choosing an inexpensive camera

[luckymom4]

Now I'm going to open my mouth and expose my ignorance...I have no idea about any of that. No brand preference, I don't know what size refers to, no clue about zoom needs. My needs, as far as I can explain them, are just pics that will be recognizable. I want pics of the kids with characters, maybe a couple smiling shots with ice cream on their chin, you get the idea. I'm not very creative or artsy, I just want regular boring vaction pics. I admire people who get those great shots, but honestly that probably won't ever be me. The only reason I posted on here ( I thought all P&S cameras were pretty much the same) is that my stepdad has a digital camera that none of us can take a decent pic with. It has the auto-focus and all that stuff, but no matter what setting any of us use, the pics are inevitably blurry. So I thought maybe some were just extremely hard to use (or not made so great?) and I wanted to avoid one of those at all costs.

 

[luckymom4]

With that advice in mind I would recommend telling us what type of camera you are looking for, size, brand, zoom needs, etc and maybe we can narrow down the plethora of options for you.

Fireworks picture really come down to having a stable surface. Sure, you can get a snapshot of some colors in the night sky without one but to truly get something that looks like fireworks you'll need a tripod or at least a nice trash can or something to set your camera on.

Thanks for this advice on the fireworks. I would have stood there, camera in hand, not stabilizing, and wondered why it looked awful.

 

[NateNLogansDad]

That may sound a little harsh, but it is correct. Once you really learn about the camera, you will learn how to make your pictures much more crisp. I.E. if you set the camera to AUTO and are taking pictures at night without a flash for a more natural picture, the shutter needs to stay open longer. ANY movement will cause a blurry picture. Movement can be just from your hands not being steady enough (like mine) or from just pushing the shutter button. Whatever camera you are looking at, try to set it on something and use a 2 second delay so you can push the shutter and get your hands off before the picture is taken. That way it will stay perfectly still. Now, if your subject in the picture is moving, that's a whole new ball game.

That's the dumbed down version anyway. The guys on here can and have really gone into details which I'm still trying hard to understand!

I've seen my P&S camera on Ebay for $200 but it doesn't fit in your pocket. My 2009 trip report is in my signature and every picture was taken with my Nikon P80. If you think you might like somethng like that and want to know more about it, feel free to send me a PM with whatever you need.

 

[NateNLogansDad]

Thanks for this advice on the fireworks. I would have stood there, camera in hand, not stabilizing, and wondered why it looked awful.

I cheated and set up the camera with the sports setting which let me take 30 pictures in 2.5 seconds (shutter speed 1/15th of a sec.) My hands aren't steady by any means but if you take 300 pictures you usually get a few that don't look too bad

 

[VVFF]

Now I'm going to open my mouth and expose my ignorance...I have no idea about any of that. No brand preference, I don't know what size refers to, no clue about zoom needs. My needs, as far as I can explain them, are just pics that will be recognizable. I want pics of the kids with characters, maybe a couple smiling shots with ice cream on their chin, you get the idea. I'm not very creative or artsy, I just want regular boring vaction pics. I admire people who get those great shots, but honestly that probably won't ever be me. The only reason I posted on here ( I thought all P&S cameras were pretty much the same) is that my stepdad has a digital camera that none of us can take a decent pic with. It has the auto-focus and all that stuff, but no matter what setting any of us use, the pics are inevitably blurry. So I thought maybe some were just extremely hard to use (or not made so great?) and I wanted to avoid one of those at all costs.

Don't worry about sounding "ignorant". No one here will "judge" you based on experience. I simply find that even a little bit of added knowledge can help even the casual P&Ser get better pictures. Even if they are "just of ice cream on the chin" .

Size = I'm referring to the size of the camera. Do you want credit card tiny? Or are you open to more sizeable cameras with more zoom and larger grips?

Zoom = If your in the stands at your son's T-ball game do you need to be able to get it so he is very large in the picture even though you are far away? Or are your shots limited mainly to close ups where you are within a few meters of what you are taking a picture of?

Brand = I'll assume by your response that you have no brand preference. This is just something that is useful as some people really hate or prefer certain brands from past experience...justified or not.

In regards to this camera that no one can get to take good pictures. Are you trying to take pictures inside? Is the flash going off? Problem with indoor pictures is, whether you realize it or not, the light inside is pretty dim typically. Because of this the camera has to take a lot longer to expose the picture. This longer time results in blur because our hands are not rock steady and typically neither is what we are taking pictures of. Using the flash illuminates our subject if we are withing a few feet and allows the camera to need less time to expose the picture. This reduced time results in less blur because our hands don't have as much time to shake and our subjects won't be able to move much as the time is so short.

Hope that explanation makes some sense to you. Again, I'm not trying to confuse you, I'm simply trying to help you realize the limitations of a camera no matter which you get.

 

[VVFF]

I cheated and set up the camera with the sports setting which let me take 30 pictures in 2.5 seconds (shutter speed 1/15th of a sec.) My hands aren't steady by any means but if you take 300 pictures you usually get a few that don't look too bad

Yeah that's what I meant by "you can get a snapshot of colors in the night sky". Buy, because of the short exposure time(1/15th a second) you don't have time to get the nice trails that we associate with fireworks.

I've done this before though as getting a picture of SOMETHING is better than nothing IMO. But cameras may "choose" to expose for a much longer time if put in auto mode and then the user will likely see blurred dots of color.

 

[luckymom4]

I'm open as far as size goes, DH will carry the camera, not me. I do expect to be within a few meters of whatever I shoot. And no brand preference. I just don't want to spend a LOT of money, I prefer to keep it below $200.

As far as stepdad's wicked camera, we've tried inside, outside, daylight, night time, flash, no flash, you name it. When he bought the camera, he took some pics of mountains and they turned out great. Now you couldn't get a decent pic of a plate of food, it blurs no matter what. I'm starting to wonder if he dropped it and didn't tell us....

 

[luckymom4]

Yeah that's what I meant by "you can get a snapshot of colors in the night sky". Buy, because of the short exposure time(1/15th a second) you don't have time to get the nice trails that we associate with fireworks.

I've done this before though as getting a picture of SOMETHING is better than nothing IMO. But cameras may "choose" to expose for a much longer time if put in auto mode and then the user will likely see blurred dots of color.

Ok, I can understand that. So Autofocus may not be my best bet when shooting fireworks, and definitely brace myself on something. I'll play with whatever camera I get before I leave so I can figure out the best way to do these shots.

 

[ThurlFan]

Most point and shoot cameras have a dial of some kind to select different modes. These include Auto, sports, beach, fireworks, and more. It is vital that you double check which mode you are in before you press the shutter; if you carry the camera in a backpack or camera bag it is easy for the dial to get moved and next thing you know you're trying to take that picture of ice cream on the chin while in fireworks mode and not know it - resulting in poor results.

 

[NateNLogansDad]

Yeah that's what I meant by "you can get a snapshot of colors in the night sky". Buy, because of the short exposure time(1/15th a second) you don't have time to get the nice trails that we associate with fireworks.

I've done this before though as getting a picture of SOMETHING is better than nothing IMO. But cameras may "choose" to expose for a much longer time if put in auto mode and then the user will likely see blurred dots of color.

Yep, the SOMETHING was pretty much what I was going for When walking around with 2 little guys, getting a good spot real early and staying in it wasn't really an option. 1/2 the time I had at least one of them in my arms or on my back while trying to take a picture. I was happy with SOMETHING

 

[Pirate-Jeff]

Go to Wal-mart,Target,Best Buy or Wal-Greens or a local camera shop and pick out a "point and shoot" that you like and feels good in your hand. I would do a little research before you get to the store. Remember the counter Guy most likely has no idea how to use a camera except maybe the guy at the camera shop.

What to look for:
Image stabilization
more optical zoom less digital
It is also nice if it will fit in your pocket.
Takes normal batteries "AA" so you can find them anywhere when they are dead
Good battery life
high mega pixels (so when you enlarge or crop they still look good)
Get extra memory card or cards (2 gig or larger)

If you want pictures of fire works that look great get a pocket size tripod.


My wife has a $150.00 Kodak that can take great pictures. I mean She takes the Great pictures. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE is what it takes.

There are some great threads on this site to help you learn "How to"

As far as focus learn how to use "YOUR CAMERA" before you go on vacation.
HINT: Push the shutter button 1/2 way down wait for the beep than push the button the rest of the way.

 

[adctd2WDW]

Luckymom, thank you for this thread. I am also a complete novice when it comes to cameras and picture taking and I have even taken my camera to WDW twice! I still have problems understanding what goes wrong. I took my kids to a field of flowers once for phots. The 1st two pictures came out great after that every picture was over exposed (I think this is the correct term- everything was too bright, almost white). I had not changed any settings at all. ????
I understand a little more after reading the above posts. Thank you to everyone for them. So, do I hold the shutter down longer when it is dark? Isn't that what a flash is for? If I hold the shutter down longer do I just get more flash?
I am such a novice that I almost don't know what questions to ask. It would almost be easier if there were a thread where if I posted a bad picture someone could possibly tell me what I did wrong.
Anyway, I will keep reading. I am sure I wil learn more.

 

[Frantasmic]

This article is for YOU!

http://www.popphoto.com/Features/24-Great-Photo-Gear-Bargains

Scroll down to the compact camera suggestions.

That Panasonic and Fuji would be the ones I'd look into.

 

[TheGoofster]

I know it can be very difficult when trying to decide on a camera that will serve you well, without spending too much for it. Most people will have their own preferences and recommendations which can be very helpful when trying to decide.
I would like to go ahead and give you my own personal recommendation of a really good camera at a great price, and hope that maybe it might help.

I recently purchased the Samsung SL30 at Target for only 89.99. To be honest I was mainly looking for a simple point and shoot that my wife could use, but as I spend more time with this camera, the more impressed I've become.

First of all, here are the specs of the camera:

http://www.samsung.com/us/consumer/.../EC-SL30ZBBA/US/index.idx?pagetype=prd_detail

Here are a few shots that I've recently taken to help show what this camera can do:

You mentioned fireworks, here's one I got yesterday (using a tripod and on night mode):

Being a 10.2 MP, it offers very crisp and clear images (that can be zoomed in on really close and don't lose any quality):

I went ahead and added this so you can see a little better the 10.2 MP quality and how it relates to blowing up (zooming in on a picture) without losing quality:
the original

the same shot blown up:

It only has a 3X optical zoom (with an additional digital zoom available), but it does pretty good at bringing the shot to you:

It also has a high speed 5 pictures per second mode which allowed me to capture this (it's actually 2 pictures merged together, but you can see how clear they turned out even at high speed):

I know it's not professional quality but for the price, you really do get a lot of camera (even though it's pretty small) for the money.

I hope this might help somewhat, and maybe at least give you something to consider.

 

[luckymom4]

Wow, thanks for all of this advice! Goofster, those pics are great! Can anyone explain the optical zoom thing? Is there a certain number I should look for on the zoom, what's the difference in optical vs. digital? And can you tell me about holding down the shutter down til I hear the beep? Why am I doing that and in what situation? Again, you guys have no idea how much I appreciate your help and advice!

 

[Pirate-Jeff]

Optical zoom has better picture quality. The digital zoom takes the highest zoomed optical image and enlarges it digitally but also loses quality

The shutter button is pressed 1/2 way down to let the auto focus work. The beep signals you that it's focused and then and only then you press the button the rest of the way down to take the picture.

 

[ThurlFan]

Optical vs Digital Zoom, according to Kodak
http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=399&pq-locale=en_US&_requestid=1803

Basically, optical zoom uses the camera's lens to magnify the image before it gets captured by the sensor. Digital zoom takes the image that hits the sensor and uses a small portion of that image and enlarges it to write your file to the memory card. To do this, the camera's internal software has to make adjustments to the image and make guesstimates as to what certain pixels should look like. Have you ever enlarged something on a photocopier and noticed how jagged the edges of everything are? That's digital zoom.

A 3x optical zoom is going to give FAR better pictures than a 3x digital zoom, to the point where many camera shoppers ignore the digital zoom spec altogether and only compare optical zoom.

 

[luckymom4]

Thanks Thurlfan and Jeff! Having things explained so that I can understand them makes all the difference in the world. Optical zoom is now a top priority. With all this great advice, I'm sure to get the camera that suits our families needs! You guys are awesome, keep the advice coming please!

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

I recently purchased the Samsung SL30 at Target for only 89.99. To be honest I was mainly looking for a simple point and shoot that my wife could use, but as I spend more time with this camera, the more impressed I've become.

Hey, Goofster, how big is the actual SL30 camera? I checked it out on Amazon and the stated size is 6" x 7" x 3" Surely, that's the *box* it comes in!

I've been in the market for a small, *cheap* camera to take on bike rides; something that I wouldn't worry about tossing into a pocket (unlike my trusty Canon S3!), and the pics you posted are impressive for a < $100 camera.

Also, how sturdy would you rate it?

I know Samsung makes good electronics, I absolutely LOVE my Touch of Color HDTV!

 

[TheGoofster]

Hey, Goofster, how big is the actual SL30 camera? I checked it out on Amazon and the stated size is 6" x 7" x 3" Surely, that's the *box* it comes in!

I've been in the market for a small, *cheap* camera to take on bike rides; something that I wouldn't worry about tossing into a pocket (unlike my trusty Canon S3!), and the pics you posted are impressive for a < $100 camera.

Also, how sturdy would you rate it?

I know Samsung makes good electronics, I absolutely LOVE my Touch of Color HDTV!

The camera itself is roughly 3 1/2 inches long by 2 1/2 inches high by 1 inch wide. It really is pretty small. I've not had it too long, but it seems to be pretty sturdy. I've carried it in my pocket, my wife's pocketbook, in a small bag, etc... plus my kids have used it quite a bit, and so far I've had no problems. It feels pretty sturdy, but I try to take good care of it (not net it get tossed around too much), so I'm afraid I can't give you a better answer as to how sturdy it really is, but it does seem like it's well made.

LuckyMom4, here are a few shots that can help show the difference between the optical and the digital zoom:

first of all the regular (non-zoomed shot - focus on the church in the background):

Here is the 3x optical zoom:

and now the added 3x digital zoom:

It does bring it quite a bit closer, and in this case you don't see a whole lot of quality difference, but you will notice that there is a difference in the color saturation (plus if I try to edit the picture and zoom in closer you do start noticing more of a difference in the quality). Plus I was using a flat surface when I took these shots, so there wasn't any motion or blurriness which there sometimes is when you take a shot while holding the camera).

Let me also add that the Digital zoom isn't always available to use in every mode. On some modes such as Night, portrait, landscape, etc... where you can manually select what kind of scene you want, the digital zoom isn't available. Also, if you use the movie mode, it isn't available.