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marfa
Permanent Resident
USA
1876 Posts |
 Posted - 07/19/2005 : 09:37:36 AM
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How do.
There are so many great blogs out there & you all know so much about this new-for-me adventure. My blog has been crying out for some photos!
I would love some feedback from you photo folks re the cameras you think I need to consider.
Here are some of my guidelines -
**As much as I wish I could say "Money is no object.", alas I cannot say that. Dollars are big factors for me.
**Another consideration is how it handles: I have some experience w/cameras & none w/a digital.
**At this point in time I would like to photograph a range of things from knitted & spun items to our cats to people to my garden.
**Tell me what works well for you & any things you wish you knew when you bought your camera.
For those w/out digital cameras who post photos, do you like working w/the CD format for your photos?
Thanks!
Martha
http://marfasmewsings.blogspot.com |
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sylver
New Pal
36 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2005 : 09:47:57 AM
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I have a Canon a60, and I cannot cheer that one on enough. It is simple, I can take great pictures with it, both inside and out.
The only downside is, that it is a straight flash, so it sometimes overlights pictures. The way I solve that is by putting some thin paper in front of the flash when I want to do close up photography in the dark :)
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My blog, Blissfully Crafty, can be found here:
http://craftblog.sylly.net/ |
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sparkleplenty
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
484 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2005 : 09:48:42 AM
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I used this site as a reference when we purchased our digital camera: http://www.imaging-resource.com/DIGCAM01.HTM
It has great reviews, and shows you sample pictures so you can see how well the camera does. For me, color was a very important factor. Our first digital camera always put a blue color cast on all the pictures. Since I do decorative painting, it always distorted pictures I took.
I think it's helpful to decide on certain features that are important to you, and work from there. You've already said price is a factor. How about the physical size of the camera? Are you a point and shoot kind of person? Do you want to print the pictures, or just use them electronically? Just some things to think about.
Sarah
If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.
~Mahatma Gandhi |
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DeAnn
Seriously Hooked
USA
831 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2005 : 10:11:08 AM
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I absolutely positively love my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ20. If you look it up on the internet, it has good reviews.
It has a great zoom built in, flash options, and you can do a lot of manual adjustments if you want to, or you can just set it up for point and shoot.
The battery has a long life and is very easy to charge.
I adore this camera and take lots of professional quality photos with it. You can go to my photography album on the right sidebar of my blog to see some of the photos I've taken with it.
DeAnn
http://womanofmanyfaces.typepad.com/
When the chips are down.....
The Buffalo is empty. |
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counterculture
Gabber Extraordinaire
453 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2005 : 10:14:34 AM
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I hemmed and hawed and researched for two years before buying one for work, but I have a ball emailing my knitting projects and progress to my friends. Mine's a Fujifilm FinePix E500. Simple, fun, and great price. I bought it at my local camera store (a regional chain) and they threw in a lot of freebies, like a class, which was helpful. The instructor reinforced my suspicion that you don't have to spend a lot of $$ on a camera to take great photos. These babies are loaded. And 3 to 4 megapixels is plenty:)
If everything is under control, you are going too slow." Mario Andretti |
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lemons
Permanent Resident
1692 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2005 : 11:00:37 AM
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Oh, what an excellent topic. I, too, am beginning the search. I'm good with an SLR, but don't speak digital at all. What I'm looking for is one that I can also use to take pictures of food in restaurants. I know the Olympus Stylus 500 has a "cuisine" setting, but I was hoping to find something less expensive. Thanks for the website and for opening this topic up.
lemons of missouri |
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AgnesB
Permanent Resident
USA
1152 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2005 : 11:22:58 AM
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If you have found the right model, you can try this site to buy online. My husband bought his PDA plus GPS bundle here and the prices are good. Services are reliable too.
I am using Sony DSC-T7 ... very slim and performance is good. For such a compact camera, the range of features it has is excellent.
[img]http://photos3.flickr.com/6944418_c76df65d6c_m.jpg[/img]
Knitting in the Valley My Kitty Album
Everyone ought to worship God according to his own inclinations, and not to be constrained by force.
-Flavius Josephus |
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englishtch
Gabber Extraordinaire
USA
400 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2005 : 11:40:07 AM
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Another cheer for the Fuji FinePix. Mine was a model (S3000) that was being discontinued, so I got it for half price. The greatest thing is that it has a 6x optical zoom. I took a picture of some pheasant in the snow from my second floor window and the pictures were great. You need to check the numbers on optical zoom because that is what really matters. Mine also has a macro feature so I can take closeups.
Research on the net is the best thing however because you know what features you would use and what you wouldn't.
My blog: www.soonerbeknitting.blogspot.com |
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abbierose
Seriously Hooked
USA
985 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2005 : 12:55:49 PM
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Another vote for the Canon A60. It's a fabulous little camera for the price! Although I don't know that they still make it. Any of the Canon A cameras are great.
This site has excellent reviews for all kinds of cameras. I bought mine based on their reviews, and I've not been disappointed.
Melissa
Tia Knits |
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Knit kitty
Permanent Resident
USA
1383 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2005 : 1:40:37 PM
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One of my kids has a Canon and the other a Fuji. They are both GREAT cameras and were not overly expensive. Now if I could get my teenager to download her card so I could use it....
~Rebecca
"Nothing, why?" |
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JayhawkKnitter
Seriously Hooked
USA
910 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2005 : 1:48:04 PM
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quote:
You need to check the numbers on optical zoom because that is what really matters.
Truer words were never spoken. It's not the digital zoom that matter so much as the optical.
Melissa's site recommendation is a good one. I'd also refer you to cnet.com. I'm not sure I could recommend a specific camera since you didn't name a price limit, but Canons are good cameras, as are Fujis and Sonys.
**********
Check out my blog!
http://www.knittinhoney.blog-city.com |
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mrknits
Chatty Knitter
USA
346 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2005 : 2:37:45 PM
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I am a digital photographer and currently am using two Canon cameras. One is an SLR and the other is an S500 (the size of a pack of cigarettes). I have found that the little one does very well for most picture taking.
The camera is only PART of the equation. And so once you have acquired that camera, then what? It is also important to be able to work with some imaging software. I'd recommend Adobe Photoshop Elements if you are starting out It is inexpensive and is designed with lots of help for newbies and will satisfy most photographers. You can do just fine with 3 or 4 megapixels if you have good software to help you get the image. If you want to check it out, Adobe will let you download a full trial version for a month. That's what I did before I sprung for the software.
Also there is no substitute for practice. The nice thing about digital is it doesn't cost any extra to shoot, shoot, shoot.
I hope this helps, I've been digital for about 4 years now and I LOVE it.
Miriam
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marfa
Permanent Resident
USA
1876 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2005 : 4:01:01 PM
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How do.
You folks are outstanding - all these fabulous responses in just a few hours!!
You have given me so much info & I will check out all the sources, reviews, sites.
And I will also begin to head to some local places to physically see what is out there.
Many thanks again.
And if others have tho'ts, do tell ^..^
Martha
http://marfasmewsings.blogspot.com |
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AgnesB
Permanent Resident
USA
1152 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2005 : 4:03:55 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by marfa
How do.
You folks are outstanding! All these fabulous responses in a few hours.
You have given me so much info & I will check out all the sources, reviews, sites.
I absolutely agree ... though I already have a camera, the info on camera reviews and photo software is very useful. Thanks a lot everyone.
[img]http://photos3.flickr.com/6944418_c76df65d6c_m.jpg[/img]
Knitting in the Valley My Kitty Album
Everyone ought to worship God according to his own inclinations, and not to be constrained by force.
-Flavius Josephus |
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Kelly B
Permanent Resident
USA
2206 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2005 : 6:23:18 PM
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Jasc Paintshop Pro is also a good editing program, and easier to use than the fully featured Photoshop; I'm not familiar with the version of Photoshop that thirdeye is referring to, though.
Our Olympus digital cameras take fabulous photos, but are a little bulky. The little Kodaks are really convenient to use.
my pics |
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Licensed2Cook
Permanent Resident
USA
3554 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2005 : 6:41:10 PM
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I love my Kodak Easy Share, the picture quality is superb and it is so user friendly, which was important to me because I am not much of a tech person.
Dee
~Licensed2Knit
www.Kneatles.com
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Soxy
Gabber Extraordinaire
New Zealand
389 Posts |
Posted - 07/19/2005 : 7:09:26 PM
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If you are going to do a lot of close-ups eg the food you mentioned, make sure your camera has a very good macro and super macro mode. A must for a photographer is a tripod, in your case a mini tripod will be good, specially for the close ups, if you use a tripod you dont have to use a flash which is actually better.........
Dont buy a small memory cardr, you will eventually have to buy a larger one LOL! So do that from the start!
Nothing smaller than 3 megapixels camera, you dont have to go much higher either as with 3 mega you can have pics up to A4 size. More pixels more dollars!
Good luck and happy snappy!!
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Jane
SustaYning Member
USA
4292 Posts |
Posted - 07/20/2005 : 04:10:49 AM
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I love my Kodak, too. It has 5 megapixels, a very decent zoom, and with 2 big memory cards I'm good. I'm not going to become a great photographer, but I like what I get with my camera without fiddling around with it too much.
Jane
Blog-like thing: not plain jane
Photos:jane's pages
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Lanea
Permanent Resident
USA
5158 Posts |
Posted - 07/20/2005 : 05:44:04 AM
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My husband got me a (reaching into bag) 4.1 megapixel Sony Cyber shot DSC S60 for our anniversary this year, and I heart it. To the moon and back, no less. I am currently ashamed by how few pictures and how little blogging I've been doing lately . . . (begins house-elf impression)
Anyway, it's a great camera with a very good lens for a small camera, some built in memory and the ability to use memory sticks, and settings so you can take movies and such.
http://crazylanea.typepad.com/ |
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knottyknitter
Permanent Resident
USA
3702 Posts |
Posted - 07/20/2005 : 05:44:56 AM
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For good reviews, comparisons, and user input, check out www.dpreview.com. One thing to keep in mind too is that all brands (and even different models within brands sometimes) have different User Interfaces making some much more user friendly than others. For that reason, it is definitely worth looking at different models whose specifications are otherwise equal because you may just like the UI on one more than others.
Also, just as others say here, digital zoom is not much more than a gimick. It is exactly the same as cropping in on the photo on your computer, whereas optical zoom does really matter. Another lens factor to consider is that some are known to have better macro (extreme closeup) capabilities than others. Nikons in particular are known for this. For some people this is important and can be very handy if you want to photographe a knit stitch very close up for exacmple to share with someone online. |
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jaymeKnits
Permanent Resident
USA
1326 Posts |
Posted - 07/20/2005 : 11:51:06 AM
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I just got a Canon PowerShot A95. 5mp, 3x optical zoom, Lots of nodes for macro, "foliage", etc(14 of them) or you can just point and click. It was a Consumer Reports Best buy and under $300.
Jayme |
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