I need a camera recommendation please.

[maslex]

We are heading to DisneyWorld in July and I would like to get a different camera than the one I already have (Kodak Easy Share)

I am NOT at all a photographer. I am just the average Joe (or Jane for this matter) that takes pics of special occasions. I am not looking for a high end expensive camera with all the bells and whistles. I do not know all the photography lingo. But this is what I'm looking for.....

I would like a digital camera that I can also use at water parks (so maybe waterproof?) and also a setting on the camera to do some panoramic pictures.

Does a camera with these options exist? If not all three options on one camera, I would ATLEAST would like to get a digital w/panoramic options.

Any suggestions? (don't forget, doesn't need to be this top notch camera...just something basic.

THANKS!!!

 

[jann1033]

http://www.steves-digicams.com/best_cameras.html
this place is easy to understand and will help you limit your choices

the bottom has a few weather proof cameras you could check out....provided you don't want to actually swim with them...if you want a really basic, you can get waterproof ( ie take them snorkeling etc) disposables that might be fine for you...you can sometimes buy waterproof shells for some cameras but they are not cheap( +$100), kind of a lot of money otherwise imo for something you might not use much these in the link look expensive but if you google underwater cameras there are a bunch of low mp for pretty cheap http://www.sealife-cameras.com/
many cameras have a panoramic setting where you take a number of shots and later with the camera software combine them for a panoramic photo...look under the settings or software to see if any that interest you have that setting.

 

[ukcatfan]

Man, these boards make me mad sometimes. I had a nice reply written and it got lost trying to post it Oh well.

Anyway, Jann covered a lot of what I was going to say. I will add that there are also some underwater bags that some people have had success with. It makes me a little nervous to trust a bag though. On another note, I personally would not suggest that you bring a digital camera to a waterpark unless you plan on walking it back to a locker often. Most people tend to leave their spots all alone. A camera just might walk away while you are gone. Plus, the only place you can use it is in the pools. They will not allow anything going down with you on the slides for safety reasons.

As for pano, I believe that many cameras have this feature. I am pretty sure that all of the Canon "A" series have it. They are pretty nice for people of all levels b/c most have fully automatic settings, full manual settings, and in between. That gives you room to grow. Plus, they use rechargeable AAs, which are my favorite type of battery due to how cheap and available they are. If your camera has a specialized battery, an extra can be very expensive and extras are usually not even available in a pinch. Disposable AAs are available almost anywhere.

For a little more $, you can go with the Canon "S" series which offer more zoom, but are also larger and heavier.

There are many happy Canon "A" and "S" users on this board.

Kevin

 

[Groucho]

Man, these boards make me mad sometimes. I had a nice reply written and it got lost trying to post it Oh well.

Are you using IE? I've had my fair share of problems with the site having fits but never lost anything, with Firefox everything you've typed is still there if you hit the back button. In fact, if your whole system crashes, it will restore your browser right back where it was, including text you've typed in.

Just something to consider...

 

[ukcatfan]

Are you using IE? I've had my fair share of problems with the site having fits but never lost anything, with Firefox everything you've typed is still there if you hit the back button. In fact, if your whole system crashes, it will restore your browser right back where it was, including text you've typed in.

Just something to consider...

I use Firefox at home, but on my work pc, we have to use IE 6 b/c we have a number of apps that use it as a framework (Oracle based junk). I think the boards were having problems earlier today. This was the only website that I had problems with.

Kevin

 

[figment_jii]

I have a Canon A95 and it takes pretty nice pictures in most situations. I've had pretty good luck with Canon's.

As for panoramic pictures, it makes it very easy. You can turn on that feature and then it will help you figure out how much to move the camera each time by showing you the right half of the previous picture.

One thing to consider is size and weight. The A95 isn't really all that heavy, but it's not that small either. Just something to think about.