Okay all my bloggy friends and readers and lurkers. We are in the market for a new digital camera. (Okay, so we've been planning on replacing it for at least a year now) I've been browsing at Costco and Walmart and online a bit, but there are sooo many choices and personal preferences and price ranges to consider. So I'm looking for some input.
I have a film Canon Rebel SLR that I haven't used regularly since we bought our digital 4+ years ago. As much as I'd love to go back to that in digital format, taking the plunge for a really nice DSLR isn't in the ballpark right now. We mostly need a "diaper bag camera" for all the day to day shots and movie clips. We've enjoyed our Pentax Optio 33WR. It's biggest feature is that it's water and dust resistant (which also translates to very kid friendly). No external moving parts, gaskets on all of the openings, etc. BUT it's also in need of a new battery and some higher resolution, it's only a 3MP and I've never been in love with it's color/white balance results. We'll probably still refurbish it and it will be strictly Matt's fishing camera, which is why we went with the WR in the first place.
I liked the options available on some of the Canon Powershots (A720?). The one's I tested out seemed to be a hybrid DSLR/point in shoot. I've poked around on dpreview.com, but again there are sooo many choices.
Here's where you all can help. Tell me about your camera, even if it doesn't fit what I've described above. I know some of you take some awesome pictures and I want to know what you use to get those shots! :)
*What digital camera(s) do you have? (Make/Model)
*Do you like it enough to recommend it?
*Favorite features
*Least favorite features
*General price range ($150, 200, 400+, etc)
*Durability?
*Portability?
*Battery life/options: how does the battery charge and how long does it last? can you slip in batteries if need be or do you need an extra battery pack on hand?
If you don't have time to leave a long comment, just your camera make/model and how much you like/don't like it would suffice. THANK YOU!
15 comments:
we have an olympus D-595 zoom. it works just great. it cost $300 about three years ago. sorry i can't really tell you more!
I'm sending you an email. My comment turned into a dissertation...
Ugh! I feel your pain-I went through this last xmas shopping for a gift. It is so time-consuming and frustrating because there ARE sooo many things to consider and some people love one camera and others hate the same one.
I don't know if this will help at all since our camera is going on 4 yrs old but here goes... *Ours is a Pentax Optio s5i. It is a 5mp, 3x optical zoom, 4x digital zoom. *I definitely would've recommended it 4 yrs ago. *I like that it has a view-finder, it is very compact/tiny, and uses SD cards. There are some nice but pretty standard features that I also like. *I don't like that you can't zoom in movie mode & movie-mode is only 30 fps which is considered poor these days. There was some software issues with the connection from camera to computer and also photo managing software was frustrating. (These software issues aren't really an issue anymore since we've upgraded the computer since first getting the camera and now have a card reader and also built in photo editing software.) *So far it's been durable. *It is very portable. *It takes (only) a rechargeable li-ion battery, which I have 2, and after 4 yrs they're not holding the charge very well anymore. I used to be able to get maybe a hundred or so shots. (total guess) *I think we payed around $300 which seems crazy to me for what you pay for the same kind of camera these days.
BTW, some pics I post on my blog, I've totally edited in software first to make them look nicer. Which reminds me (not that this needs to be any longer!) I think the smaller cameras might have less flash strength. Look into that. Well, good luck. I think we'll be looking for a new one next year ourselves.
I love, love, love my Nikon Coolpix. I got it at KMart for $150. I really just bought it because I didn't have a lot of money and I broke my previous camera. But, I've been so happy with it. It is small so I take it everywhere and it has all kinds of features that I don't even use. The batteries die quickly if they are cheap batteries. I buy the lithium AA's that are made for longer life in cameras and I don't usually have a problem. (It wouldn't hurt to have a spare set with you, though.) I'd say I replace them once a month or so.
Oh, yeah, it is an 8 MP w/4 times zoom. And, I use it for video clips also. I really never even get out my camcorder because it works so well.
I do have a Rebel DSLR, but since you're not in that zone, I'll tell you about my point and shoot experience. We've used Sony and Canon. I like my Canon better--seemed to work a lot better. I used an "SLR-like" point and shoot camera for a while (Canon, I don't know which kind) and I liked that one better, but if I want a nonSLR, I want one I can put in my pocket, so I took back the SLR-like and saved up for an actual SLR. There you go. No specifics--things have changed too much since I bought them anyway.
I have nothing helpful to say because I've only used SLRs for the last 7 years :) I do, however, want to know what you decide because having a little camera for the bag is a great idea :)
I'm a fan of Canon cameras. I have the Canon 30D with various lenses. I bought Ted the Canon A720 last year. He loves it and it really takes great pictures. It's nice to throw in my purse when I don't want to take my backpack full of camera equipment. The Canon A720 has 8 megapixels, 6x optimal zoom, High ISO and my favorite feature, Image Stabilization. It cost about $250, I think. Good Luck with your purchase!!
:o) Mo
My main camera is a Panasonic/Lumix DMC-FZ30. I LOVE it, but it's an SLR (also almost three years old). We have a small Fuji that is like eight years old and it takes amazing photos! It is also pretty durable--we traveled the world with it. If I went for a new small camera, I would certainly look at Fuji's again! I think they are an overlooked brand. Lots of my friends have Sony cybershots and really like them too. Probably not the most helpful (unless I turned your attention to Fuji for the first time). I can't wait to hear what you decide on!
Went from a film cannon rebel to a digtal cannon rebel. It didn't meter light very well and wasn't all I wanted so after two trips to the cannon shop I bought the Cannon digtal D-30! BINGO, best camera I've had. But back to price I had the point and shoot Cannon 70 something and it took wonderful photos. Drug it all over japan, slow, missed a lot of shots but still for a little camera it was great. Had my D-30 for over a year and have really put it to the test so when you are ready do consider it. And I saw it at Costco last week Wow!
hey 10 potato H,
I haven't been camera shopping in a while so I could be totally behind the times... but I loved my Pentax Optio (the little one the fit in an altoid case) until it just quit working. Now I have a digital Canon Rebel XT that I love and if you get a smaller lens and the older/smaller body it is surprising light weight, but still maybe not a diaper bag camera. I'm looking for a small point and shoot and think I will look back at the new Optio, I really liked how quick and sturdy that camera was (but then again, I can't remember why it quit working, maybe just needed a new battery).
We have a Canon Powershot SD 630. Brian got it for me for Mother's Day when I was prego with Isabella about 2.5 yrs ago. I think he paid about $300. The video function is fabulous and it takes great pictures if you have good light. The only thing I hate about the camera is the flash is horrible. It completely washes things out.
I know Angela & Jon got the same camera recently for a much lower price (used I think) and they are really enjoying it.
Before that we had an old Nikon Coolpix which was awesome! When we bought the canon we had decided we wanted video with sound and more pixels. But if I needed to buy another I would probably go with one of the newer CoolPix'.
GOOD LUCK!
Oh, another thing I really like about my Canon is it is so small I can carry it in my pants pocket no problem! Super easy and convenient!
cannon powershot is the only way to go! i looked at tons of camera features on internet and in person, but when i tried this one in person it did the two things I really wanted and soooooooo much more: very high quality pics and vids and operates very fast. it has so many other features to customize each shot including how bright you want the flash, etc, etc. you can try it halloween wkend if you like! batteries are 4 AA, swivel screen so i can take shots upside down and sideways if i want, rapid shots (takes "x" number of shots with "x" amount of time delay between each shot), bought it at best buy with warranty thing so we don't have to pay for repairs for 5 or 10 yrs. i LOVE this camera!
Thanks for posting this. The comments have been very helpful. I'm hoping for a new camera for Christmas or my birthday. I'm just done with only 3 megapixels. That and mine is so slow to recover between shots. It's a Nikon Coolpix 3200, purchased 4 years ago. I have played with April's camera before, and it is very nice-- large screen, fast recovery, and that swivel screen is cool, though I'd worry about it getting broken...
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