I need a new digital camera..... Recommendations?

[ABTOMAT]

Re: Whats the best digital camera?

What do you guys think of the FZ7, as far as both performance and durability? I'm considering buying one. I've been using a collection of old digital cameras to get things done, but I'd like to replace them with one good one. And I'm a sucker for Leica lenses.

 

[TiberiusBeeKirk]

Glad to hear all the good opinions on the Pannys.
I'm still using a 5 yr old HP/Pentax C618, which I like but it's pretty bulky.

 

[elgarak]

Abtomat, can't really comment on the durability of the FZ7, since I do not have it that long. It is a very lightweight camera, and people tend to feel it's 'flimsy'. In my experience, however, it is tougher than it appears. There are nearly no posts about problems on the forums I visit regularly (both Steves-Digicams and dpreview forums).

To me, the FZ7 performs really well. The Leica lens is simply awesome.

It is, however, not a completely point'n'shoot camera; you have to play with the settings a bit to get really good results. Also, although a lot of reviewers complain about the inclusion of seemingly useless modes, I and a lot of other users find that we get better results with using these modes (like macro and the high-sensitivity mode). On the surface these modes seem to use the same settings as some of the standard modes, but the automatic program works slightly differently.

Especially for low-light conditions you have to put some effort into finding the right settings for good results, since all Pannies tend to be more noisy than other cameras.

Browsing the mentioned forums helps.

 

[ABTOMAT]

Thanks, lots of options are what I'm looking for. If I had the cash I'd be buying a Sony Alpha since I have a collection of lenses for my Maxxum film cameras.

 

[monkeyboy]

Re: Whats the best digital camera?

If you intend to use the camera for low light photography(ie. cafe/pubs), then you should consider the F30. Most compact camera lose out when used at high ISO. The image quality tends to be noisy.

Nice pictures Dreamer.

I find that people underestimate the importance of high ISO performance. It's sad to see the manufacturers pushing higher and higher MP ratings at the expense of sensitivity purely for marketing purposes. People don't seem to realise that higher MP rating results in smaller photosites hence lower sensitivity. According to DPReview, a new batch of 12MP compact cameras are on the way - these are going to be awful.


I once tried out a 8MP Konica Minolta DiMAGE X1 and was very dissapointed with the results. This camera only produces decent images at ISO 50. at ISO 100 I find the noise to be unacceptable and at ISO 200 it's just terrible. IMO this makes the camera suitable only for pictures on a bright sunny day. The camera does have image stabilizing but it's not that effective and is no substitute for higher sensitivity.

IMO the F30 is not just better than the high MP competition in low light situations but in every situation other than a bright sunny day.

 

[greenlight]

Re: Whats the best digital camera?

Agree with monkeyboy. If you intend to use the camera for low light photography(ie. cafe/pubs), then you should consider the F30. Most compact camera lose out when used at high ISO. The image quality tends to be noisy. Not with the F30, even at ISO1600, the image quality is acceptable. Check out my F30 gallery http://www.pbase.com/tsbok/fuji_f30 . Also check out another review of the F30 besides dpreview.com. Here it is :http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/fuji/finepix_f30-review/ Hope this helps.

I tried out the f30 in a club and it took great shots. I didn't get a chance to compare the images, though, it seems like a great camera, except that it takes xD cards and I use SD cards. Plus it has a 50$ rebate AND you can get it at costco.

 

[TigerhawkT3]

I think I'm starting to want a new camera - I'm just afraid to shell out the $$ to buy one! Here are the features I'd like:

-Good image quality
-Manual focus (a focusing ring would be nice)
-Manual zoom (a zoom ring would be nice)
-Image stabilization
-AA cells would be nice
-Lots of manual control
-Good macro shots
-Quick shot-to-shot times

I've done some preliminary research on dpreview.com, and I've come up with the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50, although it's a bit more than I would rather spend. Other possibilities are models in Konica Minolta's DiMAGE line, like the Z6 or A200.

I'd be pretty comfortable spending $200-300, $500 would be the high end, and $700+ is right out.

 

[TigerhawkT3]

I'm leaning more and more toward the Lumix DMC-FZ50. dpreviews.com has very high praise for it, and the only negative point it had was the high noise and overzealous NR at high ISO settings. A true SLR or dSLR, it showed, has no problems at ISO settings as high as 800 or 1600 - but those are a whole lot more expensive.

I'm thinking of getting it from either buydig.com or beachcamera.com. Both accept PayPal. Any suggestions as to which of these is better, or for other places to buy it from?

 

[elgarak]

Tigerhawk,

The FZ50 should be an awesome camera, though I don't have the money to buy it myself (I have the FZ7). The noise should only be an issue for low light photos. One of the main problems is that the automatic settings Panasonic uses overestimates the available light, underexposes, and selects long shutter speeds. All can be overcome with a little tweaking. For instance, I'm starting to use auto bracketing a lot more. In older cameras I had, this was simply a useless program, since the photo I wanted was always the one with the normal exposure setting. With my FZ7, I frequently keep one with slightly offset exposure. From what I read, the FZ50 behaves similar.

If you're willing to do a little post production, you should get good photos even at low light. I myself have bought NoiseNinja, and remove the noise in post, not with the camera, and get very good photos with the FZ7.

 

[martonic]

Re: Digital Camera help!!!!!

I want a digital camera and can't decide! Right now it is between a Nikon Coolpix 5600 and a Canon A520, any opinions on which is a better deal? I can get the Nikon from Walmart for 222.56 and the Canon for a smidge under 200. Thanks for helping!!! Doug

You'll save money in the long run, and be a lot happier, if you spend a tad more at the the beginning and step up to the Canon A620 (6 Mpx and 4x optical zoom).

It's not about the numbers. There are higher Mpx cameras that are no good. But I can tell you from experience that the A620 is the real deal. It is compact, easy to carry, and easy to use with great help screens. Has a direct viewfinder and a real nice LCD display that swivels out - this is a fantastic feature and once you use it, you'll never want to go without. And these Canon's are reliable!

But that's not the whole story. It's two things. A) Picture Quality. B) Speed.

This camera has updated electronics and it's really fast. It's also easy on batteries - real easy. The batteries last a long time. Speed is important because digitals can be slow and that's no good when you're doing candids (or anything else). Also, the macro is terrific - unlike the A520 which has a lousy macro.

But the main thing is the picture quality - it will knock your socks off.

Get your case and a Sandisk Ultra II (fast) SD card at Amazon, and get your camera at Profeel. Order the camera online at Profeel and wait for them to call you - they will offer you a 5-year Mack warranty at a low price - and you should accept that offer. You will have this camera for a long time.

I am in no way connected to them, just a satisfied customer who buys a lot of kit and I shop around and this is the way to go. You'll be glad you did.

 

[TigerhawkT3]

elgarak, I got the FZ50. It cost me around $485 from beachcamera.com. I also got a Transcend brand 2GB, 150x SD card for around $50 from an Amazon seller.

That's a whole lot of cash... :huh: On the upside, though, y'all should start seeing much nicer pictures from me.

 

[elgarak]

Tigerhawk, congrats!

That's a good deal you got there...

Some example what I can do with the 12x zoom of the FZ7:


(Cropped for faster upload, and removed noise with NoiseNinja. Camera was on a tripod. Settings were not optimal, I'm still learning)

Here's an example of closeups:

(No PP whatsoever, except resizing. Flash was a little too strong, or exposure set too high for my taste)

 

[TiberiusBeeKirk]

Just an update on my situation, I bought the Panasonic FX01.
I love this lil thing. I'm not interested in indoor shots at the moment, I look terrible indoors. I wanted a small everyday outdoor carry camera and this was it. I also liked it's wide angle lens.
Digital cameras sure has improved since my hp c618.

 

[TigerhawkT3]

A camera from 2001 is pretty ancient, TBK, but the one I've been using was purchased in 1999. It's a Kodak DC265 - 1.3Mp, 16MB CF card included. My dad bought an 80MB, 4x card for $100, and we agreed that it was a bargain. :laughing: I actually bought a new card for that camera a couple weeks ago, and it's 1GB, 80x for about $50. That's about 512 times more bang for the buck. How time flies.

That shot of the moon is beautiful, elgarak! Did you have to use a filter or something? What settings did you use?

EDIT: The new CF card was $25, not $50, for a BFTB increase of 1024, not 512. It's because I'm sleepy - that's my excuse, and I'm sticking to it!

 

[elgarak]

No filter. Just tripod. Manual mode, aperture 2.8, then played with shutter speed to get good exposure. Used the 2 sec self timer to prevent motion of the camera. This particular one was shot at 1/60 s shutter. Otherwise, I cropped it (no resizing, that's the original resolution) and removed noise.

There's room for improvement. Now I would choose aperture 5.6, sweet spot for focusing. I would also turn of IS, since every once in a while I got double exposure blurriness from the IS and the crappy cheap tripod. I would also switch to spot metering and focusing, or even pre-set manual focus.

The moon's pretty bright. I have made some full moon shots hand-held, thanks to the IS.

 

[ABTOMAT]

Tigerhawk, the DC26x series were some of the best digital cameras, EVER PRODUCED if you grade by age. Highly underappreciated in today's world. The features and quality they stuffed into that weird housing was remarkable for 1999. At the time I think it was the most expensive consumer camera out there.

I had a DC260 that I bought as a pile of parts on eBay about 3-4 years ago. Reassembled it and used it for a year before it completely fell apart. I would have bought another used one if I hadn't gotten some deals on other cameras.

The picture quality that thing produced was stunning. Now that they sell for something like $30 in working condition it's s great buy.

 

[TigerhawkT3]

I got the Lumix in today (Thursday). I got through almost 50 pages in the manual while the battery was charging.

Here is my first ever photograph taken with manual focus! The first pic with my new camera.



And here is the third (he moved on the second one, so it blurred and I deleted it):



A bit blurry, but I'll get the hang of it eventually.

These were taken with ISO 100, auto aperture and shutter speed, no flash, and manual focus. I'll be doing some major practicing for the next few days!

 

[Wingerr]

These are a couple of handheld shots comparing the two ends of the zoom range on the Lumix TZ1, on the ISO 1600 setting, from the same vantage point.
The processing for the gain up and noise reduction results in a decidedly soft focus look to the pictures, but it's still pretty nifty how much detail it can make out in the darkness, and handheld to boot. That sign is not readable to the unaided eye, at least to those unaffected by kryptonite-



Camera Make: Panasonic
Camera Model: DMC-TZ1
Image Date: 2006:12:26 23:04:12
Flash Used: No
Focal Length: 5.2mm (35mm equivalent: 35mm)
Exposure Time: 0.067 s (1/15)
Aperture: f/2.8
ISO equiv: 1600
White Balance: Auto
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure: program (Auto)





Camera Make: Panasonic
Camera Model: DMC-TZ1
Image Date: 2006:12:26 23:03:34
Flash Used: No
Focal Length: 52.0mm (35mm equivalent: 350mm)
Exposure Time: 0.067 s (1/15)
Aperture: f/4.2
ISO equiv: 1600
White Balance: Auto
Metering Mode: Matrix
Exposure: program (Auto)

 

[bfg9000]

Anyone who has bought an A530 or A540 (this means YOU, paulr, KevinL and SilverFox) please check to see if your serial number starts with a 21 to 24.

 

[kitelights]

Wingerr - Don't forget forget your Extended Optical Zoom feature - set the picture size to 3 MP or less and you'll get a boost to 12.5X, but I don't think it works on the 1600 setting. The Mega OIS is the best image stabilization in the industry. Your TZ1 (Tizzie) has no competion (as THE compact super zoom). Great camera!