Digital Cameras Again!

[ColoradoMom!!]

Ok--I searched back to March, but couldn't find that long thread on digital cameras. I really wanted the Olympus 770SW so I wouldn't destroy it, but I decided I could purchase some Fugi underwater disposable for the beach days. I read in lots of reviews that the pic quality was poor, and LCD screen hard to see in the sunlight.

 

I want a point and shoot with a decent zoom, pic quality (of course) and ease of battery use. I don't have a digital camera at all.

 

Any suggestions? Not too $$$ -- just a good all around vacation camera. If you post one of your beautiful pic's on this thread, please tell us the type of camera you took it with.

 

Thanks!:D

[Aprille]

I'm a Sony gal myself. :) I have way too much money invested in memory sticks to ever buy another brand. :p ;)

 

Maybe this is the thread you are looking for: best digital camera

 

As for LCD screens being hard to see in the sunlight, I highly recommend that any digital camera you get have a viewfinder in addition to the LCD screen. That's my digital camera tip for the day. :cool:

 

ETA: All photos linked in my sig were taken with a Sony Cybershot DSC-S40 4MP.

[Daghis]

I highly recommend the Canon PowerShot series of cameras. They have a variety of sizes and features to suit most anyone. My current camera is the SD600 IS which includes optical image stabilization to help keep my own movements from making the picture less clear.

 

dpreview.com is an excellent resource to read up on different cameras and compare example photos to see which look best for you.

[kathyemma]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=543710

 

it is many pages with wonderful info. i am going to get the 770sw before i sail in Nov. Good luck. I hate shopping for cameras!!!!

 

KATHY

[ColoradoMom!!]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=543710

 

it is many pages with wonderful info. i am going to get the 770sw before i sail in Nov. Good luck. I hate shopping for cameras!!!!

 

KATHY

 

 

Yes - thanks Kathy -that's the one!

 

Amazon has a great price on the 770sw by the way -- very tempting.

[Sue L]

Absolutely love my canon powershot. It takes wonderful pictures and we bought the underwater housing for it so we can take it snorkeling. It is small enough that I can carry it in my little evening bag. Click on the links in the my signature for examples of the picture quality.

[kathyemma]

I will have to check out amazon. A few months back i got a canon - forget which one - but it has 12x optical zoom - which is why i got it - need those zoom pics for soccer games. I really liked the 770sw - but it lacked the zoom. If I can justify the price i will get it before i sail.

 

Kathy

[ORANGEinINDY]

One thing I tried to look for is one that used rechargeable "AA" batteries. Extra sets of batteries are relatively cheap, and in a pinch you can stop by any store and pick up some alkaline batteries.

[ColoradoMom!!]

I will have to check out amazon. A few months back i got a canon - forget which one - but it has 12x optical zoom - which is why i got it - need those zoom pics for soccer games. I really liked the 770sw - but it lacked the zoom. If I can justify the price i will get it before i sail.

 

Kathy

 

Actually it was the 720 I think with the great price - which looks almost the same -- unless you plan on a gorilla sitting on it :D

 

The zoom -- exactly! That's why I am now looking at other choices besides the 770 sw or 720 sw. I love to zoom!

 

Let me know which Cannon you got if it is handy.

Thanks

[Kruuzin]

I highly recommend the Canon PowerShot series of cameras. They have a variety of sizes and features to suit most anyone. My current camera is the SD600 IS which includes optical image stabilization to help keep my own movements from making the picture less clear.

 

dpreview.com is an excellent resource to read up on different cameras and compare example photos to see which look best for you.

 

 

I too like the Canons. I have the powershot A710IS-it takes great pictures. Acouple of trouble spots, at least for me. If has a large screen, but it is not one that rotates and hides. I have had it since around Christmas and it already had a few scratches on the screen. I don't think I am very hard with it either. The other thing is in the sunlight it is very hard to see the screen, that can make it difficult if you like using the screen and not the viewfinder for picture taking. Other than those things, and you can avoid them with other models, I love it. Very easy to use and as the poster said, the stabalizer is a great feature.

[kathyemma]

canon S3 IS and I do love it - but it's big - but all the cameras with the 12x zoom are big. I took it to Atlantis and didn't mind carrying the camera around - and I love it. The zoom is great it has a video camera built in and it does rapid fire shots - which is great for sporting events. But i still want the underwater camera! Oh how I wish they made a midpriced one with a good zoom.

 

Kathy

[TNT]

One thing I tried to look for is one that used rechargeable "AA" batteries. Extra sets of batteries are relatively cheap, and in a pinch you can stop by any store and pick up some alkaline batteries.

 

I totally agree with the "AA batteries in a pinch theory". I just purchased a Sony Cybershot. Talked to camera people till I dropped and decided on this one. It did not have the AA capability. I didn't think about it ever being a problem. I had always had Kodak in the past w/AA capability and never used them. Well, long story short...the camera was five weeks old, battery completely charged, went to San Diego last Saturday after picture number seven the camera shut down. I turned it back on, it showed full battery, battery light flashes to replace and locks up again. Not a battery to fit the camera to be found. We finally found a camera store and they said they didn't even have the battery on their list. Now, for those of you thinking, why didn't you just recharge your battery. I did! It recharges, but won't stay charged when put back in the camera. Called Sony as soon as we returned. They will be glad to "look at it" if I send it in. Took the camera back to Best Buy today. The Geek Squad now has it and is sending it in for me. I did not buy the extended warranty :( ... never needed one with any of my other cameras. Now, five weeks with the Sony and I may end up with a refurbished camera. They will not promise me a new one. Live and Learn! BTW- The 7 pics I got were great!:D

[Cruisin' Mane]

we have a nice one that was a good price try searching circuitcity.com or go to a curcuit city they have good deals and good cameras look into nikon or cannon we have a cannon point and shoot with 6 mp and it was a good price and came with a decent memory card .

[Kruuzin]

canon S3 IS and I do love it - but it's big - but all the cameras with the 12x zoom are big. I took it to Atlantis and didn't mind carrying the camera around - and I love it. The zoom is great it has a video camera built in and it does rapid fire shots - which is great for sporting events. But i still want the underwater camera! Oh how I wish they made a midpriced one with a good zoom.

 

Kathy

 

 

I really liked the look of that camera when I was looking for a new one. We did go for the a710-smaller. I like the feeling of a bigger camera. Maybe I feel like I can get more control. It is bigger. They have gone way down in price since I first started looking at the end of last year. I think there is a new model, perhaps the reason for the price drop.

[Kruuzin]

Think about the battery capability. My canon takes 2 AA's. It's not as slow as my old Canon. What I do notice--I go through batteries like crazy. I always have at least 4 batteries very close by. It even eats up the life of the rechargeables.

[Baseballkurt]

These were taken with a Pentax Optio MX4 (discontinued). The best camera I have found. Uses SD cards is 4 MP and does movies great too. First is wide angle, 2nd is full optical zoom (10X), 3rd is full zoom (Digital)(100X)

[texancruzer]

Bought my Olympus 720SW before my Legend trip so I could take it cavetubing...... awesome pics....not sure who told you the pic quality was poor.... mine is awesome. It is 7.1 megapixels and clear as bell.

 

DH got one too and we took both to the Bahamas......3 trips last year.

 

AMAZING UNDERWATER VIDEOS !!!

I love this camera. small, light and 25 different pic settings. Low light, no light, closeup, zoom and tons more.

 

New model has underwater capability to 30 feet and has a readout that will tell you how deep you are..... would love to get that one..... but I do know I took mine deeper than 10 feet and works fine.

[ColoradoMom!!]

TexanCruiser -

 

Do you have your pic's anywhere on the web where I can see them? I do love the idea of a decent underwater camera! All the underwater shots I took in Nassau were less than great. (disposable)

[wannabeamerican97]

One thing I tried to look for is one that used rechargeable "AA" batteries. Extra sets of batteries are relatively cheap, and in a pinch you can stop by any store and pick up some alkaline batteries.

 

Don't use alkaline batteries in digital cameras , they won't last long as they are high drain devices .

Rechargeables are good but i prefer lithuim batteries.

They are expensive but last for hundreds of pictures and you don't have the hassle of charging then up.

I used one set on our last cruise and took over 400 pics and useing the flash for quite a few of them , best $7 bucks i spent.

[futaba951]

Don't use alkaline batteries in digital cameras , they won't last long as they are high drain devices .

Rechargeables are good but i prefer lithuim batteries.

They are expensive but last for hundreds of pictures and you don't have the hassle of charging then up.

I used one set on our last cruise and took over 400 pics and useing the flash for quite a few of them , best $7 bucks i spent.

 

If you use re-chargables, buy NiMH type in the 2500 - 2700 mAH range. Ni-cad re-chargables will not last as long. The higher the mAH rating the longer the battery will hold a charge. I get a week (about 750-1000 shots) off one charge in an Olympus SP500UZ that we use daily for documentation work on a gov't contract that we have. By the way, if you are looking for an extremely durable and dependable camera, you can't go wrong with the one I mentioned. It is 2 years old, has been dropped more times than I can count and still works perfectly. Olympus has since replaced it with the SP510UZ that has IS. At about $350 it is not bad for what it is, a cheapo P&S. I can't really compare image quality to other cameras of it's type, but it seems like it is quite good. Like I said we just do job site documentation with it, so image quality is not the priority. I will say that it is not anywhere near as good as my Nikon D200, but it is built tough as nails. If you are a klutz, this is a great camera for you. :D

[ORANGEinINDY]

Don't use alkaline batteries in digital cameras , they won't last long as they are high drain devices .

Rechargeables are good but i prefer lithuim batteries.

They are expensive but last for hundreds of pictures and you don't have the hassle of charging then up.

I used one set on our last cruise and took over 400 pics and useing the flash for quite a few of them , best $7 bucks i spent.

I agree that alkaline won't last as long, but my point is if you're walking through Disney World (or maybe Grand Cayman) and your batteries are suddenly dead, alkaline "AA" batteries are everywhere and they'll work in a pinch. If your camera uses L-ION "AA batteries (like my Sony) then you can use either. If you have a custom battery pack (like my DD Kodak), you'd be outta luck.

 

BTW The brands I mention are not part of my point ... only the batteries.

 

Another point is my camera came with a separate charger, my DD charges in the camera. She cant charge wile she goes somewhere with the camera.

 

Some of my point is, make a list of features you want ...# mega-pixel, zoom, size, battery type then search the WEB, there's lots of sites that let you compare features.

[texancruzer]

TexanCruiser -

 

Do you have your pic's anywhere on the web where I can see them? I do love the idea of a decent underwater camera! All the underwater shots I took in Nassau were less than great. (disposable)

 

I do not have a "website" with pics..... too much of a computer "dummy"....

 

but I have some in the computer and I will cut and paste one or two for you..... if I can remember how :confused:

[texancruzer]

[IMNiles]

I will second (or third, or fourth) the Canon recommendation. All of the "A" series canons will take AA batteries, and there are a whole range of different models depending on what is most important to you (size, zoom range, etc). I personally have an A640 and I really like it - I took it on my recent Med cruise in May and it really worked out well. I used NIMH AA rechargeables, and they always lasted through the day, though I appreciated knowing I could just pop in and buy some AAs in a pinch. This camera replaced a Pentax Optio 750z, which was all right, but the pictures required a lot more touchup to make them decent.

[ColoradoMom!!]

Texancruzer,

 

Thanks. That is a gorgeous picture! Amazon has the 720sw for $259 right now and the 770 for $312. I only snorkel, so I don't think I would need the extra depth capacity.

 

The Canon S3 IS with 12x looks awesome too! B&H Photo has it for $289.

 

Although I love to zoom -- knowing I can't break the 720sw and take it to all the beach destinations -- might be the best choice for now.

 

Kathy -- too bad we aren't neighbors -- we could share! :)