jhouse01
03-01-2006, 09:57 AM
Hi all,
Oops, edited here to say I meant Canon S2 IS!
My husband and I are both novices, and are buying our first digital camera.
So here's our information:
Uses: nature shots (think birds), general vacation shots, some indoor/low lighting (bands in clubs).
Budget: $300 to $400
Size: not a huge consideration
Features: image stabilization will be important, I don't think we'll be carrying a tripod around--at first anyway. Low lighting capabilities fairly important, ease of use while we learn, also ease of software. Zoom is very important, and we'll likely get a telephoto converter lense down the road.
Image quality: importance on a scale of 1-10, 7 or 8 I should think. We're beginners not pros.
We'll probably be sharing photos on the internet, and getting some prints done outside the home, won't be printing them ourselves.
I'm told shutter lag time is a consideration for animal shots.
Manual controls: Well, we are beginners, so I'm not quite sure about that--as I said, we may grow into it, so I'm not sure how important that will be.
I'm not hugely concerned about the differences in movie mode, though we may come to use that feature a lot--hard to say right now.
From everything I've read & reviews, 2 cameras that sound good are the Canon S1 IS, and the Panasonic FZ20, both of which I've found for under 400.
I'm a little concerned that the telephoto converter lense for the Panasonic is $500, so one question is: can I use a different (less expensive) lense?
My local birding forum people tell me they favor the image stabilization of the Panasonic over the Canon.
The price of batteries/accessories is a consideration.
Thanks--any & all advice greatly appreciated!
J House
Oops, edited here to say I meant Canon S2 IS!
My husband and I are both novices, and are buying our first digital camera.
So here's our information:
Uses: nature shots (think birds), general vacation shots, some indoor/low lighting (bands in clubs).
Budget: $300 to $400
Size: not a huge consideration
Features: image stabilization will be important, I don't think we'll be carrying a tripod around--at first anyway. Low lighting capabilities fairly important, ease of use while we learn, also ease of software. Zoom is very important, and we'll likely get a telephoto converter lense down the road.
Image quality: importance on a scale of 1-10, 7 or 8 I should think. We're beginners not pros.
We'll probably be sharing photos on the internet, and getting some prints done outside the home, won't be printing them ourselves.
I'm told shutter lag time is a consideration for animal shots.
Manual controls: Well, we are beginners, so I'm not quite sure about that--as I said, we may grow into it, so I'm not sure how important that will be.
I'm not hugely concerned about the differences in movie mode, though we may come to use that feature a lot--hard to say right now.
From everything I've read & reviews, 2 cameras that sound good are the Canon S1 IS, and the Panasonic FZ20, both of which I've found for under 400.
I'm a little concerned that the telephoto converter lense for the Panasonic is $500, so one question is: can I use a different (less expensive) lense?
My local birding forum people tell me they favor the image stabilization of the Panasonic over the Canon.
The price of batteries/accessories is a consideration.
Thanks--any & all advice greatly appreciated!
J House