Need a new camera ... suggestions?

[DMickey28]

Hey Guys,

I have never posted over here before. I live on the CB.

I think I need a new camera. I have a Canon Powershot S50. It's at least 4 years old. My father and I both have one. It's a fine camera but it's not working for what I am looking for right now.

What I want:
1. A FAST focus - you know, from when you push the button to when the picture is taken!! Our is VERY SLOW ... I have a new baby and a BUNCH of blurred shots. I have this fear of him getting up on his wobbly knees and beginning to crawl and me getting a shot of him falling over. It's seriously long, as in seconds.
2. A camera that can take decent pictures in dark settings. Our is either all flash or nothing. On the Auto setting with the FLash, DS's face is like neon white and nothing else shows. Without the flash it's almost fuzzy and blurring. I have worked with various manual settings and it's a little better but not a ton. Anyway, trying to capture shots of a baby, I don't have time for manual right now.

HOnestly that's all I want .. .Movie capability would be great too but not necessary.

I want a Canon Digital Rebel XTi. The focus on that is fast, I had one for a few weeks before I returned it and got some GREAT shots of DS with it. However, I decided that it wasn't practical because I can't easily throw it in the diaper bag and go. I don't need a whole other bag to carry on top of the baby and diaper bag.

Any suggestions??? Thanks!!!

 

[Groucho]

All point-n-shoots have disappointing low-light performances, but the Fujis with the SuperCCD HR sensor (like the S6000, S9000, F31, and F40) are above-average due to the larger sensor.

That being said, probably most any current-gen camera will give you much faster response than your old camera. But you have to keep low-light expectations realistic, unfortunately, until the camera makers start putting larger sensors in the point-n-shoot cameras.

 

[Master Mason]

If your not willing to go to a dslr, the I would suggest looking at the canon S3 or S5 or the fuji fd6000 they are bridge cameras, so will be better than the average P&S, but will still leave you wanting in both of your requirements.

 

[DMickey28]

Should I rethink getting the dslr?

I am ok with the basic lens that comes with it for now. I don't think I will go "hog wild" in getting acessories for it right away. I don't need that yet. I do have a great tripod and I will get a few filters but that's it. I had a few but returned them with the camera.

I just don't know what to do ...

I don't want to spend $300+ for something that I will still not be satisfied with if I can just go and spend $600-$650 for what will really do the job I want.

I have a Canon Rebel 35mm as well, but really didn't use it too much. Partly because of the bulk but also because I found it very difficult to learn about photography on it. I would take shots in different settings but by the time I developed the film I was lost on what settings I used on what pictures! I know I could have done it but I am more of an instantous kinda gal!

 

[YEKCIM]

Coming from a Nikon POV, I would suggest you consider the 6MP D40 with the 18-135mm lens, which is equivalent to a 28-200mm lens on a 35mm film camera. You can get this body/lens combo online for about $700 online, so it is a little more than your stated limit.

OTOH, if you have some compatible Canon lenses, it might be wise to pursue that path.

~Y

 

[ukcatfan]

Should I rethink getting the dslr?

I am ok with the basic lens that comes with it for now. I don't think I will go "hog wild" in getting acessories for it right away. I don't need that yet. I do have a great tripod and I will get a few filters but that's it. I had a few but returned them with the camera.

I just don't know what to do ...

I don't want to spend $300+ for something that I will still not be satisfied with if I can just go and spend $600-$650 for what will really do the job I want.

I have a Canon Rebel 35mm as well, but really didn't use it too much. Partly because of the bulk but also because I found it very difficult to learn about photography on it. I would take shots in different settings but by the time I developed the film I was lost on what settings I used on what pictures! I know I could have done it but I am more of an instantous kinda gal!

Well, that problem is gone with a DSLR. You can see right away if you like the results and take the shot again if it was off. Also, the settings are stored in the EXIF data, so you can learn from your results later on.

Now that I know that you have used a film SLR, I doubt that you will ever be satisfied with a p&s. If you returned the Rebel, then I would suggest looking at other brands. The options are pretty much the Pentax K100D, Nikon D40, Sony A100, and the Rebel at the budget end. Keep in mind that even though these are the entry level models, they are almost equally capable of taking shots as well as the high end models. You pay more for convenience of use with the higher end models instead of really increasing image quality.

Get a nice bag and/or strap and be happy with your camera instead of constantly being frustrated with a p&s.

BTW... The K100D is around $400 with the current rebate.

Kevin

 

[Groucho]

You can be happy with a PnS as long as you understand that low-light photos without a flash are going to be on the "noisy" side. With a flash, it depends on the PnS, but many will get somewhat washed-out colors, glare, red-eye, etc... things that are hard to avoid without having a flash that's farther away from the lens (and preferably bouncing off a white ceiling), which is pretty tricky with a little pocket camera.

I am pretty sure that you could pick up a current PnS and be a lot more pleased than you are now, as it'll surely be faster and hopefully do a better job at controlling the flash to avoid the pale white faces you mention. But as always, the DSLR's much larger sensor helps in low-light and its larger and higher flash helps in flash photos (and a proper add-on flash is even better.)