Looking for a camera for automotive pics

[p27rpy]

I am looking for a camera that will capture the best quality automotive pictures possible for the price...

Budget

* What budget have you allocated for buying this camera? Please be as specific as possible.
($200-$350)

Size

* What size camera are you looking for? Or does size not matter at all to you?
(A maneagable size)

Features

How many megapixels will suffice for you? (Whatever is best for car pics)

* What optical zoom will you need? (None, Standard = 3x-4x, Ultrazoom = 10x-12x, Other - Specify)
(not sure)

* How important is “image quality” to you? (Rate using a scale of 1-10)
(very)
Do you care for manual controls?
(sure)

General Usage

* What will you generally use the camera for?
(automotive pics)

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
(probably not)
Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?
(sometimes)

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
(sometimes, usually just still though)

Miscellaneous

Are there particular brands you like or hate?
(No)

Are there particular models you already have in mind?
(Kodak DX7630, and Sony P150)

Thanks alot for the help yall!

[speaklightly]

P27rpy-

That is a hellva handle! But, if you look closely, the Fuji F-10, which has an internet price of around $325, just about fills your requirements rather exactly.

Sarah Joyce

[PhilR.]

At this point, there are a great many digicams that will fulfill your needs. Photographing automobiles can be done with any camera. It would help to know how many megapixels you need, but your answer of "whatever is best for car pics" does not tell us anything. Car pics can be done at any megapixel range -- after all, the camera does not know or care what you are pointing it at.

Since you state that you will not be making big prints, then I would assume you just want to use your pictures on the computer (or possibly make small prints). If this is the case, then you only need 1-2 mp's, which any recent digicam will have. Certainly the two cameras you mention have many more mp's than you would use. Unless you will change your mind and produce large prints, you don't need and won't use the mp's provided by those two choices. If you will be making the occasional standard-sized print, then anything that you would purchase would be capable of that.

Since you want manual controls (which generally means exposure controls), I would also say that the F10 idea above would not meet this particular requirement, as it does not have manual exposure controls. In your price range, you will have quite a few choices to consider, and all of them are fully capable of taking pics of cars. The Kodak is a very good camera, and does have manual eposure modes via mode dial, which is nice to have if you use manual modes a lot. I believe the P150 also has manual modes too, but does not have them accessible via mode dial, which forces you to go through a menu in order to select exposure settings.

If by chance you will be taking pics of cars in an indoor setting, then you might consider something with a wide-angle lens. The Fuji E500/510 have both manual exposure modes, and a wide-angle lens. The E500 can be had for under $200, and would of course have more than enough mp's to meet your needs. Indoor settings in low light w/o flash would be a place where the Fuji F-10 might be of great use, as it's ISO goes up so high. Just keep in mind that it does not have the manual controls that you require.

A Canon A510 can also be had for under $200, and is a small but full-featured camera with manual exposure modes via mode dial, and uses just two AA's and SD cards. The flash recharge time is a bit slow, but that shouldn't be a big deal when taking pics of cars. You can also add an accessory flash if you need a bit more range. There are other Canon A-series cameras as well, but they will cost more because they have more mp's, which would not be of use to you.

As for your two possibilities -- unless you have some sort of unusual situations that you aren't mentioning, either will be fully capable of taking automotive pictures, and will have more than enough mp's to meet your needs. If you value small size, then get the Sony. If you value ease of exposure manipulation and several more feet of flash range, then the Kodak would be the choice.

OK - the Spurs won. I'm off to bed....

PhilR.

[p27rpy]

wow, thanks alot for the detailed reply! i just want great, crisp detail with smooth lines basically...i want my pics to look as close to this pic as possible (i know they wont look nearly as good, but as close as possible! and it does appear that its been photoshopped a little bit, but still, you get the idea...)
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wOTE5NDEyNnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg
ill include some pics i have took that "turned out just right" to give you the idea of what kind of car pics i am looking for. kind of artistic, some very close, others far away...
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wOTE5NDA2NnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wOTE5NDA0NnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg
http://www.we-todd-did-racing.com/wetoddimage.wtdr/wOTE5NDA1NnM0MTNkZmQzMXk1NDE%3D.jpg

[PhilR.]

wow, thanks alot for the detailed reply! i just want great, crisp detail with smooth lines basically...i want my pics to look as close to this pic as possible (i know they wont look nearly as good, but as close as possible! and it does appear that its been photoshopped a little bit, but still, you get the idea...)


The 2nd pic on down would be fairly easy to duplicate once you learn basic photographic techniques, but it is the first picture that would take some knowledge of exposure manipulation as well, and is where having a camera with manual exposure modes that are easily accessible would come in handy. The Kodak would be easier to use than the Sony in this instance.

All of the pictures you provide can be done quite well with non-professional cameras -- it is the mastery of composition and lighting techniques (and editing too) that make those pics look so good. The Kodak is as good a place as any to start learning these techniques. Once you are able to expand your budget, you will have learned enough to enable you to move up to a more professional setup - the kind of camera that was most likely used to take those shots.

PhilR.

[p27rpy]

well, it sounds like the kodak might be the choice for me then, cause im really interested in learning more about the manual techniques in order to produce a photo like the first one. ill have to look around and see if i can find some instructions on how to get started with getting those effects. just to clear things up, i took all but the top pics, and i used a Sony PowerShot DSC-P73. They look good, but as you said, you just cant really play with the settings very easily to porduce a more "artistic" effect. so i guess i will be going kodak. thanks a whole lot for the quick, detailed replies!
theo

[p27rpy]

i just now found a good deal on a Fuji FinePix S5100. Anyone have experience with this camera? it looks like it could give me "professional" looking pics that im looking for...