smithkt
09-27-2005, 02:12 PM
Budget
$300-$400
Size
Not really important. Probably prefer something in the compact range, like the size of a Canon A620
Features
How many megapixels will suffice for you?
Mostly printing 4x6 with the occasional 8x10. From everything I've read, something in the 5MP range should be more than sufficient. If a higher MP camera would be better, that would be fine.
* What optical zoom will you need?
Standard 3x-4x is fine
* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)
9-10
Do you care for manual controls?
I'd prefer a camera that would be good for 90% of pictures using some sort of preset, but am not against using manual controls when the situation requires it.
General Usage
* What will you generally use the camera for?
Will be used in a variety of settings, such as outdoor bbq, indoor family gatherings, vacation beach pics, indoor gym settings during karate tournaments, longer distance shots of kids on stage for various functions. In other words, It will be used in a very large variaty of settings so it need to be versital. It's understood that no camera would be able to capture every situation perfectly.
* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
Occasional 8x10.
Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?
Yes. Under various lights. Ambient sunlight, flouresant, incandecant.
Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
Occasional karate photos, but they aren't always high speed, I mostly try to capture moments which are relatively still for a few seconds. Shutter response would be more important than being able to capture a moving object. I want to be able to press the button and have it capture the intended moment in time rather than 3 seconds later.
Miscellaneous
Are there particular brands you like or hate?
Currenty own an Olympus Stylus 410. This is what happens when you don't do enough research first. This camera takes very nice outdoor shots on sunny days. Everything else it is pretty bad at. Indoor shots are frequently blurry, or off-color. Built in white balance adjustments seem to do a lousy job. The shutter response is terrible which I assume is because of the difficulty it has focusing. I was very put off by it. Probably would not buy another Olympus.
Are there particular models you already have in mind?
The bottom line is the two most difficult situations I have had with the Olympus camera were anything indoors and anything with distance. The effective flash range just wasn't large enough. From what I've read about the F10 it sounds like it will do an excellent job on the indoor shots, but since there is no ability to use an external flash, I am concerned about longer distance shots. The Cannon A6x0 cameras support external flashes and even other lenses so it sounds more versitle and could possibly produce better shots at longer range, but I haven't seen enough mention of how well it does with indoor shots in lower and unusual lighting. The Fuji also appears to have a natural light setting which can take photos without a flash even in less than optimal lighting. Can the Canon do this?
I'm not married to either of these, they just both seems to be getting good press.
(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)
None of these features are particularly important. Just need a camera that is relatively easy to use that takes good pictures. I'm not afraid to do post processing either, though I have little experience with it. I've toyed with Photoshop Elements a bit in the past.
$300-$400
Size
Not really important. Probably prefer something in the compact range, like the size of a Canon A620
Features
How many megapixels will suffice for you?
Mostly printing 4x6 with the occasional 8x10. From everything I've read, something in the 5MP range should be more than sufficient. If a higher MP camera would be better, that would be fine.
* What optical zoom will you need?
Standard 3x-4x is fine
* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)
9-10
Do you care for manual controls?
I'd prefer a camera that would be good for 90% of pictures using some sort of preset, but am not against using manual controls when the situation requires it.
General Usage
* What will you generally use the camera for?
Will be used in a variety of settings, such as outdoor bbq, indoor family gatherings, vacation beach pics, indoor gym settings during karate tournaments, longer distance shots of kids on stage for various functions. In other words, It will be used in a very large variaty of settings so it need to be versital. It's understood that no camera would be able to capture every situation perfectly.
* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
Occasional 8x10.
Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?
Yes. Under various lights. Ambient sunlight, flouresant, incandecant.
Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
Occasional karate photos, but they aren't always high speed, I mostly try to capture moments which are relatively still for a few seconds. Shutter response would be more important than being able to capture a moving object. I want to be able to press the button and have it capture the intended moment in time rather than 3 seconds later.
Miscellaneous
Are there particular brands you like or hate?
Currenty own an Olympus Stylus 410. This is what happens when you don't do enough research first. This camera takes very nice outdoor shots on sunny days. Everything else it is pretty bad at. Indoor shots are frequently blurry, or off-color. Built in white balance adjustments seem to do a lousy job. The shutter response is terrible which I assume is because of the difficulty it has focusing. I was very put off by it. Probably would not buy another Olympus.
Are there particular models you already have in mind?
The bottom line is the two most difficult situations I have had with the Olympus camera were anything indoors and anything with distance. The effective flash range just wasn't large enough. From what I've read about the F10 it sounds like it will do an excellent job on the indoor shots, but since there is no ability to use an external flash, I am concerned about longer distance shots. The Cannon A6x0 cameras support external flashes and even other lenses so it sounds more versitle and could possibly produce better shots at longer range, but I haven't seen enough mention of how well it does with indoor shots in lower and unusual lighting. The Fuji also appears to have a natural light setting which can take photos without a flash even in less than optimal lighting. Can the Canon do this?
I'm not married to either of these, they just both seems to be getting good press.
(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)
None of these features are particularly important. Just need a camera that is relatively easy to use that takes good pictures. I'm not afraid to do post processing either, though I have little experience with it. I've toyed with Photoshop Elements a bit in the past.