Which Camera?

[Stefy]

Hi Guys

I thought I would pop on over to get your opinion.

Me and DF are returning to the World next year and have decided to do this trip like it is our second first trip (if that makes sense). Last years trip was a bit of a downer due to me having flu nearly every day we were there

I want to upgrade from my old camera which is a Canon Ixus 75. This camera has served me well for the past 2-3yrs but I feel like its time to upgrade. We have been toying with the idea of purchasing the Ixus 100 is, but after a bit more research DF has found out that this camera may not do what we want it to. Let me explain some more below about what we want from a point and shoot. I know after you read it you will think SLR, but for now we just want to get a point and shoot and eventually upgrade to a really good SLR in the future.

Here's what we are after out of a new camera:-

1. To take decent firework shots (don't have to be SLR quality, but not blurry)

2. To take decent night shots e.g. Electrical Water Pageant

3. To be able to take shots on rides without having to use flash (thereby not annoying other riders).

Also having an optical of more than 3x would be nice.

Your help and opinions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanx

Stefy x

 

[ukcatfan]

1. A p&s can get great fireworks, but you need a tripod. A remote shutter release helps as well, but not many p&s models offer one.

2. Getting tougher. You will need to use a high ISO and manual mode, so make sure it has manual modes available. By this I mean shutter priority, aperture priority, and full manual.

3. Similar advice to #2. For rides like POTC, HM, etc. that are really dark, just forget about it and enjoy the ride.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

It's not always the camera, but the user who could use improvement. This is probably the case here.

Taking pictures of moving and low light subjects is challenging no matter what type of camera you have. If you want to get better pictures, you need to understand why and take steps to minimize movement, because no camera will do what you want without some help from you.

Some movement is controlled by you (ie camera movement and shake). Some movement is out of your control (subject moving). Both together is a recipe for blur.

But one easy thing you can do is to limit your camera's movement which will help quite a bit with blur. This usually means using a tripod or other firm surface (and like ukcf said, a remote shutter release or at minimum, the timer mode, as simply pushing the shutter release button creates shake).

Working with subject movement requires another step, which is to use settings which allow enough light in while capturing the image very quickly using a fast shutter speed. To do that, you need to understand a little about the principles of photography, ie exposure.

With all that said, there are some conditions that are almost impossible to capture without using specialized lenses and a camera that has the ability to take good pictures using high ISO. A point and shoot camera would really not be able to capture what you want in #3. (And you should not use flash on rides!)

#2 The EWP will be do-able when it's still and you keep your current camera perfectly still.

#3 Fireworks might be ok with current camera if you use a tripod and a Fireworks Mode on your camera.

Tripods can be the size of a hot dog and cost as little as $10 at WalMart.

A lot of people have improved their pictures using a book called Understanding Exposure.

If you want to stick with a point and shoot with a better zoom, Canon makes some but I'm not sure of the model names any longer, something like a SX100. (You can do a search for the Canon S3 IS thread and you'll find lots of information there.) Good luck.

 

[Stefy]

Thanx guys and for the tips.

The current camera we have does not have fireworks mode, but the one we were thinking of buying does. A friend of ours has said that the Ixus 100 would not be sufficient for firework pictures whether we are perfectly still or not, due to this having a smaller lens and not very good aperture.

DF sent me this link to some cameras he has been looking at comparing them with our Ixus 75 http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/camera/specification/compare/2100-1824-1521-2111.html

Would you mind having a look to see if any of these would be good enough.

Tripod wise, we were thinking about getting a gorrilla pod. Thanx for the advice again

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Well out of the the ones you listed, I'd definitely go with the Powershot. I can't speak for the Lumix but I have two [oops, make that three, just bought a third] Powershots and they're fantastic cameras. You'd get a much better zoom with the Powershot, for one thing, also a Shutter Priority mode, both of which would be important to me.

You should consider these, as well. They are bigger, so you should consider size and how important it is to you. It could be said for both, but especially with the second camera, it is the one many with SLRs buy as their back up. You could grow a lot photographically with either of these cameras.

What do you think, Kevin?

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerSh...3?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1255284596&sr=8-3

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerSh...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1255284596&sr=8-1

Let me see if I can find the Canon S3 thread for you - it's the one that started a few years back but now includes many users from these newer models. You should read through it. Here it is: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1235546&referrerid=70088

 

[ukcatfan]

One thing I notice about the four you listed is that they do not have manual focus. That can make fireworks shots more difficult. You typically want to set the focus before the show begins and leave it alone. Without MF controls, it is going to try to re-focus on every shot. That wold be frustrating to me and could lead to you missing some shots.