How to choose a new digital camera? I know what is important to me, but now how to make sure the camera has it?
Posted on Nov 29, 2008 under Digital news and reports |I have gone through the consumers review overview from last month, though I don’t trust them all that much.
I know what is important to me in a camera, and yet many reviews point out that the camera specs are often BS. For example many models state they can shoot at a high ISO but consumers reports that most have a fair bit of image degradation after 100 ISO.
Also many times I have reviews for one model number, but a similar one is on sale (for example the Canon Powershot 790IS ELPH is supposed to be good but the 770IS ELPH is much cheaper and on sale currently) and I can’t figure out the difference between them other than appearance which is pretty much of zero importance to me.
What I want in a camera is, in order of importance:
1) The ability to take great photos at no less than 400 ISO, I hate flash photography. I basically never used a flash before the world went digital, even if I had to push the film.
2) Can take the “next” picture very quickly. Mostly now I take pictures of my kids and whatnot. Speed is of the essense.
3) Starts quickly. Not quite as important is taking the next picture quickly but when something cute is happening I don’t want to wait 30-60 seconds like my current camera takes.
(PS doesn’t using the flash increase the amount of time it takes for the camera to ready)
4) Image stabilization is probably good since I often get “help” from my two year old
5) Image Quality -Nice pics obviously but I’m not going to be printing anything bigger than 8X10 and mostly not any bigger than 4X6. So it doesn’t have to be anything insane.
6) The ability to shoot movies with sound would be nice, but its not a deal breaker.
7) I would like to have manual controls, though when it comes to hubby using the camera or most shots fully automatic don’t think just shoot is more important. While I like playing with different photography techniques this isn’t a deal breaker as I can still use real film (yeah yeah). But it would be nice.
A digital SLR is probably not in the budget, and I’m not sure I want anything that big anyway. I’m hoping to spend less than $200CDN but that’s probably not helpful as some cameras are more in Canada and some are less compared to the US (which I really can’t explain). I’m not completely against ordering online from a US company but if the camera isn’t considered “made in” Canada/US/Mexico I get hit with duties (if its made in North America it should be covered by NAFTA)
So how do you cut through the BS and get a good camera that does what you want without breaking the bank, or worse spending more on a camera when a lower cost one is as good or better.
November 29th, 2008 at 6:45 am
Well you could go into a shop, find a camera at a price which suits you, and ask the person at the desk which things it has and has not got. Maybe they will let you try out some cameras. I don’t know about cameras sorry.
( If you are looking to spend average on a very good camera then just tell the checkout person or staff that you want a good camera with all the qualities at a price and they will help you )
November 29th, 2008 at 6:45 am
My daughter and myself a few months ago purchased the Casio Exilim EX-Z77 with YouTube capture mode, at a cost about $169.00 In my opinion it’s a great camera that can do so much for the price. I have recommended this camera to many people on this site, and said they were well pleased and always got 10 points for giving them the information. Of course it’s not just for the point but to help people in finding a good camera when their asking such a question.. Go to their website at http://www.casio.com/support which will tell you just what your looking for in a camera.
November 29th, 2008 at 6:45 am
Lets take your points one by one.
1) All small sensor cameras (which is all compacts) have a lot of noise when you crank up the ISO, its due to the heat generated in the sensor so larger sensor cameras have less, lots less, as they take longer to warm up and can radiate the heat easier. DSLR's have at least an APS sized sensor so at 400 ISO they will be good even at 800 ISO they will be acceptable.
2) Shutter lag (the time between pressing the shutter and the camera actually taking the shot) is a lot longer with compacts as it has to focus, set the exposure, do the face recognition thing etc. etc.. DSLR's the delay is usually less than 50 milli seconds, so 'capturing the moment' is a lot easier. Most DSLR's can manage 3 frames a second, top end ones a lot faster than this.
3) All DSLR's start up virtually instantly.
4) Image stabilisation is in all current Pentax DSLR's, its built into the camera so every lens you fit is image stabilisedd. If your film camera is a Pentax all your lenses are usable on a Pentax DSLR, all will be image stabilized.
5) The number of Mp in the sensor determines how big you can print, nothing else just how big you can print. To give you an idea a 6Mp camera will print A4 without adding any pixels, a 10Mp camera will print A3. So 6Mp is all you need. 10Mp does allow you to crop the image severely and still have more than enough to print A4.
6) Some of the newer Canon DSLR's can record movies.
7) All DSLR's allow for any mode from fully automatic to manual, with Aperture or Shutter Priority in between. Pentax also has Tav mode where you set the shutter and aperture and the camera alters the ISO.
So there you have it you need a DSLR IMHO.
http://www.srsmicrosystems.co.uk/2043/Pentax-K100D-Super-Digital-SLR-Camera-Body—Pentax-18-55mm-lens.html
I know this is in the UK, but it shows there are good deals out there. SRS are a reliable supplier and they do have bargains as they deal direct with all the main manufacturers.
Chris
November 29th, 2008 at 6:45 am
I’m sure you know this, but don’t ask the person at the store about the cameras until you know which couple you really want. Most of them don’t know as much as they should about specific product details.
I know you said a DSLR is probably not in the budget, but they can be really nice if you don’t mind lugging the things around with a couple of kids.
We have a Sony a200 that is working really well for us.
It supports up to a 3200 iso speed, but I don’t think I’ve ever actually set it to be that high. Here are a couple of pictures taken this summer. They were both taken on the automatic iso setting. The first is 3200 and the second is 100. These links have the settings details at the bottom, and you can click on them to actually see them full size.
http://browers.rexburgopensource.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=924&g2_navId=x6af84cb5
http://browers.rexburgopensource.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=921&g2_navId=x6af84cb5
The camera has a “moving target” mode where you take one shot and it will take a series for you. It also has a rapid succession where I can take 8 or 9 shots in a row if I’m using jpg, about 6 if I’m using raw, but only about 3 if I’m using raw+jpg.
It also turns on in and is ready to use in just a few seconds. My only problem is remembering to take the lens cap off.
On my little low end digital camera yes, using the flash takes it longer to be ready because it has to “charge the flash” or something. On our DSLR it doesn’t make much of a difference. It will test the light, though, and then pop up the flash.
The camera has a “super steady shot” option that helps to steady the picture. Since it has some fast shutter speed and iso speed options, though, it isn’t too difficult to get a quick shot before it gets knocked out of my hands.
For us, we knew we wanted a DSLR, and ended up buying the second to lowest end option we could find. If you have some time to do some “shopping”, it might be beneficial to take some test shots on the display models. Take in your own usb/compact flash storage (whatever the ones you’re interested in use), and snap some shots at different settings to experiment. You’ll be able to get a feel for how the manual controls work and how fast it responds, and you can take the card home and look for any image degradation.
As far as manual controls, it has a manual option for settings as well as a manual focus option.
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