What Camera Am I Looking For?

[trickybug]

Hoping this is an OK place to post this request...

..I have been searching this board and reading tons of posts about cameras/video cameras and, wow, there's a lot to know! Here is what I am looking for, can someone who knows way more about this than myself please let me know what camera would be a good fit? I'm thinking a Panasonic Lumix Z3 possibly???..

- Camera first, video camera second (but I'd like decent quality video)

- Easy to use, I don't need all the manual settings because I wouldn't be able to figure them out anyways

- Able to use memory cards, we will not be bringing a laptop so I want to be sure I have enough storage room.

- Easily rechargeable (plug into the wall or change out batteries)

- Decent zoom

- Under $300

Thank you!!

 

[homedad]

canon sd1100 its right around $110 and get overall good reviews, I have one for my p & S to go with my DSLR......

 

[Wadecool]

Hoping this is an OK place to post this request...

..I have been searching this board and reading tons of posts about cameras/video cameras and, wow, there's a lot to know! Here is what I am looking for, can someone who knows way more about this than myself please let me know what camera would be a good fit? I'm thinking a Panasonic Lumix Z3 possibly???..

- Camera first, video camera second (but I'd like decent quality video)

- Easy to use, I don't need all the manual settings because I wouldn't be able to figure them out anyways

- Able to use memory cards, we will not be bringing a laptop so I want to be sure I have enough storage room.

- Easily rechargeable (plug into the wall or change out batteries)

- Decent zoom

- Under $300

Thank you!!

There are plenty of p&s models that fit the bill. That being said, you will probably have better luck posting this on the photography board.

 

[bdtracey]

I would suggest posing this question on the photography boards

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=97

I have learned more on the DIS Photography Boards than on other boards. Much nicer people on these boards than on others.

 

[Wadecool]

I would suggest posing this question on the photography boards

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?s=&daysprune=&f=97

I have learned more on the DIS Photography Boards than on other boards. Much nicer people on these boards than on others.

I second that! I've found that some of the folks on other photography boards come off a little snotty when "newbies" like me start asking questions. Not true on the DIS.

 

[kwitcherkicken99]

the CanonP&S 3100 series is pretty good. AND it's on sale for $109 through B&H photo until 2/19.

 

[TLinden16]

I'm going to move this to our photo board.

 

[Frantasmic]

Your choice is a decent one. There isn't really a "best" point and shoot that will meet everyone's needs.

Google "point and shoot reviews" or rankings and look at CNET, dpreview and places like that.

There are a lot of posts in this forum since just before Christmas that have links to the current reviews of people's top 5 or so picks in this category.

 

[Khokhonutt]

I agree with posting on the photography board here. Lot's of great info there.

That said, we've been very happy with the Canon SX210IS I got for my wife for Christmas. It has a nice small form factor. The camera part works very well and it shoots HD video. She wanted a good camera first, but the video has been a very pleasant surprise.

 

[KellyWasHere]

I had many of the same requirements and bought the Canon PowerShot SX130IS last November. I LOVE it. The only downside is it eats batteries like crazy. However, using rechargeables makes it last longer in between changes.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZSHNG8/ref=oss_product

 

[Khokhonutt]

I had many of the same requirements and bought the Canon PowerShot SX130IS last November. I LOVE it. The only downside is it eats batteries like crazy. However, using rechargeables makes it last longer in between changes.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003ZSHNG8/ref=oss_product

Does that model still use the AA size batteries? I'm curious because that's one thing that impressed me with my wife's camera is the battery life. It uses a proprietary battery, but it lasts a long time.

 

[trickybug]

Thanks everyone! What are the major differences between the Canon PowerShot SX130IS and the Canon SX210IS?

I looked both up on Amazon and all the "techie" info is not computing in my non-"techie" brain

 

[Khokhonutt]

Thanks everyone! What are the major differences between the Canon PowerShot SX130IS and the Canon SX210IS?

I looked both up on Amazon and all the "techie" info is not computing in my non-"techie" brain

If you're looking for a side by side comparison, Best Buy's site will allow you to compare both models. To non techie-ize it, the SX210IS seems to have slightly better camera stats: better optical zoom (this brings the picture closer, optical is better than digital), more mega pixels (To me this is a bit overrated, but it has to do with the size picture you could print. Personally I wouldn't choose strictly based on this stat). It has a smaller form factor (you probably should put your hands on the cameras to see what you like in this category). It seems like the SX130IS is going for the mini DSLR look, while the SX210IS is more of a slip in your pocket size. The 210 uses a proprietary rechargable battery, it also can use the new SDXC card format that allows you to use cards up to 2TB in size. Now to be honest, those new cards are still quite pricey, but I like knowing I'll be able to use them down the road if we do more video.

To me, the size was a big reason I got this camer over others that were similar. I wanted the HD video. I was really hesitant on the battery, because traditionally we've done the AA size, so we can use both rechargables and buy AAs in a pinch, but I'm sold on this camera's batteries. I bought my wife a spare, generic brand, battery (the camera comes with an external charger), but the camera goes so long on a charge, we haven't come near need the spare. I do like having a spare, though, so you're not dead in the water when the battery does die.

 

[KellyWasHere]

Does that model still use the AA size batteries? I'm curious because that's one thing that impressed me with my wife's camera is the battery life. It uses a proprietary battery, but it lasts a long time.

Yes, it does. The battery situation in your camera sounds wonderful.

Video was less important to us to, we just knew we wanted a camera that could take video, but the videos are wonderful quality, and I'm so glad we got that.

 

[KellyWasHere]

If you're looking for a side by side comparison, Best Buy's site will allow you to compare both models. To non techie-ize it, the SX210IS seems to have slightly better camera stats: better optical zoom (this brings the picture closer, optical is better than digital), more mega pixels (To me this is a bit overrated, but it has to do with the size picture you could print. Personally I wouldn't choose strictly based on this stat). It has a smaller form factor (you probably should put your hands on the cameras to see what you like in this category). It seems like the SX130IS is going for the mini DSLR look, while the SX210IS is more of a slip in your pocket size. The 210 uses a proprietary rechargable battery, it also can use the new SDXC card format that allows you to use cards up to 2TB in size. Now to be honest, those new cards are still quite pricey, but I like knowing I'll be able to use them down the road if we do more video.

To me, the size was a big reason I got this camer over others that were similar. I wanted the HD video. I was really hesitant on the battery, because traditionally we've done the AA size, so we can use both rechargables and buy AAs in a pinch, but I'm sold on this camera's batteries. I bought my wife a spare, generic brand, battery (the camera comes with an external charger), but the camera goes so long on a charge, we haven't come near need the spare. I do like having a spare, though, so you're not dead in the water when the battery does die.

The 210 seems to have more modes than mine. I saw "Snow" on amazon, we definitely don't have a snow setting! And a better zoom. The zoom on ours is very nice, more than enough for us, but being able to zoom further is always a good thing!

I also don't think the MP are super important. I'm never gonna print a picture that huge, and they take up so much room on my PC. This was before I set the quality setting down to not take them at such high MP.

We bought a large SD card, 16 GB I think, and it has a ton of room. Right now on the camera we have pictures and video from our 11 day trip to WDW last December (and we took a ton), pictures and video of when we went to the Winter Classic, and pictures and video of my youngest's 2 year birthday party. And we still have tons of room.

Good luck with whatever you choose!

 

[trickybug]

THANKS again everyone!! This has been so helpful! I am leaning towards the SX210IS mostly because of the battery factor.

One last question (I promise) - what's a quality, yet reasonably priced, memory card for four days at Disney with tons of pics and a few handfuls of video??

 

[Khokhonutt]

THANKS again everyone!! This has been so helpful! I am leaning towards the SX210IS mostly because of the battery factor.

One last question (I promise) - what's a quality, yet reasonably priced, memory card for four days at Disney with tons of pics and a few handfuls of video??

Personally I'm partial to the SanDisk Extreem III cards. There are basically 3 things that drive your card purchase decisions:

Brand
Speed
Size

I generally have stuck with the name brands (Sandisk, Kingston for example). I've had good luck with Sandisk cards with my cameras, so I've stuck with them.

Get the fastest card you can afford, if you're doing video especially. Sandisk has their Extreem, Extreem II and Extreem III (I think even IVs now). The higher the roman numeral the faster the card can save data to the card. I use the Extreem IIIs in my DSLR and am happy with their performance, so I got my wife 2 of them with her camera.

Size is really what speaks to your question and unfortunately that really just depends. If you save your pictures in the full resolution, they're going to take up more room on the card and your harddrive. You can reduce resolution, like one of the previous posters mentioned, but personally I keep the full size original pictures not so much for print size, but for cropping options.

What size you shoot can be debated, but bottom line there are good sites out there that discuss average file size, both for shooting pictures and shooting video. You'll want to figure out what size pictures you're going to take, then estimate how many pictues/videos you typically take, then size your cards from there.

Everyone does their own thing, but what we do is carry one of our laptops and a card reader on trips. I carry enough cards to easily cover the max number of pictures I'd take in a day, then I transfer pictures to the laptop every evening. That may or maynot work for you, but it's something to consider.

In the end, I choose the best quality cards I can, because I value my pictures. I get the fastest cards I can, so I don't run into limits as far as how fast I can shoot. And I get the largest cards I can, so I don't end up with a full card when I have more pictures I want to take. There is no right or wrong, the answer for you is going to depend on what works best for you.

 

[Frantasmic]

what's a quality, yet reasonably priced, memory card for four days at Disney with tons of pics and a few handfuls of video??

The key word is CARD.

The key word should be CARD(S)

Look for deals on 4gb and 8gb cards. Use one for each park so if something happens, you won't lose all your pictures from the day(s) before.

A 4gb card will give you about 400 pictures at high quality and/or 30 minutes of video.

I would have about 4 or so 4 gb cards and maybe even a couple of 8gb cards.

 

[texascutie]

Hi, I had another question regarding memory cards. Has anyone tried the SDHC UHS-1 cards from SanDisk? They apparently write much faster and should help out with faster shooting and video taping for point and shoot cameras that do both. Thanks for any help!