mjlnyc
11-04-2006, 06:57 PM
Can you please help me find a camera that meets my needs? I'm a photography novice shopping for my first digital camera.
My camera needs are (in order):
- Pocketable size: I want to be able to bring it everywhere with me - ideally it should fit comfortably in my front pants/jeans pocket.
- Point-and-shoot: I would like the camera to have an excellent "auto" mode so minimal user input is required to take good pictures. Manual controls are not important to me.
- Able to take excellent indoor shots: Main (~70%) camera use will be indoors for family gatherings (e.g., birthdays, holidays) and with friends at restaurants and bars. Image quality is important to me (8 on scale of 1-10).
- Weatherproof, or has some kind of casing which is not ungainly or highly expensive that allows the camera to go to the beach and ski slopes safely. Thus the camera should be very capable in sunny outdoor settings (~30% of the camera's use). I don't plan to take action shots often.
- Good movie mode: 640 x 480 at 30fps; ability to use optical zoom during movie mode would be nice.
- Fast: would like to avoid long shutter lags or waits between shots.
- I've read about optical image stabilization and it sounds good but I'm not sure it is a must-have. I feel similarly about having a wide(r) angle lens or >3X optical zoom.
- Megapixels: I don't plan to create poster-sized prints, but I would like to be able to crop and blow up details.
- Budget: $350 or less
Thus far I am considering:
- Sony T10, with the "sports pack" case (this waterproof case is about $70 now)
- One of the Olympus Styli (but many only capture 15fps in high-def movie mode - does this create choppy movies?)
- Pentax W20 (but have read it has noise problems)
Other cameras that fit most of my criteria but I am not sure can be "weatherproofed" with an appropriate case are:
- Casio Exilim S770
- Fujifilm Z3
- Samsung NV3 (also an MP3 player)
The following may be slightly big for what I am looking for, and I am also unsure about the weatherproof issue:
- Fujifilm F30, F20
- Canon 700IS, 800IS, or 900
Thanks very much to anyone who can advise which camera would best suit my needs!
My camera needs are (in order):
- Pocketable size: I want to be able to bring it everywhere with me - ideally it should fit comfortably in my front pants/jeans pocket.
- Point-and-shoot: I would like the camera to have an excellent "auto" mode so minimal user input is required to take good pictures. Manual controls are not important to me.
- Able to take excellent indoor shots: Main (~70%) camera use will be indoors for family gatherings (e.g., birthdays, holidays) and with friends at restaurants and bars. Image quality is important to me (8 on scale of 1-10).
- Weatherproof, or has some kind of casing which is not ungainly or highly expensive that allows the camera to go to the beach and ski slopes safely. Thus the camera should be very capable in sunny outdoor settings (~30% of the camera's use). I don't plan to take action shots often.
- Good movie mode: 640 x 480 at 30fps; ability to use optical zoom during movie mode would be nice.
- Fast: would like to avoid long shutter lags or waits between shots.
- I've read about optical image stabilization and it sounds good but I'm not sure it is a must-have. I feel similarly about having a wide(r) angle lens or >3X optical zoom.
- Megapixels: I don't plan to create poster-sized prints, but I would like to be able to crop and blow up details.
- Budget: $350 or less
Thus far I am considering:
- Sony T10, with the "sports pack" case (this waterproof case is about $70 now)
- One of the Olympus Styli (but many only capture 15fps in high-def movie mode - does this create choppy movies?)
- Pentax W20 (but have read it has noise problems)
Other cameras that fit most of my criteria but I am not sure can be "weatherproofed" with an appropriate case are:
- Casio Exilim S770
- Fujifilm Z3
- Samsung NV3 (also an MP3 player)
The following may be slightly big for what I am looking for, and I am also unsure about the weatherproof issue:
- Fujifilm F30, F20
- Canon 700IS, 800IS, or 900
Thanks very much to anyone who can advise which camera would best suit my needs!