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11/21/2006 08:38:23 AM · #1 |
I know this question has been posed by 100's of people throughout the history of this site, and I've been a member a long time,
but I need some advice from the community. I could search for other suggestions forums, but I don't know how outdated the info is.
Let me tell you a bit about myself. You can see from my profile that I've owned a few digital cameras before, and swear by the digital camera. But I know it's time for an upgrade, and my girlfriend has agreed to buy me a camera of my choosing (within reason) for Christmas.
My last 2 cameras have been Canon PowerShot's - I upgraded about a year and a half ago to the S410 and have been mostly happy
with it. But I know it's time to get something with more megapixels, and something that has a bit more of the features I need.
Below are some of my big selling points. I am not brand loyal to any one brand...
* I'd like to own something with a small to medium size frame (More ELPH size than those credit card sized sony ones - those I think I'd break!) since I often take this to family events or to theme parks for photos, but don't mind carrying something slightly larger if it's going to help.
* I'm a big fan of the larger optical zooms.
* I do sometimes make prints of my pictures, but never to poster size, so while MegaPixels are good, it's not the only point of contention for me.
* I'm not so good with the Manual settings, so if a camera comes with a lot of shooting options/speeds, long exposure, etc.. the better.
* I'm well skilled at PhotoShop so no in-camera editing is really important.
* I often end up wanting to take my favorite pictures at night, which NEVER come out right on my past cameras, so something with great image stability and night shot is key for me.
Any thoughts on where is should start and look? Any input the community has for me would be a great start...
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11/21/2006 08:49:28 AM · #2 |
I have the Canon SD700 IS and I like it quite a bit. It's small and has decent quality. I haven't tested the IS extensively but for night shots, I'd almost be more inclined to recommend a tripod. The A710IS might be something to look at but perhaps too big? It at least has manual controls whereas the SD700 does not. That might be handy to have in case you ever did want to start learning how to use them (which is probably a good idea).
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11/21/2006 03:14:21 PM · #3 |
If you're willing to switch brands, look into the Panasonics. They will all come with IS and all use the same SD cards as you use now. The FZ series (while bigger than an ELPH) is a very good camera and served me very well for almost a year and a half (upgraded to DSLR). It has a 35-420mm (12x) Leica optical zoom lens with IS, all the manual features (other than manual focus) you could want, and it's fairly easy to use. The only downside is the bad noise levels, but if you're good with Photoshop and Neat Image/Noise Ninja it shouldn't be a problem. I think the new FZ7 goes for about $300 and the FZ50 goes for about $400-$500(not sure). I'm sure you can find some on ebay for cheaper, I just sold mine for $225. Anyway, hope this helps and good luck with the hunt.
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11/21/2006 04:08:07 PM · #4 |
get the Powershot G7 and this should last you quite awhile before you'll need another upgrade :)
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11/27/2006 05:08:18 PM · #5 |
i'm liking the look of the G7 also. it has Digic3, which is an added bonus with that face thingie. Or the near-top of the line ELPH that has IS... sd700 or something.
The panasonics i've tested feel very plasticky. If you're into that, they're otherwise very cool cameras. |
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