This is probably the 973th thread about cameras. Anyway here goes.
I’m looking for a digital camera. Here’s my requirements:
3.2 - 4 MP (3.2 will do just fine too)
Around $200 CAD
Low profile looks (plain and simple - boxy), not like some of those curvy HP or Olympus cameras
Video (doesnt have to but it’ll be cool to have this feature)
Rechargeable batteries
The one i dont wanna get is Sony. For some reason sony’s cameras seem a bit too over complicated and you have to be a still statue to get a proper picture. Anything else and the pic comes out blurred. It takes like 2-3 seconds between clicking and the actual pic being taken so if anyone moves during that the picure is toast. I’m still willing to give it a shot though if anybody here has any positive reviews about sony cameras.. especially cybershot.
Canon PowerShot 3.2MP Digital Camera is a good camera. A few relatives have purchased it and given that they have 0 sense about the digital cameras, they seem to be doing just fine with’em. The results are great too.
It’s around $300. Also, be sure to get extended warranty. A relative of mine accidentally took some HP digital camera in the pool. That was the end of it. However, since they had extended warranty, Futureshop replaced it with Canon PowerShot 3.2MP (they had to add $50 more as this one was a lil pricey).
u'd have to watch out for shutter lag then.. that's the culprit here.. most Point 'n shoot digitals suffer from it.
I don't know Canadian prices but $200 would get you something used on e-bay. I'd say a Canon A70/A80/A95 would be perfect. If out of budget then the A310 should do.. but it doesn't have optical zoom.
Kodak and HP have cheaper cameras.. and Kodak sells the most P&S digitals so maybe they are on to something with their designs..
at this pricepoint i doubt you'd get rechargeable batteries.. most would use AA's.. but then again a lot of people prefer that over recharbable proprietary batteries.. u could use your own NiMh rechargeables..
There is this site which is pretty impressive for camera buying … especially its review and searching capability… you give your criteria and it returns you with a list of camera matching that criteria… Here is the link http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare.asp
On the site note… i think Sony new cameras are pretty impressive relating to their color reproduction… I mean they are even better than Canon’s offering.. i don;t have any Sony camera just a canon and olympus cameras. Seeing the picture quality on the reviews side by side Sony easily is the best when compared with the other manufacturers competing model… i mean less noise more vibrant and true colors and no Purple Fringing etc. So i will just suggest that just don’t write off Sony… Btw i m talking this after checking Sony H1 comparing it against Canon S2 IS and Panasonic FZ5 camera… So a review of a particular model will surely be more helpful and correct.
Btw the next model i m willing to purchase is Canon A610… it hasn;t been launched just yet .. will be released in September but the specs they have released certainly shows that its going to be the best model for its price range… which is expected to be $300. Hopefully its color quality will be better than previous models.
Guys thanks alot for all your feedback. Sadiyah you were right on the money with that Canon Powershot SD200. It is JUST what i wanted. However it seems to have been discontinued and very few online vendors are selling it and i dont like buying stuff online. Future Shop has it as a web deal only but i dont wanna deal with Future Shop at all (plenty bad experiences! :p).
PA thanks for your suggestions too they helped me look for useful alternatives.
So people, after weeks of scavenging and reviewing and going to and fro, the camera i have ended up with today is a Canon PowerShot A510. Its 3.2 MP, 4X Optical zoom and best of all has manually controllable shutter speed upto 15 seconds exposure. Has a 15 fps video option which is alright dont really care about.
I bought it from Henrys (henrys.ca). Cost me CAD $250 + 3 yr full service warranty (1 yr manufacturer + 2 yr instore) for $40. Thats $290 + taxes came to $333. I like this price considering Future Shop had it for 280 + 70 for the warranty thats 350 + tax = 400 plusish.
Henrys (Hurontario & Eglinton) is a photography only shop so naturally they know their cameras inside out and give much better service as compared to salesmen at big dept stores like Best Buy or Future Shop. Plus i used their instore credit card which means no payment + no interest for 3 months and NO admin fee. Yay.
So yeah impatient man that i am i opened up the box soon as i got in the car. Loaded it up with batteries and the 16 MB flash card they give and started clickin.
Here’s a few shots i took on my way back home. These are on the default values (havent toyed much with it yet). Click on **Small **to view resized pics (1024 x 768) or Regular to view the actual size pics taken by the camera.
I recently bought Canon PowerShot A520. I like it, it's small and compact and gets the job done but my only problem with it is the shutter speed. I want it to snap right away, but it takes at least 3-4 seconds to take a snap...sometimes i miss the kodak moments due to this delay :( I tried to change the settings but nothing. What am i doing wrong? HELP.
Sehar apa. I have that problem with my brother's Sony Cybershot but havent had any problem with my Canon Powershot A510 so far. These cameras arent really great for kodak moments because theres so much nakhray to focus this that. You have to have the button pressed halfway, wait for the camera to focus and then click.
One solution that i can think off is turn off AiAF (Artificial Intelligence Auto Focus). Also if outdoors and the light is sufficient, turn off the flash. Reduce the images' resolution to 1600 x 1200 pixels maybe. I dont know if these would help but just trying.
I just bought mine today so am gonna spend some time exploring it :D Will let you know if i come across anything useful.
Todd. While i was installing the applications that came with the camera i did see a software used for stiching snaps. So i suppose its gotta be done in a software. I did also see some sort of setting for panaromic pics inside the camera. Will check it out in detail.
Sehar apa. For low light settings try increasing the ISO value?
Sehar apa. I figured something else out and its working pretty good so far. When you expect to take candid shots in which the subjects will be moving quite a lot, switch the dial on top of the camera to the picture that looks like a running man sort of. That mode is for taking pics of moving objects. See if this helps.
For photo stitching you can either use the software that came with the camera (and keep life simple) or you can use some graphic editing software, i.e. photoshop or ps elements. i've done some cool stitching using PS, one of the front of a game park, Manyara, in Tanzania and another of the view from the London Eye. The I have one of the downtown NY Skyline taken from a boat, came out very nice.
Oh, and I own a 2 mpx camera with which i took all the above pics.
Loaded it up with batteries and the 16 MB flash card they give and started clickin.