What Digital Camera do you use?

[Anders Heintz]

Hola Guys!

I am in the process of getting a new digital camera. I need atleast 5 MP (Or whet ever is needed for print) and one with extreme closeup cpabilities on 1/35th scale and up.

At the moment Im using a crappy Sony 1.6 MP Sony FD-92 Mavica, great for internet shots but not much more, besides the LCD screen is broke so I dont see what Im shooting.

The ones that I have been looking at seriously are:

Nikon CoolPix 5700
Olympus C-5050 Zoom
Sony DSC-F717


They all are very similar and all have good macro and run between $150-$300.

Now, I dont know much about digital photography, but over at www.dpreview.com one can do a side by side comparison and here is the result:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_po...cp5400&show=all

Can anyone tell me which is best suited for what we do?

Also, which camera do you use, and what you think about it?

 

[Cbl12886]

I personally just purchased a Canon d30 on eBay for $215. I chose this camera because it was a DSLR and it was cheap. It is only 3.2 MP but it takes awesome pictures. Also, interchangable lenses make it great.

-Blake

 

[RobH]

right then

from the pics you post, it shows that even a low end camera can produce good results!

Of the cameras you've compared, the Nikon 5700 wins hands down for me (and i'm a Canon man).
Why?
1; Good WB balance options - we shoot under artificial light so this is good.
2; Fast shutter speed - you may want to capture them horses at full gallop!
3; best metering modes
4; Compact Flash card - common, sturdy
5; option to record in RAW format - you may find this useful in the future if you get into digital photography more

Other than that all similar specs.

I use a Canon 20D. It's an 8.2MP SLR!!! I love it, although I need a better lens. I love photography and always have done and the options and creativity an SLR gives me made me get this - I was a Canon owner before in 35mm days.

 

[megroot]

Anders,

What i have bought isn't in the states i think. Mine is from a great supermarket and has 5,2 MP and all the featurus that are in the camera's you mentioned.
I paid $ 235,- two years ago. With 128 Mb card, charger for the chargerbel battery's that are included.
I get also cable's for connection to the 230 V housenet so i can take picture's without battery's, software, connection cable for the PC.

Instead of buying the expensive camera's i think you can also choose for a look at supermarket's advertise's.
I hope i make it clear.

Yes, i now the name from the camera: medion

Marc

 

[Anders Heintz]

Thanks for the replies so far guys, keep em comming!



Thanks Blake, I think l'll need a 5 mp or higher for high quality printed pics.


Rob,

Im happy with the one I have, but its frustrating when you cant see what you take pics of, fortunately I took a couple 1000's pics before it broke about 2 years ago (never put a digital camera unprotected in a saddle back while working on a ranch..duuuuh), so I know pretty much how to use it. Besides, its not good enough for High quality prints.

Im mainly going to use it for modeling as I have a pretty decent Canon Rebel G 35mm camera to use for other things.

What exactly is RAW format? Compact Flash Card? I dont know what most of the things you stated are as I know very little about it.

Im kinda leaning towards the Sony or the Nikon, I have had great experience with the Sony I have now so that definately helps.

Marc,

Thanks! Once I decide on a camera I will shop around for best deal, eBay looks pretty good!

 

[Calvin]

Anders,
I have a Pentax Optio S50 and I'm very satisfied with it. About its macro features, here is an example taken on the Konnov's Samurai from Pegaso (consider that the figure is under the 54mm). The PC interface is really advanced, you can use it even without the vendor software, it is recognized as an hard disk. The camera can grab video, audio, etc.
Nikon Coolpix too are not so bad, but most of them have mechanical troubles, as reported by a friend of mine (the owner of a big store).
Luca

 

[Kandor8]

Hi Anders,
I am a former professional photographer (weddings mostly, which is why I say "former" - nerves are shot) and have used a multitude of film cameras - Nikon, Mamiya, Hasselblad, Canon, Pentax, Fujica, etc., etc.. My current line up consists of a Nikon FM and a FM2 film format. I have been doing extensive research on digital SLR cameras. SLR because what you see is what you get and you can change lenses. I have decided on a Nikon D50 it ain't cheap $599 - $699 depending on the package you choose. It is a 6.1 mp. Nikon lenses are tops and the versatility this system is awsome. I AM biased - I've been a Nikon man for over 30 years but I have checked canon, Fuji, Kodak, Sony, and others but the D50 rocks. Check out www.bhphotovideo.com. They're a very dependable mail order venue out of NYC - they've always done me right for the past 27 years.
Good luck!
Ric

 

[Augie]

Hi Anders,

If your are looking to get "high quality" prints, then it's definitely time to move on. On the other hand, if most of your applications will be computer-based and centered around modelling, then you might want to give these folks a try:

http://www.avrepair.com/

I love my Mavica FD-90--it has proven itself to be a reliable and consistent companion. About a year ago, the disk drive gave-up the ghost, and I was at the crossroads: get a new camera or repair the old. As there was nothing "wrong" per se with the trusty Sony, and it was a tool I knew inside and out (not to mention the fact very few of the current offerings provided affordable alternatives), I decided to go the repair route.

The folks at AV Repair are extremely professional, competent, and responsive to your needs and queries. I recommend them highly. Less than 10 day turnaround (including thorough cleaning and inspection of the camera), and the FD-90 was as good as new!

Whether or not you consider extending the life of your Mavica worth the money, is, of course, a personal decision. The total repair costs for me represented less than 1/3 of the price tag of the targeted replacement, so in my case it was worth it. If I can get another five years and thousands of shots off the ol' FD-90, it will have more than paid for itself!

A~
El Passo Honroso

 

[RobH]

Anders

RAW format is a format like JPEG, TIFF etc but it's basically considered a rough equivelent to the 35mm equivelent of the latent negative - it's got all the information stored before the camera does any in-camera processing. You can basically change White Balance, various exposure settings and have great control over the image before you convert it to jpeg. It's like the raw negative before it's developed as a negative in 35mm photography. It's something for the photographer in you - gives you heaps more control - you never know where it might take you

Compact Flash is the storage device. There's a number on the market and the CF card is one of the most common - it's bigger than others but as such is more solid if you find yourself swapping cards. I think they go up to 8MB storage. If you already have a card that's different it may be worth considering being able to use that in any future camera.

You're right to go to 5mp - if you ever want stuff published then higher res is the way to go, but then Augie makes a good point if you want to keep using it solely for online.

As Ric says the DSLRs are good - you have a 35mm SLR so you know that anyway. I believe Chris Mrosko has a Digital Rebel. The D Rebel has been replaced by the Digital Rebel XT, so it may be possible to find D Rebels at a cheaper price - you get the body and your existing canon lenses can still be used! An idea!
The Nikon D50 and the D70s are new cameras, so the D70 may also be available cheaper - Marcus nicholls of Tamiya Magazine uses a D70, and gets stonking pics from it.

 

[Anders Heintz]

Excellent stuff guys!

Luca,

Man thats some close up of that 54mm! How many mpix is that one?

Ric,

I bet that is a streneous job for sure!! Specially after watching snips of that show Bridezillas!


Augie,

I am very happy with the FD-92, superb for online use. However, the reason Im moving up is becaue I need to have good enough pics to publish. I am sure I will still use the FD-92 for online use. I may still repair it, thanks a ton for the link!

Rob,

Thanks for clearing up!! Seams like you know a little about this stuff! I would say that I really dont need a digital SLR, although they are very nice, they are out of the price range.

The Sony will take the memory card that I currently have, so thats definately a plus. Although I dont think that I will need to have extra memory cards as 99% of its use will be related to modeling. Maybe the occasional show coverage and reference shots where it would come in handy.

 

[RobH]

Well as I say Anders, the DSLR Digital Rebel body (6.3mp) will take your 35mm SLR lens, and the body only is available for under $300 on ebay - who knows if you shop around, so the DSLR option maybe not so expensive as you think.

The memory card may not be a big issue as they're fairly cheap these days.

Yeah, been reading up on digital photography quite a lot over the last couple of years - agonized over moving up to DSLR territory so needed to get aquainted!! :lol:

OK. Gonna do something silly now - a crop of a 28mm miniature really exposing myself - this is straight from the camera; Don't try this at home!! (when I get a dedicated macro lens, then we'll be in business!)

 

[Calvin]

Anders, it's just a 5 megapixels, but consider that Pentax was and is one of the better manufacturer for optical lens.
There are very cheap cameras on the market, with even more megapixels, but the quality of the lens is a decisive factor.

 

[Anders Heintz]

Dang Rob! Thats even more of a serious closeup!! Hard to imagine that thing is only 28mm fig!! Awesome paint job btw!

Do you have magnification filters on your lens now? I think I got one of those kits with 3 different magnifications somewhere in my camerabag.

I will look into the dslr bodies and see what I can come up with.

Hola Luca!

Thanks! Yeah, the lens is definately a deciding factor.

 

[renarts]

Hey Anders,
I use a Sony Mavica 1000 and a Cannon EOS20D
I'm very happy with both and they are both worth every penny. The EOS20D I use mainly for work. And with the lenses available for SLR, you'll be much happier in the long run. The Mavica is still a nice and versatile camera and something I use if I'm worried about the safety of the Cannon. It has a great macro feature and has done some really nice close up work. Stores to either a memory stick or mini cd.

Mike

 

[Anders Heintz]

Thanks for all the replies and help guys! I have opted for the Nikon CoolPix and got a good deal on one for $227. Thanks again for your help and advice!