thinkin Digital

[flexjay87]

wanting to buy a digtal camera but i know little about them, any help would be appreciated. starting with , what can the the movie mode do? are we talkin camcorder type abilities, or is it just playback on the camera that you can view. would this feature allow me to down load onto computer and then burn onto a dvd? any laymen explanations of features would be good for me so i can decide what to buy. my current camcorder is broke and i have the old 35mm camera as a sidekick, would like to combine features without spending a fortune.

 

[againstherwill]

It depends on the camera. Usually the movie mode can record as much as the memory you have. Video requires a lot of it. For instance a 3.3 MP with a 128 card will take varing amounts of vid depending on the resolution. The lower the res the longer the vid and visa versa. Some mfg put limits so that you will buy their Digital cam-corders so you get limited to 15 to 20 seconds. Olympus and Cannon seem to be the best from my experience. but new stuff comes out all the time. Buy a cheap 3.0 or higher and then get used to it. when time and $$ allow get another one with the bells the cheap one didn't have.

 

[BrettM]

the video on any primarily digital camera will suck on a 20+ inch screen, not worth burning on a DVD. the stills on any primarily digital camcorder will suck. Samsung is the only company making a hybrid with 2 lenses, but I wouldn't buy it. Get a Canon A510 for a great basic point and shoot, and a Sony HC-21 for a great basic digital camcorder.

 

[flexjay87]

thanks for the info guys, seems i need to replace my camcorder with another and buy a seperate digital camera for stills and computer use.

 

[vwkaferman]

I too recommend Canon. I love 'em. I shoot with a D60 SLR, and a A60 for my portable one.

Check out the Canon A75 or A80. Great Cameras, Video + Audio it "ok", not exceptional. They're almost small enough to fit in your pocket, and I've taken mine camping, 4 wheeling, etc..

One thing you want to watch out for is the "Zoom" capability. A lot of Digital Camera company's brag about how much Zoom their Cameras have, but a lot of the time, it's Digital Zoom, which is no good. You want as much Optical Zoom as you can get. Let the lense do the work, not the CMOS sensor. Basically, with digital zoom, look at any picture online. Using a program such as Photoshop, zoom in on the picture. Notice it gets more and more pixelated? That's what's going to happen with Digital zoom, your pics will be more and more pixelated the further you zoom in.

Personally, for an awesome camera that allows you to grow into it, the most bang for the buck camera is the Canon EOS Digital. I've seen prices dip into the $800's. It's SLR (Single Lense Reflex), which allows you to use nearly any Canon lense, ranging from 14mm fisheye, to over 400mm Zoom. Then you'll discover the beauty of their L series lense, and we're talking camera equipment that will rival your Jeep in price!

Good luck!

James

 

[BruteXJ]

VWKaferman, you're definitely on the right track. I'm an aspiring semi-professional photographer, and I've sold more prints from my Canon A-80 point & shoot than I have from my manual Nikon SLRs. The A-80 (4.0 MP) can be had for under $400.00 these days and is a very capable and easy to use camera. Even with the full manual control, I still use the auto more often than not.

I'll put it this way: I've sold prints at galleries that I made with this little camera, and my child can use it too.

 

[vwkaferman]

Brute, took the opertunity to check out your site, nice!

Yeah I'm an aspiring semi-pro as well, and have done WAY too many free shoots. Did a wedding with both Digital and Film (Nikon N90s), Many car shows, informal events, all for hardly any thanks. It's kind've disconcerning IMO.

Oh well, the beauty of Photography is that it makes you someone. In 200 years, NONE of us are going to matter, but a photo I took in 1998 might spark interest, and someone might say "Who was that guy?"

Great hobby though!

James

 

[BrettM]

If you consider yourself an aspiring semi-pro, pick up a DSLR like the D70 or 350D. hands down the only way to go for someone serious about photography.

 

[BruteXJ]

If you consider yourself an aspiring semi-pro, pick up a DSLR like the D70 or 350D. hands down the only way to go for someone serious about photography.

I fully agree. I'm saving for one now and it's taking every iota of my self-control not to spend it on XJ parts.

VWKaferman, thanks for the complement. I went down that road of giving away free shoots in the interest of "getting my name out there", and it came to almost nothing. When you don't charge, most people won't take you seriously, and a lot of people will flat out abuse you. I've adjusted my sales technique to agreeing to come out and shoot for barely above cost, and then making the money on prints and matting/framing. You can save money and net a decent profit with a bit of resourcefulness. Craft store mattes and Wal-Mart frames look great when done right. Having a friend working off a student loan at a commercial photo and production outfit doesn't hurt either! Anyhoo, keep shooting!

Er, sorry if I've hijacked!

 

[Yucca-Man]

Go to www.dpreview.com and filter through the options you want - read some of the reviews once you've narrowed it down a bit.

 

[Root Moose]

Movie: Canon Optura 20 (EOL'ed?)

Still: Canon Digi Rebel 350

Really happy wth both of them.

r@m

 

[Dirk Pitt]

Go D2x or go home.

 

[ECKSJAY]

Go D2x or go home.

Can I borrow your credit card?

Brute, you have a hard time not spending the $$ on Jeep parts...just do what I did. I bought the camera and the photos I sell now pay for Jeep parts.

I fully concur with keeping the photography and video apart. One or the other for the device. I've had a D70 now for 6 months and it has REALLY opened my photography world. I can shoot at the park a block from my house, come home, and print a 'contact sheet' not 10 minutes after I shot my last photo. I literally have over two thousand images of my daughter taken since I purchased the camera.

One thing to keep in mind when looking at these cameras is that the higher end digitals will use fullsize image processors, whereas the cheaper ones might use a 2 megapixel processor for a 4 or 6 megapixel camera. Manufacturers use programs to make the images 'larger' by filling in ('guessing') information between actual pixels. This results in images that blow up and print 'ok', but lose quality quickly. Others tout their 'thin' cameras, but beware...those use an image processor turned sideways and an array of prisms and lenses to get the light to the sensor. Every bend in the light diminishes quality, however slight. If you're not a stickler then you can get pretty much any camera you want. If not, then bear these thoughts in mind when looking. As suggested, http://www.dpreview.com/ is a wonderful, critical review site.