Can you help me find a camera worth a thousand pictures?
Photo by Hamed Saber
The time has come for me to upgrade my digital camera, but if you’ve done any camera shopping recently, you know how incredibly confusing choosing one can be. The options are overwhelming and everyone you ask seems to have their own favorite brand or camera type. I’m having trouble determining what options and specs I should be considering when selecting a camera that will best suit me and my picture-taking habits and that won’t make too large a dent in my wallet.
There are so many options to consider, but the first and most obvious is size. I left my last camera behind much more often than I would have liked, simply because of its bulky build. This time around, I’d like to get something that can easily slip into my pocket, but is still powerful enough to take significantly better pictures than the sad little excuse for a camera that’s on my phone. When I bought my last digital camera, the choices were much more limited—you could either choose a compact camera that took mediocre pictures, or a bulky model with much more power and clarity. I’m assuming the technology has improved since my last foray into camera shopping, but I’m not certain. Is it possible to find a small pocket-sized camera with all of the power and capability of its bigger, bulkier siblings?
Megapixels seem like an ever-popular spec to compare, but a photographer friend of mine confessed that it’s really the sensor that determines the clarity and color of your picture. That might be the case, but I have no idea how to tell a good sensor from a bad one—or even what a sensor really does, for that matter. Can anyone help illuminate that point? How does one know if their camera’s sensor is up to par, and how does the camera’s megapixel count affect your photos?
Most of my personal photography habits center around shooting family and friends and documenting special occasions, but I do occasionally delve into some art photography. I especially enjoy the macro feature on my current model—is that something that comes standard on most of the latest cameras? What other special-effect modes or options do you find are important and useful? And what advice can you offer for navigating the many zoom options? What’s the difference between digital and optical zoom, and what should I be considering when making a selection?
If the busy photography and camera categories on Yahoo! Answers are any indication, there are a lot of knowledgeable amateur and professional photographers lurking around. Can you share any of your expertise?
What are the most important factors to consider when purchasing a new digital camera?
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If you’re looking for a modern, small camera, the Flip Phone is for you!
Huh…my first consideration is, and always has been, image quality. But, I reckon out priorities differ, and that’s why I shoot a Nikon D200.
I hope you find a P&S that’s worth more than 1000 pictures.
Best digital camera is Olympus Stylus. most features for best price. Very user friendly, has most megapixels for best price, is water resistant (also avail water proof), can take close up and SUPER close up pictures.
Well, I can’t answer all of your questions, and while I may not be a very experienced photographer, I do know a little bit about digital cameras and their features since I run the Electronics department at a local retail store.
I’ll cover the easiest one first, digital zoom vs. optical zoom. Optical zoom is a magnification of your image via the lens. Digital zoom is a digital enhancement of your current view to zoom in. Optical zoom is better because you aren’t losing any picture quality, as it’s just a lens magnification, sort of like wearing glasses or using a telescope. Digital zoom isn’t inherently bad, but what you are doing is “blowing up” your picture, rather than magnifying it. Higher optical zoom also means that at 10x zoom, a 3x optical zoom camera has to zoom in farther using digital enhancement than say a camera with 5x optical zoom.
Megapixel resolution, in my opinion, is sometimes important, and sometimes not. Try out a 8mp camera and a 12mp camera, taking the same picture, and you won’t always notice a difference. The reason is that sometimes you don’t need a higher resolution on an image (this could be due to proximity to your subject, lighting, how big you will develop the picture, and so on). The doesn’t mean that higher mp is never useful, but it isn’t the end all, be all of specs that it once was when comparing a 2mp camera to a 5mp camera. The girls who work in our photo development booth are all amateur photographers and they’ve all told me a few times that around 6mp is a good range for most people’s uses. I’d go higher to meet all of your listed needs, but again, this isn’t the most important thing to consider anymore.
The camera’s ISO feature, in my opinion, is probably one of the biggest things to consider when choosing two similar cameras. Essentially, this tells how good the camera is at letting in light (in the roughest terms). Higher is better. One of the comparison tests I like to do is take the same picture with one of our Nikons that has a 1600 max iso and one that has a 2000 max iso. You’ll always see the difference. To my understanding, this makes the most difference in non-naturally-lighted situations, such as indoors. Most people have probably seen this when they’ve taken a picture at say a wedding and though it’s bright in the church, the pictures come out dark.
A macro setting is standard on all of the cameras that we carry, and I think it’s pretty standard all around. Some camera manufacturers do a better job than others, and this brings me to my next point that I usually like to bring up, which is brand. While for the average person, any camera really will do the trick, if you are really into your hobby, a better camera brand can bring you all kinds of nice little touches that say the 100 dollar kodak might not. For instance, there is a difference in lens quality between brands. Some brands make better image stabilization features, or have better ISO features. Generally speaking, I find that Canon, Nikon, and Sony are the nicest in the price range that we carry. Olympus is supposed to be pretty nice, but we only carry two of them, so I don’t have a lot of experience with them. I think Canons are overpriced myself, and the Sony’s we carry tend to have the best overall features and specs. Nikons at our store tend to be the friendliest in terms of getting a great camera at a lower cost.
As far as the sensor, I know of 3 types. Charge-coupled device (CCD), complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS), and Foveon X3 Sensor. The first two require a demosaicing process of colors (due to the filtering process of the colors) that can lead to things like color blur at edges of images. To my knowledge, the X3 style is best, but the CMOS is most common. If I understand correctly, x3 needs fewer mp for the same image clarity as CCD or CMOS.
I’ve been looking for a new camera, too. I want a smaller digital one, and something not outrageously expensive (I’m only 17). So, I’m thinking the Nikon Coolpix or the Canon Gold.
I just bought a camera a couple of weeks ago for a trip to D.C. I too wanted a balance between picture quality/features and price. Being a bit of a tech geek and one who tends to obsess over significant purchases like this, I did my homework.
When it comes to tech-related purchases my first stop is usually CNET.com. They have a good, updated database of reliable reviews.
After a bit of reading I settled on either the Nikon SD1200 or the Sony W290. They’re both small enough to fit in your pocket. The Nikon is less expensive, but it has lower megapixel number. More importantly, the Sony had a better optical zoom (5x vs. 3x) and wideangle lens (28mm vs. 35mm).
At the time the Nikon was around $185 while the Sony was closer to $210. The Sony had a higher rating on CNET and a better feature set–both easy modes and plenty of tweaking options–so that’s the one I went with.
After the D.C. trip my pictures came out much better than those my g/f took with her older Nikon, especially those taken at night. So I am happy with my purchase.
It seems that you’ve ruled out DSLRs in general since you don’t want something too bulky. However, there is a DSLR camera out by Olympus, the Pen E-P1. It’s got a body similar to a point and shoot but with interchangeable lenses like a DSLR. It’s sensor is not as big as any of the other DSLR as it employs a half frame sensor, or in other words, a 2x crop.
This is important to know, an example to illustrate it is that, on a normal 35mm film camera, a 50mm lens is pretty much how your eye sees things normally (anything smaller is wide angle and anything bigger is zooming in or a telephoto). On Olympus’ Pen, a 50mm lens is equivalent to what a 100mm lens would be on a 35mm film camera. 35mm would be 70mm, etc etc. Great if you like to zoom in, not so much if you like wide angle shots.
You didn’t really say what your budget was… The Pen retails for $800-900. It’s got 12.3mp, which is more than adequate for anyone. It also has audio/video, which aren’t essential, but can be nice to have. For some people that’s a fair price, for others it’s way out of the ballpark.
If that is too much money for you, there are point and shoots with optical zoom that may suit your needs as well, such as Nikon’s P6000, or Canon’s G10. I’ve never used them, but I’ve heard only good things about them. They go for about $400-500. In my opinion it’s worth the extra money to invest in something higher end like the E-P1, because the sensor is larger and there’s more flexibility as to lenses (any olympus lens ever made will work).
Good luck with your decision. I hope that I’ve been helpful.
I’m not a professional or anything, but I currently have a Canon Powershot (SD1100 IS) and I love it. Lightweight, compact, 8mp, 12x zoom, and a crystal clear LED display. The price is reasonable and it’s sleek and stylish. You should take a look at one the next time you’re in an electronics store.
The best camera I have ever owned is the fuji finepix. Its takes amazing pictures and has really good zoom.
I recently went to a concert and got pictures that looked like they were taking from the front row and its a very reasonably priced camera. Plus it comes in a lot of fun colors.
I’d suggest a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS5
Small, fairly slimline, this camera has it all.
I’m doing a photography A-Level at my school and i have to admit this camera isn’t given the credit it deserves! Its a-m-a-z-i-n-g!
10mpx, facial recognition, wide angle lense – im not here to sell it, but more to give you great advice! It has something like 20 scene modes and 7 colour modes, anti shake, timers – its got it all. ive had it for a year and its done me well! Easy to use, good for an amateur or a more accomplished photgrapher, look it up! You wont regret it
There are now two sections of “Point and shoot” cameras- the standard ones (like the Canon ELPH or the Pentax Optio), and the “Advanced Point and Shoot”, which are cameras like the Canon Powershoot G10, or Powershoot XS series, the Nikon Coolpix L100 and P90, or the Pentax X70. Those offer much better quality, and much higher zoom. The Powershoot G10 even offers RAW.
Then there is the Sigma DP1 and DP2… they’re supposed to be a “point and shoot” with the guts of an SLR… Sigma is the only company I know of that makes cameras with Foveon sensors. I’ve never tried one, so I can’t speak for it. It’s a fixed focal length, though, so it’s not like it’s very useful for everyday use… and they’re about $800 last time I checked.
I would personally recommend the Canon Powershoot G10, because it’s the only Advanced Point and Shoot I know of that’s close to really fitting in your pocket.
Both MP and sensor types matter- CMOS is what most SLRs use, and so those would be fairly safe bets. Sensor type will effect your image tone/color accuracy. MP will determine the amount of information there is for enlargements. If you want to print 11×17, you need at least 10MP… and since that’s a measure of dots and not area… a 5MP actually has more than half the area, meaning it could print a 5×7 with no problem. Basically: if you’re not going to print bigger than 5×7, Megapixels are hardly an issue in any real camera.
As to zoom: Optical zoom is the only true zoom. Digital zoom just crops the image so it looks bigger, and it pretty quickly reduces the image quality.
The biggest things to look for in a digital camera, if you want one that will take really good pictures:
1. That you can afford it. Debt is just not cool.
2. Optical zoom. (The Canon Powershot G10 is probably the weakest here, but a good optical zoom normally means the camera won’t fit in your pocket.)
3. If you want a big print, MP.
4. Specialty concerns. (If you do extreme sports, weather sealing is really nice. If you need it to fit in your pocket, that’s big consideration.
Best of luck- I would also advise you to stay away from Sony’s Cyber-shots unless you’ve tested that model in low-light. They tend to produce noisy pictures- or, that is my experience in the standard P&S range.
I have found that if I go to Amazon.com I can read reviews from others that have boughten the products to get a good idea what products are good and those to steer clear of. I have just recently spent hours looking for a camera. For the price range that I was willing to spend the canon XSI digital SLR camera was my choice. The other choice that I was choosing between when I finally narrowed it down was the Canon D40. There are many great camera’s to choose from, so if you look for your price range then look at the reviews and what you want in a camera then you should be able to find a camera you are happy with. Good luck!
I would reccomend buying the latest vivitar camera from argos i recently bought the newest vivtar camera after i lost my old vivitar camera when i bought my old one it was the newest vivitar camera on the market where i live the newest vivitar digital camera always costs around €40 in argos this is not a proffesional camera like my dads Nikon d90 which set him back €2000
Fickle Franny Flicked a Flock of Flickers,
Finally Fetched a Film Full of Phloxes,
Not Hasselblad or Leaf type,
not SLR type, something compact,
Canon PowerShot SD990 IS 14.7 Mp
Nikon Coolpix S710 with 14.5 Mp
Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1S 12 Mp
Olympus Stylus Tough-8000 12 Mp
Pentax Optio W80 12.1 mp
Sony’s DSCW300 Cyber-shot 13.6 Mp
Kodak Easyshare M381 12 Mp
Fujifilm FinePix J32 12.2 Mp
Casio Exilim EX-S12 slim 12.1Mp
A lot of Canon photographers use the Powershot G10 as a secondary camera. It’s 15MP, has fully adjustable settings, yet it’s a point-and-shoot. You can also attach filters and wide-angle attachments to it.
Full independent review: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/CanonG10/
I love Canon digital cameras. Any Canon camera is great even at lower pixels. You can get the highest pixel that your budget will allow.
The simplest answer is get a Fujifilm Digital camera… they’ve got a superior imaging sensor system called “Super-CCD”.. gist of how it works is where most sensors on Digital cameras are rectangular or round, the Fuji Super-CCD ones are Octagonal, which supposedly collects more light.
This superior sensor then “tag teams” with another Fuji unique feature called “Real Photo Processor” which basically helps produce better picture quality, and enable Fuji unique features such as “Film Simulation modes” which allows you to take digital pictures similar to ones you could take with Fuji’s range of camera film (e.g. Velvia, Provia, etc).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_CCD
Compact range… get the Fuji F200EXR or the F100 or there’s apparently a new F70EXR + F75EXR on their product page.
Something with more muscle & more zoom then there’s the Fuji “S” series (S100fs, S200EXR, S8100fd, S1500fd, etc).
http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/
Get a camera from a camera maker, not an electronics maker. Get a 3C sensor and the most optical zoom you can get.
I think the average mp right now is about 10, with 4x optical zoom. thats what my camera is (fujifilm) and it works excellent! i got it from target for like $100 and i thought it wouldnt be good because its not as big as the other name brands, but it works better than the canon and sony that i had. its all about the megapixels and zoom, brand doesnt matter as much. try looking at target, walmart, and brandsmart usa, they usually have the best deals.
I’m afraid I can’t help beyond saying you’ve got to pick the camera which fits your needs. In my life time I’d have to estimate I’ve had a grand total of seven cameras, and most of them I never bought but instead recieved as a gift. These have been a Kodak 110, an Estes Astrocam 110 camera rocket (which is the only camera I’ve ever asked for), a Kodak EasyShare CX4300, an extremely cheap 35mm, a JVC combination video and digital camera, and a couple of disposable Kodak cameras. Of these the cheap 35mm and one of the disposables are the only ones I’ve purchased and only one was purchased for particular needs of my own. I purchased the 35mm for a dollar at a dollar store because my baby sister had lost her far more expensive one and I wanted to get her something she could use temporarily until she could get a decent replacement. But I never gave it to her cause it seemed too cheap even in the store (and has never been used, plus I’ve always questioned if it would actually work since it was a dollar). The disposable was the one for my personal needs, I needed a camera at a local event and had forgotten my 110 so I wanted something that was just point and click which wouldn’t cost too much.
If I were going to look for a camera (the CX4300 is old but like my old 110 before it, it’s my principle camera) then I’d want to look for one that fits my needs. So ask yourself what your needs are. Once you figure that out you can then begin looking at what cameras fit your needs.
And despite what your firend told you, look for higher megapixels. Yes you friend is right about the sensor, but the megapixel is also telling you the quality of the sensor in a digital. The higher the megapixel, the better the image sensor the camera has and the higher quality photos it takes.
I’ve had a couple of public library type shows of my photographs. I use a pocket size digital (Casio) which I always have in my pocket or purse. The settings should be at hand and the LCD screen should be BIG and visible in bright light. You don’t need more than about 8 MP.
I am no professional but I have adored photos my entire life. About a month ago I bought the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20 and I ADORE it. It is 10.1 Mega pixels with a 10x Optical Zoom. It has a Carl Zeiss lens. It has a feature called Intelligent Auto. It “fixes” or adjusts automatically to about any situation; macro (gorgeous and clear!) photos in low light w/o a tripod, but my favorite feature is the auto adjust for a back-lit photo like when you are taking photos of someone with the sun behind them or in front of a window. You can get those spur of the moment shots w/o having to have everyone move so the sun is behind you or whatever light is in question is behind you. It has tons of manual settings as well. I am an animal lover and love to take professional looking photos of my 2 dogs and Persian cat. Only one of them is a “camera ham” so I often found my older Sony CB 5.1 MP often just captured a blur. This takes the photos much. much more quickly and I am getting perfect shots! I am sure there is a professional name/ term for that.
While my photo printer is a few years old, it combined with this new Sony camera give me better photos than even the high dollar local professional labs. It’s the HP Photosmart 8250. Quite expensive when I bought it but less than $100 now. People have always asked what lab I used. I just have printed some macro photos of my jewelry for insurance purposes and this new Sony camera is better than what the appraisers used even without using the zoom. You can get closer than the minimum distance and still get truly amazing macro photos. I took one today of a praying mantis that was about 1/2″ long and it is amazing- even my Canon DSLR couldn’t so that. AND the best part is you get such great quality for only $279. For what you say you are wanting it sounds perfect EXCEPT, with that 10X zoom, it’s NOT going in your pocket. Sony does make one that would get lost in your pocket and is 12.1 mega-pixels and has all the same features but only a 5X zoom. Their site- http://www.sony.com even has live demos for each model. I went there and did that, then headed to the store to check them out. I couldn’t see a difference in photos I took with those two and I really wanted the zoom for concerts. Hope to try it out at Aerosmith concert with great seats IF Steven Tyler can walk this way after his August 6th injury.
Again, sorry this isn’t professional advice but I did look at every single camera I could get my hands on before finding this one that took great candid shots of my family/ friends without much effort on my part and one that I could get creative with if I wanted. Plus, the Sony 5.1 I had before this is still working great- had it for five years and took thousands and thousands of pictures with it- must have dropped it a dozen times and zero problems
1000 pictures? That’s worth like a million words. If a picture tells a thousand words, what tells a thousand pictures?
i have a Kodiak camera, i got it at sears. its not the camera that holds all those pictures, its the SD card.
If you are looking at family pictures get one with at least a 28mm lens. Several manfactures make them but it limits who to buy from. They all take great pictures and it comes down to what features are the best. Panasonic offers to take the bowing out the pictures you get with a 28mm lens. The Sony doesn’t so you get a little distortion on straight lines at that point. Don’t worry much about mega pixels but stay away from ones that have the most. The more you put on a little sensor, the more distortion you have.
the canon camera is the most popular nowadays. many of the mobile phone is also good for taking pictures like moto ZN5, nokia N97…
Nikon D90, scored 10 out of 10 from 1399 reviews on FreakReview.com
When looking to purchase a digital camera, as it sounds you are looking for a point and shoot, I would go for the Canon SX110 IS. On average at most retailers for $250.00 you get a lot of the same features as a DSLR, for a lot cheaper. For instance, Macro as close as 4.5 inches, fully adjustable shutter/aperature settings, fully adjustable under/over compensation, a generous 10x optical zoom (36MM – 360MM – 35MM equivelant), adjustable power pop up flash, and lens image stabilization to compensate for hand shake. Stepping up into the Canon G10 is a bit much for the price in my opinion. At the $450-$500 price tag, you can get yourself an inexpensive DSLR kit (body + lens) for the same price. Megapixels are obviously important, but anything over 6 megapixels, you will not notice a real difference unless you produce large prints (over 11 x 14 inch). I have produced excellent quality images up to 20 x 30 inch from a 6 megapixel DSLR. Another key feature to look for if it is listed in the camera specs is color bit depth. Color bit depth shows how many different shades of colors a single pixel can be. The higher the color bit depth, the better color rendition, and smoothness in blend of colors your photograph will have. The SX110 IS doesn’t have its listed, but most point and shoots are around 8 bits per channel multiplied by 3 channels (Red, Green, & Blue) equals 24 bits total. Anything over that is all the much better. So in my opinion for $300.00 and under go for the Canon SX110 IS. For more towards the $400 range, buy yourself a Nikon D40 kit, and start building yourself a great digital system of lenses, and flash, etc…
Nikon D40 kit link:
http://www.adorama.com/INKD40KRA.html?searchinfo=Nikon+D40
Canon SX110 IS link:
http://www.adorama.com/ICASX110KBK.html?searchinfo=Canon+SX110+IS
net friend
I use a Pentax Optio T30. I’ve had it for about three years now, and it’s still working fine. It has a lot of neat settings, including a touch screen, color filters, and voice/video recording. It takes pretty good pictures.
I bought my bf the Olympus Stylus though 6000 and its awesome!
It can go up to 10ft underwater, 5ft shockproof freeze proof and it takes great pictures! including the panaromic ones are awesome.
It was about 270$ w 10.1 mpxls and 3.6 opt zoom
There’s a model higher than this one that goes 33ft underwater and it’s “tougher” n about 400$ but it has pretty much the same…
Its an awesome camara!
“Is it possible to find a small pocket-sized camera with all of the power and capability of its bigger, bulkier siblings?”
No.
However, you might look into the Canon G10. It seems to be very well regarded.
I have a Canon S5-IS with a 2g memory card I took close to 1500 pictures last week while on vacation
It’s about as close to a professional SLR as you can get without interchangable lenses, a great camera….
For a P&S, I would suggest the Kodak EasyShare V1003 or similar version. Mine has lasted for over 6000 shutter presses.
For a dSLR, I prefer Canon. There are plenty of different cameras to choose from. Some beginner ones I like are the XSi or XTi.
I do NOT suggest a camera phone. They may have plenty of pixels, but the sensor is the size of your pinky nail or smaller, which pretty much means it’s crap. They aren’t real cameras.
I’m a photographer myself and I would highly recommend the new Nikon Cool Pix for an awesome on the go camera. It’s very small and can easily fit in your pocket. I use a Nikon D80 which I’m going to assume would be too bulky for you, but as my on the go camera I have the Canon Powershot 660. I should upgrade my point and shoot to a newer model, but this one is very efficient and I would prefer to put most of my money towards my DSLR. My sister bought my mom the new Nikon Cool Pix and when I used it I was thoroughly impressed with it. So for all around versatility and compact size it is my recommendation to you. Hope this helps
I just recently purchased the panasonic lumix as my point and shoot, for a DSLR I have a nikon d200 and a nikon d3. You are right about megapixels not being the be all end all, it is also about the glass you put in front of the sensor. a 6mp SLR will take a better picture than a 6mp point and shoot. I suggest the panasonic lumix because it has a leica lens and manual features as well. happy hunting through all these answers!
A good answer to your question would be really long. Someone should make a web page that’s well organized buyer’s guide answering your question. Here are a few quick guidelines-
1. More megapixels on the same size sensor means each pixel is smaller, hurting quality, especially in low light.
2. Digital zoom is just cropping. Ignore it.
3. Bigger sensor (like 1/1.7″ instead of 1/2.5″) collects more light which really helps, especially in low light.
4. Pay attention to lense speed. With a pocket camera you can’t buy another lense, so make sure the built in one is fast enough.
5. If you can afford it, consider image stabilization. For handheld shooting (as opposed to using a tripod) this can help a lot.
I’ve been using an Olympus for the last few years with no complains. It’s one of the better brands anyhow. I suggest getting something with a few resolution/size choices, which mine has. I keep it set high and get great photo quality. Having Photoshop for color adjustment helps too sometimes.
I have a nikon D40 and I’m loving it!
I am only 14 but i am in love with cameras and got the nikon d90 about 9 months ago. it is amazing. it has 18 zoom and 10.1 megapixels. I have taken quite a few beautiful pics with it. I enter three of my picture in to the county fair where i live and two of them got third place amd one got first place and high blue. Which is impressive considering the ages were 13-17. I think that this is the perfect small camera.
Canon D40 because you should.
Its a great camera house with lots of features.
Its great for family photos friend photos and art photography.
About picture quality its the lens that matters.
You can change lenses as much as you want, but its the camera house you keep for 5-8 years.
i have the canon sx110 and i am very happy with the quality of pictures and its size! i take it where ever i go and it’s really easy to use. plus its pretty cheap at $200-250
If I had to make a recommendation, I’d recommend the Canon Powershot SD800. It’s three inches, comes in either silver or gold, and has 10 megapixels.
All in all, I’d go with Canon, because it’s what I’ve been using for quite some time, and they have excellent customer service. I love my Canon Digital Cameras, and yeah. :]
One thing I have always done is rely on “Consumer Reports” for all the leg work, then I pick out maybe 3 from their recommendations and start comparing features that are important to me, and then go from there. Good luck to you
use the hi-def of the dv cam