Need a Digital Camera

[Calm]

Hi i dont have a camera and dont take many photos.

When i want to put a photo on this forum i spend 1/2 an hour hunting through first one daughters room (21yo) with no result so then the other daughters room (18yo) then ring them to find they have their cameras with them. So i wait until they get home, then the battery is flat, then they take off again before they download them onto the computer for me.

So i need a camera - i could also take it to work in in the truck with me, use it for photos for the forum - not really a happy snapper but maybe i might if i had one.

I was thinking of this

Canon PowerShot SD790 / IXUS 90 Digital Camera on ebay for $255 (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Canon-PowerShot-SD790-IXUS-90-Digital-Camera_W0QQitemZ250301991748QQihZ015QQcategoryZ150345QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

the 21 yo has a earlier model and it seems to do the job.
I have a leaning towards Canon
It needs to be able to carry in my pocket or on the motorbike hence the flat style.

HELP please all you guru's out there. I was thinking of under $500

Thanks in advance

Cheers

[BobR]

For what you have described just about any camera on the market will do. These days most cameras will satisify the "happy snapper".

[Brown Dog]

Check out Harvey Norman....On the weekend they had a canon for $99... I cant remember what model it was. But as bob says most digital compacts are suitable for someone who just wants to take a few happy snaps

[Ashore]

Get a mobil phone with a 2 meg or more camera :2tsup:

[DJ’s Timber]

I've got the Samsung S500 of which I've had for a few years now and it's been a good reliable performer and takes good shots as well.

Dick Smith sell them, the S500 is no longer available but now come in S630,750 and 860 and start at $84 through to $128, at that price, I've been thinking of grabbing another one for a spare.

http://www.dse.com.au/isroot/dse/images/products/xg0861%7Esml.jpg

And they also take AA batteries, so you don't have to wait to charge the unit, just bung another 2 batteries in and you're ready to go :2tsup:

[BobL]

The Ixus 90 is a beaut camera. Reasonably rugged and takes a very good picture. Like a lot of those small cameras with physically small lenses, 10Mp is a bit of a waste of $ since it can't really make use of all those Mp and all those large images do is clutter up and slow down your HD on your PC. Most people don't realize that it's like buying a Hyundai with a V8. I test cameras in my day job and above about 6 Mp is just a waste of money on most of those small cameras. The 3 times zoom on the Ixus is limited and don't bank too much on digital zooming.

If you carry a camera on a motor bike for an extended period I would definitely suggest carrying in on you as the vibes can play havoc on optical gear. A few years ago the lenses inside one of my SLR zooms came loose and the first thing the techo who looked at it said was - "this lense has been on a motor bike or in a plane" - and sure enough it had been on my brother's motor bike all around Oz. Cheap happy snapper cameras will not like being vibed on a motor bike so the Ixus will be at a distinct advantage there.

[The Bleeder]

Calm,

I have a Canon A95 5MP. Only reason I got that one was because it takes AA batteries. It's great. Just upgraded the mobile to a Nokia that has a 5MP camera. Have to carry the phone so it's a no brainer...get a mobile with a camera.

Steve

[Calm]

Just been down the street so went to "the good guys" and they had the IXUS90 for $300 but it has no card in it. another $15 for a 1 or $20 for a 2 card.

Cheaper brands there as well - salesman reckons the Canon is as good as any others. - can probably tell he has a greenhorn in front of him.

As far as the motorbike goes it would be in my coat pocket, yeah i know if i fall off it will hit the ground - so what if i fall off the camers is the last thing that i'm worried about, unless i want a photo of the bike/car/tree/truck/caravan/pedestria/what ever i hit.

Bobl what do you recommend - PM me if you would rather not make your opinion public.

Thanks so far

cheers

[sawtooth]

Forget ebay; forget HN; I would suggest you go to a proper photo/camera shop; like camera house; and get real advice while you get a feel for the camera. Most cameras today are pretty good and I would insist that it has view finder.

Cheers
www.betterphotos.com.au (http://www.betterphotos.com.au)

[AUSSIE]

Hi David
I have had a couple of digital cameras.The current one is a canon A720. 8mega pixels

6 x zoom.
Takes 2 AA batteries I use the new ones that hold at least 80% charge for 12 months.
The canon will take around 500 shots on one charge,using zoom or anything else I want to do with it.Very hard to get a blurry photo even when I try.It has been great.Good for closeups and distance.The only thing is I would get one with 8 or 10 x zoom next for long distance shots.
The mega pixel thing.Well if you take a long distance shot you can get on the computer and crop it and still have a great shot.If you dont want to have high m p shots you set camera to dumb down a bit. Memory cards are cheap,and most only come with a small one ,so buy one.
have a look at started my car in the toy section.All photos are taken with the canon
Not sure if the A720 is still available
http://www.shoppingsafari.com.au/p_941_CANON_POWERSHOT_A720_IS_DIGITAL_CAMERA

[Papa]

I have several cameras, I would gladly give you one. They have
little or no value. But they work fine and are even in the original
box with all the papers.

I checked UPS and it would cost over $100 USD plus customs to
get it to you. And they most likely would break it getting it there.

I use a Fuji S1000FD, not really a pocket camera, but Fuji makes
some lesser cost pocket type that are very good for the money.

I made my living with a camera for many years, Pentax K000,
boat anchor, but tough as nails. The fuji does more better than
the old K with half a dozen lens, 40+lbs of gear,

Check the Fuji before you buy.

[Calm]

Thanks for all the advice - i just need to have an hour off to go buy something.

All these other cameras mentions - How many will fit in my top pocket with the mobile phone - i know the IXUS90 from Canon will.



Cheers

[DJ’s Timber]

This is my one sitting in my palm, not the best shot as it's taken with my phone camera

85538

[AUSSIE]

Canon A720 is frontal is about same as Tj's and is just under 40 mm thick max

[Allan at Wallan]

David,
One of my favourite sites is dpreview
You can check out dozens of different cameras,
their specifications, and most importantly what
customers think of them.
It also shows you the release date of each model,
past and present, so if you were buying a second
hand camera you can tell how old it is.
Don't be too hasty - happy to talk with you at
Robbos' this weekend if you are still considering.

Allan

[Dusty Dave]

I've got a decent digital camera (Canon G5) that I paid far too much for a few years ago, and a phone with a crappy built-in effort. These days the G5 rarely gets used, most of my 'photography' is impromptu and it ends up being done with the phone simply because it's in my pocket and ready to go. My next phone will have a decent camera capability for that very reason.

If you are set on getting a stand-alone camera though, then unless you are using it regularly enough (or predictably enough) to keep your batteries charged up, I'd recommend you look for something that uses standard batteries. That way, when you need to grab the camera in a hurry and your batteries aren't charged you can grab some plain old AAs or AAAs to get the job done. Proprietary batteries generally give you a lot more snaps per charge, so for frequent use with regular charging opportunities they win, but for occasional use you know the battery will be flat just when you need it.

You can't go wrong with Canon, but my partner's just bought a little Sony and it's incredible. Truth is that there probably isn't a really bad camera out there with a major name on it, so check out prices and specs and narrow down a handful of options, then try and get your hands on them.

I'll second Allan's advice to take a look at DPReview (http://www.dpreview.com/), and also recommend Steve's Digicams (http://www.steves-digicams.com/). Both sites will tell you plenty about the different models, as well as link to sample images etc.

For occasional opportunistic snapping though I really can't stress enough how perfect a phone camera is!

[Calm]

This bloody technology stuff is beyond me - but i aim to borrow one of my daughters cameras to bring to 's

I need the phone camera explained to me as i dont know how to use it or how to transfer the pictures on the computer.

So maybe just the phone camera will do what i want .

Thanks and see you at 's

Cheers

[elmoticus]

If you are using a camera that takes AA batteries, I can recommend the Sanyo rechargable "Eneloop" type.
They are charged when you buy them and they maintain charge for a matter of months when not in use, unlike many other types of rechargables.
Good luck searching for a camera, I have had a number over the years and now am happy with my Fuji 5600 at home and a Panasonic FX7 at work.

[smidsy]

Forget the specialist shops, they will charge you more and baffle you with bull dust.

For what you want to do there is no reason to spend more than $200 - and that should get you the camera,a couple of decent cards and rechargable batteries.

My wife just bought a Sanyo from Kmart - $98 for 7megapixels, a 1gig memory card thrown in and the thing lets you reformat and resize images through the camera.

That is all you need for a happy snap camera.

[Dusty Dave]

Hi Calm,

How you get photos from the phone to your computer depends a lot on the phone, so it's best to get some advice from the folks selling the phone (unless you feel like googling it all).

The usual options (in approximate order of convenience) are:

1. Phone has a mini USB connector on it, so you can connect it to any computer using a fairly common and readily available cable.

2. Phone has a removable memory card that can be slotted into a card reader attached to your computer (card readers are ridiculously cheap).

3. Phone needs a special cable that you buy as an accessory from the phone manufacturer.

4. Phone can transfer files via infra-red or bluetooth (wireless). Probably only good if you have a laptop as most desktops won't have either. Also double check that the phone CAN actually do this - just because it has IR or BT capability doesn't necessarily mean it can transfer photos that way.

5. Phone has no way to transfer photos except by MMS or email, which you pay for. Favourite method of unscrupulous phone companies' subsidised phones. Unlikely to find this on phones with a better camera though as the file sizes are too large.

Note that with some of these methods you may require special software loaded on the computer. Get some advice from the experts. Some phone manufacturers make it easy to do and others see it as a revenue stream to lock you into a really inconvenient method where you have to buy parts and software.

If you plan to print any of these pics and use them like 'normal' photos, then you may be better off with a separate camera as the image quality is higher (unless you go for a really good phone, but $$$). If you just need happy snaps for the web etc the convenience of having a charged camera in your pocket any time you need it is worth the additional head-scratching and few extra $ up front IMO.

Try asking your girls about phones, I bet they'll know exactly what you need!

[Calm]

Thanks for the advice DD,:2tsup::2tsup: there is a young bloke (i think Allan is his name) from just north of melbourne that i will see on saturday - he has a good handle on this techno stuff so will show him the phone and the camera and take his thoughts.

Here is the phone i have and while it works i wont be buying another one.

BTW the camera i use now is my daughters IXUS 60 and the photos downloaded always load straight onto the forum without resizing or whatever so that is another bonus.

As for asking the daughters - do you think i will admit that they might know more than me:doh::doh::2tsup::no::no:

[Studley 2436]

Plenty of good brands out there David.

Will second former about dpreview. It is a good site. The tip about getting standard batteries is good too. What was said earlier about small lenses not getting enough good light to the sensor for high megapixel counts to matter is bang on. Once you get over about 4 MP there won't be any worthwhile gains.

One thing I will say is get yourself a camera with an optical viewfinder. The LCD displays suck power drain your batteries and leave you wondering how much you are spending on batteries.

Studley

[Optimark]

My missus has an Ixus 55 which is a great system if you understand it's limitations, it has travelled extensively on a motorcycle, aeroplanes, big and small, backpacked and most dangerously, in her handbag. Had it for a few years now.

I hopefully have attached a photo taken with the Canon, as you can see it isn't exactly in Melbourne.

I myself finally picked up something cheap for motorcycling, I bought my camera from Aldi, my version is called the traveler DC-6900 6mp, runs on 2 AA batteries, you get four rechargeable batteries, plus a battery charger, carry case which also has a belt attachment, the size is actually slightly smaller than the Ixus 55 but a tad thicker, plus the usual software, which worked straight away once loaded. The Canon software didn't work, needed a download before it would.

It travels in an exterior bag in it's own case attached to my tank bag, I travel a fair bit of dirt (BMW GS) and so far it hasn't missed a thing.

You can whack a set of normal AA batteries available anywhere.

My model has been superseded and is still available in most Aldi stores as the market seems to be saturated with cheap cameras. I think for bottom feeder camera, this is about as good as it gets. I think the current price is about $139 from Aldi that I saw two weeks ago.

the Ixus is certainly a better camera, so is the software, but the price is really good for the Aldi camera.

For quality resolution, the Canon is better, the Aldi one isn't that far behind, but you really do get what you pay for.

Mick.

[BobL]

Forget the camera - NICE BIKE!

[NGX]

Truly If your going to buy a Digital Camera these days ONLY BUY OLYMPUS OR CANON

If you want Clear and bright shots get the Olympus its technology is way far better than most on the market. I think I have a link to my gallery if you want to see other shots from an Olympus.

Some thing like this will kick anyone's photos out of the park ;) Olympus Mju 1060 Digital Camera - 10 Megapixel (http://www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au/category65_1.htm)

Even camera's like my 30D $1500 worth take shots of this caliber.

So I hope that narrows it down for you, If you like to see what Im talking about look at some shots on the internet from other camera's here is a good link to start ;)

http://www.steves-digicams.com/

Cheers from Noel

[Brown Dog]

If you want Clear and bright shots get the Olympus its technology is way far better than most on the market. I think I have a link to my gallery if you want to see other shots from an Olympus.Does that mean that i will never get clear and bright shots from my Nikon :(...how disappointing :rolleyes:

[BobL]

Does that mean that i will never get clear and bright shots from my Nikon :(...how disapointing :rolleyes:

Yeah - you must be crying your eye's out! :wink:

And what happens if I want some unclear and murky lookings shots, can I not use an Olympus? :rolleyes:

And of all the subjects photographed, how many are really worth the zillion MP poked at them? Not to mention the capability of the nut behind the lens :oo:

[Studley 2436]

Noel you have got to be kidding haven't you? There are many first rate cameras out there. Given Canon's rep for bringing stuff to market before it is ready I wonder why you are so keen to make a blanket claim that only Olympus and Canon make anything worth having? What about Pentax Leica (who do some very nice compacts) Nikon Sony (Zeiss lens and Sony makes most people's sensors) to mention a few?

The Olympus you recommended apart from having no optical viewfinder also has only a 12 mm x 8 mm sensor. Typical compact stuff but how it can produce anything to rival a Canon 30D? The lens is 37 to 260, in 35mm equivalent. I'd assume it is in fact a 12 mm to 87 mm lens. Pretty short. No doubt you realise that the longer a lens is the better it's quality and the larger it's front element is the better the quality. Also the more zooming range given to a zoom the more quality you lose. So what sort of coke bottle did you mount on your 30D to get images of that quality out of it?

I am pretty sure the Olympus you mentioned does some really great things for the type of camera it is but it is still a compact. You lose some quality and gain convenience.

Studley

[NGX]

Yea I'm sorry that looked one minded I did not mean it to be like a few of you guys I have got to use many digital camera's The Nikon's are good nothing wrong with Nikon :D so many out there.

There are plenty of good posts on here to guide you to a good working setup for you.

Indeed look at some sites and reviews, Then you on the way to more good memories :)

cheers!

[Peter57]

The rules for negative size (now sensor size) still apply. A compact camera has a very small sensor whereas a digital SLR has either an APS size sensor or a full 35mm size sensor.

A moderate digital SLR will still give a better image when enlarged to A3 size than a high megapixel compact. That being said, the quality of images out of compacts and the size makes them much more convenient that a digital SLR and very suitable for normal use.

My wife and son both have the powershot SD870 IS (US camera - here's the link http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=145&modelid=15655)
and it has proven to be a fantastic little performer. I still use and old Powershot that I purchased in 2004 and it takes pretty decent shots.
I'm hanging out for an EOS 5D Mark II to replace my EOS 350D. The 350D is still a great camera and I've taken over 12,000 shots on it. But GIVE ME MORE MEGAPIXELS!

Cheers,
Peter

[Studley 2436]

The big issue with compacts is small sensor size and small lens size. The smaller the lens diameter and the shorter it's focal length the lower the quality of light it can transmit to a sensor or piece of film.

The lens length does not change if you use a smaller sensor. Some people think it does in part due to the advertising saying 35 mm equivalent. This is talking about the field of view and not the length of the lens.

For example a "normal" lens that gives a view similar to the human eyes view is 50 mm on a 35 mm camera. On a Medium format camera the normal lens is 80 mm on Nikon's DX sensors it is 33 mm although this is usually averaged to 35 mm as you can buy 35 mm lenses. Compact cameras are all over the place but they do use some very small sensors. The Olympus recommended above is reasonable for a Compact camera.

Another thing that causes problems on small sensors is "dark noise". Noise produced by the current that runs through the sensor itself. The more pixels you have and the smaller the sensor the more of a problem this is. Witness that Nikon came out with the D3 with a 24 x 35 mm sensor and a mere 12 megapixels! People who have used it say it is very "clean". Lovely clear images. Pixels are not everything according to people in the know. Nikon seems to have backed this up. After all they made the D2X with 12 MP and that was a 17 x 24 mm sensor. 408 mm2. The 35 mm sensor is 864 mm2. more than double. They could have put 24 MP on it if they chose but did not. It seems they don't see as much gain in the pixels as they did in other things they got by using bigger pixels.

Either way much of it comes down to the nut behind the camera. Sarah Moon was famous for the effect she got using crummy gear. If you want a camera to carry with you there are stacks of good compacts. If you want a bit more quality in your images then there are lots of good DSLR cameras at pretty reasonable prices. Canon Nikon is a Holden Ford argument. I like Nikon more as it is more of an engineering driven firm than Canon, but then I have been using their stuff for 10 years now after leaving Canon and been very happy with their stuff.

Studley

[Calm]

Thanks for all the help and info given here.

Today i got sick of waiting so went to solve the problem.

Allan from Wallan gave me a recomendation/advice (i think he wants to charge me $100 for advice - see other thread) so off i went to get the kodak 180 whatever (lost the bit of paper he gave me) with panoramic option, edit on camera and take photo from movie/video and yes you guessed it the salesman at 3 different stores knew exactly what i wanted but no didnt have that model in stock

So

David cracked them and got the Canon on special that i had been leaning towards originally

Here it is photo and all.- if someone can tell me how to fix the writing on the box let me know.

$248 plus $25 for a 2 whatsername card. no i dont want extended warranty or tripod or fries and everything else they tried to up sell/value add. - bloody salesmen grrrrrrrrr

Cheers

[Papa]

like:

[Studley 2436]

*L* nice one Calm. If you have photoshop you can mirror the image. Canon might have included something in it so you can edit your photos. Have a look and see what you can find.

Studley

[Calm]

like:

Thanks smart a#$$e :D:D:D

Bloody technology is past me - mental note need 6yo to teach me.

Cheers

[Allan at Wallan]

Crikey David!

$248.00 plus $25.00 and you didn't get fries.

They have been selling that model camera in the
Wallan take-away shop for $32.25 and that includes
fries, pancakes with maple syrup, one slice of pizza
and a free ride home in the local police car.:D

Hope you work it all out.

Allan

[Delicious]

Hi i dont have a camera and dont take many photos.
When i want to put a photo on this forum i spend 1/2 an hour hunting through first one daughters room (21yo) with no result so then the other daughters room (18yo) then ring them to find they have their cameras with them. So i wait until they get home, then the battery is flat, then they take off again before they download them onto the computer for me.
So i need a camera - i could also take it to work in in the truck with me, use it for photos for the forum - not really a happy snapper but maybe i might if i had one.
I was thinking of this
Canon PowerShot SD790 / IXUS 90 Digital Camera on ebay for $255 (http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Canon-PowerShot-SD790-IXUS-90-Digital-Camera_W0QQitemZ250301991748QQihZ015QQcategoryZ150345QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)
the 21 yo has a earlier model and it seems to do the job.
I have a leaning towards Canon
It needs to be able to carry in my pocket or on the motorbike hence the flat style.
HELP please all you guru's out there. I was thinking of under $500
Thanks in advance
Cheers

As mentioned, I agree that Dpreview and Steves-Digicams are the TOP WEBSITES ON THE INTERNET for unbiased camera reviews. One other great source for reviews: Consumer Reports magazine. CR is an American publication that's been around for decades. They test everything under the sun: cars, cameras, refrigerators, ice cream, vacum cleaners, microwave ovens, washers and dryers, you name it. Best of all, they don't have any advertising in their magazine. None! They accept no money for advertising. People lie, companies lie, but I feel pretty confident in saying that Consumer Reports magazine does not lie about the products they test. The only knock on CR is that they are not full time, hard core photographers. So what, I say. To some people that won't matter one bit.

You can, and should, use Amazon.com to get a few reviews. But you can throw out the reviews that start out with, "I've had this camera for one week and I think this camera...."

One week or anything around one week is not a long enough time to evaluate a camera, or anything else for that matter. Also, you never know the level of expertise the Amazon reviewer has. The reviewer might be a retard or a rocket scientist, or somewhere in between. Usually you'll run into all three over at Amazon.

And don't forget about Newegg.com for camera reviews, and reviews on computer gear, too. Newegg is worth bookmarking to your favorites.

For what you want to use the camera for, you don't have to worry about a digital cameras intricacies that some people mentioned in this thread. They come built out of the box to handle almost anything. Just find a good point and shoot digital camera, buy it, and start shooting.

One thing I never overlook is tech support. Nikon's tech support, based on 5 or 6 calls I made to them a year ago, was pretty good but not great, though of course, that was a year ago.

Canon's tech support, based on 20-30 calls I've made to them in the last year, was fantastic. They know their cameras inside and out. They speak good english, and the hold time was acceptable, generally around a minute or so. They will answer stupid questions like, "How do I turn my camera on?" without batting an eye, or putting you down.

Here in the U.S any call made to Canon is routed to Virginia. Virginia is a state in the U.S. My calls to Nikon were routed to Canada.

Always, always, always check the stores return policy before you pay for the camera, especially if you buy it online. New York City has a bunch of online camera dealers that should be avoided because some of them are not authorized dealers.

Lets say I want to buy a Nikon camera online from someone, no matter what state they're in (be it New York or California). I always call the camera dealer up on the phone and ask them, ARE YOU AN AUTHORIZED NIKON DEALER??????????

If they're not an authorized dealer, the manufacturers warranty is no good! Which means you have no warranty. You always want a warranty for your camera, should it fail or freeze up.