Help me choose a camera

melanie · 09-03-2010, 09:23 PM

What cameras do you all use? I have been looking at some of your pictures and they are fantastic. The color, light and clarity make me drool.

I'm finally ready to give up my print camera. What do you suggest for me?

Angela · 09-03-2010, 09:30 PM

I got mine as a birthday present back in March (well, I had to wait until April for the stores to stock it...) Mine is a Canon Powershot SD1300. I love it. Kenbo has a Canon Powershot SD780 that he loves. The options are a tiny bit different between them. The megapixels are the same. His takes better video, but I've got a sweet little camcorder so that wasn't a requirement for me. My camera is pink too, while his is boring ol' silver.

Both cameras have a variety of different settings to play with, plus an automatic setting for easy pointing and shooting. And they are compact. Mine is a smidge bigger than Ken's.
Another good thing about them, in my opinion, is that they come with a rechargable battery that lasts a long time. Our daughter has a camera that uses AA batteries and even the good rechargables we have don't seem to last very long. She gets a little annoyed with it.

kenbo · 09-03-2010, 10:56 PM

As an addition to what Angela said, the SD780 also has the ability to crop and do some editing right on the camera as opposed to on the computer which it can do as well. The computer software for this camera is also extremely user friendly and I really enjoy it's ease of use. The camera also has a stitch feature for taking panoramic photos. I carry mine in an old unused cell phone case and I have never had a problem with it. Since the release of the new Canons, the price of the SD780 has really come down. If you are one who likes to play with a cameras manual settings, the SD780 allow changes to ISO settings, white balance, etc. I actually prefer mine to Angela's newer model. It also has fantastic close up ability as can be seen in these photos that I took at the butterfly conservatory. If I sound biased, it's because I am. I really love this camera and so does my oldest daughter, who has an SD780 as well. Another feature that I really like is the fact that the SD780 still has a "manual" view finder that you can look through for those really bright, sunny days where you can't see the LCD display. It is also helpful when your battery is getting low and you want to conserve power by turning off the LCD and just looking through the view finder. Angela's newer Canon, eliminated this feature for some reason. Bad move if you ask me.
Ken

pinokeeo · 09-03-2010, 11:25 PM

I have a Canon PowerShot SD400, and it has many of the same features as Kenbo's 780. I wouldn't trade my little point and shoot for any other.

melanie · 09-07-2010, 10:29 AM

Thanks so much for the useful information (and the pics). I took your suggestions to the most reputable camera store in the area and they set me up with a Panasonic Z57. So far, it seems to meet all of the needs of an internet-savvy crafter and a busy mama who loves pics of her kids.

I'm going to play around with the camera for a while. Hopefully, this will turn into a long-term relationship.

Century Guy · 09-07-2010, 10:42 AM

Next step is for you to graduate to a dSLR camera.

It gets even MORE fun with photography after that.

**Rasha** · 09-08-2010, 05:23 PM

Speaking of cameras, what's a good camera for constantly moving subjects, such as kids and pets?

My first ever digital camera, a little 1.3MP FujiFilm was super fast. As soon as I'd hit the button the picture would be taken. It was a synch to catch a cute shot of my cat. With each subsequent and supposedly "more advanced" camera I have gotten over the years, the time between hitting the button and the picture actually taking has gotten longer and longer. 3 seconds can make all the difference in getting the shot or not.

Also, I'm looking at point-and-shoot cameras. I can't imagine hauling around a DSLR everywhere.

DoilyMania · 09-08-2010, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Century Guy

Next step is for you to graduate to a dSLR camera.

It gets even MORE fun with photography after that.

I am afraid to make that step...I am afraid I will not know how to use it...:P

pinokeeo · 09-09-2010, 12:13 AM

Again I would recommend the Canon SD point and shoot. It has separate settings for kids and pets, as well as night shots and underwater shots.

Here's a photo of a bee in flight, taken with the Canon.

DoilyMania · 09-09-2010, 07:22 AM

I have Canon SD1100...I like it...I took some nice photos with it.