Can I have it all??

[boo_hoohoo]

I am looking to replace a now non functioning correctly Olympus Camedia Camera. I want one that doesn't have a long lag time (if that's from when I push the button to when it "takes the picture") and a good zoom lens. I want to be able to do close up pictures of things I am making and trying to sell glass wise, I want to take pictures o the boys sledding, in choir practice or marching with the band or just plain amazing me with their inovative uniqueness (destroying my gardens creating underground bunckers with my garden shovels...) I am very impatient. I don't want to be spending a lot of time trying to figure out how to use the camera, but I would like the option ot be able to fiddle with it if I have the time and patience when I get around to it. I talked to a guy at "Best *" and he recommended at Kodak camera and then on the other hand he also thought that the Canon dRebel was worth the money (which if he gets a commission off it I would like it too..), then I tried to do some reading and got even more confused. Then I tried talking to my sister and that started a whole new sense of confusion. She's thinking the Fuji S5000 is a better bet money wise and all (though possibly harder to find) I am just about done...
I just don't want to break the bank, it's scareing my husband to death as I tend to be a jump into it feet first type of person.. Go figure. I made two mistakes on cameras once, now I want to try to do it right without a lot of greif and know that I can do what I want to do with it down the road without feeling like I need to replace it every year and it's not going to go "poof" the minute the warenty (spellings off it's late sorry..)

Arlene :eek:

[Need4Spd]

I wanted it all, too, and think I've found it with the Canon SD300. Very fast start up and next shot speed. Very compact. Check out the reviews on Steve's Digicams (http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html) under the 4 megapixel category.

[John_Reed]

I am looking to replace a now non functioning correctly Olympus Camedia Camera. I want one that doesn't have a long lag time (if that's from when I push the button to when it "takes the picture") and a good zoom lens. I want to be able to do close up pictures of things I am making and trying to sell glass wise, I want to take pictures o the boys sledding, in choir practice or marching with the band or just plain amazing me with their inovative uniqueness (destroying my gardens creating underground bunckers with my garden shovels...) I am very impatient. I don't want to be spending a lot of time trying to figure out how to use the camera, but I would like the option ot be able to fiddle with it if I have the time and patience when I get around to it. I talked to a guy at "Best *" and he recommended at Kodak camera and then on the other hand he also thought that the Canon dRebel was worth the money (which if he gets a commission off it I would like it too..), then I tried to do some reading and got even more confused. Then I tried talking to my sister and that started a whole new sense of confusion. She's thinking the Fuji S5000 is a better bet money wise and all (though possibly harder to find) I am just about done...
I just don't want to break the bank, it's scareing my husband to death as I tend to be a jump into it feet first type of person.. Go figure. I made two mistakes on cameras once, now I want to try to do it right without a lot of greif and know that I can do what I want to do with it down the road without feeling like I need to replace it every year and it's not going to go "poof" the minute the warenty (spellings off it's late sorry..)

Arlene :eek:Check out the Panasonic DMC-FZ3, reviewed on this site, the http://www.dpreview.com site, and others. It has a "simple" mode, so you can shoot lots of good photos without having to spend so much time with the manual, yet with its 12X zoom, fast lens, and image stabilizer, it will do a very respectable job on almost anything you want to shoot, indoors or out.

[boo_hoohoo]

Can I laugh? Neither are anything thing else I was recommended.. LOL Will go check them out. :) Though. Anyone else?? LOL

[John_Reed]

Can I laugh? Neither are anything thing else I was recommended.. LOL Will go check them out. :) Though. Anyone else?? LOLLaughing is a good thing to do. But I wasn't looking so much at the cameras that were recommended to you, I was thinking of the types of things you said you were going to be doing with the camera, which was why I suggested the camera I did.

[Thon]

A rough indication of your budget and any current camera accessories you might have with your old Oly would be helpful. Other helpful points like the type of prints that you are likely to make and size of camera are also good.

The current bunch of cameras have decent startup, shutter lag, AF, flash refresh and card writing times. Some would have a slight advantage over the others in some areas but also sacrifices other features. It's all a matter of balance.

Ultra zooms (8X or more optical zoom) tend to have a longer startup and AF times due to the longer lens, but the zoom power is awesome. Normal compacts have 3-4X lenses and should have and advantage over ultrazooms in the above.

In fact I'd recommend the Canon A-series rather than the Panasonic FZ3 (which is also impressive), for the ease of use and low low low price. The A95, A85 and A80 are worth to check out.

If $$$ is not a problem, the choices would be even more, but that's another story.

[boo_hoohoo]

Oh lordy. Do I really feel out of depth now. I have memory and that's all with the olympus. I am looking for I think it's 3x5 pictures to print for scrapbooks and such. Share with the folks, then maybe post some pictures of bevels, glass, pattern books, current projectes done with my stained glass and such. I didn't mean that laughter in a bad way. I will check out the recommended cameras. Money as an issue?? Man.. Well, I was really dreaming about that Canon Reblel. I liked the fact that I could change out the len's on it (isn't that weird??) to get some distance on those kids on the podiums and the close ups on the glass, small jewels and such for the glass. Really I am not belittling the assistance I was getting from you guys. I was just laughing that I was off looking at "new' recommendations... I didn't mean to offend anyone. I still haven't made up my mind as I just am about to the point that I am going to buy a cheap digital and get on with trying to figure out my husbands old slr and find a telephoto lens for it. It's probably cheaper and less of a headach to figure out.

[kal9999]

How about the Sony DSC W-1? There is a $50.00 rebate for purchases made this week from Sony, I believe. Will that impact your decision-making process? I read that it is a good no-brainer digital camera.

[Thon]

Oh lordy. Do I really feel out of depth now. I have memory and that's all with the olympus. I am looking for I think it's 3x5 pictures to print for scrapbooks and such. Share with the folks, then maybe post some pictures of bevels, glass, pattern books, current projectes done with my stained glass and such. I didn't mean that laughter in a bad way. I will check out the recommended cameras. Money as an issue?? Man.. Well, I was really dreaming about that Canon Reblel. I liked the fact that I could change out the len's on it (isn't that weird??) to get some distance on those kids on the podiums and the close ups on the glass, small jewels and such for the glass. Really I am not belittling the assistance I was getting from you guys. I was just laughing that I was off looking at "new' recommendations... I didn't mean to offend anyone. I still haven't made up my mind as I just am about to the point that I am going to buy a cheap digital and get on with trying to figure out my husbands old slr and find a telephoto lens for it. It's probably cheaper and less of a headach to figure out.

So it seems that $$$ would be a major issue here.You're not really helping with the vague requirements listed (between the laughter).;)

Now, if you already have some xDs for the old Olys, then Olys would be the most straightforward choice. But if your old Oly uses SM, then it makes no difference at all. You'll need new memory format after all.

For your general type of use with a strong/decent macro mode, the Canon A-series (A75, A80, A85, A95) would be a good choice with a lower price. However, you'll need to sacrifice some zoom range for your kids' pics.

Another good alternative, would be from Olympus range of cameras. I'm partial to the C770UZ myself for the compact size and great pics. The macro mode is great too. The lack of image stabilization (IS) puts some people off though, but I'd say, there are some advantage from IS but there is nothing that a good tripod can't solve. You can take great movies too with the C770UZ (good for the kids' stuff). There are other choices available too.

Another good camera range would be from the Panasonic FZ-series, but boy are they big... (the FZ3 is smaller but still larger than the C770UZ). They do have a better lens and IS so they have many many fans. If size is not a problem, the FZs should be on your list.

I'm not too keen on Nikons, KMs (I like the X-series though), Casio or Pentax so can't comment on them.

Won't touch too much on the prosumer models here to keep your budget below the $600 mark. The prosumers (example Canon G-series) are good choices if you can afford them. But for the general consumer, a bit too overloaded with features but the pics are really great.

At the end of the day, you'll need to decide the pros and cons of each camera and make the choice.

[boo_hoohoo]

Thanks. You really give good details considering I can't be of much more help than I am. I have decided that laughing at this point is the only thing I can do without losing my mind. Now I remember why I ended up with the camera I did. I got tired of looking and playing nad realized that basicly I was clueless, didn't want to go the big learning curve (Ok. I have no idea what half the picture taking terms mean.. I mean how many pictures a minute can?? an SLR take come pared to most digitals?? and the rest of it I vaugely remember made sense at one time, then discovered there were camera's that now did that FOR me.. ) I am leaning towards a decission. Will to into a store I think and play around and see what I think size wise. I don't want anything to bulky, but too small's not good either. I be just as likely to toss it not realizing I still had it. (Did that with a Cell Phone. That took some explaining..) I really do appreciat you guys taking the time out to read and respond as you have. No matter what I end up with right now it will feel like a more informed choice than I was making before.

Arlene

[boo_hoohoo]

Thought I would tell you all what I ended up buying. Fuji S5100. I went and spent hours (guys were probably ready to kill me) playing at the camera section. Am pretty happy with it over all. I wish the lag time (time between click and actual picture??) was a lot shorter, but am happy with the over all effect. Once we get past sticker shock I will look into some filters and the telephoto lens. Here's the silly question I forgot to ask. How do I know which filters and len's will go on this camera? LOL Things I liked about it. Size, not to small yet not massive and heavy either good to carry around for a bit, yet I am not terrified it wll get tossed by accident. Very clear screen for picture review, can add filters and lens, was easier to disengage, good pictures telling what the different modes where, modes seemed self explanitory and there is a decent manual with it. Don't like if you move even a smidgen it seems to know and pictures are a bit blurred, could be me too?? Still has a long delay between when I click and picture is done, when using flash sometimes delay before next picture seems to be a long time, but I need to read manual more to see if that's me.. :)
Over all I like it. I appreciate all the imput. You got me looking at different points than I started out at and ended up different in the long run then where I thought I was trying to go...

Arlene

[Thon]

Thought I would tell you all what I ended up buying. Fuji S5100. I went and spent hours (guys were probably ready to kill me) playing at the camera section. Am pretty happy with it over all. I wish the lag time (time between click and actual picture??) was a lot shorter, but am happy with the over all effect. Once we get past sticker shock I will look into some filters and the telephoto lens. Here's the silly question I forgot to ask. How do I know which filters and len's will go on this camera? LOL Things I liked about it. Size, not to small yet not massive and heavy either good to carry around for a bit, yet I am not terrified it wll get tossed by accident. Very clear screen for picture review, can add filters and lens, was easier to disengage, good pictures telling what the different modes where, modes seemed self explanitory and there is a decent manual with it. Don't like if you move even a smidgen it seems to know and pictures are a bit blurred, could be me too?? Still has a long delay between when I click and picture is done, when using flash sometimes delay before next picture seems to be a long time, but I need to read manual more to see if that's me.. :)
Over all I like it. I appreciate all the imput. You got me looking at different points than I started out at and ended up different in the long run then where I thought I was trying to go...

Arlene

I won't worry about filters and other stuff yet. Just concentrate on getting to know the camera and its strengths and weaknesses.

If you move when trying to shoot, the blurriness you see is called camera shake (my first experience with it was many years ago during my uncle's wedding, probably lost about 30% of the shots because of it). The Fuji has no IS (as with the Olympus C770UZ that I have), so this is a common occurence in high zoom shots, but this can be overcomed with a tripod or learning good shooting positions/postures. Anyway, IS can only help a bit and you have a major problem with unsteady hands, then a tripod is the best.

[boo_hoohoo]

Thanks,
When your saying correcting the way I hold the camera to shoot what do you mean? A tripod doesn't seem like it owuld be something I would end up using very often, because the shots are all "semi" active most the time (kids doing their 'thing" while I am watching or not suspecting to camera's being brought up at "last' moment".) the filter I wanted is the one to cut out the wierd coloring from indoor lighting? My BIL was telling me about it. Said it made a big difference color wise in his pictures taken in lightbulb areas.. Though he's alway's talking about something that helped with something and half the time I don't understand him.


Arlene

[David Metsky]

The filter I wanted is the one to cut out the wierd coloring from indoor lighting? My BIL was telling me about it. Said it made a big difference color wise in his pictures taken in lightbulb areas
Take a look at the White Balance settings for your camera. They tell the camera what type of lighting is in the scene (Auto, custom, sunlight, shade, daylight fluorescent, warm white fluorescent, cool white fluorescent, incandescent) and can adjust accordlingly. You probably don't need a filter for this.

[Thon]

David is right.

Digital cameras have White Balance built in to correct the funny color cast by light bulbs etc. If your camera has Manual WB, then capture something white/grey to calibrate it for the particular environment. But generally Auto WB works fine.

On the camera shooting positions, it about the way you hold the camera and press the shutter button and also the way you stand while shooting. There are many positions for different situations and try and learn from some of those with more experience to find the best way to hold your camera steady. Using a wall or tree to brace yourself helps as well. You can find more help on the internet.