I want the camera to be small and sleek so that it could fit into my pocket. Currently I have Olympus Stylus Verve with 4.0 megapixels and although it takes decent shots overall, it has many drawbacks. First, it doesn't take macro shots and when I try they become blurry. It doesn't zoom in very far and I would like it to zoom in at least 20 feet or so and capture the object in good focus. Whenever there's not enough light, meaning anything other than bright sun, it turns on the flash automatically and takes super bright washed out pics. When I set it on the non-flash feature, the picture comes out blurry. Also, any slight hand movement will cause the picture to come out blurry as well. Right now it has 4 megapixels and I would like a cam with more megapixels - enough to capture objects crisply from dozens of feet away. This camera is pretty basic so I'm not familiar with the more complicated ones and don't know the terminology (f-stop, etc) so I'd like a cam that isn't too complicated I don't want to have to fiddle with a bunch of buttons to take a shot - I want to be able to point, zoom, and shoot. Unless some minor fiddling will drastically improve the look of the shot... Also I'd like the battery life of the cam to be decent - last time I took my cam on vacation, the battery died in 2 days after being fully charged and I couldn't charge it since the outlets were different. So I want this cam to have a long battery life. I'd really appreciate some advice as to which cam would work well for me given my preferences. Please include links with pictures of it if you can. Thank you. Unfortunately, there is no one camera that can match all your needs. I have several cameras in mind that can match some of your needs.
Nikon's Coolpix S10 is pocketable, had 10X zoom, and optical image stabilization. Even though it has optical image stabilization, it doesn't mean it works perfectly in low-light situations, but it helps a fair bit . Optical image stabilization helps you take less blurry photos with long shutter speeds in low light. It's good to keep in mind that this camera has to be kept at low ISO settings so that your photos will not turn out blurry. It's worth noting that this camera has ergonomic issues, and is not comfortable to hold in your hand. This camera has a very good macro mode: it can focus up to 4 cm in macro mode. The Nikon Coolpix has 6 megapixels. I should mention that this camera doesn't have any manual or semi-manual controls. However, if you're finding that the camera's metering isn't reliable (for example, over exposure, or underexposure), you can likely use exposure compensation to deliberately alter the camera's exposure, but the S10's metering is generally reliable. I forgot, the S10's focus is slow, and it shouldn't be used to capture something moving at the telephoto end (zoomed in). This camera has face detection, to make sure all the faces in the photo are focused on, and well exposed.
Another good camera may fit your bill: Fujiflim's Finepix F31 fd. This camera's specialty is that it can take pictures at up to ISO 800, and still keep noise down to a reasonable level. This is the only compact camera that can even mimic what ISO 800 looks like on a DSLR. ISO 800 is very useful, but it doesn't work miracles. This camera doesn't have optical image stabilization, so unfortunately, ISO 800 and optical image stabilization cancel each other out, to some extent. I will include an explanation of the difference between the two at the end of my answer. However, this camera doesn't have a long zoom (only 3X) and it doesn't have and manual or semi-manual controls. The good thing about this camera is that it has face detection, which makes sure that faces in the photo are focused on, and in good exposure.
To address your indoor-shooting situation issues, you'll need a camera that is more capable in low-light, or a camera that has better flash exposure. Nikon cameras generally have good flash exposure with their i-TTL system, but I should mention that it doesn't work miracles, and can be tricked. If you should encounter that, use face detection to make sure the faces are exposed well. If you choose not to use flash, you can use either a high ISO, or optical image stabilization. I will explain the difference next.
High ISO's are the fear of compact cameras, when you amplify the sensitivity of a camera's sensor, you also amplify the noise. However, on the F31 fd, the noise is kept surprisingly low for a compact camera, in comparison, ISO 400 on the S10 is near unacceptable. A high ISO makes it as if the camera is more sensitive to light (it isn't, it just amplifies the signal) and so that less light is needed, and therefore, a faster shutter speed is required. And that's how high ISO's can help you take better low-light photos.
Optical image stabilization is a very different story. Optical image stabilization allows you to keep that slow shutter speed. When using a slow shutter speed, often, our slight vibrations can blur a photo. Optical image stabilization systems detects movement, and counters it. In the case of the Nikon, it shifts a lens element in order to counter the movement. That's how it works. However, it doesn't solve the problem if someone moves when you take the picture. If you're taking a long exposure, if someone moves in the shot, they become blurred, even if everything else is sharp. A high ISO can fix that by allowing a fast shutter speed. Neither can entirely replace each other.
Hope this helps your buying decision. Hit the links below to read more about the S10, F31 fd, and high ISO's. It sounds like you want "AA" batteries. Rechargeable are best, but at least you can buy alkaline or lithium "AA" batteries all around the world.
I own a few Nikon DSLR's and I'd buy the Canon Powershot A630 or A640 for myself. These cameras have the larger 1/1.8" (5.2 mm x 7.2 mm) sensor that is nearly double the sensor size you find in many point and shoot cameras and this translates into better image quality. They allow fully automatic use or total user control and offer several stages in between. The only significant difference between these cameras is that the A630 is 8 MP and the A640 is 10 MP.
If you're going to spend up to $230, look at a Canon Powershot A630. My brother has had his A630 for about a year and it's a very nice camera. You can get it at B&H Photo (available through Yahoo! Shopping) for $192.
If you can go to $300, look at the 10 MP Canon Powershot A640. This is an excellent camera. It sells for $260 and you can add a very nice memory card for under $40. The images from the A640 compare VERY favorably with the images from a Canon G7, which costs about twice as much.
For either camera, buy a 1 or 2 GB Sandisk Ultra II or Extreme III card. You will NEED the increased capacity and write speed to fully realize the benefits of your camera. The Ultra II would be excellent, but if you are really into video, you might prefer the faster Extreme III. These cards cost from about $25-45 at B&H and several other outlets.
A630: http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_revi...
Also: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Ca... (Read owner opinions)
A640: http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_revi...
Also: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canona64... Even though I personally own this camera, I would still like to highly recommend the purchase of a Nikon Coolpix L10 for the following reasons:
1. Besides taking well-exposed hi-quality 5 megapixel pictures, it uses a standard set of rechargeable double AA batteries which last a very long time;
2. Has a 3x optical zoom;
3. The flash setting for "red-eye" correction is on the navigator wheel and not within a submenu;
4. It's very small and light;
5. Uses inexpensive SD memory cards;
6. The digital video feature takes wonderful "sound" videos which are noise free. It records the piano very well with it's built-in microphone;
7. It comes with a USB 2.0 transfer cable which you connect to your USB computer port;
8. Has tripod mount on bottom of camera;
9. And the price is a mere $120 [sold at Samy's Camera - www.samys.com, and Staples.com.]
Good luck! my suggestion
go to yahoo shopping
digital cameras
digital camera GUIDE
be sure to check titles on the left side
the guide should answer your questions |
