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Digital Cameras (Sean Sefranek please read!) (1 Viewer)

Sam Posten

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Yep, I actually bought my 8008s at the Beach Retail Store in NJ. They are pretty good retail and amazing prices online, tho I have heard of some complaints over service a loooong time ago.

Sam
 

Patrick Sun

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Anyone got suggestions for a digital camera with a 8x-10x optical zoom? I've been wanting something with more zoom, and more shutter control than my current 3+ year old Olympus D460 digital camera. I saw an Olympus C-700/C-720/C-730 that accepts SmartMedia cards that fits this criteria (not crazy about having to toss away my SmartMedia cards and reader if I don't have to), and there were new ones, and the refurbed ones were 1/3 cheaper if not more. Anyone think the cost savings are worth it buying refurbed digital camera.
 

Jeff Savage

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Maybe I am late to the party here but I love my Olympus 560. It is a 3.2MP camera that has gotten really good reviews. I took it with me on my recent trip to London which was the frist time I really used it. The pictures are great. I purchased 2 of the e3 AA photo batteries at the begining of the trip and they still powering the camera. I really like being able to use AA batteries vs a battery pack because they are available all over should you ever run out of juice.

On a single 128MB card I fit 170 HD pictures and 60 sec of video. You can see the pics here Ofoto Link The ones with the dates are upload pics from my film camera via Kodak Picture CD. The ones without dates are from my digital camera.

Laters,
Jeff
 

Patrick Sun

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That A80 looks pretty neat. I just wished it had a more powerful zoom on it. I like the flip-out LCD display.
 

JohnRice

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Patrick. Do you have an SLR? If so, have you considered getting a digital SLR (maybe used) that uses the same lenses you have?
 

Patrick Sun

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Nope, no SLR, just another little point-n-shoot film camera with a dinky 38-105mm zoom. I like to travel light when I'm in photo-taking mode, thus my attention is primarily towards the smaller digicameras with the 8x zooms or greater. The DSLRs are still too pricey for me.
 

JohnE

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Where is the $500 price for the A80 coming from? Amazon has it for pre-order for $399 and I can usually find these kinds of things even cheaper if I look around.

This damn thread has pushed me over the edge. I had been planning to hold off another couple of years before making the switch to digital photography, but I've decided to take the plunge and pick up the Canon A80 in october and see what the fuss is all about. :emoji_thumbsup:
 

DonnyD

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Also check out the Fuji line of cams....last year I changed to a Fuji 3800 and have been extremely pleased with all the features. Nimh AA batteries are a real plus too.
I found the Fuji much more intuitive than several others I tried and it feels like an SLR too. DPREVIEW is a great site although I was swayed to a Canon A40 first prior to ending up with the Fuji.
 

JohnRice

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I'll tell you guys what, there generally isn't all that much difference between these cameras. My experience is that the lenses usually can't hold up to the resolution of the higher res chips, so it is probably a waste to go too crazy over anything over about 3 MP unless you get into the $1,000 range or close to it.

I would say to just look mostly for the styling, zoom range and features you want most and keep the price reasonable.


I finally picked up a Fuji digital SLR yesterday. Looking forward to running it through the paces. In fact, an SVS driver is arriving today for an article in Widescreen Review that will be my first for-real shoot with it. Looks like I'm finally digital equipped for real.
 

Patrick Sun

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Anyone think the Olympus C4000 would be a good choice if I need it for guerilla-style photo-taking at conventions, where the lighting is so-so, and in some cases, flash-photography is a no-no, and I'd have to rely on manually setting a fast shutter speed with no-flash.

As I stated earlier, my current digital camera is a 3 year old Olympus D460Z, which has served me well, but doesn't have any shutter/exposure priority manual settings, and getting the blurs on shots with no-flash is no-fun. I had not realized what a nice camera I had been using (in that it focuses well and has the AF light you need for consistent AF performance, and that feature is lacking in some of the more current cameras of late).

I'd love a 10X zoom, but I'm convinced that even the nicer Olympus C750 would not fit my shooting style. Plus it's lowly lit AF performance isn't rated well either.
 

JohnRice

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Patrick, what you are asking for sounds almost impossible. I expect setting a fast shutter speed is a dream, since in those conditions you will probably have the lens wide open anyway, even in automatic, and your shutter speed will be whatever corresponds. Also, a 10x zoom will probably mean a small maximum aperture, which will make low light photography even tougher. It sounds like you need two different cameras. One with a fast, possibly fixed focal length (is there such a thing in a digital camera?) lens and good high ISO picture quality for the "Guerilla" stuff and a larger, more versatile camera for your own stuff. You might look into the Nikon 5700 for the second one, if it isn't out of your price range. sorry, I really don't know the constantly changing models for more of a suggestion.
 

JohnRice

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Patrick, if you find a small camera with a shutter/aperture readout, you will at least know what the shutter speed is in the low light situations.
 

Max Leung

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I was floored today when I read a review of a pre-production model of the Canon Digital Rebel (Canon EOS-300D). A 6MP digital SLR camera for $1,000 US MSRP, including 18-55mm EF-S lens! Holy mother...it looks like a hell of a camera.

I should sell my G3...and get this bad boy!

It is apparently in stock at many Best Buy's around the US. LIkely will hit Canada by the end of this month, at an excessive price of $1600 CDN. Gee...$1000 US = $1350 CDN. Can we say GOUGING? :angry:
 

Cary_H

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I concur with John here.
The vast majority of consumer-level digicams don't offer quick enough optics to allow use of fast shutter speeds in less than bright lighting conditions alot of the time.
If I run in aperture or shutter priority mode, I often find myself with a flashing exposure light with my chosen settings. In auto, WFO at impractical shutter speeds.
For anyone looking in the low to mid-range digicam market, make sure to put flash performance up near the top of your comparison list.
Simply, SLRs with hasty optics and film spoiled us with their broad range of exposure capability.
 

Patrick Sun

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Someone suggested the Sony F717, but that cannon, err, camera, is just a tad too big for my purposes... :)
 

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