Digital camera users...anyone have an opinion on:

[rascalmom]

Which model might be best for me?

I want a large viewscreen, a good amount of Megapixels, good optical zoom, easy to use. Want to be able to take it to WDW & get good shots of fireworks, etc. as well as family shots, dance recitals, etc. Definitely want to stay under $500.00.

Looked at Best Buy yesterday and saw a Fuji FinePix E550. Has 6.3 mps & 4x optical zoom. 2" lcd viewfinder. Anyone know anything about this camera or can you recommend one that could meet my needs. I'd love to be able to get some of those great castle pics like Dan Murphy takes!

Thanks all you knowledgeable DIS'rs.

 

[SoonerKate]

My favorite site for evaluating cameras is Imaging Resource. They're REALLY comprehensive when it comes to reviewing and comparing different models, and Dave's Picks can help you narrow down different choices depending on what you'll use the camera for.

 

[ahutton]

We love our Nikon, and got great pics at WDW, including of fireworks and a thunderstorm. Ours is the 3100 (3.1 megapixel) which was plenty for us as we don't plan on printing larger than 8x10 pictures. Another good review site we use for just about everything is www.cnet.com - they do all different electronics.

 

[rascalmom]

Thanks for the review sites - I've looked at those & managed to just get more confused. I guess I just want some recommendations from you guys on cameras you like and have good results with ....

Thanks!

 

[Papa Deuce]

Thanks for the review sites - I've looked at those & managed to just get more confused. I guess I just want some recommendations from you guys on cameras you like and have good results with ....

Thanks!

Well, we have had 3 Nikon Coolpix models. We always upgrade to more megapixels. But we have the coolpix 4300 now, which is 4MP. I paid $330 for it @ www.abesofmaine.com

If you want more MP, just get a better model. We get what we consider to be good 8" x10" prints from this camera, and have never tried making them bigger than that.

EDIT: that price was from 1 year ago.... will be MUCH CHEAPER NOW.

 

[wdwmom2]

I have a Nikon 4300 also, and it takes wonderful pics, is user friendly, and buying extra Compact Flash will not break you. I was just at Circuit City and my friend was looking at a Fugi. The drawback was that extra memory was a bit on the pricey side.

 

[KathyTX]

Olympus C-765: 4 MP, 10x optical zoom (!!!), nice viewscreen, runs around 400 dollars.

Here are some examples from a few days ago.

A typical Castle shot:

The Boardwalk at twilight (shot from the Yacht Club):
<IMG width= 700 src=http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/data/500/35972Boardwalk.jpg>

Spaceship Earth, shot at night from World Showcase- this one used lots of zoom!
<IMG width = 600 src=http://www.wdwinfo.com/photopost/data/500/35972DisneyDec2004_268.jpg>

Jim Caviezel, narrating the Candlelight Processional. We were sitting pretty far back. Low light, using zoom and with moving subjects... a difficult and tricky combination.

I think all of these were shot using the camera's automatic settings.

 

[dmadman43]

Which model might be best for me?

I want a large viewscreen, a good amount of Megapixels, good optical zoom, easy to use. Want to be able to take it to WDW & get good shots of fireworks, etc. as well as family shots, dance recitals, etc. Definitely want to stay under $500.00.

Looked at Best Buy yesterday and saw a Fuji FinePix E550. Has 6.3 mps & 4x optical zoom. 2" lcd viewfinder. Anyone know anything about this camera or can you recommend one that could meet my needs. I'd love to be able to get some of those great castle pics like Dan Murphy takes!

Thanks all you knowledgeable DIS'rs.

Why do you want a lot of megapixels? Unless you are printing anything over standard 4x6 prints, anything more than 3 Megapixels really won't matter. A 3 MP looks pretty much the same as a 5 MP. The number of megapixels is the last thing you should worry about. I can assure you you will be frustrated with a digital point and shoot when trying to take pictures of dance recitals. Unless all your subjects will be standing still, you will find yourself missing many good shots. Today's digicams take time to turn on and wake up, more time to focus and take the photo as you touch the button, and then usually lock up for several seconds while they record the image. It can be very frustrating for photographing kids, not that bad for scenics. If you want to shoot children or sports you will want to consider a real digital SLR, which unfortunately are above your stated price range. The biggest thing you should look for is how fast the camera works and how easy it is to use.

What you have to do is go play with the cameras in which you are interested and see 1.) can you figure out how to use it? and 2.) Does it work quickly enough for you? A Fuji S602 I found worked very fast. See http://www.fujifilm.com/JSP/fuji/ep...rent=PRODUCT_CATEGORY_471517&product=43860757

 

[wdwmom2]

Kathy TX

Great pics!!!

 

[dmadman43]

Olympus C-765: 4 MP, 10x optical zoom (!!!), nice viewscreen, runs around 400 dollars.

Here are some examples from a few days ago.

Jim Caviezel, narrating the Candlelight Processional. We were sitting pretty far back. Low light, using zoom and with moving subjects... a difficult and tricky combination.

I think all of these were shot using the camera's automatic settings.

Good pics. Again, it wasn't the camera, it was the photographer. Looks like the automatic white balance setting for indoor incandescent light is a bit off.

 

[KathyTX]

Actually, they do some bizarre things with the stage lighting. During that shot, the stage lighting was very red. Other shots from the performance when the light was more white or blue-white have much better color balance.

But with this one, I can see how truly handsome this man is.

 

[Shadeaux]

KathyTX - Wonderful pictures, especially Spaceship Earth at night.

I too have the Olympus C-765 and love it. I also have the earlier 2mp version, the C-700. It was a great camera, but the C-765 is a lot better. My only complaint is it has problems focusing in low light at full zoom. The manual focus works fairly well in those situations.

Some pictures taken with the Olympus C-765:
http://www.pbase.com/shadeaux/fall_2004

 

[JimB.]

I'm a fan of Fuji.

I have an s-7000, but it might be too steep in price for you, but with searching around & rebates, it may be in your price range.

I am on my 2nd Fuji (they are definitely NOT "drop proof" as I found out the hard way), and have never had cause to be dissatisfied.

 

[rascalmom]

I want the bigger megapixels because it would not be unusual to enlarge up to at least an 8x10. Quick shooting is something I am looking for too. I don't take a lot of action shots - taking pictures during a dance in a darkened auditorium is rude to the other audience member and distracting for the performers. I would be shooting staged shots in low light from a fairly long distance.

KathyTx - your pics are great! Exactly the type of vacation photos I want to be able to do. Have you been happy with the battery life & storage options with your camera?

 

[Dan Murphy]

GREAT pictures, Kathy!!!! Love that zoom.

 

[KathyTX]

Have you been happy with the battery life & storage options with your camera?

I have. This camera uses a fairly small rechargeable battery, model LI-10B. I bought a spare, and the camera comes with the recharger. It was easy to keep a fully charged spare on hand.

It uses xD memory. The camera only ships with a 16MB card, so you'll DEFINITELY want to purchase more. I have a 512MB and a 128MB card, and that seems to be working well for me.

You'll also get video cables and a USB cable with the camera. I took the video cables with me, and it was simple to hook the camera to the hotel TV each night and preview the photos. I would delete the unwanted photos as I flipped through them that way, freeing up more space on the memory card and cutting down on the clean up I needed to do when I got home.