Im new to all this

[MiSh]

Hi everyone.
I have about $1500 (aud) or $1000 (US) and obviously i need a new camera.
I am a complete newbie to photographgy so i may not need all the pro settings. Although i do want to learn. I will be used mainly for sports shots such as sanborading and skateboarding.The 2 main things that i am looking for is little to no lag from when i push the button to it taking the photo and how many shots it can take in burst mode.I was looking at getting the Nikon D70 for these reasons but i didnt realise that it didnt come with a lens (and how expensive they are).
The other camera i was looking at is the Pentax IST DS.
I would love any coments and advice on any camera

[D70FAN]

Hi everyone.
I have about $1500 (aud) or $1000 (US) and obviously i need a new camera.
I am a complete newbie to photographgy so i may not need all the pro settings. Although i do want to learn. I will be used mainly for sports shots such as sanborading and skateboarding.The 2 main things that i am looking for is little to no lag from when i push the button to it taking the photo and how many shots it can take in burst mode.I was looking at getting the Nikon D70 for these reasons but i didnt realise that it didnt come with a lens (and how expensive they are).
The other camera i was looking at is the Pentax IST DS.
I would love any coments and advice on any camera

Any of the dSLR's will be relatively expensive. You might want to look at the Panasonic FZ20 as a good all-in-one alternative. Maybe not quite as fast, but certainly a passable sports camera, that works well for other shooting as well. At $600 it easily fits your budget.

The D70 is probably the best bet for dSLR's in the $1000 range. And yes the lenses cost extra. For $270 you can get the 18-125 Sigma DC lens and have a pretty nice kit for about $1300. Continuous shooting mode in JPEG normal is 3fps until the memory card is full (using an UltraII type Compact Flash memory card). The *ist DS will also work, if thats the camera you like, but you will still spend extra money for a decent zoom.

Try the FZ20 and see if it meets your needs. By half pressing the shutter button you can get very short shutter lag, but you still need to anticipate the shot a little.

There is a learning curve with dSLR's so keep that in mind as well.

Have fun.

[speaklightly]

With the rebates right now and the dropping prices, the Canon Digital Rebel or the Nikon D-70 might be a good choice for you. Take a look at either Sigma or Tamaron lens, they are less expensive, and of very good quality.

With some good shopping, you will will bring in a good kit near your price range.

Sarah Joyce

[MiSh]

thanks very much for the repilies.After a bit more research i haver realised that the D70 is a bit out of my league. Its a bit too expensive and i dont think i would be able to use all of its fetures.
Right now im trying to decide between these cameras.
Panisonic FZ20
Cannon G6
Pentax ist ds

The main thing is still how fast i can point and shoot though.
My parents are in tialand right now so i wonder if they are cheaper over there

Thanks very much for the help so far

[speaklightly]

The current internet price on the FZ-20 is between $515 and $540 approximately. The FZ-20 is a great digial camera and a real workhorse.

I have used the FZ-10 and the FZ-20 extensively and hold it in a very high regard.

Sarah Joyce

[jeisner]

I had the FZ20 and switched to the *ist DS, forget the others, out of your list these are the best two. The question is do you want DSLR or not???

If you want ONE lens that covers moderate wide angle (36mm) to long tele (430mm) and don't want to carry around multiple lenses, then go for the FZ20. If your willing to spend money on multiple specialised lenses, and have a camera/kit than can grow with you, go DSLR.

So for casual photography the FZ20 is IMHO the best choice, if you are intending to make a hobby of photography then go the DSLR as it can grow with you!!!

[Thon]

G'day mate,

Australian prices for digital cameras are just a bit higher than else where, probably due to import duties??? and/or GST???. Since your parents are in Thailand, try asking them to hunt around if possible. Prices there should be a little bit cheaper (as far as I know the notebook prices are much lower there, at least by AUD300-500), but be very careful of rogue retailers. You'll probably not get any support if you get it from there should anything goes wrong. If you have a chance to be in Singapore, the prices there can be even lower if you know where to look, reputation wise a bit better.

As for the choice of cameras, it's either the FZ20 or G6, can't recommend any dSLRs unless you really really need it & can afford it. The FZ20 is rather big compared to the G6 but you must also consider the 12X lens vs 4X lens here. Feature and quality wise, the G6 has a little advantage over the FZ20.

The main issues for you to consider would be the zoom power vs the body size. Which do you value more? Either of the 2 choices would be fine.

[MiSh]

thanks very much thon.
zoom isnt realy an issue as most of the photos will ony be from around 3 meters away as sandboarding is in your face type of sport. But then agian the weight doesnt bother me either. Other than the excelent lens on the FZ20 does it have anything else over the G6 after all the G6 is higher mega pixel. the thing that would really be the desecion maker is the lag and how fast the burst mode is.

Thanks soooo much to all so far. You have saved me over $600 Aud by helping me to realise i dont need an Dslr

[speaklightly]

If you don't need the long zoom and can get by with 4X Optical Zoom, the Canon G-6 would be an excellent choice. The G-6 has received excellent reviews and is equally as good in the field.

The G-6 has performed very well for me.

Sarah Joyce