Didgital Cameras, need a new one. What you got?

[2ndovc]

I've gone through 5 didgital cameras in the last several years. Need a new one.

I was a "Nothing but Nikon" 35mm guy but have had no luck with their didgital
cameras. I've had two Kadak's and will most likely go back but was wondering what
you guys have been using.

Along with taking gun photos( ), the main usage is job related.
I'm in burnt out and flooded homes daily. It's got to work and focus in low / no light conditions.

jb

[86er]

Leica.

[madman4570]

Just picked up this guy for $85 yesterday! (one day in store special)
http://www.samsclub.com/sams/shop/produ ... ction=push

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_secti ... oduct=1537

[Griff]

Canon PowerShot SX100IS


Mine is the black version, and I've owned it for about 3 years... takes tolerable good pictures. I'm also a Nikon 335mm guy... and would still rather take pictures with that format or a 4x5... but for convenience, when fine photography isn't really required, The little Canon is grand.

For a 8mp camera, I can't complain. Here's an example... or two:

[2ndovc]

Leica.

Ain't gonna get that one past the accountant!



jb

[6pt-sika]

I got a Nikon Cool Pix L1 digi cam back in 2005 with 6.2 megapixels I believe . Thats the only one I've owned to date , and knock on wood it's still going fine . But then I don't use mine in the same places you would . Mine takes pics for Gunbroker and gun pics for myself . It also rides in my pocket anytime I go hunting .

FWIW I paid something like $350 for my Nikon back in 2005 and now you can get a way better one for a third of the price

[alnitak]

Panasonic has very nice cameras, with good feature/price performance and high image quality. First, decide your price range, then look at features that are important to you (e.g., HD movies, stereo sound, low light performance, panorama shots, etc.). Don't get hung up on megapixels...anything over 10mp is overkill. I definitely recommend image stabilizing, especially for low light. Cameras vary in their high ISO performance.

A good site for reviews and discussions is:
www.dpreview.com

You can look up cameras by manufacturer

[Streetstar]

I
Along with taking gun photos( ), the main usage is job related.
I'm in burnt out and flooded homes daily. It's got to work and focus in low / no light conditions.

jb

I do similar work as a field claims adjuster -- dunking most any camera in a puddle or dropping it from a modest height can put it out of commision. I used to be a camera snob and only used the best Canon's and Sony's i could afford.
Reality set in after awhile --- now i use a nice little Canon point n Shoot almost exactly like Griff's above i got from Sam's Club (similar to a Costco or a BJ's if you are more familiar with those places in your area) for maybe $125 bucks -- i bought a second identical one to keep in my tool bag for a backup that has yet to be used.
So instead of buying one nice camera for 5-600 bucks, i bought 2 that are adequate for the job at hand for much less money and have been happy --- i wanted them to match for battery/charger commonality.
When i transfer photos digitally, they are typically 4"x6" , and i download 40-50 at a time . The cameras max out at 14mp, but they stay on the Jpeg setting and that is more than fine for this size photo

The first one has survived for 9 months, up to 7-800 pics a day, 5 days a week. I didnt think it would last this long, but Canon and Sony seem to make good kit, even in their cheaper pocket models (Nikon and Samsung, not so much -- i tried a couple of their budget cameras and neither lasted more than 3 months )

[AJMD429]

I have an old Canon Powershot A40 with a whopping 2 megapixels , but it's been utterly reliable, and although I don't know if these pics will show full resolution over the internet, some were low-light (obviously the ones through binoculars and spotting scopes!), and show pretty good detail.

Good for landscape type stuff -


Good for Rugers -


This was shot through a pair of binoculars I was holding against a tree trunk -


The moon one was through a Bushnell 60x spotting scope -


Decent for Cartridges, too -


My only complaint is that it won't focus closer than about 2-3 feet, but that's adequate for my needs; this has pretty good detail -

[J Miller]

We have 3 Canons.
A D60 SRL
A Power Shot A 510 and a A 520. I can take pics that boggle the mind with the two smaller Power Shots and neither of them is new or babied. I take all the pics you see on this and other forums with them.

Great cameras.

Joe

[Rusty]

The wife bought a Panasonic last year that has an unreal telephoto on it. I like playing with that.
Jr. just bought one from Staples that he needed for the police academy, don't remember the name. He paid $199 for it but then for an extra 30 he bought the insurance plan on it as well.

[Blaine]

I got a Panasonic with the Leica lens about 7 years ago. 10x optical zoom, 50x digital zoom. Digital zoom on this on sucks over 25 or so. If I keep it on automatic everything, it works perfectly. I take a lot of pics riding the Harley, and it doesn't blur the pics, so something must be working right.

[olyinaz]

I've tried 'em all. Stick with Canon or Panasonic, I prefer Canon.

Oly

[dogngun]

Actually, I have a Nikon, probably a mid-level Coolpix. I really like it. It is my second Coolpix, bought to replace the one I dropped onto the concrete floor of my patio...it took its last picture on its own, of me trying to grab it and saying "Oh Gosh" or words to that effect...
I know people who swear by Canon's, too, I just happened to pick the Nikons and I'm very happy with them.
Easy to use or not, as you desire, lots of features and adjustments you can make or set on auto and let it do the smart stuff

For some years I was a part time pro photographer, back when there was "film", and I used Olympus 35mm cameras and a big o'l Calumet 4x5 view camera.

The Nikon Coolpix image quality is very good, and you can carry them in your pocket, for not a lot of money.
The Kodaks I have seen are a waste of money.

mark

[Borregos]

I have three.
A Canon SD1400IS which goes everywhere with me, takes great pictures and fits in pocket
A Nikon CoolPix P90 and a Nikon CoolPix E8800.

The E8800 takes the best pictures by a loooong way and it has the least megapixels, 8 compared to 12 for the other Nikon and 14 for the Canon.

[Topside]

Canon ELPH 100HS. Bought it 3 mos. ago at Costco for about $110. Has served me well.
http://bit.ly/NiTqxi Full 1080p Video. I use a eye-fi SD card. Transfers photos and movies to computer wirelessly. Good little camera for the money.
T.

[madman4570]

With what you are doing(with your job)
Have you ever thought about a Low Light Sony Cam (size 2"X2"X4") (weight 7.5oz)works also fine in any light condition.
Small like a camera/extremely low light capable/can record full 1080 HD/extremely good audio/and actually quite reasonable.($269)

You could shoot whatever you need/ take stills/have actual full HD small videos stored on your SD Cards then download to a main file system on your laptop or just keep the SDs logged and filed. heck, It even has a built in USB cable.

When you want a copy of a still etc.just print it out!
Anymore my main use of a camera is short video clips of whatever.
A lot of the Home Realtors are using these.Also spending another $100 gets you a lot higher Meg for stills but even the cheaper one is plenty.
Besides when you are going through the places(you look cooler)
Bottom line---its just a camera but with enhanced capability of certain features you might want.(and its a Sony)

Wife has one of these and will say compared to the former Nikon Coolpix I had taking video clips with that(the Sony Blows it away)
Easier to use/sound 10X better/can shoot about in the dark/and watching on TV,its evident.
Like comparing a Stihl saw with a Craftsman saw


http://store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/stores ... 1666415438

[2ndovc]

Thanks for the responses Guys!

Stopping @ Best Buy this morning. I'd like to stick close to the $200 mark so i'll see what they have

Don't need anything real fancy. Just need decent photos so when I get to writing an estimate I can see what was in the rooms I may have missed.

jb

[Pitchy]

Cheap little Samsung 10.2 pixel has been working for me for over two years for pics and videos.
Under 100 bucks

[Blaine]

Thanks for the responses Guys!

Stopping @ Best Buy this morning. I'd like to stick close to the $200 mark so i'll see what they have

Don't need anything real fancy. Just need decent photos so when I get to writing an estimate I can see what was in the rooms I may have missed.

jb

Just curious, but the camera on my Droid Incredable phone is pretty good for just grab shots. Maybe it's time to upgrade the phone?

[piller]

PillHer has a Canon which is great, it even has a viewfinder for use in outdoor sunlight situations. I bought a small cheap vivitar for my trip to Africa. As you might notice, pictures have not been posted. I should have bought a Canon.

[L_Kilkenny]

We've been thru a handful of cameras over the recent years (kids are hard on em) and by far the happiest we've been is with our little Nikon Coolpix S3000. Go dig up the post I made last year on my Boundry Waters trip for a sampling of pictures if you wish. On the flip side I thought the Kodak we had was a turd and a half. Go figure.

I'll never be without a camera that doesn't have rechargable batteries (tried the AAA battery route and it sucks even if you use lithium) and it must use a full size SD card, not internal memory or those thing micro cards.

LK

[Newtmaker]

I second the recommendations for either the Canon's or the Panasonics. I bought my wife a Panasonic several years ago and she hasn't broken it yet, and she gets surprisingly good results considering......

I have the Olympus Micro 4/3 system with interchangeable lenses. They are more costly, but very small and portable.

Walt

[2ndovc]

I ended up buying a Panasonic Lumix ZS8 that was on sale for $199.
It's a little larger than the Nikon Coolpix that its replacing but I like that. Easier to hang on too.
The other thing that I really liked about it is it has a Leica lense.

So far I really like it. I'll play around with it this evening and see what it can do.

jb

[alnitak]

Good choice. The Lumix series of cameras is well-respected.

[olyinaz]

I have the Olympus Micro 4/3 system with interchangeable lenses. They are more costly, but very small and portable.

Me too. I want the new OM-D!!

http://olympusomd.com/en-US/

Oly

[Rusty]

I don't know if they really make them, but something I've always thought would be useful would be an "L" shaped handle that would screw into mounting hole in the bottom and make a much larger handle to hang onto. I always feel like I'm about a 1/2 second away from having those little cameras slip through my fingers.

[Pete44ru]

About 5 years ago, I bought & fairly quickly returned ( one month) a bad Cannon SureShot, then treated myself to a breast pocket sized Nikon CoolPix S550 that's been trouble-free, and takes great pics when I do my part (that means: don't shake ).

I paid $149 @ a local independent camera store + I forget how much for a larger memory card to hold more pix.

.

[Bronco]

Howdy,

Being a clutz I opted for one that is water proof to 18 feet and shock resistant to a drop of 6 feet. About the size of a deck of cards. I carry it all the time outdoors. Have droped it several times, not on purpose, and it went swimming with me crossing a stream, again not planned. Still works.

It is an Olympus but I suspect that other brands have the same cameras for clutz's.

Not mutch of a photographer but it takes pictires better than I can.

John

[Ben_Rumson]

All pics taken using auto focus w/Sony Cyber-shot 8.1 MP Dig Camera...

Picture 002.jpg

[Don McDowell]

I have a Nikon L100 that takes great pictures in all manner of weather, and does a real good job on short video clips.

[Nate C.]

I think you will like it. For several years I have used a Panasonic Lumix periodically at work and I have been very happy with both its performance and its durability. I was sufficiently impressed that I purchased one for my wife when her old camera wore out. She is an amateur shutterbug, and she absolutely loves it.

I ended up buying a Panasonic Lumix ZS8 that was on sale for $199.
It's a little larger than the Nikon Coolpix that its replacing but I like that. Easier to hang on too.
The other thing that I really liked about it is it has a Leica lense.

So far I really like it. I'll play around with it this evening and see what it can do.

jb

[olyinaz]

I don't know if they really make them, but something I've always thought would be useful would be an "L" shaped handle that would screw into mounting hole in the bottom and make a much larger handle to hang onto. I always feel like I'm about a 1/2 second away from having those little cameras slip through my fingers.

Yes, they make such things:

http://www.amazon.com/Bower-VA313-Foldi ... 16&sr=8-30

Or:

http://www.amazon.com/Opteka-HG-5-Handg ... 526&sr=8-3

If you haven't seen a Gorillapod, check this out (look at some of the pictures detailing what it can do). Pretty handy:

http://www.amazon.com/Joby-GP1-A1EN-Gor ... 608&sr=8-1

Oly