I recently had my older canon sd400 die on me and I am ready to get a new camera.. There are just so many options out there and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for a nice little camera that is $500 or less.
Thanks very much and I look forward for your replies!
mdler,
my friend has that exact camera and she is always telling me to get one.. a little too big and expensive for me.. but a great camera nevertheless...
thanks for the reply
Depends if you are going point and shoot or DSLR and what your final intended output is going to be.
I have a Nikon D50 for DSLR and a Canon SD450 for PnS. You had the SD400, so you can imagine the 450 is just a slight upgrade. I think the SD series is great. Most (at least in my experience) recommend Canons in the PnS category, but I don't like Canon DSLRs.
to those recommending nikons
i was thinking of gettin the nikon d80...mostly so that i can shoot
with the potential of making large prints..graffiti work..etc.
do you guys think i can get away with a d50 or 40? or just go with
my gut and get the better camera?
i already have three other film nikons that i love...
If you're looking for a PnS, I got a Panasonic Lumix for Christmas. It's 6MP, has a Leica wide angle lense, and image stabilization (anti-shake) for indoor/low light stuff, and loads of other features for less than $300. The Canon PnS cameras don't have image stabilization features until you get in the +$300 range...
d40 is $600 for kit with 18-55mm lens...spend the extra $100 and get the camera. You could spend less, but the d40 is the best bang for the buck.
My mother just got one this past Christmas. It is smaller that the other Nikons (d50, d80, d70..), but the design is actually quite confortable. Ironically, the LCD screen is much bigger than the above mentioned nikons. The CCD is 6.1mp, so enlarging pictures should not be a problem. Unless you are shooting for National Geographic or Sports Illustrated, this camera should be fine
larslarson, if you have other nikons, I would suggest this camera (with lens interchangability and all)
The d70 is a good camera as well, but twice as expensive as d40. Havent tried d50 yet, but is recieved great reviews as Nikon's entry level model (before d40)
I would go to Nikon's website or a camera shop and compare models..at the end of the day it just depends on what extra features you want (depth of field preview, metering options, etc...)
I have the D50 and love it. Like I ranted in the iPhone thread. The CCD in the D50 and D70 is the same. The D70 has a more accurate meter, and some other pro features. But the D50 is a wicked solid little brotha. I've been more than happy with it. I bought body only ($550). You can use film lenses on the DSLR (multiply the film lens mm by 1.5 to see what it would be on the DSLR, i.e. a 50mm film lens on a Nikon DSLR would act like a 75mm lens, this is why the DX lenses are like 17mm, because that is = to 26mm). You can't use DX lenses on film, because you get weird vignetteing. But, the lenses that they include in the kits are usually pretty cheap. I got a kickass Tamron 17-200mm (equ. 26-300mm) for $400 and have gotten great results. I got sweet rebates and stuff when I bought my camera, so it was actually slightly less. I just read that the D40 doesn't have autofocus unless the lens has its own servos.
D80 is what, $400 more than a D50? With the D50 you should be able to get a 13x20 print at 150DPI. The D80 should get you a 17X25 at 150DPI. You can always make it bigger, because when an image gets huge, you stand far away anyway, like a billboard.
I love my D50 big time. That said, I wouldn't give up my PnS either. I don't carry my DSLR with me unless I'm going out to shoot. It's too big. But I always have my PnS and have captured some incredible sunsets, goofy people etc that I would never have had if I didn't carry the PnS.
i have a canon 350D (digital slr) and a pentax optio5i (pns) and i have to say although the pentax is small enough to fit in my pocket, and into parts of models i make, the slr is soo much better. i will never buy a pns again. slr's are faster, better, and stronger. the only thing better about a pns is size, and perhaps cost.
good luck with your choice. oh, and don't forget to take test shots with various cameras in the store to get a feel for quality and comfort.
thank you all very much... i want to go for the pns option simply because i do a lot of travelling and also want the ability to take it out with me... I found a canon sd900 on ebay for around $400 and it comes with a few un-needed goodies but most importantly a 1gig card... hard not to get that deal. I go scuba divnig a lot and you can get a nice underwater housing for around $150 which is not bad either... decision decisions...
thanks again!
jonathan
If you can only afford one camera, it should be a PnS. When I think back on all the most breathtaking photos I've taken over the course of my life, the majority were taken on small PnS's, in some cases entirely by accident. I've surely missed my share of potentially great shots when I left the SLR home and didn't have the wide angle or telephoto capabilities, but I would have missed many many more equally great shots if I hadn't had a PnS when I didn't feel like lugging an SLR (which in my case is just about anytime I travel abroad).
Even if the best thing you can get your hands on is just a disposable camera, I've found that increasing the sheer quantity of photos you take tends to pay better dividends than increasing the quality of the equipment you're using to take them. Composition, subject, lighting, settings, etc. are all important but there's also just a certain intangible luck factor. You're more likely to luck into a great photo if you're taking 300 shots a day with a cheapo camera than you are if you're taking 3 shots a day with a $6k camera. You're also more likely to teach yourself a thing or two about photography along the way.
You can't go wrong with any of the Canon Elph pns. You really can't. The only thing that drives me nuts is the shake--so if there was one that came with whatever that anti-shake thingy is, man, that'd be golden. The light meter on the Canons seems to be wonky to me--it always wants to throw it's super-strong flash on everything, and if you turn the flash off and increase the exposure time, you get a shaky picture. Unless you're me and you've developed a whole complicated methodology of getting mostly blur-free photos... but this is a problem that is difficult to overcome. My sd200 is almost 4 years old now. They might have fixed the light meter / shake problem by now.
Nevertheless, it is small, has great battery life, fits in my cell-phone pocket on my travel bag so I can whip it out on crowded trains with zero difficulty, has no lag time, has great fake-manual features, and best of all, takes BEAUTIFUL pictures. Like some people have said above, some of my best shots have come from this little beaut. Have worked with many different brands before and I can only say that the color and picture quality are consistently better with the Canon series, as well as ease of use.
Also a huge fan of my Elph (SD450). I just take it everywhere. I haven't had major shake issues knowing that you are almost guaranteed to get shake below 1/60 or 1/45 if you are really steady. It's just a fact of life. I mean damn, if you are using a 200mm lens you will likely get shake at anything slower than 1/400 sec. If i expect shake, i just rest the camera on something or lean my body one something and it usually takes care of the problem.
This picture was taken with my SD450 by resting it on a bridge. If I only had the D50, this photo would not exist because I was going home from work and would in no way have the Nikon with me. So same suggestion, if you only get one camera, get a solid, feature rich PnS. My friend has one of the larger "sub DSLR/pro cameras" or whatever you call them and regrets the purchase. He said it's too big to carry around, but doesn't have the features of the DSLR, so it gets zero use.
Sorry it's not an embedded image, I wanted to leave it a little larger for detail and glowing. By the way, I've gotten that printed in one of the Photoworks.com photobooks at 8.5x11 and it looks incredible. So it produces very good print quality.
I just got Samsung nv10 - its a great pns, 10mp, awesome interface, and good design, simple black matte alum body - not a whole lot of use yet, but am pleased so far
I'm with everyone on the Canon SD point'n'shoots. That is what I've always used. Back in the day, images from my old SD400 convinced a client to hire me for my first photo shoot, which paid enough that I was able to go out and purchase all the pro camera gear with which I have since gone on to earn a living. So I have major loyalty. <3
I was in a similar situation when my Nikon 6000 finally died. I decided that I would eventually want two cameras - one for pocket pns and eventually a D80. So I opted for a simple pns that doesn't cost too much (if I want to take superb pics, I'll go for the best and get a mid range DSLR)
So I second tbwells - look at the Samsung NV10. I'll admit I was sucked in by the good looks (best looking I've seen), but its pretty damn small a good value.
i want to share too--that's from my canon sd200, almost 4 years old, and took it last month while running! trusty baby.
In fact jonathanharper I'm frankly surprised that yours died. :( what finally happened to it, if I may ask? my gyroscope thingy has gone a bit wonky, so sometimes my pics come out sideways, but that's all, and I've banged it around all over the place so I'm happy there hasn't been any worse damage.
oh shit, that leica looks fucking cool, and they do indeed make some damn good lenses... nice, march. i'll have to find someplace that has it and check it out.
I just got a Canon SD800 and I am impressed so far, although no hard core usage yet. 7.1mp, 28mm - 110mm lense and image stabiliser etc.. Perfect for archi-shots. A 1gb card gets about 315 top quality pics. All good.
i really appriciate all the info.. i went out this evening and checked out a few in person... it is tempting to go for the Panasonic becuase of its use of the leica lens and its nice lines... although the trustworthiness of the canon's is so hard to beat...
myriam... when i press power the lens is unable to come out of the camera.. when i took it into the store to see what a repair would be the guy said about $200.. and i know the dude so he is not taking advantage. Its a real shame becuase it was a great camera.. but at the same time i am excited to get a new one.
its definitally an interesting topic.. there are just so many great products out there in a similar price range that it makes it very hard to make a decision... and i am the king of procrastination
thanks again everyone!
Jan 11, 07 10:59 pm ·
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about to buy a new digital camera... suggestions?
Hey everyone,
I recently had my older canon sd400 die on me and I am ready to get a new camera.. There are just so many options out there and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for a nice little camera that is $500 or less.
Thanks very much and I look forward for your replies!
Jonathan
nikon d40, hands down
mdler,
my friend has that exact camera and she is always telling me to get one.. a little too big and expensive for me.. but a great camera nevertheless...
thanks for the reply
digital SLR--canon XTi (this way you can use your old canon lenses)
digital pnt & shoot--canon powershots are nice, decent price too. i think i bought the A620 for my girlfriend last Christmas, great camera
Depends if you are going point and shoot or DSLR and what your final intended output is going to be.
I have a Nikon D50 for DSLR and a Canon SD450 for PnS. You had the SD400, so you can imagine the 450 is just a slight upgrade. I think the SD series is great. Most (at least in my experience) recommend Canons in the PnS category, but I don't like Canon DSLRs.
to those recommending nikons
i was thinking of gettin the nikon d80...mostly so that i can shoot
with the potential of making large prints..graffiti work..etc.
do you guys think i can get away with a d50 or 40? or just go with
my gut and get the better camera?
i already have three other film nikons that i love...
If you're looking for a PnS, I got a Panasonic Lumix for Christmas. It's 6MP, has a Leica wide angle lense, and image stabilization (anti-shake) for indoor/low light stuff, and loads of other features for less than $300. The Canon PnS cameras don't have image stabilization features until you get in the +$300 range...
Check out:
http://www.dpreview.com/
It's a great resource for researching all types of cameras...
d40 is $600 for kit with 18-55mm lens...spend the extra $100 and get the camera. You could spend less, but the d40 is the best bang for the buck.
My mother just got one this past Christmas. It is smaller that the other Nikons (d50, d80, d70..), but the design is actually quite confortable. Ironically, the LCD screen is much bigger than the above mentioned nikons. The CCD is 6.1mp, so enlarging pictures should not be a problem. Unless you are shooting for National Geographic or Sports Illustrated, this camera should be fine
larslarson, if you have other nikons, I would suggest this camera (with lens interchangability and all)
The d70 is a good camera as well, but twice as expensive as d40. Havent tried d50 yet, but is recieved great reviews as Nikon's entry level model (before d40)
I would go to Nikon's website or a camera shop and compare models..at the end of the day it just depends on what extra features you want (depth of field preview, metering options, etc...)
ziess lens are part of what makes up a great camera......don't stray!
sony r1.... i picked one up a few months ago.....nice
I have the D50 and love it. Like I ranted in the iPhone thread. The CCD in the D50 and D70 is the same. The D70 has a more accurate meter, and some other pro features. But the D50 is a wicked solid little brotha. I've been more than happy with it. I bought body only ($550). You can use film lenses on the DSLR (multiply the film lens mm by 1.5 to see what it would be on the DSLR, i.e. a 50mm film lens on a Nikon DSLR would act like a 75mm lens, this is why the DX lenses are like 17mm, because that is = to 26mm). You can't use DX lenses on film, because you get weird vignetteing. But, the lenses that they include in the kits are usually pretty cheap. I got a kickass Tamron 17-200mm (equ. 26-300mm) for $400 and have gotten great results. I got sweet rebates and stuff when I bought my camera, so it was actually slightly less. I just read that the D40 doesn't have autofocus unless the lens has its own servos.
D80 is what, $400 more than a D50? With the D50 you should be able to get a 13x20 print at 150DPI. The D80 should get you a 17X25 at 150DPI. You can always make it bigger, because when an image gets huge, you stand far away anyway, like a billboard.
I love my D50 big time. That said, I wouldn't give up my PnS either. I don't carry my DSLR with me unless I'm going out to shoot. It's too big. But I always have my PnS and have captured some incredible sunsets, goofy people etc that I would never have had if I didn't carry the PnS.
i have a canon 350D (digital slr) and a pentax optio5i (pns) and i have to say although the pentax is small enough to fit in my pocket, and into parts of models i make, the slr is soo much better. i will never buy a pns again. slr's are faster, better, and stronger. the only thing better about a pns is size, and perhaps cost.
good luck with your choice. oh, and don't forget to take test shots with various cameras in the store to get a feel for quality and comfort.
thank you all very much... i want to go for the pns option simply because i do a lot of travelling and also want the ability to take it out with me... I found a canon sd900 on ebay for around $400 and it comes with a few un-needed goodies but most importantly a 1gig card... hard not to get that deal. I go scuba divnig a lot and you can get a nice underwater housing for around $150 which is not bad either... decision decisions...
thanks again!
jonathan
Nikon Coolpix S10 - $400...i have a 995 which is the grandpa on the s10...the swivel head is a very nice tool to have in your photographic arsenal.
surprised noone has mentioned the Canon G7 yet?
10mp camera, smaller than any of the digital slr's on the market and under $600..
this is the camera pros use when they DON'T feel like hauling their digital SLR...
If you can only afford one camera, it should be a PnS. When I think back on all the most breathtaking photos I've taken over the course of my life, the majority were taken on small PnS's, in some cases entirely by accident. I've surely missed my share of potentially great shots when I left the SLR home and didn't have the wide angle or telephoto capabilities, but I would have missed many many more equally great shots if I hadn't had a PnS when I didn't feel like lugging an SLR (which in my case is just about anytime I travel abroad).
Even if the best thing you can get your hands on is just a disposable camera, I've found that increasing the sheer quantity of photos you take tends to pay better dividends than increasing the quality of the equipment you're using to take them. Composition, subject, lighting, settings, etc. are all important but there's also just a certain intangible luck factor. You're more likely to luck into a great photo if you're taking 300 shots a day with a cheapo camera than you are if you're taking 3 shots a day with a $6k camera. You're also more likely to teach yourself a thing or two about photography along the way.
You can't go wrong with any of the Canon Elph pns. You really can't. The only thing that drives me nuts is the shake--so if there was one that came with whatever that anti-shake thingy is, man, that'd be golden. The light meter on the Canons seems to be wonky to me--it always wants to throw it's super-strong flash on everything, and if you turn the flash off and increase the exposure time, you get a shaky picture. Unless you're me and you've developed a whole complicated methodology of getting mostly blur-free photos... but this is a problem that is difficult to overcome. My sd200 is almost 4 years old now. They might have fixed the light meter / shake problem by now.
Nevertheless, it is small, has great battery life, fits in my cell-phone pocket on my travel bag so I can whip it out on crowded trains with zero difficulty, has no lag time, has great fake-manual features, and best of all, takes BEAUTIFUL pictures. Like some people have said above, some of my best shots have come from this little beaut. Have worked with many different brands before and I can only say that the color and picture quality are consistently better with the Canon series, as well as ease of use.
Also a huge fan of my Elph (SD450). I just take it everywhere. I haven't had major shake issues knowing that you are almost guaranteed to get shake below 1/60 or 1/45 if you are really steady. It's just a fact of life. I mean damn, if you are using a 200mm lens you will likely get shake at anything slower than 1/400 sec. If i expect shake, i just rest the camera on something or lean my body one something and it usually takes care of the problem.
This picture was taken with my SD450 by resting it on a bridge. If I only had the D50, this photo would not exist because I was going home from work and would in no way have the Nikon with me. So same suggestion, if you only get one camera, get a solid, feature rich PnS. My friend has one of the larger "sub DSLR/pro cameras" or whatever you call them and regrets the purchase. He said it's too big to carry around, but doesn't have the features of the DSLR, so it gets zero use.
sunset
Sorry it's not an embedded image, I wanted to leave it a little larger for detail and glowing. By the way, I've gotten that printed in one of the Photoworks.com photobooks at 8.5x11 and it looks incredible. So it produces very good print quality.
I just got Samsung nv10 - its a great pns, 10mp, awesome interface, and good design, simple black matte alum body - not a whole lot of use yet, but am pleased so far
I'm with everyone on the Canon SD point'n'shoots. That is what I've always used. Back in the day, images from my old SD400 convinced a client to hire me for my first photo shoot, which paid enough that I was able to go out and purchase all the pro camera gear with which I have since gone on to earn a living. So I have major loyalty. <3
I was in a similar situation when my Nikon 6000 finally died. I decided that I would eventually want two cameras - one for pocket pns and eventually a D80. So I opted for a simple pns that doesn't cost too much (if I want to take superb pics, I'll go for the best and get a mid range DSLR)
So I second tbwells - look at the Samsung NV10. I'll admit I was sucked in by the good looks (best looking I've seen), but its pretty damn small a good value.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/samsungnv10/page8.asp
go with the best lens maker...i love it
http://www.leica-camera.us/photography/compact_cameras/c-lux_1/
that's an *awesome* pic, hasselhoff.
i want to share too--that's from my canon sd200, almost 4 years old, and took it last month while running! trusty baby.
In fact jonathanharper I'm frankly surprised that yours died. :( what finally happened to it, if I may ask? my gyroscope thingy has gone a bit wonky, so sometimes my pics come out sideways, but that's all, and I've banged it around all over the place so I'm happy there hasn't been any worse damage.
That's the one I wanted, but couldn't justify the extra $200
oh shit, that leica looks fucking cool, and they do indeed make some damn good lenses... nice, march. i'll have to find someplace that has it and check it out.
that Leica is the same camera as the Panasonic FX-01, which sells for about $200 less.
SD's baby WOOO. THey love the sunsets!
I just got a Canon SD800 and I am impressed so far, although no hard core usage yet. 7.1mp, 28mm - 110mm lense and image stabiliser etc.. Perfect for archi-shots. A 1gb card gets about 315 top quality pics. All good.
Hey all,
i really appriciate all the info.. i went out this evening and checked out a few in person... it is tempting to go for the Panasonic becuase of its use of the leica lens and its nice lines... although the trustworthiness of the canon's is so hard to beat...
myriam... when i press power the lens is unable to come out of the camera.. when i took it into the store to see what a repair would be the guy said about $200.. and i know the dude so he is not taking advantage. Its a real shame becuase it was a great camera.. but at the same time i am excited to get a new one.
its definitally an interesting topic.. there are just so many great products out there in a similar price range that it makes it very hard to make a decision... and i am the king of procrastination
thanks again everyone!
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