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justbob
07-27-2008, 12:26 PM
Ok so the wife and i are going on a cruise in a couple weeks and are needing some assistance on what to do for a camera. First off this cruise will be on my credit card :(so obviously i don't have a real budget but also i would really like to have some quality prints afterwards. Right now we have an aging Hewlett packard c 200 that works flawlessly that we bought probably 7or8 yrs ago. My question to all is, if i bought a replacement digital camera for lets say $250-$350 range would i actually get a real difference or would i be completely wasting my time and money? I've been researching on here a bit and it seems that larger optical zoom is the thing to look for and also shutter speed. I looked up the specs on my camera and they don't even list optical zoom and the shutter speed completely sucks.:mad: Also if the object your shooting even slighty moves then it will just blur. :mad2:Also what exactly comes with a camera nowadays? And what should i expect to also have to purchase? Thanks to all that help. Bob

ImpalaSlayer
07-27-2008, 12:31 PM
i recently bought a cannon s5is and i am no professional what so ever but it seems pretty user friendly and the pics are a huge step up from my old hp junker. there are a few on here that will definitly be able to help you out. obtw the price was $280

justbob
07-27-2008, 12:36 PM
Yeah i figured the technology has changed greatly over years allowing for a huge step up from what we purchased so long ago for around the same price, thanks.

ImpalaSlayer
07-27-2008, 12:37 PM
np also it came with everything you need as far as the cable and the soft ware

larryo340
07-27-2008, 01:02 PM
I have this Kodak z712is for about a year now and in this price range you get alot for the money. It's bigger than the pocket digitals, but still smaller then the SLR digitals. Great "mid-range" camera. Check the specs here:
http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=9/11920/131/10689/10691&pq-locale=en_US http://www.kodak.com/eknec/documents/72/0900688a8067c272/Z712_FL_250x200.jpg

CRUZTAKER
07-27-2008, 01:05 PM
My question to all is, if i bought a replacement digital camera for lets say $250-$350 range would i actually get a real difference or would i be completely wasting my time and money?

I would love to make a suggestion, but as you said, any camera in that price range will be a point and shoot, and yes, over time, a disappointment.

Entry level DSLRs are as low as $499 these days and a much smarter option over the long haul for the beginner.

lucenti
07-27-2008, 07:32 PM
Iam with C. T. went looking for a replacement for my H.P. the digitals i was looking at were in the 3 range. stumbled across a Pentax K100D super. at the time $500 with 100 mail in rebate. came with 18-55mm lense,and strap. uses 4 d A's. had a charger already, bought 8 bats 22.50, and 2gig mem crd 20.00. excellent pics took 1 to 8 by 12, excellent. this is an entry level .
with 300mm zoom and 55mm g s brthy, alittle more black

Breadfan
07-27-2008, 09:11 PM
The S5IS will be a good versatile camera.

I agree with Barry entry level dSLR's start at $450-499 and there IS an appreciable difference in ability and picture quality.

That being said, something like an S5IS which is still a point-and-shoot camera is going to be worlds above your HP. My S3IS (the S5's predecessor) was a huge jump for me and got my into photography. I upgraded to dSLR about a year later, mainly becuase I got tired of the limitations of image quality from the smaller CCD of point and shoot cameras. (Noisy high ISO, not as good low light performance, shutter delay, AF speed, burst speeds, etc.)

One thing I will say though...I kept my S3. I was going to sell it at first, but still have it.

Mainly that is due to Versatility - The S3 (or S5) is versatile for the package it comes in. You get 12x zoom that gives you a good range of wide and tele (I think the 12x is about 250-300mm in the dSLR world), you do not have to swap lenses, it's smaller than a dSLR, it takes movies in 640x480, takes AA batteries (you can use rechargeables and if you run out, in a pinch just grab a pack of alkalines).

That being said, compared to the dSLR, the S3/S5 picture quality isn't quite as good, the lens isn't as nice and you can't easily swap in specialty lenses or filters, many other technical aspects make the dSLR much better for shots, including delay in picture taking from the time you press the shutter, low light performance, accessories, etc.

So even though the dSLR is better in terms of photography, I still take my S3 some places, being more compact and versatile it's great for a hiking trip, plus if I drop it off a cliff, I'll be pissed but not as devestated if I dropped my nikon with a good lens. And, I've taken good pics with it.

I would say if you can do it go dSLR, keep your old piont and shoot as a pocket cam. If you can't do the dSLR a Canon S5IS is a wonderful choice.

Breadfan
07-27-2008, 09:31 PM
Pic comparison...

S3 IS Canon:

http://www.ionicflux.com/gallery/albums/june07nature/normal_IMG_0717071.jpg

http://www.ionicflux.com/gallery/albums/november07trip/normal_IMG_2477154ex.jpg

http://www.ionicflux.com/gallery/albums/november07trip/normal_IMG_2577251iq.jpg

http://www.ionicflux.com/gallery/albums/november07trip/normal_IMG_2465142el.jpg


Notes:

Pic 1, adjusted white balance manually to slightly alter color in pic. (You can take in full auto, or full manual on the S3/S5).

Pic 2, taken in auto mode

Pic 3, with the S3 was hard to get stop-action in low light without super high ISO which would make the image grainy, as a result I got a bit of blur here

Pic 4, taken in auto mode


Nikon D40

http://www.ionicflux.com/gallery/albums/dogs06012008/normal_dogs_06012008-50.jpg


http://www.ionicflux.com/gallery/albums/octobermisc/normal_DSC_0021.jpg

http://www.ionicflux.com/gallery/albums/nvmc-dd-4-19-08/normal_nvmc-dd-4-19-2008-150.jpg


http://www.ionicflux.com/gallery/albums/nvmc-dd-4-19-08/normal_nvmc-dd-4-19-2008-212.jpg

http://www.ionicflux.com/gallery/albums/nvmc-dd-4-19-08/normal_nvmc-dd-4-19-2008-205.jpg

General notes - better low light performance, better adjustements of fstop which gives better focal bluerring when you want it (see last pic for instance), better stop action, clearer high ISO

justbob
07-28-2008, 02:09 PM
Thanks alot for all the responses. Looks like i'll be picking up a S5IS tonight or tomorrow. I'd like to get a DLR but i'd also like alot of other things, so i'll have to upgrade in the future. My current model is a 1 megapixel so going to an 8 will be more than suffice for now. Thanks again. Bob.

CRUZTAKER
07-28-2008, 04:58 PM
Just remember, it's not the megapixel to be concerned with these days.
It's the size and power of the image cmos sensor and of course glass.

There's good stuff out there for just a bit more than what you really want to spend.
But you'll be happy later, and glad you did.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v205/thexfile/Camera_Works/camera_smiley.jpg....it's a NIKON :P

Breadfan
07-28-2008, 05:03 PM
Yeah btw those pics above are resized to only 780pixels wide. They're 3000 or so wide off the camera...and yes MP do not matter much, my D40 is "only" a 6megapixel camera but takes beautiful shots. Since the CCD is square, you need to add an exponentially larger amount of pixels to double the size or resolution of it. Basically put it this way 12mp is NOT twice the resolution of 6mp, really you'd have to go to 24mp to double the resolution. 6, 8, 10, you'll be happy with either or.

jdando
07-28-2008, 05:54 PM
Yeah justbob! CANON FTW :) :)


jeremy aka Canonfanboy

lucenti
07-28-2008, 07:43 PM
mmm 300mm w/tel-converter :D

justbob
07-28-2008, 07:48 PM
The I5IS has been bought. So far only a couple of shots and it looks to be everything i wanted. I'll read the book and practice throughout the week and post up. Thanks again guys. Bob.