TOMsGPTurbo Posted August 4, 2004 Report Share Posted August 4, 2004 Hey guys, I wanna buy a Digi, however I have no idea about em, being an old school bloke who uses a Pentax MZ50 SLR which uses a thing called film, not to sure if your still with me now.... might of lost some of you wipper-snappers... Anyhow, What should I look for in a Digi and what should I avoid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irokin Posted August 4, 2004 Report Share Posted August 4, 2004 Do your research. don't rush out and buy the first one you like. Have a look at the Canon Powershot A80. Thats what my mum bought after a very lengthy research period. An easy to use but full featured camera. Another thing to watch is prices. They're different everywhere. Hunt around you WILL find them cheaper! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teddy Posted August 4, 2004 Report Share Posted August 4, 2004 Welp, my first digi is a Kodak DC3200 - Cost $90 off a friend of mine, and its a 1.1 mega pixel - its a lil old, but i love it to bits and use it everywhere - takes clear photos !!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOMsGPTurbo Posted August 4, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2004 I found this one: Minolta Dimage Z2 Digital Camera *NEW 2004* Though its like $790.00 which is pretty close to digi slr prices :dry: Specs: http://www.digitalcamerawarehouse.com.au/prod971.htm ___________ I like that Canon, it also have movie mode with sound, which I like cause its sorta like a video camera :P what else is there.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ae71neo Posted August 4, 2004 Report Share Posted August 4, 2004 thats about $2000 off a good digi slr :P hehe i have a mz60 :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demuire Posted August 4, 2004 Report Share Posted August 4, 2004 Though its like $790.00 which is pretty close to digi slr prices Actually, no. The cheapest digital SLR on the market at the moment is the Canon 300D, and that's approx $1300 with a shitty lens, and not much else. The Z series KM's are pretty good featurewise, but feel very cheap. The A's are much nicer, but a lot more expensive. Tom: What are you looking for in a camera? And what sort of budget are you looking at? How do you intend to use it? Coming from an MZ50 I would assume you probably want a camera that will allow you a decent amount of creativity etc? Or are you looking for a point-and-shoot camera you can basically take to parties and snap away with? How important is size etc? What sort of photography do you do? So many questions, all very important to help you decide what is right for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demuire Posted August 4, 2004 Report Share Posted August 4, 2004 Tom: Don't be fooled by the video function on digital cameras, 95% of the time they're basically a gimmick. Rather similar to cameras in phones. They work, but they're pretty damn average. If you want to take video, get a video camera. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOMsGPTurbo Posted August 4, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2004 (edited) Well I'm looking for a digi to basically save money on film processing. If it was a perfect World I would snap up at Canon EOS 300D Digital SLR Camera (+ 18-55mm lens + 55-200mm lens +256CF Card) $2,255.00. However that is pretty close to the price I paid for my Corolla! Photography is actually a hobby of mine, which has taught me not to waste film always to think before taking photos. If I had a scanner plugged up I would show u some of my work. The Digi I am looking for must produce crystal clear photos, have adjustable shutter speeds aperture and focus, with Bulb mode, have night shot and I would like video mode with sound - with unlimited amount of space depending on memory mode- ie: not be limited to only 30 sec movies. Also have zoom lenses perferably with the choice of using filters & adapters (and I would love interchanagable lenses!!!). Lethium inbuilt battery with included recharger. (Would be cool if it could double as a webcam so I can watch Mikko play when I'm at work) What I would use it for: Happy snaps, proper photography (such as the photos I have hung up around the house alongside the masks I have made), I would use it for motorsports, mountain biking (would like to helmet mount it) and for general photos.... SO creativity is high on the list. Size and weight: I'm not to fussy as long as its the same size or smaller then my MZ50. Anything out there to suit me? **UPDATED** - Price I'm looking is under a grand... maybe around 500ish would be great Edited August 4, 2004 by TOMsGPTurbo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TOMsGPTurbo Posted August 4, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 4, 2004 Tom: Don't be fooled by the video function on digital cameras, 95% of the time they're basically a gimmick. Rather similar to cameras in phones. They work, but they're pretty damn average. If you want to take video, get a video camera. Yeh true, I'm thinking about that too... cause you can take still's with a digi video camera now days.... however less settings to play with... My mum actually bought a Sony DHR40 or something, thats pretty cool has a touch screen and records vids onto memory card, also takes stills ... does other stuff too... I don't know I'm so confused :P :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medicine_Man Posted August 4, 2004 Report Share Posted August 4, 2004 My suggestions, Make sure its got a good optical zoom, my first digital camera (kodak) only had a digital zoom and if you zoom in the pictures are all blocky.. Try and avoid cameras that take movies in quictime like my nikon digital camera, shit if you wanted to join movies because you can't edit quicktime format.. try and do a bit of research on if it will take good pictures at night (both cameras i've had suck at nighttime shots, its annoying if you want to take pics while cruising at night..) make sure its going to take a nice size memory stick, nothing worse than running out of room for pictures get an extra battery and get a case for it so it doesn't get knocked around in transit.. just a few suggestions from my experience that may help.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irokin Posted August 4, 2004 Report Share Posted August 4, 2004 Id be more inclined to get AA batteries. That way if your rechargables go flat while you away from your charger you can just duck into any servo and pickup some batteries. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demuire Posted August 4, 2004 Report Share Posted August 4, 2004 Wow Tom, not asking for much are you??? Okay, first things first - it looks like you want a camera that does EVERYTHING, and for not so much money. Unfortunately, such a camera does not exist. Based on what I think your priorities are (which may of course be completely wrong), have a look at the Canon IS S1. It's under a grand, has a very good lens on it (for a consumer camera), and has enough manual features to keep most people happy. Obviously won't be anywhere near as fun as your SLR, but you can only get what your budget will allow. It can also take unlimited videos, as long as you have memory. It's reasonably small too, and I *think* you can get underwater housings and stuff for it too. The only thing it doesn't do well is take filters etc, to do that you have to get the hood ($50). A few of the Fuji ones would probably also fit the bill (like the S5000), however I've used the S7000 and didn't like it. Also, if the budget will allow, maybe check out the Panasonic FZ10. BIG zoom, lots of awesome features, the only drawback as far as I could tell was the memory storage (SD cards or something), and apparently it doesn't work all that well in low light. This camera is a fair bit bigger than the S1 though, probably about the same size as your MZ50. Anyways, have a look at those models, if they don't suit tell us why and maybe we can fine tune your requirements :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demuire Posted August 4, 2004 Report Share Posted August 4, 2004 From Medicine_Man's suggestions: - Don't be fooled by digital zoom, it's a gimmick and you might as well crop it in photoshop. - Most lower end digital cameras don't work well at night due to small sensor size and non-optimal processing which leads to noise and other crappy results. Also cameras that only have an LCD or use an EVF tend to be rather crappy at night (can't see what you're looking at) except for a select few like the Minolta A series, where the EVF is boosted in low light for useability. - CompactFlash memory is the cheapest. That said, "normal" CF isn't as fast as SD, and "high speed" CF is almost as expensive as SD. Re batteries: AA is nice, LitIon is also nice. LitIon tends to last longer and is lighter, but like Irokin said, if you run out of battery you're stuffed. Helps if you have a spare, but they aren't always cheap. If you're going to be using AA, make sure you get rechargeables, they last a whole lot longer than normal alkalines. With AA's I usually carry at least 3 sets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irokin Posted August 4, 2004 Report Share Posted August 4, 2004 Sometimes with the battery packs you can get cartridges that take normal AA batteries...but not all of them. RE not working well at night. With the Canon A80 we have we just take a tripod and up the exposure time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demuire Posted August 4, 2004 Report Share Posted August 4, 2004 irokin: In low light no matter what camera you have (digital or otherwise) you'll probably need a tripod and a longer exposure time... Most lower end cameras don't have an option to take a battery pack, or a battery "cartridge" (basically a holder that looks like the original LitIon battery, except you load it with AA's). If I'm not mistaken (and irokin should know this) the Canon Axx series cameras (like A80 for instance) DO have this option. The Minolta Ax series does too, and can even take 2 LitIon batteries at once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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