Cameras

[Nic]

As mentioned earlier I am looking for a new digital Camera, I don't want to spend a fortune as it is only for recreational use.

So if anyone has any recommendations tell them here!

[TheOneEye]

As mentioned earlier I am looking for a new digital Camera, I don't want to spend a fortune as it is only for recreational use.

So if anyone has any recommendations tell them here!

Anything by Nikon is good and anything Sony is bad :mad:

[TheOneEye]

Vivitar do make very good cameras for the cheaper market though

[Nic]

Vivitar do make very good cameras for the cheaper market though

Are you calling me cheap :eek::eek::D:D

[TheOneEye]

Are you calling me cheap :eek::eek:D

Not at all love :p

It just depends on your budget and expectations :)

[Nic]

Not at all love :p

It just depends on your budget and expectations :)


I would really like to spend no more the £150, I am trying to buy a house!! And I just want something cute looking that has about 5 mega pixels
:)

[TheOneEye]

I would really like to spend no more the £150, I am trying to buy a house!! And I just want something cute looking that has about 5 mega pixels
:)

NIkon and Vivitar are well within your budget then. Don't forget memory cards and rechargeable batts though. :)

[Nic]

NIkon and Vivitar are well within your budget then. Don't forget memory cards and rechargeable batts though. :)


Ah yes. I will maybe look on the Web later, :)

[Knickers71uk]

Canon is a vote for me, they do some excellent point and clicks.

[Gemo52]

Anything by Nikon is good and anything Sony is bad :mad:

Thanks. :mad:

[TheOneEye]

Thanks. :mad:

What ??????????? :confused:

[Gemo52]

I would really like to spend no more the £150, I am trying to buy a house!! And I just want something cute looking that has about 5 mega pixels
:)

What are your priorities in picture-taking, people at parties etc or general shooting?

What other things are you looking for? Size, colour, etc. Don’t just go for a name, their are good and bad cameras in all the ranges.

[Gemo52]

What ??????????? :confused:

All the crap pictures I do are taken on a Sony. :p

[TheOneEye]

What are your priorities in picture-taking, people at parties etc or general shooting?

What other things are you looking for? Size, colour, etc. Don’t just go for a name, their are good and bad cameras in all the ranges.

Gemo my lovely I meant no harm

I am sure for a real professional like yourself Sony make wonderful cameras I just find their point and click Cybershot range lagging behing the competition

[TheOneEye]

All the crap pictures I do are taken on a Sony. :p

Ahh but you are using an SLR not a £90 special ;)

[Nic]

What are your priorities in picture-taking, people at parties etc or general shooting?

What other things are you looking for? Size, colour, etc. Don’t just go for a name, their are good and bad cameras in all the ranges.



It will be for pics of friends, nights out, Ones of my son etc things like that.

I want something quite small and pretty looking ( pink would be nice:o) It isn't going to be for anything major, just documenting things that happen. If it was neat enough I'd probably keep it with me in my bag all the time.
:):):)

[Gemo52]

Gemo my lovely I meant no harm

I am sure for a real professional like yourself Sony make wonderful cameras I just find their point and click Cybershot range lagging behind the competition

The Cybershot is the number one selling camera in the world. It may be lacking in features but it has an excellent lens.

The most advanced cameras in that range at the moment are the Fuji F100 which has face recognition. Or the Olympus mju and Pentax W60 which are ridiculously durable.

[TheOneEye]

The Cybershot is the number one selling camera in the world. It may be lacking in features but it has an excellent lens.

The most advanced cameras in that range at the moment are the Fuji F100 which has face recognition. Or the Olympus mju and Pentax W60 which are ridiculously durable.

I have never really been a fan of Olympus I am very brand loyal to Nikon to be honest.

I do really rate Vivitar though for value for money superb CCD and always great pictures.

[Gemo52]

It will be for pics of friends, nights out, Ones of my son etc things like that.

I want something quite small and pretty looking ( pink would be nice:o) It isn't going to be for anything major, just documenting things that happen. If it was neat enough I'd probably keep it with me in my bag all the time.
:):):)

Olympus mju (http://www.portagadgets.com/uk/product.php?productid=26311)

Fuji z10 FD (http://www.atlantic2u.net/store/viewproduct.asp?idproduct=8142)

And one that I am being sent to play with soon.

Pentax W60 (http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/19101/pentax-optio-w60/)

[Nic]

Olympus mju (http://www.portagadgets.com/uk/product.php?productid=26311)

Fuji z10 FD (http://www.atlantic2u.net/store/viewproduct.asp?idproduct=8142)

And one that I am being sent to play with soon.

Pentax W60 (http://www.letsgodigital.org/en/19101/pentax-optio-w60/)


Oooooh Thanks Gemo!! I like the middle one, and its a bit cheaper. Now I am in on Sat, I might go and buy one :)

[Gemo52]

I have never really been a fan of Olympus I am very brand loyal to Nikon to be honest.

I do really rate Vivitar though for value for money superb CCD and always great pictures.

Like I said before, all brands have good and bad products. With a field where new technology is being developed daily it’s a lottery as to which company gets the latest development first. I have to use Sony a lot of the time because I’m paid to but at the moment that is the brand I would also chose to use. After my mate, a Canon user, borrowed my camera for her trip she wanted to replace hers with one like it.

[TheOneEye]

I still havent found one I like yet :(

[Gemo52]

Have you looked at that Pentax one?

What are you looking for in a camera????

When digital cameras first started to replace film ones it took me about three or four years before I found one I got on with because I didn’t like the viewfinders but now I get on with most SLRs I play with.

[TheOneEye]

Have you looked at that Pentax one?

What are you looking for in a camera????

When digital cameras first started to replace film ones it took me about three or four years before I found one I got on with because I didn’t like the viewfinders but now I get on with most SLRs I play with.

A Nikon badge :o


Seriously I was looking at a nice panasonic Lumix which looked like a mini SLR

Although I would settle for a Phase 1 22mp :D

[Gemo52]

Oooooh Thanks Gemo!! I like the middle one, and its a bit cheaper. Now I am in on Sat, I might go and buy one :)

Just had a look on the Fuji Site (https://secure.fujifilm.co.uk/shop/consumer/digital) and they have refurbished Z100 fds. :)

[Gemo52]

A Nikon badge :o


Seriously I was looking at a nice panasonic Lumix which looked like a mini SLR

Although I would settle for a Phase 1 22mp :D

Going here (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare.asp) might help you with your choice. :)

[TheOneEye]

Going here (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare.asp) might help you with your choice. :)

IT can't find any results for me :(

[Gemo52]

IT can't find any results for me :(

Why??????????????????????:confused:

[TheOneEye]

Why??????????????????????:confused:

Maybe I am too fussy love :confused:

[Gemo52]

What features are you looking for?????

[Knickers71uk]

The Cybershot is the number one selling camera in the world. It may be lacking in features but it has an excellent lens.

The most advanced cameras in that range at the moment are the Fuji F100 which has face recognition. Or the Olympus mju and Pentax W60 which are ridiculously durable.

I have a cybershot, with the new type of lense and also a Fuji Z1 & Z2, altho I rate the Z1 more than the Z2...which is weird.

Anyhow the cybershots are pretty good, I was incredibly impressed with the one that was on my phone, I have taken some cracking shots with it, and like Gemo I use an SLR, so I do know a bit about cameras lol The fuji is ok, however in dark places, the cybershot stomps it into the ground, yet macros shots are better on the fuji.

My Fuji does good general day point and clicks, good strong colours and even does a little film, which can be uploaded in Avi, which is great for making your own little DVD's and the quality of the film recording is surprisingly good, considering its just a little camera.

The reason I rated some of the small Canons, which you can get in your price range Nic, is cos I used to work for currys, and the digital camera's was my section. I have done some serious playing with some of the Canon's and was very very impressed with the quality of the photos versus the price. Plus they do, do a range of pretty ones lol.

http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/735084/art/canon/digital-ixus-80-is-pink.html?itag=3889

also pentax do have a good small range of camera's although I wouldn't touch Panasonic with a barge pole, especially the lumix range TOE, seriously I done some trial runs with these, and the quality was bloody awful. Also I found Kodak's smaller range of camera's were totally rubbish, although the higher priced one's were better they have definitely gone downhill recently.

[Dongle]

I used to be really into photography. Well, still am but maybe not as much as before although I've rekindled my interest recently.

My pride and joy was a Nikon F90x that I was given for my birthday in the mid-90s.

I can't believe how the second hand prices of film SLR cameras have plummeted since the Digital revolution. I still use my F90x but feel a bit of a luddite using film these days. Yet film is still damn expensive. :mad:

[Gemo52]

It took me a while before I was satisfied that digital was as good as film but I have been happy with the results from digital cameras for about 4 years now. There are so many advantages with using digital, I would never want to go back to film. No need to have more than one camera body to use different types of film stock, the ability to look at a picture you have just taken to see if it needs any tweaking, the ability to take loads of pictures without counting the cost (duff pictures can be deleted without costing anything), less weight when travelling, no need to have a hand search conducted at customs if you’re carrying fast film, no more having half the space in a suitcase occupied by a lead bag containing all the film required for a trip. I’m sure I could go on…

[Dongle]

You are right Gemo... in the 90s the early digitals were laughable but now the technology has reached the stage where digital SLRs are as good if not better than film for normal purposes. I think film is equivalent to something like 10M pixels. Like you say the advantages of digital are overwhelming.

[Gemo52]

You are right Gemo... in the 90s the early digitals were laughable but now the technology has reached the stage where digital SLRs are as good if not better than film for normal purposes. I think film is equivalent to something like 10M pixels. Like you say the advantages of digital are overwhelming.

Super fine roll film with optimum processing can probably match 20M pixels, but ISO400 film with standard processing is equivalent to less than 10M pixels.

[Dongle]

Super fine roll film with optimum processing can probably match 20M pixels, but ISO400 film with standard processing is equivalent to less than 10M pixels.
Ah, I see.

That reminds me of another disadvantage of film - unless you have a darkroom to do your own processing, you don't have total control over the final outcome.

I normally use ISO 200.

[Gemo52]

ISO200 is a good all round choice. That was what I used most of the time, although when I was somewhere with guaranteed sun I would use ISO100, but then I’d take ISO200 as well for dull days, ISO400 for evening shots and ISO1600 for night time shots, and black and white film for being arty. I had to use slide film for the best results in the magazines, so I would also have to take colour negative is I wanted to get quick prints done. It was a bit of a nightmare, really.

[Dongle]

Are you a picture editor for a magazine, Gemo?

The other thing that's great about digital photography in the computer age, is that amateur photographers can display their talent for a worldwide audience, and maybe even make a bit of money from it. :)

[Dongle]

Anything by Nikon is good and anything Sony is bad :mad:
Sony took over Minolta, so they had ready access to the expertise and experience of the Minolta brand. Some of the Minolta SLRs were excellent and innovative for their time.

These days it's a slugfest between Nikon and Canon for being the professional's choice of system.

[Gemo52]

Are you a picture editor for a magazine, Gemo?

The other thing that's great about digital photography in the computer age, is that amateur photographers can display their talent for a worldwide audience, and maybe even make a bit of money from it. :)

I am a picture editor and digital photographer has transformed that as well. There was a teething stage when people got the files all wrong but that is more or less sorted now. I used to get through no end of books sitting with my feet up while pictures were scanning. If I was doing the same thing now I would be on ’tinternet. :D

[Gemo52]

Sony took over Minolta, so they had ready access to the expertise and experience of the Minolta brand. Some of the Minolta SLRs were excellent and innovative for their time.

These days it's a slugfest between Nikon and Canon for being the professional's choice of system.

Very well said. :D

[Dongle]

Very well said. :D
Cheers. :)

I remember when the Minolta 7000i came out in the late 80s. It seemed so cool and technologically advanced and I dreamed of owning one. I even wrote to Minolta asking for the brochure. I asked my mum for a Minolta for my birthday... so she got me one....but it was a compact. Thanks mum :o

[Gemo52]

Cheers. :)

I remember when the Minolta 7000i came out in the late 80s. It seemed so cool and technologically advanced and I dreamed of owning one. I even wrote to Minolta asking for the brochure. I asked my mum for a Minolta for my birthday... so she got me one....but it was a compact. Thanks mum :o

I had a 7000i. :)

I have a miniature gold-plated key-ring one. :)

[Dongle]

The Cybershot is the number one selling camera in the world. It may be lacking in features but it has an excellent lens.

The most advanced cameras in that range at the moment are the Fuji F100 which has face recognition. Or the Olympus mju and Pentax W60 which are ridiculously durable.
yes, Cybershots use Carl Zeiss lenses :cool:

and Panasonic with their Leica lenses :cool:

I really like Olympus going back to traditional SLR design with their digital relaunch. Their last film SLRs were sort of like a SLR-compact hybrid with an inbuilt zoom lens which looked quite cool and were excellent quality as you'd expect from Olympus, but a lot of people hated it because it didn't have the full versatility of a true SLR system.

[Dongle]

I had a 7000i. :)

I have a miniature gold-plated key-ring one. :)
Wow cool, was it a marketing gift from Minolta? I wouldn't use it as a key ring though - the gold plating might wear off. :eek:

[Gemo52]

Wow cool, was it a marketing gift from Minolta? I wouldn't use it as a key ring though - the gold plating might wear off. :eek:

It was a gift from Minolta and it isn’t used. It’s still in the miniature wooden crate that it came in. :)

[Dongle]

It was a gift from Minolta and it isn’t used. It’s still in the miniature wooden crate that it came in. :)

Lucky you.

I love discussing cameras. :o

[Gemo52]

I’ve just got a new (2nd hand, but mint) lens today. It is the Sony version of my Tamron 18-250mm. It seems to focus more quickly than the Tamron. I’ve to see if the optical quality is as good before I decide to keep it or pass it on.

[Gemo52]

yes, Cybershots use Carl Zeiss lenses :cool:

and Panasonic with their Leica lenses :cool:

I really like Olympus going back to traditional SLR design with their digital relaunch. Their last film SLRs were sort of like a SLR-compact hybrid with an inbuilt zoom lens which looked quite cool and were excellent quality as you'd expect from Olympus, but a lot of people hated it because it didn't have the full versatility of a true SLR system.

I had an OM10 system for a while and enjoyed using it for static subjects but the lack of auto-focus meant that I missed a lot of the shots of moving subjects so I sold it.

[Dongle]

I’ve just got a new (2nd hand, but mint) lens today. It is the Sony version of my Tamron 18-250mm. It seems to focus more quickly than the Tamron. I’ve to see if the optical quality is as good before I decide to keep it or pass it on.
I remember reading reviews of Tamron's superzooms in the camera mags in the 90s, and they always got excellent reviews.

However some people swear by manufacturers own lenses and avoid third party makes like Tamron or Sigma.

Btw do Sigma still produce their own cameras? - I remember they had a 35mm SLR range.

[Gemo52]

Sigma are still producing their own cameras.

Lens manufacturers are: Pentax, Canon, K-Minolta, Olympus, Sony-Zeiss, Panasonic-Leica, Cosina, Sigma, Tamron, Hoya-Tokina, Fuji, and Rittreck-Norita-Horseman.

I’ve seen Minolta lenses being manufactured in Japan and a Nikon plant in Thailand. :)

The manufacturers can be better than third party ones because there don’t have to be any compromises made so that the lens will work with different camera systems which is why I’m checking out the Sony lens against the Tamron.

[Dongle]

Ah, I see.

I was shocked that Contax is no more :( Their cameras and lenses were superb quality.

Even Leica, I read, are apparently in trouble due to failing to keep up with the digital revolution, hence their collaboration with Panasonic.

[Gemo52]

Contax has gone completely, Kyocera Yashica took over the production and development of them from Carl Zeiss but decided to stop this about two or three years ago. They produced some fantastic cameras that were at the top end of the range.

Leica have not produced anything of note for a long while. The last time I went to Photokina (six years ago) I looked at the latest cameras from the manufacturers. Most companies were producing something small and compact and Leica had the huge R9. My mate and I came to the conclusion that they had gone into the production of bling rather than decent optical systems

[Dongle]

Polaroid is another traditional name that's disappeared.

Obviously as instant film became obsoleted by the digital revolution.

I thought they were so cool when I was a kid. All that waving and flapping to dry it as it was developing. :D

[Gemo52]

Putting it under your arm so it would develop more quickly and later on doing creative things by squidging the chemicals while the picture was processing. :D

These were cool:

http://cache.gizmodo.com/assets/resources/2007/05/0507POLAROID_x600.jpg

I may even have one in the house somewhere.

Most professional cameras, like Hasselblad and Bronica, had Polaroid backs which were fitted so you could check the lighting etc before continuing with a shoot. Digital has put an end to all that faff. :D

[Dongle]

That Polaroid there does look rather :cool:... I expect they are collectable now.

Oh yeah I remember polaroid backs. Even 20 years ago, not everyone had cameras and you would go to a professional photographer's to get pictures taken for the family album. My mum took me and my siblings to get family pictures done. I can remember the photographer swapping the backs. And hiding his head under the cloth. :D

p.s. I don't understand focusing cloths - how do they work and why?

[Gemo52]

They cut out the room light hitting the focussing screen.

[Dongle]

They cut out the room light hitting the focussing screen.
Ah. How duh of me :o

[Dongle]

Sigma are still producing their own cameras.

Lens manufacturers are: Pentax, Canon, K-Minolta, Olympus, Sony-Zeiss, Panasonic-Leica, Cosina, Sigma, Tamron, Hoya-Tokina, Fuji, and Rittreck-Norita-Horseman.

I’ve seen Minolta lenses being manufactured in Japan and a Nikon plant in Thailand. :)

The manufacturers can be better than third party ones because there don’t have to be any compromises made so that the lens will work with different camera systems which is why I’m checking out the Sony lens against the Tamron.
My Nikon F90x body and lens are both Made in Japan. :)

My first ever SLR was a manual Cosina. It was excellent for learning the basics. I may be wrong - I am sure you'll know - but I think the manual Nikon FM10 body was actually made by Cosina?

[Gemo52]

The Nikon plant I went to see was producing the Pronea S and they gave me a camera with my name printed on it. Sadly the camera uses APS film so it is more or less useless now.

My first camera was a Werra, I had a Praktica for a very short while, then I had a Honeywell Pentax. I have used Minoltas for ages though but I get to play with a lot of other cameras.

[Dongle]

The Nikon plant I went to see was producing the Pronea S and they gave me a camera with my name printed on it. Sadly the camera uses APS film so it is more or less useless now.

My first camera was a Werra, I had a Praktica for a very short while, then I had a Honeywell Pentax. I have used Minoltas for ages though but I get to play with a lot of other cameras.
Perks of the job eh? *jealous* :)

I don't think you can buy APS film anymore. :eek:

Or 110s :o

[Gemo52]

It was a fantastic trip to Thailand, (the group was given a police escort to get us through the Bangkok traffic and in the evening we had tuk tuk races to Patpong for a bit of r and r) – only three days and very exhausting. Sadly trips like that were few and far between and I hardly do any now, I just do trips to take photographs.

[Dongle]

Got a roll of ISO 200 Kodak film from Poundland yesterday. I think it should be okay.... expires 2010 :o

[Gemo52]

Depends how it’s been stored. I used to keep film in a fridge and it was good until weel beyond its sell-buy date.

[Dongle]

I just keep them in a drawer. I usually prefer Fuji film though.

[TheOneEye]

I am still looking :mad:

[Gemo52]

I sent you an e-mail, TOE.

[TheOneEye]

I sent you an e-mail, TOE.

Did you love I will go and check thanks :)

[TheOneEye]

I have no mail love :(

[Gemo52]

I’ll resend it. It was about someone I know who will help you select the right camera. ;)

[TheOneEye]

I’ll resend it. It was about someone I know who will help you select the right camera. ;)

Ok love I will check again :)

[TheOneEye]

Got it now thanks :)

[Gemo52]

I saw a mate that had borrowed my Sony for a trip in April – she was a Canon user. She had just come back from another trip and was looking at the shots from her Canon – she wants to swap for a Sony now. :D

[Dongle]

yes i wouldn't mind a Sony SLR myself but my lenses tie me in to Nikon.

it's a shame they ditched the Minolta brand name though. (Not to mention Konica too)

[Gemo52]

I have an alpha 200 at the moment and I’m considering whether to change it to an alpha 700.

[Dongle]

Judging by your gallery, your A200 does the job nicely. Of course the skill behind the excellence of your pics comes from you not the camera :)

[Gemo52]

You’re too kind, Dongle. :o

All I do is point and shoot.

[Dongle]

i'm sure you do more than that, Gemo. :)

Do you use auto program mode? I usually use Aperture or shutter priority depending on the situation

[Gemo52]

I use auto programme mode but, obviously, if I’m doing things like ‘freezing’ water I adjust the settings to use a slow shutter speed.
http://www.pbase.com/gemo52/image/85538843.jpg

[Dongle]

Nice frosted glass effect :)

[Gemo52]

Another one, blurred water and freeze-frame water droplets. :D

http://www.pbase.com/gemo52/image/85538965.jpg

[Dongle]

That looks nice. :)

[Gemo52]

That looks nice. :)

Thanks. :)

Pointing and shooting with a slow shutter speed. ;)

[Dongle]

I love cameras and photography :)

[Gemo52]

I like taking pictures. I only tend to notice the camera when it fails to get a shot I want.

Last year when I was shooting

http://www.pbase.com/gemo52/image/92384280.jpg

a seagull came into the frame as well and because of the perspective the bird and the microlite where almost the same size. The bloody camera wouldn’t focus quickly enough.