Digital Camera Questions

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
I am looking at buying a digital SLR. I will be getting one that I can use different lenses on. What I don't know is just how many of them mega-pixel doohickeys I need. I will be doing little printing and not much bigger than 5X7, MAYBE, a 8X10 once in a while. Most pics will stay in the computer or be posted to the web. Ideas?
 

The Enemy

Veteran Expediter
Joe, I am more than happy with my older Cannon XTi. It is a 10 MP camera with interchangeable lenses. I currently have a 18-55 mm, 50 mm, and a 70-300mm lenses. the other think I found useful is a remote shutter switch an the extended battery grip. It not only holds 2 battery's but makes the camera bigger so its easier for me to hold it.

Next time we run into each other remind me to show it to you.
 

WestSide

Seasoned Expediter
Lots of photographers buy the most pixels and best glass they can afford, and adjust the camera's rez to suit the situation....dial it down for snapshots and rez it up for those National Geographic moments. :D
 

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Lots of photographers buy the most pixels and best glass they can afford, and adjust the camera's rez to suit the situation....dial it down for snapshots and rez it up for those National Geographic moments. :D

I get the best glass part, that is easy. After that, whew, over my head!!

I am looking at this kit at Sam's Club? OK for a beginner? One who is likely not going on beginner? I have a fixed lense camera now, just does not do what I want it to do. I want a bit more flexibility with out going crazy.


Canon EOS Rebel XS Double Zoom Lens Kit - Sam's Club
 

WestSide

Seasoned Expediter
Sweet! Not a beginner's camera, but then simple enough, shooting in auto mode. You'll spend some time learning the menus and dials.

Not sure what's missing from your current camera, but for the ultra beginner, there are some terrific pocket cameras with good glass, zoom range and pixel resolution, like the Panasonic Lumix line. Shoots amazing video too!

The best camera is always the one you have with you, and that's what makes the latest generation of pocket cameras so attractive.
 

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Sweet! Not a beginner's camera, but then simple enough, shooting in auto mode. You'll spend some time learning the menus and dials.

Not sure what's missing from your current camera, but for the ultra beginner, there are some terrific pocket cameras with good glass, zoom range and pixel resolution, like the Panasonic Lumix line. Shoots amazing video too!

The best camera is always the one you have with you, and that's what makes the latest generation of pocket cameras so attractive.

Not enough zoom. Cannot change lenses. Cannot put filters.

It is a point and shoot. It is an Olympus C4000

It is good for indoor, birthday parties etc. It takes rotten pictures on the water, can't filter out the shine.

Link to camera

Archived Products &gt C-4000 Zoom
 
Last edited:

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Picture on the left taken from 90' out on max zoom. Picture on the right from 30' max zoom
 

Attachments

  • Nov10 017.jpg
    Nov10 017.jpg
    75.6 KB · Views: 9
  • Nov10 016.jpg
    Nov10 016.jpg
    80.8 KB · Views: 9

mrgoodtude

Not a Member
Sweet! Not a beginner's camera, but then simple enough, shooting in auto mode. You'll spend some time learning the menus and dials.

Not sure what's missing from your current camera, but for the ultra beginner, there are some terrific pocket cameras with good glass, zoom range and pixel resolution, like the Panasonic Lumix line. Shoots amazing video too!

The best camera is always the one you have with you, and that's what makes the latest generation of pocket cameras so attractive.

I own 6 DSLR bodies and one Pro series film camera from Canon and have spent as much as $2400 for just one lens so I can tell you it is a very expensive hobby!
That being said if you are hell bent on buying a DSLR the two best bargains are the ....
T2I From Canon with a 18-55 IS lens
Amazon.com: Canon EOS Rebel T2i 18 MP CMOS APS-C Digital SLR Camera with 3.0-Inch LCD and EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS Lens: Camera & Photo
And if you like Nikon this camera is a slam dunk with an image quality that is sic for the money (especially for an entry level DSLR)
Amazon.com: Nikon D7000 16.2MP DX-Format CMOS Digital SLR with 3.0-Inch LCD and 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 AF-S DX VR ED Nikkor Lens: Electronics
If you change your mind and decide to go compact the very best (IMHO) camera on the market is the Canon Powershot S95 with a full frame sensor (equivalent to a 35 mm sensor) the image quality coupled with Image stabilization is an awesome buy..Amazon.com: Canon PowerShot S95 10 MP Digital Camera with 3.8x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-Inch inch LCD: Electronics
In closing I will tell you "one" of the most expensive cams I own is only a 8mpeg and in the end you don't have to have billions of pixels for a great photo (took me awhile and $$$ to figure that out) so don't jump on a camera deal based on MPEG..
Some of the best digital photos I have ever seen were less than 10 mega pixels.
There are a azzload of camera deals out there on E-Bay-Amazon and Craigs so best advice is to check out P base
PBase.com
Click on search then search by camera and choose the model you are considering
Happy photos!
IMG_2572.jpg

IMG_2589.jpg

IMG_9177.jpg

122edbw-1.jpg


 

mrgoodtude

Not a Member
Not enough zoom. Cannot change lenses. Cannot put filters.

It is a point and shoot. It is an Olympus C4000

It is good for indoor, birthday parties etc. It takes rotten pictures on the water, can't filter out the shine.

Link to camera

Archived Products &gt C-4000 Zoom

Layout the Canon XS is an awesome deal (I bought Cyn one when it hit the streets and paid twice)..
The short is the lenses are slow to focus so don't try pics of Grandkids soccer etc.
For what you have detailed so far it would be great just be prepared to buy a polarized filter to screw on the end of the lens.
 

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
I know I need at least a polarized filter. I an not overly interested in another full blown hobby. As you can tell by those two picture I posted (and my screen name) that I hunt open water. That sport, along with my deer hunting is ALL I can afford to get serious about. I just want to be able to take better pictures of those things and a few other needs that I have.
 

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
I've got a Canon PowerShot S2 IS, which is essentially an older version of the PowerShot SX30 IS (similar to the A650). These are not SLR cameras. Being able to have a decent zoom is important to me, for the same reason as you, for wildlife and that sort of thing. The S2 IS is only 5 MP, but the lens makes up for it (a bazillion megapixels and a crappy lens equals really big, but crappy pictures, whereas a really good lens gives good pictures regardless of the pixels). It is 12X optical zoom. Through lens adapters on mine I can add UV, polarizers and other filters, but also zoom and wide-angle lenses. I have a Raynox .66 wide angle lens for landscapes, and a Raynox 1.54x telephoto lens that turns my 12x zoom into 18x zoom. I get good results.

You may want to take a close look at the PowerShot SX30 IS SX30 IS, as it is a 14.1 MP camera with a very sweet 35x wide-angle optical zoom (24 - 840mm). It'll let you get the zoom you want, without the need for multiple lenses. It also holds filters.
 

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Thanks, I will check them out as well. This is confusing. I know NOTHING about this. I was looking at polarized filters on one site. They ranged in price from $16-200 bucks each!! I am lost. :(
 

mrgoodtude

Not a Member
I know I need at least a polarized filter. I an not overly interested in another full blown hobby. As you can tell by those two picture I posted (and my screen name) that I hunt open water. That sport, along with my deer hunting is ALL I can afford to get serious about. I just want to be able to take better pictures of those things and a few other needs that I have.
Sorry I figured you wanted DSLR advice so you and the other fat *******s could capture the slaughter of little flying birds while you lay vertical in a "Johnny boat"....Silly me............
In retrospect I think your Olympus will catch every thing about you " I would ever want to see"..
Maybe you can buy a place in Texas..Yes next to Leo and that way we can keep tabs on all the extreme EO mods U POC:rolleyes:
 

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Sorry I figured you wanted DSLR advice so you and the other fat *******s could capture the slaughter of little flying birds while you lay vertical in a "Johnny boat"....Silly me............
In retrospect I think your Olympus will catch every thing about you " I would ever want to see"..
Maybe you can buy a place in Texas..Yes next to Leo and that way we can keep tabs on all the extreme EO mods U POC:rolleyes:

"Johnny boat" ? What in the world is a "Johnny boat? Vertical? You lay horizontal. The Olympus is bad on the water. The glare is terrible. Not enough water in Texas either.
 

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
Thanks, I will check them out as well. This is confusing. I know NOTHING about this. I was looking at polarized filters on one site. They ranged in price from $16-200 bucks each!! I am lost. :(
Well, for example, if you got the SX30 IS, you can get a Lensmate 58mm Thread Filter Adapter for $20, and then some excellent filters in the $25-$50 range. Pay close attention to the Moose filter. Awesome for wildlife photography, it's a combination of a warming and a polarizing filter.

If you really want an digital SLR, then an EOS Rebel is hard to beat. And there's tons of lens options for it. But for what you want to do, all things considered (especially the "lost" part), then the SX30 IS would be my recommendation.

The best point-n-shoot is probably the Canon S95, and the best budget dSLR is probably the Canon T2i, and the SX30 IS is right in between, with all the manual controls available with the T2i with the ease of use of the S95. The SX30 can be used in fully automatic point-n-shoot mode, or fully manual where you control everything, and anywhere in between. And it does it with a single lens that does both wide angle and a 35x zoom without distortion or aberration. It all depends on whether you really want and/or need that SLR.
 

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Well, for example, if you got the SX30 IS, you can get a Lensmate 58mm Thread Filter Adapter for $20, and then some excellent filters in the $25-$50 range. Pay close attention to the Moose filter. Awesome for wildlife photography, it's a combination of a warming and a polarizing filter.

If you really want an digital SLR, then an EOS Rebel is hard to beat. And there's tons of lens options for it. But for what you want to do, all things considered (especially the "lost" part), then the SX30 IS would be my recommendation.

The best point-n-shoot is probably the Canon S95, and the best budget dSLR is probably the Canon T2i, and the SX30 IS is right in between, with all the manual controls available with the T2i with the ease of use of the S95. The SX30 can be used in fully automatic point-n-shoot mode, or fully manual where you control everything, and anywhere in between. And it does it with a single lens that does both wide angle and a 35x zoom without distortion or aberration. It all depends on whether you really want and/or need that SLR.

I am not sure what I need/want. All I know for sure is that what I have does not meet my needs. The X30 sounds interesting. It MAY be all I need. It is about half the cost of that kit I am looking at.

What worries me is that when we had a "semi-pro" photographer out with us, he was complaining that he did not have enough lenses. His telephoto was about 2' long. (looking really big to me). It was only OK out there.

Then again, I ain't got a clue what I am doing.
 

WestSide

Seasoned Expediter
Send a camera to the bottom of Milford Sound (did that) or roll a kayak with one on Lake Powell (also did that) and you eventually realize small boats and big bulky cameras with long lenses don't mix. :eek:
 
Top