Camera suggestions?

Since I have seen some lovely photos here, I thought I would come to
the experts. I want to buy a digital camera as a surprise gift for my
daughter before she goes on vacation next April? Any suggestions for a

Faolan...

Some questions:

What type of photography does she do?
Is she capable of handling manual controls (Aperture, Shutter speeds etc.)

Sunny52...

She'll be on a high school tour, and she will have limited time to
take photos.

What format of camera do you want? Consumer or dSLR?

Sunny52...

I don't know the difference.

*Don't* think that more mega-pixels automatically makes a better camera.
It comes down to how the camera uses the pixels and lens. You also have
to consider low-light performance, the bane of most consumer cameras if
she's going to shoot in dark or near dark conditions and relying on the
flash.

Sunny52...

I think she will rely on the flash component on the camera.

Check out these sites:

andon...

So that is a point and shoot all-in-one digital camera

A choice of half a dozen at under Ł100

my pick for instant-everything built-in
Olympus D435 5.1 Megapixel Camera @ Ł49.98 inc VAT
via the above link to Morgan
Full details at

Sunny52...

Thank you for the sites. I am looking them over.

moderately priced camera for an 18 year old with some photography
experience?

John in Cornwall...

Aries...

thanks for the info John :) I presently have a Fujifilm finepix 4 mega
pixel camera which was top of its range when we bought it and costa a lotta
too at the time, but I'm interested in replacing it now with an up to date
one, either another Fujifilm, or possible a Cannon :)

Pingu...

Why replace a good Fujifilm camera with a Cannon? Fuji jbex closely with
Nikon who are equal if not betterr than Cannon. All the groundbreaking
digital cameras from Fuji were based on the jbexings of the Nikon F80 which
is the best Camera I have ever used. There is an ongoing battle between
Nikon and Cannon. Both are very good, the end result comes down to personal
preference. Me? I'm a Nikon man and therefore would chose the Fuji.

Faolan...

Chuckle, they may have some ground breaking features. However it comes=20
down to usage and what you're going to shoot. Nikon suffers because of=20
their sensor due to the fact it produces noise at high ISOs (something=20
it's playing catch up to Canon). Fuji's Technology for their sensors=20
whilst interesting and does produce great results can suffer from noise, =

pixelisation and high iso issues, it also suffers in resolution issues=20
(resolving power not MP). That's not to say the S3 doesn't produce good=20
shots, it does but in very limited conditions (such as portraiture and=20
studio). It's high dynamic range is too slow for fast moving events.

Almost all consumer cameras use a 3rd party sensor even Nikon and Canon, =

the sensor usually comes from Sony (just have to see that debabl=E9 a few=
=20
months back with a lot of manufacturers recalling sensor issues).

As you say it's down to preference, but if you're a professional then=20
you must choose the right tool for the job especially if you have to=20
consider low light shooting (weddings, events, journalism, concerts,=20
etc). In any sporting event count how many white lenses there is on the=20
lines ;).

I have used a 602, then a 602 Pro before moving to a dSLR. It was a good =

camera to learn from although I felt that some of the shots had too=20
much noise which essentially rendered them useless for printing above=20
8x12 without additional work.

Aries...

My hubby used Nikons and Hassleblads when he was a working photographer,
never a fuji so if I could afford it, it would be one of those :) I don't
know anything much about the latest digital cameras so I need to do lots of
research. I had heard that Cannon were good tho ?

andon...

Ł140.99 inc VAT
or

Aries...

thanks for the links Andon. My new camera when I get it must have a high
mega pixel rating :)

pmj...

Almost all Digital Cameras these days have *plenty* enough Mega
Pixels!!!

So you don't need to worry about that.

The Mega Pixel rating isn't anywhere near the most important thing
that you need to look for in a Digital Camera

Aries...

So what would be the most important thing to look for for you then Paul?

pmj...

Well, I dunno that you really want to know what the most important
thing to look for for *me* is!!!
:-)

Size matters to me as well - must be neat and compact, take widescreen

pmj...

OK, that sounds like important stuff - no use having a huge,
monstrous great big Camera, that needs an Articulated Lorry & Fork
Lift Truck to carry it around - & a Nuclear Power Station to Recharge
the Batteries in it, if you want to be able to take some Pics when
you're out & about!
:-)

pmj...

Oh?

That might limit your choice a bit.

Most Digital Cameras seem to take Pics in the standard 4:3 Aspect
Ratio (though some do take them in the old, 35 mm Film style Aspect
Ratio of 3:2, which is a little bit wider Aspect Ratio)

Very few, though there are *some* take anything in a Wider Aspect
Ratio than that & not usually in anything like the 16:9 Aspect Ratio
which is proper Widescreen (TV) stuff)

& anyway, your Monitor is a *Narrow* Screen Monitor!
It has a Resolution of 1280x1024, which is a 5:4 Aspect Ratio
(relatively *Tall*, compared to its Width) - so WideScreen Aspect
Ratio wouldn't be much use for Vieweing on a Monitor Screen.

& for Printing out, 6 x 4 (& 12 x 8) Prints are 4:3 Aspect Ratio
& A5 & A4 Paper is about 7:5 Aspect Ratio

So there's litlle practiacal use or need for a WideScreen Ration
in a Digital Camera.

pmj...

Yep - But the Storage Space is determined by the Size of the Memory
Card that you use with it - no decent Camera comes with much in the
way of Built-in Storage (RAM), cos a Memory Card is a lot more use
& doesn't Run down, when the Battery Runs out.

& the Memory *Card* that they come with won't usually be very
big -you're expected to buy your own additional Cards, for more Storage.

Look for the *type* of Storage/Memory Card it uses. (Compact Flash
or Fuji/Olympus xD or whatever)

If it's different from what you have already, tehn you'll need to
buy a different type of Card & won't be able to use your existing
Memory Card(s) for it - & may also need to buy a new Card Reader,
if your existing Card Reader doesn't work with the new kind.
(Card Readers are always Quicker than using the USB Cable to transfer
the Pics from the Camera to the PC)

pmj...

That *might* limit your choice a bit - the best (or most expensive)
Digital Cameras don't usually concentrate much on Movies, but most
"Consumer" orientated "Compact" Digital cameras do take Movie, some
with Sound, some without.

The length of Movie you can take, (& how many) will be determined
by the Size of MMemory Card that you use with teh camera.

pictures, plenty of storage, take short movies, and also have a reasonable
size viewing screen :)

pmj...

Yep, that seems to be something that can make a lot of difference
to how easy the Camera is to use!
& make sure that the Screen is Viewable in bright light - some are
virtually useless, outdoors!
:-(

MCC...

In my opinion, for what it is worth, viewing screens are the cause of many
pictures being spoiled because of camera shake. Most people hold their
cameras at very nearly arm's length and I defy anyone to hold a camera
steady like that.
Far better to use the viewfinder for taking the photo, with the camera held
steady against the face - or better still, use a tripod or other firm
support.

Aries...

Good point Mike :)

By all means use the viewing screen to review the pictures once they are
taken.

Graham...

Seconded ;-)

I couldn't agree with you more, Mike.

biggeordie...

Having just read the camera manual about taking macro pictures, it tells
you to use the viewing screen as the view finder will not give a true
image area.
So there are exceptions to the rule. ;-)

Graham...

You have to make allowances for that because a steady camera is even
more important when taking macro shots as the shutter speed is likely
to be much slower because of limited light ;-))

USE THE VIEWFINDER!! (I'm shouting intentionally) ;-))

biggeordie...

I hear you. ;-)))
Tried using the viewfinder but it wasn't getting the picture from the
book correctly and I don't have a tripod since our son moved to Ireland.

But a good Camera would *also* expect to come with an Optical
Viewfinder as well, for use when the Screen isn't appropriate.

Another thing to check is that the Zoom is a proper *Optical* Zoom
& not just one that Electronically Crops & then magnifies the Picture.

Aries...

I didn't realise that some zoom lenses crop and then magnify the picture -
that is something I would need to check for sure. I hope that would be
obvious in the specification ?

Jeff Gaines...

Optical zoom magnifies the picture using the lens, which is fine.

Many cameras have an 'electronic' zoom as well and that just uses software
to magnify the picture. It doesn't actually get any more information, it
just interpolates what it has. It *may* be useful for capturing something
if there's no other way - but you will probably get better results using
the lens at its telephoto setting and then using s/w on the PC to zoom in.

Look for a lens with a decent optical zoom and ignore/discount any
electronic zoom.

MCC...

If a zoom lens is important to you Val, then have a look at the Fuji S5600
- that has got a 10x optical zoom. If it is anything like my S5500 it will
also have a digital zoom but I've never used it except to experiment with
it.

Flyińg Ńuń 2°°6 +...

I think that's the difference between digital and optical zooms Val. My
Olympus has a variable up to X3 optical zoom and a fixed X4 digital zoom.
So if I combine them both I can get a cropped X 12 zoom image. That's what
I used for those piccies of Giz and Fudge yesterday evening
http://www.flyingnun.co.uk/gizandfudgeb080806.jpg

Check the Battery Life as well (& whether it uses/needs its own
special sort of (Proprietary) Rechargeable Battery, or whether you
can use ordinary, standard Batteries in it.

Jeff Gaines...

Digital cameras are no different to film cameras in that the key
requirement is a decent lens. I think I'd probably look at Olympus for
decent lens/price combination.

Aries...

Of course that is probably THE most important thing, I should have
mentioned that :)

I would reccomend the Fugi finepix V10
It has a massive 3.5inch screen on the back and with the 1gb card it can
take up to 800 photos or a 15 minute video. Easy to use - just point and
shoot - or you can override this and do it all your self manually.
its small enough to fit in your shirt top pocket - and all in all I can
throughly reccomend it !!
John in Cornwall

Sunny52...

Thanks, I'll take a look at it.

Aries...

what sort of price for something like that John?

MCC...

From her headers I'd say Sunny is in the US of A so prices in this country
aren't really relevant unless she divides by 2 ;-))