Can anyone recommend a great camera in the

[dsnygirl2006]

price range of about $400.....I went shopping yesterday for a great new digital camera and got really excited about this camera, waterproof, shock proof, freeze proof and crush proof, I went to amazon.com and read the reviews.....kind of dissappointed after reading some.....great camera, not great pics....so I was wondering if anyone has this camera and used it at Disney...in fact one of the reviews said great camera, but don't take it to Disneyland on vacation if you want good pics....so if anyone could recommend an awesome camera to me in the $400 range, I would be greatly appreciative...thanks

 

[ukcatfan]

Unfortunately, that is a little too vague. For example: What features are important to you? What conditions are you mainly going to be shooting in? Is much zoom important to you? How big or small do you want it to be? Do you want a p&s or DSLR? (BTW, there are probably only 1 or 2 models of DSLR at this level) Do you want it to use AAs or proprietary batteries? You get the idea.

As for reviews, I put more weight on professional reviews from sites like DCResource.com, Steves-Digicams.com, and DPReview.com than I do on user reviews. Often users are not happy with a camera and it is all their own fault for just not knowing how to use it correctly. Also, you did not say what camera you were looking at.

Kevin

 

[dsnygirl2006]

I want a camera that takes AWESOME pics at Disney, I took my sisters DSLR last year and I just cannot lug that big thing around again, so I would like a camera that takes pics as well as that camera did, it was awesome, but I just don't wanna carry that big thing around, the camera I looked at yesterday was Olympus Stylus 770 SW.....Thanks

 

[jakoky]

hi there, i am not sure exactly what u want, but when i went to buy my newest digital camera i knew for me what i needed was a camera that takes excellent pics, a great movie mode, big zoom, and a good size lcd...i chose the canon S5 and i really love it...We are headed to DL in 25 days and i cant wait to start snapping pics there with it.....just before i had a sony H5 which was also great, the movie mode just wasnt good enough...neither of these are compact cameras, but they are no where near slr size either...good luck in whatever you decide...
sharon
me, dh, dd-16-, ds- 14-, dd-turning 12 in 14 days and we leave for DL 9 days later-
WDW-Dec 04-first disney experience for my DH, DD, DS, DD and first time at WDW for us all
DL-MAY 06-first time at DL for DH and kids , and my 9th(but the first 8 were all by the time i was about 13) so it was all new to me
COUNTDOWN IS ON....WE ARE GOING BACK TO DL SEPT 15-25!!!!!-24more sleeps til we leave

 

[ukcatfan]

I want a camera that takes AWESOME pics at Disney, I took my sisters DSLR last year and I just cannot lug that big thing around again, so I would like a camera that takes pics as well as that camera did, it was awesome, but I just don't wanna carry that big thing around, the camera I looked at yesterday was Olympus Stylus 770 SW.....Thanks

That camera just does not exist yet. To get the performance and image quality of a DSLR, you have to lug a DSLR. The problem is that a p&s image sensor is tiny compared to a DSLR's sensor. It is out of your current price range and I am personally not really fond of it due to some limitations, but the Nikon D40 is a really small and light DSLR. The main limitation is that it will not autofocus with every lens available. I believe that one of the Olympus DSLRs is also on the small side.

If that is not an option, then take a look at the "bridge" cameras. They are not going to be as durable and waterproof as the Stylus 770, but not many cameras are. Check out the Fuji S6000fd and also the Canon S3 & S5. There are also many other brands, so look for the 10x or larger zoom to see other options. This has become a very popular market segment. You might be able to get a p&s with a little better image quality than these, but you would likely be limited to the zoom being in the 3-4x range. On a side note, the Fuji mentioned is going to be one of the better ones of the group for low light shots due to it having a larger image sensor than most.

For any p&s, just be prepared to not expect too much from it when it is a low light shot with either you and/or the subject in motion. Inside ride shots and night shows like Fantasmic and Spectro are really tough with a p&s.

Kevin

 

[shep]

This is the best place for advice..

I bought a S3 for DW & I can't put it down(when she's not home..that is)...
http://www.buydig.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=CNPSS3

 

[Groucho]

Like Kevin said - that kind of camera just doesn't exist and probably never will. DSLR shooters don't carry around the big camera and a pile of lenses because we like the exercise.

I wouldn't consider buying any point-n-shoot for more than $300, but that's just me. Entry cost into DSLR world is just over $400 nowadays and gives you so much more - if you're willing to deal with the extra bulk and potentially significant incremental costs.

Another way to look at it - what's you're looking for is not unlike going to a car dealer and saying "I want the performance of a Ferrari, the economy of a hybrid, the roomy interior of a minivan, and the size of a subcompact so it's easy to park." Even forgetting price, such a setup just isn't possible. So, you have to decide what you want most - convenience or quality?

(Don't get me wrong, point-n-shoots can take some pretty nice photos but they pretty much all struggle mightily in less-than-ideal lighting conditions - and Disney parks have a huge amount of dark areas.)

 

[MomOfDisneyBoys]

I was interested in the Olympus stylus cameras too, until I read the reviews. I shopped around, and read tons of reviews, and I ended up with a Panasonic Lumix TZ3 (Costco, $319, retail average $349)

It is a PnS, but has 10x optical zoom in a camera the same size as my old Fuji FinePix. (Much smaller than most 10x zoom cameras) It has a huge LCD screen, and I was initially concerned by the lack of a traditional viewfinder, but I have been able to see the LCD very clearly in just about every imaginable lighting condition (not much to see in very dark places)

I have had to play around with the settings a bit, and I have found that the auto setting works well in most situations, but I use the manual ISO setting in low light conditions. The IS works quite well.

My night pictures are not as great as an SLR would produce, but are much better than most digital PnS that I have seen

 

[dqpowell]

I want a camera that takes AWESOME pics at Disney,

That's like saying "I want pots and pans that cook AWESOME food."

The fact is that "awesome" pics can be taken with almost any functioning camera. So can awful pics. A knowledgeable photographer with a point & shoot will take much better photos than somebody who knows nothing with an EOS 1DsMk3.

If you explain a little bit better what you want to be able to do with your camera, I might be able to make some suggestions.

David