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View Full Version : Canon, Nikon, Something else?


digitalshoujo
05-11-2005, 11:52 PM
Okay so initially I was set on getting a Canon SD400 or 500 - the small size really impressed me, but I may as well get second opinion so here goes:

Budget
I'd prefer to spend around $300-$400, but I could go as high as $500

Size
I can't stand having a huge camera - I need something that will fit in most of my purses without a problem. My current camera is around 4" x 2" x 1.5" and I can deal with something about that size but going smaller is no problem ^_~

Features
I'm not super picky about megapixels, I'd like to go up from what I have so maybe 4 or higher.
Standard zoom is okay, mostly because after looking around I've found that once you reach 10x the camera gets too large for me.
Image quality is relatively important, things don't have to be SUPER sharp but I'd like as good as I can get within a reasonable price range.

Do you care for manual controls?
I don't have a lot of experience with them, but I don't know how much the kinds of things I like to take pictures of demands them (I'm still sort of new at this.)

General Usage
I like to take pictures of scenery and still objects. I do take pictures of people occasionally, but not usually fast-moving people or animals. I end up finding rather dark scenes interesting so I'd want something that could take good night/evening photos (as clear and crisp as possible for these). I also like to take very close-up shots of interesting small objects so good macro is also important.

* Will you be making big prints of your photos or not?
Probably not so big.

Will you be shooting a lot of indoor photos or low light photos?
I think what I said above indicates that I would be taking some low-light photos but correct me if that's different than night/evening shots.

Will you be shooting sports and/or action photos?
Not so much.

Miscellaneous
Are there particular brands you like or hate?
I'm pre-disposed to Canon, Nikon and possibly Fuji though I know less about them. Also, I'd prefer to get a camera with either a SD or xD card slot - I'd rather not deal with CF.
Oh! Also, I prefer cameras with a built-in lens cover (every camera I've owned has had this and I love it).

Are there particular models you already have in mind?
As I said at the top, I was thinking of the SD400 or 500. I also had considered the Nikon Coolpix 5900 or 4800 (very nice looking macro in a relatively small camera) as well as Canon's A510.
Another thing that wasn't asked specifically above is start-up times and flash recharge times. My current camera takes a bit longer than I'd like (probably around 5 seconds for flash recharge & image storage between photos) and although I'm taking still photos, I'm pretty impatient in general so I'd prefer something much faster than that.

Any advice is welcome! Thanks ^_^

Rex914
05-11-2005, 11:59 PM
You mentioned an interest in taking close-up shots (macros). Nikon does these the best by far. And since you have little interest in manual controls, you should be quite happy with the 5900. It takes great photos, especially macros and does reasonably well in low light conditions. That gets my recommendation for you.

AlkaPhunk
05-12-2005, 12:08 AM
And i will add that the nikon 5900 speed of action has been greatly improved (start and shot time)
I posted a gallery of test pics i made (and i'm still making) with my 5900.
If you 're intersting in link is my signature..

PhilR.
05-12-2005, 06:49 AM
The Canon A510 is a wonderful little camera, but it's recharge times are rather long, so you can cross that one off your list....

Besides the excellent suggestions above, you might also check the reviews for the Minolta X50 and Fuji F-10. The F-10 can do high ISO, which is helpful in low light situations w/o flash...

PhilR.

Lenny_ks
05-12-2005, 11:59 AM
think about sony dsc-p200 too man ... it's the same price as sd400 (less then sd500) and it has 7 megapixels and it's compact and no redeye and great movie mode ;))) ...

Donato777
05-12-2005, 10:04 PM
I have been doing alot of research lately on Canon, Nikon and Olympus. I finally settled on the Olympus C-7000. It is a point and shoot camera that is also very compact (4"),has a 2"LCD, 7.0 pixels, 5x optical zoom, and many other manual features too. It takes excellent quality images. The best thing is that Olympus is offering a $100 mail-in rebate on this model until May 31, 2005. That means, if you check around, you can get this camera for under $400 (Circuit City and Staples is selling it for $599.99) - and that is quite a deal on a great camera. All the best.