lantanatx
03-25-2007, 10:34 PM
I'm a field biologist and need a inexpensive and speedy replacement for a Nikon 995 that served our lab well since 2001, that was damaged in a fall this weekend :o . University purchasing prevents us from spending more than $500 without extensive approval/bid process that takes 3-4 months usually - and we need a camera again WED. Hopefully we will be able to get a higher tier camera later and this inexpensive one will be a secondary camera, but depending on budget issues we could be using this replacement for as long as a year.
Budget
* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera? Please be as specific as possible.
as little as possible, $200-400 up to $500 max
Size
* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you?
compact and light weight - we carry lots of equipment and large pocket sized is a plus
Features
How many megapixels will suffice for you?
5 - 10 mp
* What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify)
minimum 4x prefer 6x or greater, lots of macro & telephoto shots, fewer wide angle shots
* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)
8 - would like RAW option, may not be possible in this price range
Do you care for manual controls?
Yes - several experienced photographers will use this and would appreciate manual, but majority of users and shots will be using auto features
General Usage
* What will you generally use the camera for?
Biological fieldwork, some social shots
flowers, insects, habitat shots, some landscape
* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
not many big prints, but often crop and enlarge
Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?
some shady outdoors and dusk, not a lot of indoorwithout flash,
Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
some insect action shots, occasional wildlife shots
Miscellaneous
Able to stand up to outdoor condtions -weather resistant
Are there particular brands you like or hate?
open to suggestions
Are there particular models you already have in mind?
Canon A710, Canon G7, Nikon P5000,
(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)
Image stabilzation would be great - we must handhold almost all shots,
short shutter lag time, weather resistant, external flash capabilitywould be nice.
Budget
* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera? Please be as specific as possible.
as little as possible, $200-400 up to $500 max
Size
* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you?
compact and light weight - we carry lots of equipment and large pocket sized is a plus
Features
How many megapixels will suffice for you?
5 - 10 mp
* What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify)
minimum 4x prefer 6x or greater, lots of macro & telephoto shots, fewer wide angle shots
* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)
8 - would like RAW option, may not be possible in this price range
Do you care for manual controls?
Yes - several experienced photographers will use this and would appreciate manual, but majority of users and shots will be using auto features
General Usage
* What will you generally use the camera for?
Biological fieldwork, some social shots
flowers, insects, habitat shots, some landscape
* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
not many big prints, but often crop and enlarge
Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?
some shady outdoors and dusk, not a lot of indoorwithout flash,
Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
some insect action shots, occasional wildlife shots
Miscellaneous
Able to stand up to outdoor condtions -weather resistant
Are there particular brands you like or hate?
open to suggestions
Are there particular models you already have in mind?
Canon A710, Canon G7, Nikon P5000,
(If applicable) Do you need any of the following special features? (Wide Angle, Image Stabilization, Weatherproof, Hotshoe, Rotating LCD)
Image stabilzation would be great - we must handhold almost all shots,
short shutter lag time, weather resistant, external flash capabilitywould be nice.