New to photo board, looking for digital cam help.

[DannyDisneyFreak]

I am looking to buy my first digital camera, I know a little about what to look for in a good one but would just like some extra support
One that I found online is the Fujifilm FinePix A500. It has a 5.1 Megapixel resolution, 3x Optical & 5.2x Digital Zoom, 16 MB built in memory and takes two AA bateries. I mainly want a digital cam to take pics of my two year old daughter to save all those magical moments as well as for our upcomming trip to WDW. On our last trip I was very disapointed with the pics I took with my old fasioned camera, thats when I decided in the upgrade to digital.
So how is the camera I mentioned above? Pros/Cons? Can you make any recomendations? This one was under $150, I know most of you will say that I should spend more but on my budget right now I can't, maybe $200 max. Also, how do you know how long the battery life is on a digital camera?
Thanks!

 

[makinorlando]

No personal experience, but I thought I would share this review from www.cnet.com with you. They gave it a 5.6 out of 10. The limited consumer reviews that have been posted are "not so good!"

On this site you can compare different cameras - chose the features/price range you want, and it will give you a list.

http://reviews.cnet.com/Fujifilm_FinePix_A500/4505-6501_7-31660986.html


Here is a comparison of other cameras in your price range/5pm.
http://reviews.cnet.com/4566-6501_7-0.html?filter=100021_10061970_501375_7404275_&tag=dffl1_2

Battery life is one of the things to look for in the review. It appears tha the A500 does not get good points for that.... you don't want to be having to change batteries multiple times a day while on a trip!

I hope this helps you.... I'm not expert, but I am learning from the great folks on this board.....

 

[Master Mason]

I don't know anything about that particular camera so I can't comment on it.

But let me give you a few things to consider when making your choice.

Look at how quickly the camera can take pictures. They all have a recycle time, some are much larger than others. Look at this both with the flash and without. This means from the time the first picture is taken, how quickly can you take the next picture. If it is very slow you might miss some great pictures, especially if your child plays sports.

Second look at how long the camera takes to actually take the picture when you press the button, some have a bigger lag than others, and in action shots, you can lose what your trying to get if it takes too long.

5MP should be fine to give you clean 8x10's if you want much larger, you'll need a bit more.

The digital zoom really only crops an image, the optical is what gets it closer, so the larger the optical the better.

Finally, as soon as you get it, take a bunch of pictures. In most cases you only have about 15 days to return it if you find you don't like the one you purchase, so be sure in that time.

Hope that helps

 

[elizke]

This is a good site to compare cameras on. Look for "Dave's Picks" and try out "Compare Sample Images".

http://www.imaging-resource.com/

It is a maze out there but there ARE decent cameras in your budget!

 

[fitzperry]

This is also a useful tool . . . . http://www.myproductadvisor.com/mpa/camera/inputSummary.do. You answer questions about the features you'd like in a camera, and it will recommend several models based on your answers and the way you've prioritized the features that are important to you.

May I also recommend that you disregard digital zoom? As someone else mentioned, it is really the camera cropping the center of the image and, therefore, degrades image quality substantially. For $200, you could probably find something with a little more than 3x optical too.

Also, shutter lag is an issue in any point & shoot digital, but you'll want to find one with the shortest delay you can if you're taking pictures of kids.

Have fun!

 

[jann1033]

for kids a continuous or burst shooting mode would be nice too..

accordng to steve's digicam the shutter lag (after focusing) on the finepix is 1/10, same as on my rebel xt so that is pretty good at that aspect
but then he added this:...The A500 is not what I would call a responsive shooter. While its pre-focused shutter lag was less than 1/10 second, lag including autofocus was a leisurely 6/10 for a high contrast subject; add 1/10 second to those times when using the LCD viewfinder. Shutter lag using the red eye reduction flash mode was 1 second, during which the LCD viewfinder goes blank; I preferred to use the optical viewfinder in this mode. Rapid shooting without flash yielded shots at 3 second intervals; flash shots could be captured at intervals of between 5 and 9 seconds, depending on subject distance. Power-up to first image captured measured about 3 seconds. The A500 has no continuous capture mode. Our tests were done using a Olympus 512MB xD-Picture card, 5M/Fine size/quality, preview off, flash off, and all other settings at default (unless noted.) Times may vary depending on lighting conditions, camera settings, media, etc.
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/fuji_a500.html

this is my personal review site of choice cause he breaks the cameras down into sections. ie pro, basic so you can compare apples to apples

personally for the around $200 i think the canon powershot series is very good..the 5 mp is around that price, has 4x optical zoom, lots of fun creative features and i think a kids and firework auto mode...i think it's canon A600 or 610. it has the same sensor as the S2IS that takes great pictures and you see tons of good photos from in the digital photo thread here ( i think makinorlando, Dan Murphy to just name a couple off the top of my head)..my daughter has the 7mp and the pictures seem very good to me although i have never used it myself...

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

Thanks for all the quick responses! So what do you look at when considering the time it takes to take pictures and recycle time, shutter speed or what else? Thanks for mentioning about the speed, I did not even consider this. Is 4x a good optical zoom? Has anyone had any personal experence with a camera that you would recomend for me?

 

[jann1033]

Thanks for all the quick responses! So what do you look at when considering the time it takes to take pictures and recycle time, shutter speed or what else? Thanks for mentioning about the speed, I did not even consider this. Is 4x a good optical zoom? Has anyone had any personal experence with a camera that you would recomend for me?

i think the 4x is around the same thing as a 110(ish) mm
http://www.tamron.de/Focal_Length_Comparison.238.0.html?&L=2
nifty tool to see that

check my above post about the canons

 

[all4fun]

I'm not a camera pro but I have owned a Fuji...it was the Finepix F700 (here) and it took really nice photos. It stopped working after about a year (but we suspect our toddler had dropped it because it had a small dent - our fault for not putting it away properly!). We then had to replace it and bought an Olympus Stylus 500 that we're not terribly happy with. It's making a funny sound now when we turn it on (grrr). Honestly, now I can't remember why we didn't get another F700 but I think we wanted something a little bit more "consumer-like" and user friendly. So now I've been lurking here getting info on the next camera and we're thinking we're going to go with an SLR-like one, possibly the Fuji Finepix S5200.

Anyway enough about me, lol. I just wanted to mention one thing about Fuji that you may not have thought about. It uses Xd media which used to be pricey. When our Fuji broke we had invested over $100 in media and didn't want to have to switch to a different kind so it limited our choices in what kind of cameras we were going to be able to buy. The only cameras that use Xd media are Fuji and Olympus (or at least this was the case a little over a year ago).

hth.

 

[elizke]

Thanks for all the quick responses! So what do you look at when considering the time it takes to take pictures and recycle time, shutter speed or what else? Thanks for mentioning about the speed, I did not even consider this. Is 4x a good optical zoom? Has anyone had any personal experence with a camera that you would recomend for me?

I think one of the most important things is how easy it is to hold, and how easily accessed menus and settings are. For us non pros who are mostly taking kid shots, this cannot be stressed enough! Reviews are indispensable, but there is much subjectivity in what you like in a photo and how the camera feels in your hands.

4x is a good zoom. But if you have kids in sports, you might want to look for 10-12x. You will love the shots you can get! As already mentioned, I use burst a lot for games too.

The best thing to do is use all of the sites given and try to narrow it down to a fairly short list, then buy a memory card and try them out in person. See how good a shot is in auto, and see how easy it is to make changes without a manual. Go home and print or take the card to your favorite developer. Just make sure you note which brands use which type of memory card.

I think Fuji and Sony use different memory types than all the other brands. I've had Fujis, Panasonics, Canons, and Kodaks. Kodaks are my favorite in terms of ease of use and color. But all the brands have good models and each has their own strengths.

Also keep in mind that you can get some great deals on line with models that have been replaced!

Editing To add - Yes UKCatfan is right, if you do go online check a site like this first!!! http://www.resellerratings.com/

 

[ukcatfan]

You also need to consider the extra costs. Is your $200 budget going to have to cover all costs or just the camera? You will need to spend around $30-40 for more memory (I recommend at least two 1-2GB cards) and around $20-40 on rechargeable batteries.

Even if your camera comes with its own rechargeable, you will want a backup. You will be more flexible in this area if the camera uses AAs. Rechargeable AAs are cheaper also. If it uses its own proprietary battery, you will almost never be able to find an extra in an emergency situation. Say you leave your backup batteries in the hotel room and yours goes dead in the middle of the park. They sell AAs at about every Disney store, but very few proprietary ones. While the alkalines will not last all that long, they will get you through the day when needed. Disney prices are high on batteries and memory cards, but the AA price is bearable. The price on the few proprietary batteries they sell and extra memory is ridiculous.

While on that subject, that is also why I recommend at least two cards. If you only have one an somehow lose it or it breaks, you are held capture by Disney prices. It is also best if you can backup your images to a CD/DVD every day to make sure you do not lose them. The memory cards can break and lose all the images. It is also possible to accidentally erase all of them if you chose the wrong menu item.

You should be happy with any Canon camera. If you are wondering if 4x is enough zoom for you, go out to your local BB, CC, or Walmart and actually compare it in person. If you are going to end up buying online, Buydig, Beach Camera, and Butterfly Photo are a few reputable ones that also have good prices. There are also many regular price reputable dealers. But beware, there are a bunch of scumbags out there in the online camera world. If you place an order and they call you to say that it is out of stock and try to switch you to something else, just cancel the order. Many try the bait and switch routine. Also do not let them talk you into overpriced accessories that they will say, "You have to have to use the camera."

Kevin

 

[ukcatfan]

There is one thing I forgot to mention. If you go with a 10-12x zoom, be sure that it has either optical IS (image stabilization) or sensor shift IS. Without it, the long zoom is almost unusable without a tripod. Do not get an IS that just changes settings like shutter speed, image size, and ISO to try to get a better image. This is just a marketing angle that some brands are resorting to lately. It is not an improvement in quality. Canon and Panasonic seem to have the best IS systems.

 

[DannyDisneyFreak]

What is ISO? and what does this mean:

Photos fared better, although here too the A530 had a few problems. At low ISO-sensitivity settings, the camera produced very strong images with little noise, accurate color and exposure, and a low incidence of chromatic aberration. By ISO 400, the noise became quite apparent; beyond that, photos reached the better-than-nothing stage

Thanks, this was from a review on cnet for the Canon PowerShot A530.

 

[handicap18]

What is ISO? and what does this mean:

Thanks, this was from a review on cnet for the Canon PowerShot A530.

ISO is the equilivent of film speed. When you bought film for your camera you bought 200 or 400 or maybe 800 speed film. With digital you can change the settings and the computer inside will adjust the digital sensor (equilivent of film) to the ISO you choose. Keep in mind that the vast majority of digital camera's have a lot of "noise" or in film terms "granyness" (laymens terms, less sharp) at the higher ISO numbers. This is mostly an issue when you want to enlarge photos larger than 4x6 or 5x7. Most people don't have much of an issue with it as they don't get prints larger than 4x6. The higher ISO numbers are normally used in lower light or fast action situations so that you can get a faster shutter speed. Most people will use ISO 200 or 400 or they will let the camera select the ISO automatically.