can you recommend me a digital camera?

[bluebird3]

Looking for a simple aim and shot kind that you can carry it into a concert venues and sporting events etc. I'd like to have at least 30 times zoom with shake/vibration residence. not sure what other features are important these days ... Battery life!

So far I've looked at canon power shot sx500 is 16.0 and comparing it to Nikon cool pix L820 16 mf. any experience with those? Any other recommendation? Price range should be about $300 or less....

 

[Apple fanboy]

Looking for a simple aim and shot kind that you can carry it into a concert venues and sporting events etc. I'd like to have at least 30 times zoom with shake/vibration residence. not sure what other features are important these days ... Battery life!

So far I've looked at canon power shot sx500 is 16.0 and comparing it to Nikon cool pix L820 16 mf. any experience with those? Any other recommendation? Price range should be about $300 or less....

Have a read on dpreview.com. Really good site where you can compare features etc. They will also explain what all those numbers mean as well!

 

[mofunk]

Canon has a nice line of Point and shoot cameras. Canon 330 HS or any in the HS line.

 

[bluebird3]

Changed my mind after going to the best buy and actually handled the camera I was thinking of getting.... I found that those are to bulky for me.

So listed the following three models. I just don't know about wifi and gps feature in the camera especially if you got a Mac and no wifi on my old power Mac g4. I like USB 2.0 photo transfer from my old canon powershot Sd 600. Anyway.... What do you think of the following three ?

Canon powershot ELPH 330
Canon powershot SX 280
Canon powershot SX 260

 

[Badrottie]

I like Canon SX500 but I rather to have Canon Powershot SX50 HS with 50X zoom len if I sit farther away from the stage. Right now I have Canon Powershot SX30 IS with 35X zoom len.

 

[phrehdd]

Isn't there a cell phone with 40 megapixels that acts as a 34x zoom or there abouts? I think Nokia makes it.

Honestly, I still haven't found a zoom that is really sharp beyond the ration of 4:1. You are talking 30x and well, I guess the wow factor beats out the sharp factor.

 

[bluebird3]

I like Canon SX500 but I rather to have Canon Powershot SX50 HS with 50X zoom len if I sit farther away from the stage. Right now I have Canon Powershot SX30 IS with 35X zoom len.

I looked at sx500 and it was too bulky for me. I also don't know if many concert venues allowes "professional" camera any more. I've been reading reviews on sx280 and there seems to have alot of complaint regards to battery life and firmware glitch. may be sx260 the older models is better yet. Or the ELFP 330, however not sure if it's worth the price $150 and many are comparing it to their cell phone camera. Unfortunately I don't have a good cell phone....


I'm also looking at..
Sony rx100 (no good zoom..)
Olympus stylus sh50 (too bulky..)
Pentax ESPI 150m..
Canon S110

close to $250, pocket carry, good sensor, zoom power, stable/blur reduction, good for low light shooting, ... any suggestion ?

----------

Isn't there a cell phone with 40 megapixels that acts as a 34x zoom or there abouts? I think Nokia makes it.

Honestly, I still haven't found a zoom that is really sharp beyond the ration of 4:1. You are talking 30x and well, I guess the wow factor beats out the sharp factor.

You are correct....under $300 and point and shoot camera, there aren't too many? Good camera that are so much better than cellphone cameras these days however, I don't have a good cell phone. Cheap Walmart t mobile my touch phone that is month to month pay as you go service of $40/mo. The phone device is very basic smart phone that's way out dated. The only reason i have this phone is because i don't want any contract.... So.... I'm needing a good camera to take it to shows, concert, outdoor, family activity, etc that doesn't require much space and cost....

 

[PhillyAnt]

Spend double the price and you can get the most impressive point and shoot pocketable camera that I have ever experienced. The Sony RX100 mk2. It lacks in the zoom department but nothing else out there in the same class can touch what it is capable of when it comes to pictures. Especially night photography and video. They retail for around $750. I got mine for around $600 because Amazon messed up my order. The previous model is also a great buy.

 

[bluebird3]

Thank you, actually I have been looking at that and sounds all amazing except zoom and price are the breaking point for my need. So... I've listed two more by Sony.

DSC WX 300/B ($220.00 -$250.00 )
20X zoom
ISO up to 3200
Min. Shutter Speed 4 sec.
Max Shutter Speed 1/1600
Format AVCHD

DSC HX50V/B ($350.00)
30X zoom
ISO up to 6400 (?)
Min. Shutter Speed 10 sec.
Max Shutter Speed 1/4000
Format AVCHD / MPEG-4

arnnn... does ISO really makes a big difference in shooting concert event indoor venue?
Min/Max shutter speed.... I do not understand this.
also what is VCHD format ? (Works with Mac too?)

 

[notjustjay]

Be aware that the features you are asking for are at odds with each other, so you will probably not find the perfect camera that checks off all your boxes.

You're looking for a small point-and-shoot class camera to take to concerts and sporting events, but you want 30x zoom and good low-light shooting. Presumably you will attempt to shoot these photos handheld, since you've mentioned the "stealth" factor and these venues would probably frown upon bringing in a tripod.

A strong zoom is at odds with good low-light ability since you will need lots of light to overcome both the optics of the zoom lens and the fast shutter speeds necessary to take a photo handheld. Yes, image stabilizers help, but they only do so much. There is a reason why most sports photos are taken by pro photographers with gigantic lenses on their cameras.

The Sony HX50V looks decent from a quick look at specs. Personally I second the recommendations of the Canon Powershot S110 and the Sony RX100. The RX100 in particular has a comparatively HUGE sensor which translates directly into better low-light sensitivity. These two cameras are also extremely responsive (the RX100's burst mode is astonishingly fast) which is good for sports.

Shutter speed and ISO (sensitivity of the sensor) affect your ability to take photos in varying light conditions. For low light shooting, you want the ability to take a clean image at high ISO, so you can shoot at a shutter speed that's not so slow as to make everything look blurry. For sports in plenty of light (outdoor stadium on a sunny day) you want the ability to shoot at a fast shutter speed so you can get sharp photos of fast-moving players.

AVCHD video is indeed editable by iMovie and Final Cut Pro.

If you are truly looking for a high-sensitivity long-zoom camera, but are actively avoiding the DSLR form factor due to size/weight/"pro look" constraints, you may want to up your budget to consider interchangeable-lens cameras such as the Sony NEX series or micro four thirds (Olympus, Panasonic).

 

[ChrisA]

Thank you, actually I have been looking at that and sounds all amazing except zoom and price are the breaking point for my need. So... I've listed two more by Sony.

DSC WX 300/B ($220.00 -$250.00 )
ISO up to 3200
Min. Shutter Speed 4 sec.
Max Shutter Speed 1/1600
Format AVCHD

DSC HX50V/B ($350.00)
ISO up to 6400 (?)
Min. Shutter Speed 10 sec.
Max Shutter Speed 1/4000
Format AVCHD / MPEG-4

arnnn... does ISO really makes a big difference in shooting concert event indoor venue?
Min/Max shutter speed.... I do not understand this.
also what is VCHD format ? (Works with Mac too?)

Yes, ISO is how sensitive the camera is to light, so it DOES matter
AVCHD is a format for storing video
The shutter speed is how long the shutter is open exposing the sensor to the image projected b the lens.

I can't imagine shopping for a camera not knowing these things. It is would be like buying a car and not knowing a tire from a seat. There is nothing wrong with not knowing but take a few hours and read up and then go shopping.

For example ISO is "everything" when it comes to low light shooting abut The lens speed (be if f/2.8 or f/5.6) also matters a LOT and shutter speed control if you are going to se any blur from camera shake or motion blur. It's all related.

Google "camera exposure" (with the quotes) and read the top 10 or12 hits.

Or, forget about all of the is an use your iPhone.

 

[bluebird3]

Yes, ISO is how sensitive the camera is to light, so it DOES matter
AVCHD is a format for storing video
The shutter speed is how long the shutter is open exposing the sensor to the image projected b the lens.

I can't imagine shopping for a camera not knowing these things. It is would be like buying a car and not knowing a tire from a seat. There is nothing wrong with not knowing but take a few hours and read up and then go shopping.

For example ISO is "everything" when it comes to low light shooting abut The lens speed (be if f/2.8 or f/5.6) also matters a LOT and shutter speed control if you are going to se any blur from camera shake or motion blur. It's all related.

Google "camera exposure" (with the quotes) and read the top 10 or12 hits.

Or, forget about all of the is an use your iPhone.

I have been out of touch really simply using my old old camera and Walmart basic smart phone. read few basic on dummies book.

I still need a good camera thou for my purpose....

 

[lurry]

Look at this camera review http://thedigitalcamera.net/sony-rx100-vs-rx100m-ii-comparison/

 

[Alexander.Of.Oz]

I am surprised that nobody has mentioned shooting in RAW to get the best from your pictures!

 

[Designer Dale]

I am surprised that nobody has mentioned shooting in RAW to get the best from your pictures!

I think that would only further muddy the waters here...

Dale

 

[ocabj]

How many 'X zoom' something is doesn't really equate to effective range on a camera lens.

If you want reach, you need an effective focal range that exceeds 100mm (on a 35mm frame equivalent). For sports, you will really want something that can do 200mm, but odds are, you're not going to get that in a non-interchangable lens camera.

Don't look at 'zoom' factor. Look at the focal range.

 

[mofunk]

I have a Powerbook G4 and the most I can do with it is watch movies on. I cleaned out my iTunes to have more space. If you are getting a new camera, your computer will be slow. Very slow. What you could do is find a photo shop in your area. Go their and put your photos on a disc or print. The reason I mention the Canon HS line, is that some have a wifi capability. You can upload to the web via wi-fi.

Or. Buy a new Mac. If money is an issue get a used/refurb Macbook pro or Mac Mini.

But your G4 has USB 2.0 which is fine. If you have a desktop G4 then you can put in wifi card. But it will be slow.




http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac/mac_mini