Capturing the Magic - A "Which Camera Should I Get" Thread

[IndyDisney]

Gents,

I'm sure I'm not the only novice when it comes to photo/video equipment on this board. I wanted to get some input on what to get, and figured this was a good place to start. I'm looking for a new point and shoot camera, with decent shutter speed and relative portability. Obviously I'd love to get a DSLR with a mid range lens, but it's a) not in the budget b) a bit more than I want to carry around the parks at this time. I'll be lugging enough stuff for DW and DD.

I really have no jumping off point other than the fact that the camera I have right now serves its purpose, but has problems keeping focus and I get a bunch of fuzzy pics. Plus the reset speed is slow at best. I've looked at the Nikon Coolpix series, and having used a D40x for product images at a previous job, I'm a bit partial to the brand, but have no serious loyalty.

And as an aside, is it worth picking up a FLIP UltraHD-type video recorder?

Thanks in advance.

Cheers,
Indy

 

[AJRitz]

Now is probably a good time to pick up a Flip camera. Cisco recently discontinued the line, so I expect they'll start showing up at clearance prices on sites like Overstock.com and woot.com soon. We enjoy ours and have found it handy.

I can't tell you much about point-and-shoot cameras, as I pretty much gave up on point-and-shoot when I noticed that my kids were moving too fast for a PandS to keep up with them. However, PandS cameras have come a long way in the last few years. I have friends who speak very highly of the Canon A-series. I'm partial to PandS cameras that use standard AA batteries, especially for use while traveling. It's often easier to find a place to buy batteries than it is to find a place (and time) to charge a custom battery. I also prefer SD cards for storage, as opposed to CF. SD readers just seem to be more readily available.

I moved to a dSLR about 5 years ago, buying a Nikon D50 from a friend who was upgrading to a Pro series Canon dSLR. That's turned out to be a terrific deal for me. It's not as megapixel dense as newer cameras, and is missing some specialty features, but it has done everything I've asked it to do, and done it well. I saved a lot of money buying used (and got several lenses from that deal too), and a name-brand dSLR is a tank. They'll run just about forever. All you need to do is take them to a camera store for a thorough cleaning every so often.

If I were you, I'd be very tempted to troll Craigslist, looking for someone who's unloading an older dSLR to upgrade to a newer camera. I suspect there are some great deals available there.

Edited to add: As an example, I found this listing on Kansas City Craigslist after briefly scanning the listing - a Nikon D70 with two lenses and a few little extras offered for $360.

 

[TekMickey]

I second that on the D50. Was my previous dSLR and I loved that camera. From power on to shot in less than a second. Handy when you are in a hurry to snap that unforgetable moment.

The PnS have come along way but for the price of a good model you can pickup a used dSLR like the D50 or D70. Those are light enough to carry in a single lens neck strap case.

I have a D200 now and all its glory. But I still think the D50 was faster on the draw.

So not sure if we helped you, but did give up .02 cents.

 

[BigTex71]

I second that on the D50. Was my previous dSLR and I loved that camera. From power on to shot in less than a second. Handy when you are in a hurry to snap that unforgetable moment.

The PnS have come along way but for the price of a good model you can pickup a used dSLR like the D50 or D70. Those are light enough to carry in a single lens neck strap case.

I have a D200 now and all its glory. But I still think the D50 was faster on the draw.

So not sure if we helped you, but did give up .02 cents.

I recently got a D90, and it is sweet! It is bigger than a little P&S, but with my Black Rapid RS-4 strap... very quick draw.

 

[RAlexander84]

For the people like myself on a tighter budget. I really love my DSLR Pentax K-X. I think they put out some great cameras with out paying for the name. Then again my oppinion buys be the name "Cheap"

 

[TekMickey]

I recently got a D90, and it is sweet! It is bigger than a little P&S, but with my Black Rapid RS-4 strap... very quick draw.

Yep, and you get to do video too. (slightly jealous)
I like the Nikon line, but I am not blind to the fact that Nikon and Canon have been going toe-to-toe for years on camera technology improvements.

Pentax is not a bad brand either, but not as strong a lens support for those. Do like the color choices on the bodies.

I may steal the D50 back from the ex for the upcoming trip. She has the 70-300 lense too.

Sorry Indy didn't mean to thread-jack.

 

[arthuruscg]

You realy need 2 cameras. I have an Olympus Stylus Tough that is water and drop proof to take with us on camping and for every day stuff.

My dad has a Nikon D90 (?) for when we want to take great pics.

FYI: to speed up and sharpen pics (especialy for the point and shoot cameras) press the button 1/2 way down and let the camera focus/ adjust for a second THEN press the button fully down for the pic. There will be dramaticaly less shutter delay and the pic will turn out a whole lot better.

 

[DisneyDadC]

Anyone have any input on the d3000? I have no clue about cameras so I really am going into buying a decent one with no knowledge of what a decent ne would be.

 

[IamTrike]

Not sure if this provides much help but I'll try.
1. The recommendation on buying a used DSLR is spot on. My family and I have tried a bunch of different point and shoots and in general we've always been disappointed when we compare pictures between P&S and our DSLR cameras. A used d80,d70 or d50 will last a long time and any investment in lenses you'll be able use if you ever decide to upgrade. The D50 was our first DSLR and we loved. We've handed it down to our FIL and it still gets lots of regular use and is going strong. A DSLR is more of an investment and will have a much longer life than a P &S. There have been a lot of people touting Nikon on this board and I love my nikon camera's, but be aware you may find yourself frustrated because once you buy a dslr it is difficult to switch to another brand and canon seems to innovate faster.
2. I total understand though that a DSLR may be out of the question. We've had good luck with the panasonic Lumix line of P & S. Canon's P&Ss also seem to be rock solid. You can get really good reviews of all of them here.
http://dpreview.com/. They are much better reviews than the typical cnet or amazon reviews and they do a lot of head to head comparison in specific groups.
3. Flip Video cameras are great but I question how much you'll need it if you get a point and shoot. Most do video now so there is a fair amount of overlap. Investing the money for the flip in a better P&S camera may net out better results.

The best advice I ever got when trying to pick out my DSLR and decide between the D50 and Canon Rebel was "When you start comparing higher end camera's, for 90+% of people the weakest part of the photography equation will be the photographer".

 

[BigTex71]

The P&S camera we use is a Canon G11. It takes great pics and has many of the same settings that dslr has... Just no interchangeable lenses. In my extensive research before purchasing the G11, most reviews stated this is the P&S camera series many professional photographers use. You may want to check out the reviews of the G12s.

 

[Mrmrezg]

we just bought a nikon d3100 dslr. hopefully, we can learn how to properly use it, but it has an auto mode for those of us that are used to P&S.

 

[unclescrooge_0707]

We just got a Sony before our last trip. We got a Sony Cybershot DSC-W330.

I'd have to say this is NOT something I'd recommend as a good Disney World Camera. It's great for things you are going to have the camera out at, but going from pocket to picture takes too long with that camera.

So, parades or posed shots it's fine. But "happening" upon a great moment? I'd go with no.

The 14.1 mp really takes a superior quality picture, though.... when it's in focus.

 

[carlnix30]

Hello everyone!! Just returned from the world! Between my DD16 and I we have amassed 2390 pics with that said I would like to buy a new or used DSLR but not $2000! There are soo many options, so many opinions, and so many cameras out there...it's actually scary! Anyone have a real opinion with experience on a good DSLR? I would be using for vacations, outings, and general use. I am a fan of natural lighting and would like pics that aren't blurry in low light situations.. I want to be able to finally photograph things like splash mountain without praying that I will be able to see briar rabbit! Looking at spending around $600.

If any of you are planning an upgrade and have a DSLR you want to sell.. Just PM me.

 

[IamTrike]

Carl if you have a local camera shop (not a wolf or Ritz) they'll likely sell used gear. You could probably pick up a Nikon D70, or D80 pretty cheap or Canon's equivalent. Those DSLRs don't do video so if that's important to you you'll need to look for something different. It's important to remember when you buy a DSLR you're buying a platform. As you get into it you'll likely pick up a good lens or two. Once you do that it kind of marries you to a particular camera line. IE if you buy a couple Canon Lenses it becomes really expensive to switch to Nikon. That being said do you have friends that have a DSLR. If you do it can be nice if you pick your camera so that you can borrow lenses from friends.

 

[Cinderella's Fella]

Carl if you have a local camera shop (not a wolf or Ritz) they'll likely sell used gear. You could probably pick up a Nikon D70, or D80 pretty cheap or Canon's equivalent. Those DSLRs don't do video so if that's important to you you'll need to look for something different. It's important to remember when you buy a DSLR you're buying a platform. As you get into it you'll likely pick up a good lens or two. Once you do that it kind of marries you to a particular camera line. IE if you buy a couple Canon Lenses it becomes really expensive to switch to Nikon. That being said do you have friends that have a DSLR. If you do it can be nice if you pick your camera so that you can borrow lenses from friends.

Would a pawn shop be a good source?

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

Carl, we got a Canon Rebel XSi just last year before it got discontinued and replace by the T1i, T2i, etc. We've been very, very happy with it. I see them pop up on Craigslist now and then as people look to upgrade. That might be another source to look into.

 

[IamTrike]

Would a pawn shop be a good source?

A pawn shop might have one. I like the idea of a local camera shop because they'll usually make sure that they aren't selling you a dud and they can be a good source of advise. That being said you probably pay a bit of a price premium for that.

Costco also has pretty good entry level DSLR kits in both Canon and Nikon for about $700.

 

[carlnix30]

Carl if you have a local camera shop (not a wolf or Ritz) they'll likely sell used gear. You could probably pick up a Nikon D70, or D80 pretty cheap or Canon's equivalent. Those DSLRs don't do video so if that's important to you you'll need to look for something different. It's important to remember when you buy a DSLR you're buying a platform. As you get into it you'll likely pick up a good lens or two. Once you do that it kind of marries you to a particular camera line. IE if you buy a couple Canon Lenses it becomes really expensive to switch to Nikon. That being said do you have friends that have a DSLR. If you do it can be nice if you pick your camera so that you can borrow lenses from friends.

Wow!! Great advise! I never thought about the friends sharing lenses!! And I really don't need a brand new OOB camera!

Carl, we got a Canon Rebel XSi just last year before it got discontinued and replace by the T1i, T2i, etc. We've been very, very happy with it. I see them pop up on Craigslist now and then as people look to upgrade. That might be another source to look into.

It's soo overwhelming with research of DSLR cameras! I can find the same amount of bad reviews as good on the same model!! Ahhhh!! I really don't care if I purchase last years model or this years.. I want a camera that I don't hve to take four shots and pray that one comes out good.. I will start scouring the resources and hopefully I find something that will make me happy!!

 

[scott2997]

Wow!! Great advise! I never thought about the friends sharing lenses!! And I really don't need a brand new OOB camera!



It's soo overwhelming with research of DSLR cameras! I can find the same amount of bad reviews as good on the same model!! Ahhhh!! I really don't care if I purchase last years model or this years.. I want a camera that I don't hve to take four shots and pray that one comes out good.. I will start scouring the resources and hopefully I find something that will make me happy!!

Carl...

I'm going to jump on the Nikon bandwagon. I own a D90....so does BigTex....and I love it...he'll say the same. I had a D50 before this one and it was great as well.

I would also recommend looking on Craigslist for a pre-owned D70 or D80. Both would suit you fine and should be in your price range.

I was able to sell my D50 with 2 lenses for $450. So I would imagine a pre-owned D70 or D80 with lenses would be right around where you want to spend.

Good Luck!

 

[AJRitz]

Wow!! Great advise! I never thought about the friends sharing lenses!! And I really don't need a brand new OOB camera!



It's soo overwhelming with research of DSLR cameras! I can find the same amount of bad reviews as good on the same model!! Ahhhh!! I really don't care if I purchase last years model or this years.. I want a camera that I don't hve to take four shots and pray that one comes out good.. I will start scouring the resources and hopefully I find something that will make me happy!!

Another important thing to remember is that, compared to a point-and-shoot camera, a DSLR is heavy and somewhat less "rugged" (especially with regard to water, because removable lenses mean the possibility of getting water inside the camera body). If you really want to use a DSLR to get shots of Splash Mountain, you're going to need to spend another $75 - $150 on a waterproof housing to protect your camera.