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View Full Version : Too many options!! Can't decide....


pajabb
05-21-2006, 07:38 PM
Hi,

I'm looking for my second digital camera. My last camera was a Fuji F700 and I really liked how fast it was to turn on and take pictures, and also how long the battery lasted. But then one day I was taking pictures and turned it to the "preview" mode or whatever, and then switched it back to take more pictures and everything went black. It still works with the preview mode, but won't take pictures. Fuji customer support was not helpful and the repairs will cost more than a new camera. I had the camera just under 2 years, and took very good care of it (I never dropped it or anything). I mostly take pictures of dogs, both stationary and action shots and both inside and outside, and also of people. My old camera didn't do as well inside, so I'd like a camera that can take good pictures inside (if there is such a camera in my price range).

Budget
* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera? Please be as specific as possible.
around $250 would be great, could go up to $350 if the camera is worth it

Size
* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you?
compact, needs to be able to fit in my purse

Features
How many megapixels will suffice for you?
4-6 will probably be fine

* What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify)
standard, ultrazoom would be nice but not necessary

* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)
7-8, I would like a camera that took consistently nice looking pictures

Do you care for manual controls?
no, I never used them on my last camera. I pretty much want a "point and shoot" camera, but different "scenes" would be nice

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?
Mostly for taking pictures of people and dogs, I would like a camera that I can carry with me that will take nice pictures inside and outside without having to change the camera settings a whole lot.

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
not generally, but will occassionally want to frame larger pictures (probably not bigger than 8x10)

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?
yes, I take a lot of pictures inside, and I'd like a camera that could take pictures of moving dogs inside (doesn't seem like many can, though)

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
yes, most of my pictures will be of moving sujects, and I'd like a camera with as short of a shutter lag as possible and preferable one that turns on quickly, too. And if possible I'd like the "burst" mode that can take an action sequence.

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate?
I'm a little hesitant to get another Fuji because their customer service seems really bad when there's problems, but I would still consider it. I'm pretty much open to any brand

Are there particular models you already have in mind?
I've been doing a lot of research in different review sites (probably too much), and I've been looking at a lot of different models. Here are some that I'm considering:

Canon A610 (seems to have very orange color with the indoor pictures that I've seen)
Fuji F10 (seems to have dark pictures inside)
Sony P200
Canon SD400/SD500
Sony W50
Panasonic DMC-LZ5 (some review said the picture quality was poor?)
Panasonic DMC-FX01

There probably isn't a camera that will be good for everything I want, but I'd like to get as close as I can. Any suggestions? Or am I looking for the impossible?

Thanks!!:D

bascom
05-23-2006, 07:47 AM
Canon A610 (seems to have very orange color with the indoor pictures that I've seen)
Fuji F10 (seems to have dark pictures inside)
Sony P200
Canon SD400/SD500
Sony W50
Panasonic DMC-LZ5 (some review said the picture quality was poor?)
Panasonic DMC-FX01

Your list of cameras looks good, you've done good research. I would expect the F10 to do well indoors and I've never seen organge on A610 photos, so I'm surprised to read those things. Personally, of those I'd lean towards the A610, F10, P200 or W50.

The A610 may be too big and heavy to carry in your purse well. How about the A530 or A540? Also, consider the Casio Z120 and Z750. They are good small ones. The Z120 has anti-shake DSP which they say reduces blurring caused by shaking hands or moving subjects: http://www.dpreview.com/news/0508/05080402casio_z10z110z120.asp

ryanbrancel
05-23-2006, 07:57 AM
may want to wait for the Fuji F30 to be released. or consider the new Casios: Z600, Z850.

pajabb
05-24-2006, 12:00 AM
Thanks for the suggestions!!! I think I'm leaning towards the A610 or F10 (I still need to go to a store and see how bigi the A610 is).

I have another question: what is the difference between the F10/F11/F30?

bascom
05-24-2006, 03:07 PM
F10 - 2005 model. came out a year ago.
F11 - improved version of F10 not sold in the USA.
F30 - 2006 model due in stores soon. Has full manual controls and ISO up to 3200. Info is here:
http://www.dcresource.com/news/newsitem.php?id=3250

The F30 price will be $400 which is over your $250-$350 range. Can you still find the F10 for sale? Yes go to a store and try them first.

bascom
05-30-2006, 02:15 PM
How about the Fuji Z1 or Z3?

pajabb
05-31-2006, 04:28 PM
Thanks for all the suggestions!! I ended up buying the Canon A610...none of the stores I went to had the F10 or F11 in stock, and I didn't want to buy it online without seeing it. So far, I'm very happy with the A610, except that the rechargeable batteries I bought don't last long at all (or maybe the charger isn't very good).

bascom
06-01-2006, 03:30 PM
The A610 should have great battery life. The problem may be your batts or charger. Are they new? Are the batts fully charged? Don't overcharge them. What rechargeables and charger do you have? I have an Energizer with 2500 mAH batts.