Need help with deciding on new camera, please

[Twingle]

This forum has lots of great information, but using the search engine gets me lots of abbreviations that I can't figure out! :)

I currently have the Kodak Easy Share Z740, 10x zoom and 5.0 mega pixels. It's very easy to use, but does not give me what I need in a camera. I need something with a faster shutter speed, the ability to take multiple pictures quickly that are not blurry, and probably better zoom and more mega pixels.

This would be just a normal, every day camera. Pictures of the kids, Disney, holidays, daily routine stuff.

If I could find a camera I don't have to replace in 2 or 3 years, I would be willing to spend up to $500 or so.

Any recomendations? If you would please explain the abbreviations you use in talking about cameras, I would appreciate it. Otherwise, I just do this :confused3

Thanks for any help!

[YEKCIM]

Sounds like you need to be looking at a dSLR. You *could* get a Pentax K110D for about $450 online, with kit lens, but that's just the start...

Another option in your stated budget would be another "superzoom", similar to your Kodak, but with better specs.

~YEKCIM

[Twingle]

Just to verify, a dSLR is a camera that you purchase lenses to go with?

[Pea-n-Me]

This would be just a normal, every day camera.

I'm guessing you want a point and shoot camera?

Here are two to look at:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000DZHA6O/sr=1-1/qid=1174396614/ref=dp_cp_ob_title_3/002-1002904-0461622?ie=UTF8&qid=1174396614&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-Image-Stabilized-Zoom/dp/B000EMWBV0/ref=sr_1_6/002-1002904-0461622?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1174396983&sr=1-6

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Cybershot-Digital-Optical-Stabilization/dp/B000ENN9BK/ref=pd_bbs_2/002-1002904-0461622?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1174397824&sr=1-2

These are basically point and shoot cameras that have some extra features, though they are a little bigger than the type you slip in your pocket. Many people are liking the S3 (which is a great price right now), but since you're already familiar with Kodak, you might like their similar model. Sony also makes a similar camera, I believe it's called the H-1 or something (added link), but check and see if it takes the same memory cards you already have.

If you wanted more in a camera, or a different type, others can give you more recommendations. Good luck, and let us know what you choose.

P.S. Be careful about going too high on the megapixels.

[ukcatfan]

This forum has lots of great information, but using the search engine gets me lots of abbreviations that I can't figure out! :)

I currently have the Kodak Easy Share Z740, 10x zoom and 5.0 mega pixels. It's very easy to use, but does not give me what I need in a camera. I need something with a faster shutter speed, the ability to take multiple pictures quickly that are not blurry, and probably better zoom and more mega pixels.

This would be just a normal, every day camera. Pictures of the kids, Disney, holidays, daily routine stuff.

If I could find a camera I don't have to replace in 2 or 3 years, I would be willing to spend up to $500 or so.

Any recomendations? If you would please explain the abbreviations you use in talking about cameras, I would appreciate it. Otherwise, I just do this :confused3

Thanks for any help!


A DSLR would give you the best performance, but to get the zoom range you want, it would be closer to $700. A better superzoom would likely be your best bet. Take a look at the Canon S3 IS or the Sony DSC-H5. There have also been a few new superzooms announced that have more zoom range, but I would wait to see how the reviews turn out before getting one. That much zoom range might degrade the image quality (IQ) too much. A big help would be to get one with image stabilization (IS). That helps a lot when zoomed really far and with low light shots of stationary subjects. As for megapixels (MPs), you are already fine at 5MP. Going overboard on them usually just degrades the IQ and adds too much image noise (think overly grainy). I am pretty sure that when you say shutter speed, you actually are talking about how fast it is from pressing the button to taking the shot. The models mentioned above will be faster than your Kodak at that, but a DSLR is needed for super fast response time. The recycle time to the next shot will also likely be better than your Kodak. Adding a flash to the shot slows every camera down. A trick to keep the shot to shot time faster is to only let the shutter button come back up half way. Doing that keeps the focus and exposure settings saved from the last shot so it can respond quicker.

Kevin

[Pea-n-Me]

I don't know about the others, but the S3 has a continuous shooting feature in sports mode.

[ukcatfan]

I don't know about the others, but the S3 has a continuous shooting feature in sports mode.

The continuous shooting can also be used in any of the manual modes. I am not sure about the other scene modes as I do not use them. My experience is from the S1 and S2, but I am sure that they did not downgrade the continuous shooting functionality on the S3.

Kevin

[Pea-n-Me]

Thanks for letting me know that, Kevin. I just used it for the first time a few weeks ago and didn't realize you could do it in manual mode, I'll have to check it out. There is so much to know about this camera!

[Groucho]

This sounds a lot like this thread (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1387938) from a few days ago, with another Kodak owner considering a switch in order to get a more responsive camera.

As ukcatfan said, you probably mean shutter lag instead of shutter speed. You may want to check some reviews for comparitive timings - according to DPReview, the Kodak Z740 is about 0.6 seconds for a full press of the shutter to take a photo, not much different than the 0.5 seconds of the Canon S3. Is it worth spending the money for a tenth of a second difference?

Of course, those are controlled tests, not real-world, and they do indicate that the Kodak is generally pretty snappy but can be painfully slow in some situations, especially in continuous shooting. In that, you're stuck with an unusable camera for seven seconds while it clears the buffer, which can seem awfully long when you're waiting for it...

I don't really see the difference between 10x and 12x zoom as being much to worry about... and more megapixels are usually a bad thing for image quality, not a good thing.

The Sony H5 and Canon S3 are the usual "big zoom" recommendations, but you may also want to check the others... especially Fuji, now that they're finally supporting SD memory cards. The downside to Fuji is that there's no IS, but the Fuji can produce better quality photos, especially in darker areas, as it has a 1/1.7" sensor rather than the smaller 1/2.5" sensor in the S3 and H5. If it were me, I'd take a bigger sensor over IS any day.

[photo_chick]

When you say faster shutter speed..... are you talking about the delay betwen when you press the button and when it actually takes the picture???? That is actually shutter lag. It varies from camera to camera. Even DSLR and 35 mm cameras actually have shutter lag, it is just so slight we don't usually notice. But many of the point and shoot digital cameras have horrible shutter lag.

If you need one that can do a faster shutter speed so your images do not have motion blur (like indoors and other low light situations), you might need to make sure you look for one with higher ISO settings and where you can set the ISO and other things manually.

Check out the more advanced (think between a point and shoot and a DSLR) digital cameras like the Canon S3 or G7. I would steer clear of the Sony's if it were me. I briefly had one (DSC-H1) and they are not that great IMO (it was a litle laggy, really poor user interface). Fuji and Kodak also have some of advanced models as well. Most of the newer advanced digital cameras have decently high ISO settings as well, though they have more noise than the DSLR cameras when you set the ISO higher.

A DSLR would do what you want and then some, but that does not seem to be the type of camera you are describing. Also with a DSLR you are looking at more than a $500 investment into it.

[YEKCIM]

I have no noticeable shutter lag on my Fuji S5200, and it was a $225 camera. My point is that there are fairly inexpensive P&S cameras that have very responsive shutters. In addition, although they lack IS, Fuji cameras typically deliver better high-ISO performance than many other competing cameras. That is one of the main reasons I decided on the Fuji, rather than a different brand. I shoot Nikon now, but the S5200 is soldiering on, in the (hopefully) capable hands of my 8 year old!

~YEKCIM

[Twingle]

Thank you all so much for taking the time to post, the links, and the helpful information.

The reason I'm looking for more zoom (super zoom? I think it's called?), is because at my sons school, as well as where he has scouts, parents MAY NOT leave their seats to take photos. So, if I'm running late and sit in the very back of the gym, my photos of my son in the front of the gym are not apparent to be photos of my son.

In what I was calling shutter speed (proper term shutter lag? or delay, maybe?), is that with my girls doing their toddler thing and running around at top speed, they may be smiling at me one second, and by the time the photo is taken, I now have a picture of their back.

I was under the impression that higher mega pixels = sharper photos. Apparently this is not the case? I may take a photo that when seen on my computer looks awesome, but when I print out a 5x7 looks like yuck.

Again, just to verify, a dSLR is a camera that I would purchase additional lenses for?

Thanks again for all of your help!

[jann1033]

dslr means you need to buy lenses for it, it comes either as a kit with a body and basic interchangable lenses or just the body and you pick your own lens but no lens=doesn't take photos;)

if you are cropping your photos you may not be saving with a high enough resolution for printing ( i think my printer says at least 240). my daughter's easy share 4 mp printed out very good 8x10s( as long as they were taken outside) so your 5 mp should handle at least that big( bigger really)...one thing i really noticed was the poor light capability of hers but maybe that has been improved upon. and i occasionally miss shots of my 3 yr old granddaughter with my dslr so i'm sure if i were trying to take shots of 2 toddlers...aye-yai-yai! i'd just try to get the best shutter lag you can( check the reviews for shutter lag) so you can take consecutive shots as rapidly as possible...also ability to set shutter speed over 500( 1/500 of a second sometimes written as) would also help( how fast you can set the shutter for) as it freezes motion

[Twingle]

jan1033, thank you so much for the information.

After reading other threads on this board, I think I may be mistaken about what a dSLR camera entails. The majority of people that I have seen with a camera with interchangeable lenses seem to fight with the camera. I've seen parents at different functions keep on telling the kids to wait while they change the lenses, and from what I saw they were not the type of camera that you could take spur of the moment photos with. Is this not the case?

Again, thank you for any information you would be willing to share.

[ukcatfan]

jan1033, thank you so much for the information.

After reading other threads on this board, I think I may be mistaken about what a dSLR camera entails. The majority of people that I have seen with a camera with interchangeable lenses seem to fight with the camera. I've seen parents at different functions keep on telling the kids to wait while they change the lenses, and from what I saw they were not the type of camera that you could take spur of the moment photos with. Is this not the case?

Again, thank you for any information you would be willing to share.

For spur of the moment shots, you should also pay very close attention to a camera's focus speed and accuracy. If the lighting is too low, my old S1 and now S2 do a pretty hit or miss job at focusing and it often is not very fast. The S3 is probably a little better, but that is where DSLRs really shine. My K100D is considered a little slow for a DSLR, but blows away my S1 and S2 in speed terms and hardly ever misses the focus. Even when it indicates no focus lock, it usually got it right. When the S2 misses a lock, it is blur city.

As for messing with lens changes and missing a shot, that is either poor planning, not much experience, or not having the right lens for the job. If you know that you are going to have to quickly change back and forth from one lens to another, then you are better off having one lens that covers the range. You end up giving up a little quality when you have a lens that covers more range, but sometimes it is just needed. That said, once you get the hang of it, changing lenses does not take very long.

Kevin

[jann1033]

i have never owned a digital point and shoot but i imagine you can push the shutter button 1/2 way down to focus then push the rest of the way when you want to take the shot? that was how i used to try to get shots of then 18 month old granddaughter with daughter's p &s.

I agree with kevin though, you gotta anticipate no matter what camera you have. most dslrs have auto modes, just not as many as the s3 type of camera( some of which have candle, fireworks, pets and kids, macro, night time, portrait etc etc etc some have like 20 different modes while my dslr has a more limited auto selection like macro, portrait, landscape, action and a night scene i think) but if you have to change lenses every 2 seconds you either are not thinking ahead or you need to spend more $ on some more lenses....hehehe, can always find another excuse for more lenses

[photo_chick]

If you are looking to do a lot of low light shots, like in a gym or auditorium, and want to be able to zoom in I would suggest looking at a DSLR. I am a big fan of the advanced cameras like the S3. They are great. BUt the one place they really come up short (IMO) is those low light shots when you zoom in on things. I know a few people who have the advanced cameras and are unhappy when they go to shoot those types of school fundtion shots. Like I said, if you shoot a lot of stuff like that and really want to be able to get great shots at those school functions it might be worth it to invest in a DSLR. OF course you also have to invest the time to learn to use it as well! (3 years of photography classes working on my degree and I am still learning!)

Now, I don't change lenses on my DSLR, or my 35mm SLR cameras for that matter, all that much. I pick the best one for that job at hand and leave it. Some accuse me of being lazy that way! I also keep my 18-55 lens on my camera in the bag so I can pull it out and am ready to go. I pull my camera out at least once a ay to shoot something my kids are doing. It is not any more time consuming or difficult than it is to get my p&S out. It is actually on and ready to go faster!

I agree that when you see people fumbling with lenses they most likely either need more practice with their camera or did not plan well.

[Twingle]

Thanks so much for the information! I'm hoping to get out this weekend to play with cameras in person. The internet is getting to be information overload, and I think if I can just see a dSLR and point and shoot in person, I may have an easier time deciding.

Thank you again!

[RBennett]

Ok, so I have a question regarding MP/IQ. At what point with MPs does the image become too noisy or "grainy"? I didn't know if there was a magic number like try not to go above 8 MP or 7MP. Thanks!!!

[ukcatfan]

Ok, so I have a question regarding MP/IQ. At what point with MPs does the image become too noisy or "grainy"? I didn't know if there was a magic number like try not to go above 8 MP or 7MP. Thanks!!!

For a p&s, I would say around 6MP to 7MP at the max. That is not as easy to answer with a DSLR b/c there are different sensors available and much depends on the lens used, but I would say a rule of thumb for an entry level model with an APS-C sensor is around 10MP. Olympus uses a smaller sensor, so it may be closer to 8MP for them. You almost have to exaluate DSLRs on their own for this. Reviews always cover the IQ and ISO performance.

Kevin

[Twingle]

In looking and researching even more photog sites, my brain is now officially fried. Could anyone tell me what the difference is between the Cannon Rebel XTi and the Cannon S3? Other than the fact that one is a dSLR and one is a point and shoot?

Thanks again!

[RBennett]

For a p&s, I would say around 6MP to 7MP at the max. That is not as easy to answer with a DSLR b/c there are different sensors available and much depends on the lens used, but I would say a rule of thumb for an entry level model with an APS-C sensor is around 10MP. Olympus uses a smaller sensor, so it may be closer to 8MP for them. You almost have to exaluate DSLRs on their own for this. Reviews always cover the IQ and ISO performance.

Kevin

Thanks Kevin SO much!!! :thumbsup2 So the Sony H9 that I'm looking at with a MP of 8.1 is probably too much you think? I noticed it comes with Super Steadyshot Image Stabilization and High Sensitivity Mode(ISO 3200) and to top it off Clear RAW NR (Noise Reduction). I appreciate your opinion on this!! I just really want a good camera that can help capture/create some memories for me and my family. :goodvibes

[ukcatfan]

In looking and researching even more photog sites, my brain is now officially fried. Could anyone tell me what the difference is between the Cannon Rebel XTi and the Cannon S3? Other than the fact that one is a dSLR and one is a point and shoot?

Thanks again!

The XTi is a DSLR where you pick the lens and the S3 is for those wanting near DSLR performance, but not that much commitment to the camera and the $$$ that goes with DSLRs. The S3 has a 12x lens attached that does not come off. Some of the big advantages of DSLRs is the low ligh performance, wider angle lenses available, and beter ISO performance. For example, the ISO 1600 on my K100D makes the ISO 400 on my S2 IS look like it is a toy. No p&s can match the ISO of a DSLR. Disadvantages od DSLRs are the $$$, size, weight, and amount of memory needed to shoot RAW. RAW is not required, but many use it.

Kevin

[ukcatfan]

Thanks Kevin SO much!!! :thumbsup2 So the Sony H9 that I'm looking at with a MP of 8.1 is probably too much you think? I noticed it comes with Super Steadyshot Image Stabilization and High Sensitivity Mode(ISO 3200) and to top it off Clear RAW NR (Noise Reduction). I appreciate your opinion on this!! I just really want a good camera that can help capture/create some memories for me and my family. :goodvibes

You will need to wait on some reviews for that one. It is too new for anyone to really know how it will do. I do not have high expectations of any RAW modes on a p&s. They are usually very slow to the point of one shot every five seconds or so. When they go overboard on the MPs, they sometimes have to go overboard with the noise reduction to compensate, so you end up with an image that has no true resolution gain over a 6MP or so. Sometimes they implement a high MP bad and it looks worse than a 6MP. I can already tell you that ISO 1600 and 3200 (possibly even 800) will most likely be worthless and just a marketing tool. You will probably have to wait a month or two to see how that model turns out.

Samsung announced a p&s with a APS-C sensor recently, but it is not a superzoom. I am looking forward to see if it performs anywhere near a DSLR that has that type sensor.

Kevin

[Groucho]

In looking and researching even more photog sites, my brain is now officially fried. Could anyone tell me what the difference is between the Cannon Rebel XTi and the Cannon S3? Other than the fact that one is a dSLR and one is a point and shoot?

Thanks again!
Lots of differences - the big one for image quality purposes is that the XTi has a sensor that's almost 15x as large. That means that it can record a much, much sharper photo and will work far better in low-light situations.

(BTW, it's Canon, not Cannon.)

[Twingle]

Whoops - excuse the double "n"!

Last question (maybe!), what is the approximate life span of a dSLR? I take around 3k photos a year, which is killing my point & shoot.

Thanks again!

[ukcatfan]

Whoops - excuse the double "n"!

Last question (maybe!), what is the approximate life span of a dSLR? I take around 3k photos a year, which is killing my point & shoot.

Thanks again!

With electronics these days, who really knows, but the shutter on a DSLR "should" be good for about 100K shots. So, that would be 33 years. Do I really think it would last that long... no way. There are people using old film SLRs that are that old or older, but they do not have as many things that can go wrong on them. I am hoping to get about five years out of my DSLR, but I might not make it that long in desire for a newer model! The important thing is to take care of your camera and it should last a long time. My first digital was an Olympus D460 that I got in 2001. I passed it down to my DF and he is still using it. He is not a regular user, but I had put around 10K shots on it before handing it over.

My Canon A70 and S1 IS both failed on me, but both were covered under the sensor recall, so Canon replaced them for free. The A70 with an A520 and the S1 with a S2. I think I was unlucky due to living in SW FL. The recall mainly affected cameras used in hot humid places. Well, SW FL = hot and humid. It made the LCD practically useless, but shots were still coming out good about 90% of the time. The bad shots had all kinds of horiz. bars in them.

Kevin

[jann1033]

some of the more expensive ie not entry level canon dslrs are rated for 100-300k shutter usage so i don't expect that many from my rebel xt but i've taken about 10,000 :eek: :sad2: :rolleyes: in the 8 or so months i've had it so i figure even if i get 4-5 yrs, i will have replaced the body by then anyway.
another difference in p&s type cameras is usually speed of taking consecutive shots, start up, shutter delay etc..daughter just won a kodak z710 and one review had the consecutive/continuous speed at 5.5 seconds... that's a "take a photo, have a cup of coffee ,take another one" speed or lack of speed more like it...my rebel has a 3 frames per second continuous speed( which is a snail compared to the new mark 111 that is like 20 frames per second or something similar)....course her's was freeeeeeeeee so i don't think she'd complain but just a for instance

[Twingle]

Okay, thanks again for all the info!

Hoping that I can get to the camera store this weekend to play. :)