppy May 19, 2007 10:27AM PDT

I would like to be able to set camera on a tripod & set it to take a photo @ timed intervals / such as 1 shot @ 60 second intervals or 1 shot every 5 minutes, etc. for a specified period of time.

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Timed Shots

by snapshot2 Forum moderator May 19, 2007 10:43AM PDT

Not many cameras have that capability.

But there is software available to do that and much more.

You can connect a computer or laptop to the camera and do all types of fun things.

There is one company that has software that can control a large percent of Canon cameras.

So you might want to first see what cameras they can control, and then think about buying one of those cameras.

Here is the site:

http://www.breezesys.com/

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You are looking for an awful lot......

by ArthurJS May 22, 2007 1:00AM PDT

in that price range. It might be a challenge to meet them all. But, if you are willing to part with $100 more, try the Nikon D40, at $599. I bought one a few weeks ago, and took it with me on a short trip down to Florida. The results were nothing short of amazing. The only squibble I had was it's inability to auto focus well indoors in low light. Other than that, don't buy into the "more megapixels are better" typical naive consumer thing. I'd like to see a 10 megapixel point and shoot that takes pictures of the quality that the D40 produces.

And, if you read the reviews from the so called experts, well, I have yet to read a bad one of this camera. Highly recommended.

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Sensor Size

by Gorgotron May 22, 2007 5:07AM PDT

Right, but the Megapixels do matter for point and shoots as a dSLR has an image sensor that is over ten times the size, it doesn't need as high "resolution" to get good shots (it takes in much more light).

Roughly: the point and shoot image sensor is the size of your pinky-nail, whilst a dSLR has a sensor the size of two postage stamps.

I'd argue for a cheap dSLR too, though.

1st Digital Camera w/ $500 ceiling

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