Advice on Digital cameras

[Roc]

I'm in the process of buying a digital camera.


the Gateway dc-m42 digital camera
4.1 megapixel ccd. with 3x optical 4x digital zoom.

Minolta Dimage S414
4.1 megapixel
8.8x zoom.

Are the above cameras good for what we use them for and which one would you advise me to buy.
Thanks in advance.
Roc. :

 

[vince wai]

Hi Roc,

You might check out this site for digicam reviews :http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/.

One thing is that not all camera are born equal, some brand with 4 Mega Pixels may not be as good as other's 3 Megapixel. I use the Nikon 990 and the quality is very good though it's a 3.1 Megapixel digicam. For your usage, you might need to find a camera with a good marco.


vince

 

[Roc]

Thanks Vince.
Roc.

 

[Stephan]

Hai Roc
I use the nikon coolpix 2100 only 2 Million megapixel and look to my 7of9 pictures.
I do nothing but click. sometimes with flash somtimes without.
She s not fast but I think cheap and for figures very good.
She also had a makrofunction.

 

[Roc]

Thanks Stephan, I'll check it out.By the way,I love your work.

Roc.

 

[Lou Masses]

I think Macro is the key. I have a 5MP Sony without a macro and I have to "tape" close up lenses to it. Yet I have a 2MP Panasonic (that cost 1/3) and it has a macro and it's perfect for figure photography-especially it shows since it's the sizeof a credit card (slightly thicker)

 

[Roc]

Hey Lou,
Thanks for the input.
Much appreciated.
Roc.

 

[oniria]

Hi everybody!

I'm new here and this post is both an introdution and a comment on digcams.
I'm also looking for a digcam and the best macros I've seen are Minolta's f300 and the much cheaper X20. I really don't know what to do, 'cos the f300 is a much better camera, but the x20 has an amazing macro performance (Better than the f300 I'd dare to say) but the x20 is fully automamatic and only 2 mp.(5 mp the f300). Here in Spain the aprox. price of the cams are: 600€ the f300 and 205€ the X20, I think they are a little bit cheaper in USA.
Well I hope to make up my mind next week and star sending you my "rookies".
New points of view on other camara models are very welcome.

See ya!

 

[frank h]

Hi Angel
welcome to the site.
I recently aquired a digital camera, the macro on mine works great at 20 centimeters. Having taken the photo If I find it needs to show more detail I enlarge and crop in photoshop

After a lot of experimentation I am quite happy with the results

The camera is an Olympus mju 300 and it cost about £300

Hope this is of some help

Frank

 

[quang]

Hello Angel,

I think we're focusing too much on the macro. Good macro abilities seem to be the norm nowadays with every major manufacturer so it shouldn't be a great issue like a few years back.

Instead I would insist on the overall quality of the picture such as colour accuracy and sharpness of detail. A good white balance control is essential as it would give you accurate colours regardless of the lighting conditions (no more worrying about incandescent lights, neon, etc...).

Also worthy of note is the brightness of the lenses (maximum overture, the greater the better) which should allow you to take pictures under low light conditions while others would need a flash. (Flash is bad )

The difference between a 2 and a 5 megapixel camera is not only in the print size or in the sharpness of the details. It's also in the depth of the colours (2mp pictures would look 'flatter' than 5mp pix under the same conditions).

I know I'm biased but you should check out the Olympus c-4000 (4mp) which retails at around 300 EUR. It's the same model as Gary Dombrowski's (garyjd) and IMO his close-up pics are very nice both in colour and in details.

http://www.ciao.es/Olympus_197616_4

Good luck.

Quang

 

[oniria]

Hi everybody!

Thank's for your tips quang. I've seen Gary's pics and they ara flipping amazing. Does the c-4000 also feature those modelling capablilities?
As a rookie in modelling and painting figures I think that sensacional macro would be a little embarrasing for me .
Now a little bit more seriusly. I've found the oly c-5000 here in Madrid at €360 is it as good as the c-4000? Are these cameras ok for non-skilled shooters?
Thnaks in advance, I don't want to make more ? this could look like a Digicam forum

Hasta luego!

 

[quang]

Angel,

The digicam is fast becoming an indispensable tool in our hobby (and not least in this forum!) so camera talk is not as off-topic as it may seem.

Now onto your question, the c-5000 is the replacement for the c-4000 which is being discontinued.

c-5000 has 5 mp while c-4000 has 4 mp (difference is NOT noticeable between 4 and 5mp). But as it is often the case with Olympus, the older camera (c-4000) is much more capable and offers better performance and options than its replacement (c-5000) as you can see here:

http://www.imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP/CDISPLAY.HTM

Check out the macro. See how the macro on the c-4000 is much more powerful.

So I'll stick with the c-4000 if you can still find it. It's a better camera which costs less. Best of both worlds!

It's not a point-and-shoot /press-button camera but with everything worthwhile, you need to do some learning and practising to get the hang of it.

For the full reviews of both cameras, check here:

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/C40/C40A.HTM

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/OLYC5000/C50A.HTM

Good luck,
Q.

 

[oniria]

Hello everybody.

Thanks a lot for your help Quang. It's going to be a bit difficult for me to find the Oly-4000. I've chosen the c-5000 or the c-740 as an alternative, they both retail at 399€ where I'm going to buy it. I've seen the link you posted and I prefer (with little knowlege)teh 740 but this one is 3 mp and the 5000 is 5mp.

Is the 740 O.K?

Thanks for your help.

 

[Colin_Fraser]

For what its worth, I use the Olympus c-4000 too. Excellent camera.

Colin

 

[quang]

Angel,

The big feature of the c-740 is its 10x zoom (great for photographing birds or wildlife,...).

If you think the zoom would be useful to you, you can also check out the c-750 (same model but 5mp) and see if the difference in price is worth it.

I still think the c-4000 the best deal of all.

I don't know if you like to buy online, but you can find it here at 482 EUR inc. a fast battery charger + 4 rechargeable batteries + 128mb Smartmedia card.

http://www.nomatica.com/index.asp?devise=E...ngue=ES&pays=ES

They also have the c-740 with the same extras at 506 EUR!

Also keep in mind that digicams are voracious battery-eaters. You should always take in account a fast (1-hour) battery charger and at least one extra set of rechargeable batteries.

Best of luck

Quang

 

[oniria]

Hello all!

I finally found the c-4000. They'll bring it to me next tuesday. just for €299!

Thank's a lot for yuor help. I hope to send you soon mi first finished figure.

Thanks once again.

 

[quang]

€299? That's a SWEET deal!

We're all waiting for your pics.

Quang