I'm buying a digital camera

[Beej]

I'm going to Fiji in a couple of weeks and I want a decent digital camera to take with me. I've got my eye on the Canon PowerShot A40 (http://canon.com.au/products/cameras/digital_compact_cameras/powershota40.html).

It's at the top of my budget... I'd perfer to pay less, but it seems to be head and shoulders above the other cameras around the same price range. This is where you guys come in :D

What are your thoughts on this camera, and can you reccomend other cameras at or below the same price?

[resm]

Beej....

the pricing of many products (incl. Macs/iPod) are different in Australia compared to other countries.

So you may be best off with a Canon since I have seen for example Canon Camcorders in Melbourne at even better prices then here in Singapore.

But before you make a decision check out Fuji.

I have a Fuji myself and when it comes to picture quality I swear on this brand.
But mine is a 4900 Zoom so that is a bit higher in price then what you want to spend. But check out the cheaper models and then go for what is in your budget and what gives the best pics in your opinion.

[TypeR389]

I have an old Canon S20, and love it. It's not top of the heap for non-SLR's anymore, but the software on the camera is easy to use, it uses compact flash (big plus in my opinion) and is is durable as all getout. It has traversed many a mountain peak with me, and never had a problem...I was looking at an A20 for a friend who wants something pretty cheap, and if the 40 is identical other than the bigger sensor, seemed like a pretty solid camera to me for the price.

[Beej]

Originally posted by resm
the pricing of many products (incl. Macs/iPod) are different in Australia compared to other countries.True, but I'm not going to get upset with anyone if there's a bit of a price difference :)

Thanks for your feedback so far... I'll check out some Fujis.

[Rower_CPU]

Three good resources I've found are:

Steve's Digicams- http://www.steves-digicams.com/

Digital Camera Resource- http://dcresource.com/

Digital Photography Reviews- http://dpreview.com/

They test the cameras extensively and give you a good idea as to price/performance with other cameras.

That's where I got the info on my new camera that just came in this week.:D

[cb911]

i'm going to get a digital camera soon as well. have you been to a camera store yet? they would probably be able to help you heaps.

[Beej]

Originally posted by cb911
i'm going to get a digital camera soon as well. have you been to a camera store yet? they would probably be able to help you heaps. He he... not as much as you guys do :)

Thanks for those links Rower. The A40 gets glowing reviews all round. Now if only it came in brushed metal, ice, or some translucent colour I'd be set...

[ponyboy]

Beej I had a Cannon S40 and loved it.

Do you plan on taking a computer? What are your plans for storage downloading etc...?

[resm]

this 3 links above are some very good sites.

I use them everytime I feel like spending money on a new camera.

Especialy dpreview goes very much into details.

If I would buy a new still camera today I would go for the Fuji S602 Zoom.
That baby has an amazing movie capability that goes as long as the chip you use will allow.

Although if you want to take movies, buy a camcorder.

But to take some short movies for your website or whateva....that model is the thing to go for and there are some samples of that on dpreview.

And if I win in the lotterie I would buy the Fuji Fine Pix S2 Pro :rolleyes:

[Beej]

Originally posted by ponyboy
Beej I had a Cannon S40 and loved it.

Do you plan on taking a computer? What are your plans for storage downloading etc...? Sweet. Why did you get rid of it? Upgrade? Don't tell me it died :)

I'll be taking an iBook. I can get it with an extra 32 meg card as well as the 8 meg card it comes with. So that will give me 30+ top-quality photos in between visits to my iBook. Should be plenty.

It would be so sweet just to be able to plug it into an iPod and not even hve to take the iBook at all...

[cb911]

yep, you're right there Beej. i keep forgeting how helpful this place can be.

[Beej]

Originally posted by cb911
yep, you're right there Beej. i keep forgeting how helpful this place can be. Yeah... most people in retail just want to make you buy stuff. You guys actually want to help... :)

[resm]

Beej......believe me 32+8 MB storage is not enough.

You go to a very beautiful place and even though you bring your computer with you 40 MB will last you about until 250 meter in front of your house/hotel/hut...or whatever you stay in.
You may go on a whole day trip once in a while and thats when you need some storage space.

8 MB at the highest/finest setting (depending on your camera) may just give you 1 pic. Of course you do not need that quality to get a decent picture but play it safe and get some more memory and when you are at it buy some spare batteries.

Since I bought my first memory chip, prices have come down by half and today you can buy chips all the way up to 128 MB (at least that's in the market here).

This is money you would have spend on paper film anyway and now you can use that over and over again so its a one time investment.

Besides you can never take to many pics with a digital camera since you can simply delete whatever you don't like.

[Beej]

I can get 1 pic in 1 MB. That's higest detail, highest res (1600x1200). But I think you're right, I might spend a few extra bucks on a 64 meg card. That should be plenty.

You can actually get 1 gig CF cards... expensive as all get out, but you can get them.

[ponyboy]

Originally posted by Beej
Sweet. Why did you get rid of it? Upgrade? Don't tell me it died :)

I'll be taking an iBook. I can get it with an extra 32 meg card as well as the 8 meg card it comes with. So that will give me 30+ top-quality photos in between visits to my iBook. Should be plenty.

It would be so sweet just to be able to plug it into an iPod and not even hve to take the iBook at all...

Stolen in Rome:mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

Life I geuss I still have a D1X but it was so nice to have a camera in my pocket...

I also say go for more storage get a 128 http://www.dpreview.com/articles/mediacompare/ this is a link to a digifilm comparison it gives prices even a price per MB comparison.

Have fun in Fiji. Surfing?

Also I could be wrong but I think canon makes a waterproof housing for their cameras

[resm]

yes ...depends on what chips your camera can use.

the on I have now takes only "smart media"

But the Fuji S602 zoom can take SM and CF and that is needed.
That camera at highest setting and 2832 x 2128 uses 32 MB per pic !

crazy machine.....but sweet :)

[Beej]

Originally posted by ponyboy
Stolen in RomeOh man that's gotta suck :(
When in Rome, steal as the Romans do... :)

You're right about waterproof casing... I can't justify the cost though. It would be sweet, but I don't have an unlimited budget :(

I'd also like to get a 1 gig card... and a G5... and an iPod... :)


resm-
32 meg for one pic? That's crazy! I want one! :D I'll take two! :D :D You can never have too much overkill. :confused: :D

[TypeR389]

Originally posted by resm
Beej......believe me 32+8 MB storage is not enough.


I agree, for my 3.3 MP S20, I have 1 256MB, 1 160MB, 1 64MB, and 4 32MB cards for it. But I often takes long trips backpacking with my camera, so no laptop to download to, so I have to carry all the 'film' I need with me. It's also nice, I can use the same memory for my MP3 player on the way there, then slowly replace music with pictures through the trip :p

I would say for regular use, 64 is minumum, and last week when I was looking around, 64MB was the sweetspot in prices at the local stores...

[kishba]

i just bought a canon s200 from amazon yesterday... i'll put up a review once i receive it

i chose this camera because of its size... i hope i'll be able to get many great photos content-wise because i will always have it in my pocket...it's 2 megapixel image may be small but i've heard the quality is awesome (and anyways i keep all images on my computer and will only share them on the web... maybe a photo album from iphoto... but not many prints)

can't wait to get it!

[Beej]

Originally posted by kishba
i just bought a canon s200 from amazon yesterday... i'll put up a review once i receive itYeah that would be great.



Hmmm... if I was going to buy another card for my camera it would be 64 or 128... and from what people are saying, I should go with the 128. But going back to my laptop every day... I really can't imagine needing that much.

Whay do you guys say? Do I really need that much memory with daily access to an iBook?

I guess I should stop procrastinating and just spend the few bucks it'll cost me, hey? :D

[szark]

Originally posted by Beej
Whay do you guys say? Do I really need that much memory with daily access to an iBook?

Just depends on how many pics you like to take. You said earlier that you get about 1MB per pic. So just ask yourself -- would you ever take 64/128 pics in one day?

Also, if you've never had a digital camera before, you will most likely be taking more pictures than you would with a film camera. I know I do. It's just soooo addictive. :D

FYI -- I have a Canon D30 with a 1GB Microdrive for storage -- and on last year's 3-week vacation took 2500+ pics...

[Beej]

Originally posted by szark
FYI -- I have a Canon D30 with a 1GB Microdrive for storage -- and on last year's 3-week vacation took 2500+ pics... Wooooooooooooooooooow! 2500+? That's crazy! Snap-happy szark!

You're right about taking more photos with a digital camera. I was just wondering how addictive it is... perhaps I won't be taking quite as many as you, though :)



I'm just wondering - if I buy a camera not on Apple's iPhoto supported cameras list, is there any chance it will work with iPhoto anyway? I've got my eye on the Pentax Optio 230 (http://www.pentax.com/products/cameras/camera_overview.cfm?productid=18092), but it's not supported by iTunes...

[Rower_CPU]

Originally posted by Beej
…
I'm just wondering - if I buy a camera not on Apple's iPhoto supported cameras list, is there any chance it will work with iPhoto anyway? I've got my eye on the Pentax Optio 230 (http://www.pentax.com/products/cameras/camera_overview.cfm?productid=18092), but it's not supported by iTunes...

I would be really impressed if it was supported by iTunes.;)

My Sony Cybershot DSC-F707 isn't on the list, but it works flawlessly with iPhoto. Most likely it will work fine.:D

[resm]

but it's not supported by iTunes

Beej......go and sleep ! :rolleyes:

If worse comes to worse you can always buy a card reader.

They are cheap and some can read any type of card available for digital cameras.

With regards to 64 or 128.......128 is more practical but also more expensive to loose.

And don't forget the spare batteries....you may not be able to get trough a 64 MB on one set of batteries.

[Beej]

LOL... oh man... that's a funny mistake to make! Too many exams going on. That's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it!

I'll see what I can convince the camera place to let me try it out for a while so I can see if it works...

[szark]

Originally posted by Beej
Wooooooooooooooooooow! 2500+? That's crazy! Snap-happy szark!

Well, It was quite an extensive trip -- I basically took a train from Arizona to the East Coast, then drove to the northern tip of Maine, then down to the southern tip of Florida.

I don't think I'll be taking that many pictures again in one trip...

Batteries...that's a good point. How long do batteries last on a typical digital camera?

[Rower_CPU]

Originally posted by szark
Well, It was quite an extensive trip -- I basically took a train from Arizona to the East Coast, then drove to the northern tip of Maine, then down to the southern tip of Florida.

I don't think I'll be taking that many pictures again in one trip...

Batteries...that's a good point. How long do batteries last on a typical digital camera?

My Sony claims 2.5 hours on its rechargeables...

Now that I've got a 128 stick for iit, I'll find out how that equates to real-world usage.:D

[Beej]

I tried out the Canon PowerShot A40 and the Pentax Optio 230 today, and walked away with the Pentax. It is soooo much easier to use, it's smaller, lighter, and best of all, it looks better! :)

Not quite as many featuers as the Canon, but also cheaper.

And for anyone that was interested, the Pentax is recocnised by iPhoto (not iTunes :p) with no porblems, even though it's not listed on Apple's site as being compatible. Funny story about how I tried it out... I think I'll make that it's own thread.

I've bought a charger pack, and with the money I saved going with the cheaper camera, I'll buy a 128 CF thingie.

Thanks to everyone for you help!

[resm]

Thanks to everyone for you help!

no no Beej......you will not get away so easy !


we want to see results !

so when you get your first pics, we want to see samples :D

May your holiday be blessed with gigabytes of photogenic places !

[Beej]

Originally posted by resm
we want to see results!OK then :)

When I get back I'll put some pics up for you all to see :D

[kishba]

i'm soooooo happy now!!!!

my s200 arrived and it's beautiful, simple, and very much worth my $330!!!

i put up some sample pics that i took http://homepage.mac.com/brandonkish/PhotoAlbum4.html i really love this camera

hopefully i can get some excellent shots... i'm very glad i spent the money on a 128 MB compact flash card

if you are looking for a good camera... this is the way to go...the shots are clear and free of noise... i've even read that it makes excellent prints!

[mmcneil]

Just got back from a vacation to Yellowstone (and other places) with my Fuji 6900. I traveled with 3 64Mb cards ($30 each on eBay) and a PMCIA adaptor ($30). At times I had two cards full and the third almost full. I would highly recommend a minimum of 128 Mbs of storage (2x64 or 1x128). You can't always stop to download.

I was using a setting that resulted in 1MB pictures, so I got 55+ on each card. My son-in-law went through 11 rolls of film , I took almost 400 shots and a couple of movies :p

My biggest problem was the car adaptor that came with the Fuji didn't fit!:(

[Rower_CPU]

Crazy!!! I'm from SD and I'm headed up to Yellowstone this weekend with my brand new Sony F707.:D

I've got 128, 32 and 16 sticks so I should be set...plus I'm bringing the TiPB to offload the pics as I go.

What spots would you recommend visiting for good shots?

[mmcneil]

Gosh almost impossible to find something not worth pictures:cool:

We were very lucky to be there when it was VERY empty, the week after Memorial day. Pictures I took:

1) lots of big mammals, didn't see any bears:eek:

2) Water falls - Upper, Lower and the Grand Canyon, Tower falls (great hike). We went all the way up to Artist Point (I think) and got shots all the way back up the canyon.

3) Yellowstone Lake, still surrounded by snowcap moutains.

4) Geysers, we were lucky enough to see 5 eruptions within 30 minutes, including Old Faithful (92 min) and Beehive (1/day).

I can send you a few more examples if you like in email friendly format. We tent camped in Bridge Bay for three nights, had a fabulous time:D

Tried to attach a file, but tooo big if it is larger than thumbnail:(

[boobers]

is maybe out of your price range but a really great camera none the less. Canon by the way uses one of the best CCd's in the business. 4megapixel..pretty kickass camera..it also has a foldout screen like a video camera or can be placed at the back of the camera. the foldout screen is good for shooting from low angles with out bending the knees. Alot of the best pictures are taken from lower angles...this is why you see photographers always bending down to get the shot.
Cheers
boobers

[boobers]

i guess 30 is the magic number! :p