Which Digital Camera

[Principle]

Im not sure to go for a standard digital camera or a Digital SLR Camera
but id really like to hear some feed back about the best in the range what you would recommend.
Would be for taking pictures of horses/dogs/countryside stuff
then also for club events ie lazer beams etc so any feed back would be greatfully recieved.

 

[Detroit City]

just go with a Sony standard digital...they are pretty good. you really want a smaller one so you can carry it about easily. Something in the 7 to 8mp range.

 

[editor]

Budget?

 

[Detroit City]

The Sony - Cyber-shot 7.2MP Digital Camera Model DSC-W55 is pretty good and has a 2.5" screen. The bigger screen is impt.

Over here its around $170 or so, on sale.

I have a 2 year old model of this same one but its only 5.1MP....but it takes great pics and is easy to use and very reliable.

 

[editor]

If you're doing low light club events, you're really going to need a SLR/dSLR.

 

[Principle]

Budget probably up to £500 but would go slightly higher for a good camera like. So editor what ones do you recommed then? Alot of people have said to be about fuiji or something like that?
Also do the cameras come with a memory card/stick or do you generally need to buy one?

 

[editor]

Budget probably up to £500 but would go slightly higher for a good camera like. So editor what ones do you recommed then? Alot of people have said to be about fuiji or something like that?
Also do the cameras come with a memory card/stick or do you generally need to buy one?

For fast, low light shots, you really want a dSLR/SLR. The Nikon D40dx is a fine camera within your budget as are the Canon cameras around that range.

You usually have to buy a memory card but they're as cheap as chips these days. All new cameras will connect to your PC via a USB connection, although a card reader (also cheap) can be speedier.

 

[Detroit City]

All new cameras will connect to your PC via a USB connection, although a card reader (also cheap) can be speedier.

the memory card transfer is much much faster

to the OP, if 500 quid is your budget then you have many choices. i thought you just wanted it for casual use

 

[Firky]

Echo what editor said, if you're paying £500 then I'd take a look at a Nikon D50, D40x or even a D70s, all of which are excellent cameras. My biggest gripe with the D40x is although that is has a faster AF than the Canon 350, Sony Alpha A100 and Olympus E-500 is it is only a three point AF system. If you want more than 3 points of focus then I'd take a look at the D50, or D70s both of which are older cameras.

There is of course the mighty D80 which is one of the best cameras on the market but it is over £500. However what you get for your money is light years ahead of what Canon et al are offering for the same price. You can get a D80 for about £650 and in my opinion would be worth spending the extra money on.

http://www.nikon-d80.com/
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/nikon/d80-review/

Nikons are built like Russian tanks too, you can hammer nails with them.

There's always the Canon 400D - not really my choice of a camera but its a good camera, I mainly dont like them because they feel very plasticy and brittle.

 

[Principle]

What about the Fuiji range the finepix s95000 or the s8000fd or others amungst that rage or is canon and nikon better cameras in general that the fuji?

 

[editor]

The Fuji cameras are pretty good, but they're not as versatile as a dSLR, nor can they match low light/sports performance.

 

[Principle]

So none of the fugi range are dslr?

 

[Firky]

I had a Fuji before I owned my Nikon, very good cameras and they use(d) excellent glass in the lens, which is more important than the size of megapix. They're good but you'd find yourself wanting a dSLR because they give you a taste for it.

You say you're going to be using it for clubs and events, then I'd go for a dSLR. Largely because they're great in low light and because they have a hot shoe, the SB-800 flash is awesome - even three years after it was launched. It might be worth thinking about getting one down the road..

 

[Firky]

So none of the fugi range are dslr?

Not the ones you listed, they're high end compacts trying to be dslrs. They do a dSLR that is based on the Nikons IIRC, S5 pro. Probably about £700 or £800 and it isn't as good as the Nikons or Canons.

 

[Principle]

Okay cheers What about just your normal digital cameras that are gud quality also as now continplating getting 1 of each!
and what fugi ones are dslr?

 

[Firky]

The only Fuji dslr is the S5. If you're looking at compacts then I'd look at the Ricoh range www.ricoh.co.uk

I'd really go to Jessops and have a play with the Nikon's and see what you think and don't listen to what they have to say, more often than not they talk out of their arse in Jessops to push you into a sale.

 

[Dubversion]

Our camera has died - they do get a battering, and the Glastonbury mud didn't help.

So on a vaguely related note, I want a fairly simple digital camera but would like to be able to take better club shots, like at PROD, in low light. So what's the cheapest I could realistically pay to get a decent Dslr?

 

[Principle]

Okay thank you for your help by the way.........Its oh so confusing

 

[Firky]

Our camera has died - they do get a battering, and the Glastonbury mud didn't help.

So on a vaguely related note, I want a fairly simple digital camera but would like to be able to take better club shots, like at PROD, in low light. So what's the cheapest I could realistically pay to get a decent Dslr?

You could but a Nikon D40 for about £250 for the body only and pick up a sigma 18-50mm lens for about £30 second hand (nice and wide so you can get everyone in). If you're lucky and the insurance company will pay out for a lens too, you can have my old Sigma lens.

I'd reckon you'd be able to get a new D40 and lens for about £320 - 50 if you shop around.

The camera in the mud thing was funny, you stupid git. You kept turning up too, like a bad coin. "shit, been rumbled"

 

[Dubversion]

You could but a Nikon D40 for about £250 for the body only and pick up a sigma 18-50mm lens for about £30 second hand (nice and wide so you can get everyone in). If you're lucky and the insurance company will pay out for a lens too, you can have my old Sigma lens.

I'd reckon you'd be able to get a new D40 and lens for about £320 - 50 if you shop around.

well I might get my friend in Hong Kong to pick me one up and bring it back at Xmas - presumably no problems in doing that?

The camera in the mud thing was funny, you stupid git. You kept turning up too, like a bad coin. "shit, been rumbled"

well if you're going to come with my mate into a backstage area where i'm playing, using a pass i've sorted, it's kind of inevitable

dumbass

 

[Firky]

I would have thought there was no problems, my brother often goes to NYC to get Christmas shopping (twat) and hasn't had a problem yet. If you look on ebay you'll see people who ship them in from Hong Kong for you.

True but I never expected Crustychick to have a mate who is also a mate of yours, then bump into you all the bloody time.

 

[Dubversion]

it was quite sweet - you did look mortified. every time

 

[Dubversion]

so this is good then?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Nikon-D40-D...cs&qid=1194188506&sr=8-1#moreAboutThisProduct

£299 with the lens you mention?

 

[Firky]

I was mortified haha

That's a very good deal, probably be hard pushed to find a better deal. The D40 is tiny too (as far as dSLRs go) so won't feel like you're lugging a brick around. Flickr is always a good place to look for sample pics:

http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=Nikon+D40&m=tags

That's a better lens than the Sigma.

You can get £30 cash back here:

http://www.warehouseexpress.com/?/photo/NikonCashback.html

 

[Blagsta]

Our camera has died - they do get a battering, and the Glastonbury mud didn't help.

So on a vaguely related note, I want a fairly simple digital camera but would like to be able to take better club shots, like at PROD, in low light. So what's the cheapest I could realistically pay to get a decent Dslr?

I got a Nikon D40 plus 18 - 55mm kit lens for £275 off ebay, brand new.

 

[lobster]

Nikons are built like Russian tanks too, you can hammer nails with them.

Only the D2s and D3 have a really good solid body, d200/d300 have a pretty good body, anything below feels like cheap plastic.

I have a D80 , apart from the ability to use all AF lenses, its the D40x ,maybe with slightly stronger plastic and more buttons.

The D200/D300 is often called the working man's D2/D3.

 

[Blagsta]

I dunno, my D40 feels a lot more solid than any other digital camera I've ever had.

 

[HarryinOz]

Sorry if this has already been mentioned ('cause I didn't read all the replies )

BUT, these are the things I looked at when buying my camera ...

a) image stabiliser - excellent if you are going to be taking pics using a long zoom or without a tripod (it used to come with only the more expensive Digital cameras, but now even the cheaper models have it)

b) Optical Zoom - Digital zoom means bugger all, you can get just as good digital zoom using photoshop, but optical zoom will help you get those long shots at the footy etc.

c) quality lens ... the Digi. Camera I bought came with Zeiss lens. Remember it doesn't ,matter how many bells and whistles your camera comes with, if it hasn't got a decent quality lens you will not get as good pics as with quality lenses.

d) metal frame

e) movie with sound

I'm no expert and the info above is just what I looked at so it may not be as important or as accurate as it should be. They are just the things I looked at when buying mine.


I ended up buying a Kodak z 700 for a $199 Au. which I'm really happy with. It has options for as simple as you can possibly get to all manual settings.

The only thing that mine didn't come with is an Image Stabiliser (which is why I put that up the top!) I wish I had got a camera with it ,but at the time it was only the more expensive cameras that come with it.

http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html
This is a really good website to get information, prices and compare cameras (it's also a British site) I cannot express how much help this website was. I still use it just to help me with using my camera)

 

[Pie 1]

I dunno, my D40 feels a lot more solid than any other digital camera I've ever had.

Believe me it's not (in terms of what Nikon used to produce).
Compared with film Nikons - like my old F4, even the D2's & 3's are a little on the flimsy side

 

[Firky]

No it isn't as solid as the D2's and the old F4 is a solid lump of hardened granite but the dSLRs of Nikon are far tougher than anything I have seen Canon, Sony et al do (Sony used to be make everything bomb proof but then they made everything have a five year life, from TV's to VCRs)