Friday, September 30, 2005

The Magic Box

Planning to buy a digital camera.
Any suggestions / recommendations?

14 comments:

yesbob said...

canon !!

shuchika said...

sorry to butt in but have ben reading your posts ever since priya forwarded the link.

sony is the best. pls take 5x. i just bought one. i think it is awesome.

Pranav said...

Depends really on your budget and interest in photography...if its below 20k, go for a Canon Powershot S2IS/KodakDX7590/Nikon Coolpix7900. Do get something above 4MP resolution and greater than 5x optical zoom - the Canon powershot S2IS is the best bet anyday if you can get someone to bring it in for you from the US.
If above 20k, get a Nikon coolpix 8800/Canon EOS2D or NikonD70/D50.

Go this site for help: www.imaging-resource.com

shakester said...

all about the budget baby yeah!
just got a nion coolpix P2, after wanting to buy the Canon A95 for a long time- it is a great camera and has uniformly outstanding reviews. They've come out with a new Canon, the A610 which replaces the A95, a few better features but same (or less?) price. All these are 5mp. That should be enough in terms of resolution.
did some research, so mail me if you have a shortlist!
:)

maverick said...

i got a canon Powershot SD300 (known as the Ixus in some places too) on my last trip to toronto. In US it shud be sub $400. Its a 4mp. No point going for a 5mp unless you have a higher optical zoom (very few give you that). And unless you are out shooting butterflies and you want to use it for ure trips, this one works like a charm (gives you manual override too unlike the SD400 - 5mp). The important thing is find a deal where they throw you a 256/512mb SD card for cheap if not less. Then you are good to go (as you do not have to buy a seperate charger for this or a dock or anything)!

http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=ModelDetailAct&fcategoryid=145&modelid=10599

Progga said...

Thank you, people. Shows that I shouldn't ask questions without doing some basic research - I'm having trouble de-coding what you guys are saying now.
Maverick, why 5 mp no good without higher zoom? What's an SD card?
Budget not higher than 20K, I think. No, I'm sure. Not planning to go after elusive wildlife, but good resolution important. Scenery will def be a part of my ouvre, so to speak, as will people and monuments and stuff.

J. Alfred Prufrock said...

Buy it when you're next in the USA.

I posted about my camera about a month ago. Nikon S8700 with a high-speed 1GB memory card, $570 with shipping but no bag. High-resolution (8 mega-pixel) high zoom (8x, or about 28-280). Down-side - slow in low-light situations untill you work out the settings, which takes some time.

The Nikon D70 is a classic, perhaps better than the 8800. Solid stuff, though it's slightly lower res. Or you could go for the new Sony Coolpix which has 5MP, 4x zoom, costs about $500 and fits in a shirt pocket (memory card extra).

J.A.P.

maverick said...

http://www.answers.com/topic/secure-digital-card
http://www.photoxels.com/article-optical-digital-zoom.html

The above should answer a few of your questions. SD is good as its faster and you can use it in most electronic stuff like PDAs/laptops/cameras etc. Plus it has the lock thingy like the floppy drive so you don't accidently over-write it. The other thing you should keep in mind is that you never never pick up a digicam which uses pencil batteries of any kind. They are just a waste of money (on a regular basis) and you would then have to buy a dock to charge (they usually sell that seperately). The canon powershot SD/Ixus series does away with those (no additional payments except a higher memory card, default is 16mb) and also gives you minimal buttons to operate. I suggest after you make a shortlist, go and try out those cameras and then finalise. R&D on the net is just the start. Plus theres the paisa issue. So.

shakester said...

you buying it in india or the USA?
you need to figure out if you want a point & shoot ( I doubt it?) or one with more manual controls or a bloody digital SLR!
technically you need 5MP only if you are going to do lots of cropping or lots of blow ups, but less and less 4MPcameras are offering the same features that 5MPs are, and at comparable prices, so...

Anonymous said...

For a point and shoot low end range Sony and Panasonic are good. Panasonic has a Lumix lens even on a low end camera. However, with prices of Digital SLR cameras falling through the floor, they are totally worth it. Quality of picture is uncomparable.

Pranav said...

PS - two of my friends bought the Canon S2IS and they're extremely happy - it gives you just the right resolution, the best Optical zoom and very nice Non-SLR options - taking GREAT pics from it is a scam - you jsut have to stand behind it and click. It sounds within your budget too.
I have the Nikon Coolpix8700 - I got it only to use for professional shoots and I didnt want a fully SLR thing. Sub 20k is a big market and the Canon S2IS is definitely the best - do check out the link I gave you. Also, buy your memory cards from India - they are MUCH cheaper here in the grey market. Best if you get someone coming in from the US to bring in the camera (I got mine at a differential of about 13k) and buy memory cards from a bombay store like www.jjmehta.com

and yeah..you need to do a motherload of research coz the choice is mindboggling.

yesbob said...

wilt thou not poste vntyl thy newe camerae is bought ?

yesbob said...

we requesteth,neigh,insisteth that thou posteth

Progga said...

yesbob, since when did you start whinnying?
Thanks, alls, for the muchos informations you have left here. I have been shamelessly lazy about checking out the links, but am about to begin. You will all be questioned in turn. You will be tortured for information. You will be sorry you ever heard of this blog.
But you will respond, I hope. Until then...