OT / recommendation for digi camera

[Ido]

hey fellas,
someone is going over to the US, and the family wants a good digital camera:

the needs are very basic:
3 mega pixel is enough, with a good lens & pic quality,
the best video feature possible: as good quality&resolution as possible, non-limited video memory (as much as to be had on the card),
long running time on batteries,
as fast as possible response after shooting a pic (that is, how fast you can shoot pics one after another),
RELIABILITY!
no need for wafer thin, ultra light bodies.

there are so many companies today, it doesn't have to be nikon/cannon/sony, right?
well, not just any company, but I reckon olympus/pentax/kodak (which I have and am pleased with) to name a few have good products, no?

thanks for any info,
I also have to see how warranties hold across seas.
Ido

[andrebrito]

I have a Canon S30 and it works splendidly, really easy to use.

I'm now thinking on buying a camcorder... probably a Panasonic GS 250

[andrebrito]

http://www.dpreview.com/

check this site :-)

I made my decision on buying the S30 reading the artcicles in it

[bert stoltenborg]

Hey Ido,

Fuji F10 or F11.
I have a f10.
more than 450 shots battery life, quality (resolution and lens)  is the benchmark for point & shooters (even those up to 8 mp), close to a canon xt 350 or nikon d70.  
And it can do iso 800 with less noise than other cams at 200 and 1600 with fairly usable quality. Nice for low light shots when you don't want to flash (and you never do, do you :-)). For capturing those beach parties and studio sessions. :-)
Excellent video capability (only no zoom while taping).

Well, you know how good the piccies are I send you now and then
 :mrgreen:  :mrgreen:

f10 is going to be stopped, so you should be able to pick one up for a fairly nice price.
I like that thingie.

[David French]

I second the Fuji F10 for all the reasons Bert mentioned.  Fuji S5200 if you want all of that with a killer zoom range and more manual control.  I should note that photography is a serious hobby of mine and I keep up on all the advances in camera technology... and I still recommend the Fuji.

[Bob]

I use the Canon PowerShot S500 Digital Elph
It's 5 megapixels, and fits in a shirt pocket. Works fine for me. You can see sample pictures on my website.
It is not a high end camera by any stretch of the imagination -- but it's really easy to use.
I use WindowsXP, so copying the files to my computer is as easy as plugging the USB cable in.
It had a good review on http://www.epinions.com/
It probably doesn't exist any more for sale, so the reason I'm posting is these two hints:
1) I have two battery packs, because the one in the camera is always running out the day I want to use it.
2) I upgraded the compactflash to 512MB so I can take as many pictures as I want. The compactflash that came with the camera limited me to about 12 pictures, which is useless at a party.

[jonessy]

Hey Ido,

I've worked a lot with the Fuji S5500.
Excellent camera for it's value (should be under 2kNIS in Israel).

It is an SLR 'lookalike' - so if you're not looking for 'fit-into-my-pocket' device, this would be my recommendation.


Jon.

[bert stoltenborg]

I have a S5100 (same as 5500) also.
Also a nice cam, but not with the low light capabilities of the F10, and it's a bit bulky. F10 is small&pocketable.

(Ido, don't worry, I don't have more camera's)

[Howler]

I use a Fuji S3000 (newer version is out now) and I also really like the optics. Best bang for the buck, plus it has a tripod screw mount. Amazing that some of the nice cams don't have that mount, and it's really important. I use a tripod for low light stuff and the color is still very good. I did a ton of research before I bought it.

sf

[Zaphod]

I own a casio exilim Z40.

It's very light and pocketable, but the photos are not always
good (the corner of the image are often blurry).
I must admit that it has taken a hit or two, so this may affect
the results.

[J.F.Oros]

Double post, sorry.

[J.F.Oros]

Hello everybody, did you miss me ?  :mrgreen:
I couldn't miss an OT subject, especially comming from buddy Ido, so here I am  :D  

I spent last week at the second edition of the Romanian Blues Festival, where my job was to record on multitrack the show for CD releasing. We did it also last year (me and my partner/owner of the equipment) and the results were great.
There were 9 bands from Romania, Serbia, Germany and USA, and the music was excellent, with both great solo performances and solid band evolutions. We had some problems with the low voltage on the stage (an old theater, with not so good power suply) and some hum/buzz on different channels because of that (probably), but the recorded material (about 100 GB, between 12 to 20 tracks @ 24b/44.1kHz) is OK.
The funny thing is that, even though the show (3 nights) was really exquisite, my greatest pleasure was when, between a soundcheck and the show begining, someone played on the PA the new album of TOTO, Falling in Between. Man, this album is awesome, I can't stop listening to it (sorry Bert, but i like Toto more than VH  :mrgreen: )

I took some pictures with the front console (but some guy blocked half of the picture  :evil: ) and with my view from behind of the scene where I was located with the recording gear, you can see them, which brings me to the topic of this of-topic thread :

I need a f@#$ing digi camera !!!, so I can stop making fool of myself by showing you these super-tiny-weeny-lo-fidelity thumbnails made on my phone camera    :bang

But I'm really limited on the buget, maximum 200 euros is what I can invest, so my first choice after some net research is this: Canon PowerShot A520.
Did any of you used it ?

[Ido]

fellas, thanks, this helps    :D .

Jon, do you think it's worth it to buy out of the country?
I was told that the warranty doesn't hold outside of where the device was bought,
and also, as you know, the prices here have gone down, so I'm starting to think that if the price difference isn't major, maybe I should buy here after all.

Flav, it's all very nice, but where are silver& black beauties?
it could be that cannon is more expensive than a comparable "less" name.
see what the fellas hear say on fuji.
I have a basic kodak which is fine, I'm real pleased with it gives per it's cost, and cost here under 200 E.

[jonessy]

Jon, do you think it's worth it to buy out of the country?
I was told that the warranty doesn't hold outside of where the device was bought,
and also, as you know, the prices here have gone down, so I'm starting to think that if the price difference isn't major, maybe I should buy here after all..

Even though over the past few years I've spent a lot of time out of the country, I still don't like to buy expensive electronics 'out there'.

This is mainly because of warranty.
You can get international warranty but you have to pay extra $$$.
Add that to customs (MECHES), and local tax payed @ the US... and it's simply not worth the trouble.

Take for example the Fuji S5200 (or 5500), in israel you can buy it for 1640 NIS here:
http://www.priceless.org.il/scripts/pro ... product=89

In NYC for example, B&H (which is considered fair prices) sells it for 325$ * 4.7 = 1527 NIS.
(tax & international warrantly NOT included).
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/control ... Navigation

This is not such a big difference, and in my opinion not worth the risk of buying something without warranty.

[andrebrito]

IDO,,

check the price of the Canon S30, 3 Megapixel but really nice camera (it's funny typing a little drunk Rofl )

[Ido]

thanks Jon,
Hey Andre, I know someone with an s-30, had it for 3 years now, very pleased too.

I'm thinking aloud here, finetuning my search:
The cam ain't for me, it's for family, so the requirements for still pics are basic:
they won't benefit from those special features, just need good basic resolution/lens, all the shooting will be full auto etc. etc.  (fuji I'm remembering for my next one).
what is important is the video: it should be the best possible video for a stills-cam.
By best I mean best quality/resolution (and fps? Is there a noticeable difference between 15 to 30 fps?), and that the video can take up as much memory as to be had.
So you'll say buy a digi-video, but no, the size and immediacy, and simplicity, are what counts (and there is no need for the all out video quality of the digi-videos).

So to rephrase, any ideas on what would be the best all around video that can be had on a camera?

Thanks again fellas,
Ido

[David French]

Again Fuji. Fuji is well-known for their great video modes.  With most Fuji cameras I have used, the F10 being no exception, you are only limited in recordable time by the size of your media.

There is a noticeable difference between 15 and 30 fps, but 15 still is fun to watch, subject matter aside.  :wink:

[bert stoltenborg]

Fuji has announced the F30, so you should be able to pick up the F10 or even f11 for a bargain these times.

[David French]

Man, I can't wait to see how wooly those ISO3200 shots are on that F30... With the same sensor as the F10 I can certianly imagine.

[bert stoltenborg]

Man, I can't wait to see how wooly those ISO3200 shots are on that F30... With the same sensor as the F10 I can certianly imagine.

Yeah, but did you ever see a pana FZ20 or 30 on 400 iso?
Or a casio?