Another Clueless Guy Choosing a Camera: Experts Needed

[opensent]

Ok, not totally clueless, but close.

I want to update my old Kodak DX3900 camera. I've been very happy with it, but I'd like a new model that's a bit smaller. The thing is 4.6 x 2.6 x 1.7. Something shorter would be nice. 4.6 is just a tad too long.

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/DX3900/DX39A.HTM#specs

Also, something where I actually use the LCD screen. I always use the viewfinder, partly because of habit, but mainly because the 1.5 inch display seems painfully small.

Normally I shoot outdoors in fair to good lighting. I live and work overseas and move quite a bit, so it's mostly pictures of me, my wife, my friend, some guy, or empty space in front of a tourist attraction of some sort.

I've got a Kodak dock and have been happy with Kodak, so I've been looking at the DX7440 and the DX7630. The extra zoom on the DX7440 seems nice. Sometimes you don't want to get too close to the tourist attraction. Especially if the tourist attraction lives in a game park and eats Gazelles as a snack.

Any other cameras worth considering? I don’t really have a budget, which is to say, I’m willing to spend what it takes to get what I need. I’m not coming back to some of these places ever again, so why be cheap on my camera. I know the Kodak is on the low end, but again, I’m not a sophisticated user.

What I’m looking for (the short version):

Ease of use
Compact
Good quality pictures
Nice LCD Screen
Good viewfinder (still in the habit of using it)
Long battery life (at least enough to last a long weekend of occasional shooting)

Thanks in advance!!

[D70FAN]

Ok, not totally clueless, but close.

I want to update my old Kodak DX3900 camera. I've been very happy with it, but I'd like a new model that's a bit smaller. The thing is 4.6 x 2.6 x 1.7. Something shorter would be nice. 4.6 is just a tad too long.

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/DX3900/DX39A.HTM#specs

Also, something where I actually use the LCD screen. I always use the viewfinder, partly because of habit, but mainly because the 1.5 inch display seems painfully small.

Normally I shoot outdoors in fair to good lighting. I live and work overseas and move quite a bit, so it's mostly pictures of me, my wife, my friend, some guy, or empty space in front of a tourist attraction of some sort.

I've got a Kodak dock and have been happy with Kodak, so I've been looking at the DX7440 and the DX7630. The extra zoom on the DX7440 seems nice. Sometimes you don't want to get too close to the tourist attraction. Especially if the tourist attraction lives in a game park and eats Gazelles as a snack.

Any other cameras worth considering? I don’t really have a budget, which is to say, I’m willing to spend what it takes to get what I need. I’m not coming back to some of these places ever again, so why be cheap on my camera. I know the Kodak is on the low end, but again, I’m not a sophisticated user.

What I’m looking for (the short version):

Ease of use
Compact
Good quality pictures
Nice LCD Screen
Good viewfinder (still in the habit of using it)
Long battery life (at least enough to last a long weekend of occasional shooting)

Thanks in advance!!

How compact? If I were planning to buy a travel camera in the mid-size catagory I would lean toward the Panasonic FZ3. This camera will keep you physically farther away from the Gazelle snacking tourist attractions, but able to shoot the gory details!

Battery life is not a forte of any all-in-one digital camera, so a couple of extra batteries should always be figured in to the price.

For true versatility, but well out of the compact genre, a dSLR would be (and in fact is) my choice. It may be a lug, but I'm always sure that I can get the shot I want, when I want it, at the quality level I expect, and battery life is about 1000-1500 shots without flash use. This is a bit more expensive starting at about $1000 and accellerating from there.

So your best bet is probably the FZ3 for about $400.

[ernie3143]

the canon powershot g6 best rated all around and fairly compact

[PhilR.]

the canon powershot g6 best rated all around and fairly compact

As long as you can live with a very anemic 4x zoom....

You intimated that you would like a good zoom feature. 3-4x zooms are pretty much the norm, and IMO rather anemic when you consider that zooms in the 8 to 12x range are easily found. I would suggest that you look at the mid to high-zoom cameras from Olympus, Panasonic, Nikon, Minolta, Fuji and Kodak. I think that most of their 8-12x zoom cameras will fit within your stated dimensions, particularly the Olympus 10x and possibly the Panasonic FZ3. Personally, I would give great consideration to Mr. Riehm's suggestion. The FZ3 has a fast lens, is surprisingly compact for a camera with a 12x stabilised zoom, and has priority and manual modes. As long as you aren't going to make prints above 8x10, the FZ3 is one of the best all-round cameras you can get, and you won't have to spend a fortune to get one.

PhilR.

[opensent]

Thanks for the suggestions. I've started to look seriously at the DMC-FZ3 and the Olympus C-770 and C-765 models, as these seem a good balance between size and optical zoom. Image stabiliation on the FZ3 seems very compelling.

How easy to use are these types of cameras? The days of me using a Pentax K1000 for my highschool newspaper are over (almost two decades..) and I've become quiet a fan of auto everything. In addition, point and shoot is really important when you hand your camera over to a friend or tour guide to take a picture. It's great to be able to tell them "Just press this button".

Thanks!!

[John_Reed]

Thanks for the suggestions. I've started to look seriously at the DMC-FZ3 and the Olympus C-770 and C-765 models, as these seem a good balance between size and optical zoom. Image stabiliation on the FZ3 seems very compelling.

How easy to use are these types of cameras? The days of me using a Pentax K1000 for my highschool newspaper are over (almost two decades..) and I've become quiet a fan of auto everything. In addition, point and shoot is really important when you hand your camera over to a friend or tour guide to take a picture. It's great to be able to tell them "Just press this button".

Thanks!!I've handed my Panasonic FZ10, set in "P" mode, to a woman who was a spectator at an event in which I was participating. She said "Ooh, is that one of those DIGITALS? I've never touched one." But she shot 105 shots anyway, 80% of which were "keepers," and one even made the local newspaper. Now, as for the FZ3, it is even easier to use, with a "Simple" mode, where there are practically NO menu choices, and one can simply concentrate on framing and shooting pictures. Very simple. Maybe Thon can comment on the Olympuses; I've not used them.

[Thon]

The Panasonic FZ3 & Olympus C770/765UZ will be the smallest 12x and 10x cameras available to date. I own a C770UZ which is a slightly beefed-up version of the C765UZ.

There will be a few differences between them:

1. 3.2MP vs 4MP
2. IS vs no IS
3. 12x vs 10x
4. AAs vs Li-ion
5. SD vs xD

and a few more.

In fact, on paper, the Oly twins seem to have the disadvantage, but in actual fact, there is not much difference. The picture quality would be very very similar except for the MP count.

The size and weight is actually very similar, but I prefer the slimmer Oly as they can be easily put into a coat pocket which the FZ3 can't (big lens).

In terms of ease of use, some may complain of the not-so-efficient Oly menu system, but after a few days of use, the logic is there. And there are 2 simple modes available, the full Auto and Program modes. The full Auto mode doesn't let you do anything except frame and shoot (the camera does everything, not bad photos). The Program mode let you adjust the EV compensation, ISO and WB, while the camera chooses the aperture and shutter speed (the ISO and WB can be set to Auto too). And you get a whole bunch of scene modes and also Aperture/Shutter priority modes as well as full Manual mode. There are 4 MyMode settings too for your custom settings.

The Macro mode is great too. You can use the SuperMacro mode and focus as close as 3cm away.

The Oly C770UZ has a better MPEG4 movie mode too. Smaller files without too much loss of quality.

The main downside to the Olys will be the lack of IS. I use a tripod a lot and don't mind the hassle as it guarantees better stability 99% of the time.

Everyone will admit that the FZs have almost no competition in the lens department.

My advise would be not to take my advice alone as I maybe a bit biased on the Oly C770UZ and has no regrets on buying it. I'm sure some of the Panasonic FZs fans will be giving you very similar advice based on their love for the FZs. Sivaram is a Canon S1 IS lover and he'll recommend it as well (Hi, Siva..., maybe some words on the S1).

At the end of the day, the $$$ is yours and you should be able to choose what to buy and not get bulldozed into buying something that might not be the best for you or worse, something you might not even like.

A few tips:

List out all the pros and cons of each camera in your list in the order of priority. Make sure you know what flaws bug you the most and make sure the camera doesn't have them. The minor flaws in the camera (all cameras have them) shouldn't be a deterent to choosing the camera, learn the ways to overcome them. Before buying, make sure you have enough money for other important stuff like memory cards, batteries, case, tripods,.... After buying the camera, use it. It's not a paperweight or a dust collector.

And lastly, there are some great pictures out there taken with very very undistinguished cameras, so don't worry about getting a camera that might not be the best (we are all waiting for it too). I feel that this point has been a bit lost. It's not the technology that make a camera great, but the photos.

[PhilR.]

In fact, on paper, the Oly twins seem to have the disadvantage, but in actual fact, there is not much difference. The picture quality would be very very similar except for the MP count.

I would certainly agree - Oly is a very old and highly regarded camera maker, and it would be very hard to find better image quality.

The size and weight is actually very similar, but I prefer the slimmer Oly as they can be easily put into a coat pocket which the FZ3 can't (big lens).

Here I would disagree, as lately I have been keeping my FZ3 in my coat pocket.

The main downside to the Olys will be the lack of IS. I use a tripod a lot and don't mind the hassle as it guarantees better stability 99% of the time.

Of course not everyone will want to carry around a tripod, but he brings up the point that for most people, IS will not be a factor in most shots. Every now and then however, it can make a difference if you are without a tripod.

My advise would be not to take my advice alone as I maybe a bit biased on the Oly C770UZ and has no regrets on buying it. I'm sure some of the Panasonic FZs fans will be giving you very similar advice based on their love for the FZs. Sivaram is a Canon S1 IS lover and he'll recommend it as well (Hi, Siva..., maybe some words on the S1).

The great thing is that you won't go wrong with either of these!



hth,
PhilR.

[ernie3143]

Circuit City Com Has The Fz3 On Sale For 289.00 After 50 Dollar Rebate :)

[wesborland]

I agree that Panasonic has a winner with it's FZ3, and Olympus makes great big zoom cameras.

But from what I understood of your post, you were looking for a slightly smaller camera than your Kodak CX3900... and for what I remember, these two camera are a bit bigger than your old Kodak (i could be wrong!).

Another choice for you would also be the Pentax 750z. It's 7 megapixels (not that you really need it but...) and got a 5x optical zoom (not as strong as the Pana or the Oly, but still better than the DX7440 (4x) you were thinking about.)

Also, it's pretty easy to use in fully automatic mode, and it's fairly small, at 3.9 x 2.4 x 1.7 inches. As far as battery life, panasonic rates it at 245 shot per charge.

Hope this helps!

WesBo
http://www.lordstock.net

[wesborland]

Also, if you could get your hand on a Pentax 550 or 555 (more or less the same as the 750z, but with 5 MegaPixels), they would also be great choices.

WesBo
http://www.lordstock.net

[Thon]

So the FZ3 can fit in a coat pocket... hmmmmm. Maybe my coat pockets are smaller. ;)

Anyway, hope my windwinded post didn't bore you all.

Anyway, another quick comment.

There is no right or wrong camera out there. Every camera, be it an ultrazoom, ultracompact, dSLR, prosumer, basic P&S...., all serve to take pictures, some better than others.

The best camera for anyone would not be the one with the biggest this and that, but the one that is practical and suitable for his/her use. Think of a car. Not everyone needs a sports car (Ferrari, Porche, etc...) though they sure have very good specs. Some will be very satisfied with the boring stationwagon or small compact car. A big & powerful engine doesn't mean that it will be a practical car. The same logic applies for digital cameras in some ways. This is also a reason why cameras like the Canon A-series with their boring boxy design sells very very well. They just work, not fantastically in all departments, but generally works.

So for your choice, if you find the old camera just doesn't cut it in the zoom department, then get an ultrazoom. If size is the issue, and features aren't (P&S), then go for an ultracompact. If you want features and high quality pics, go for a dSLR or a prosumer model.

If one day, you should find an ultracompact-ultrazoom-prosumer model with all the bells and whistles that you can think of, and not forgetting cheap ($500 or less), let everyone know. I'll be the first in line to grab one. :p