New digital cameras

[SuperJETT]

Holy smokes.

We have a Kodak 4mp 4x optical DX6440 from like 3 years ago. It takes good pictures, but is basically a point/shoot with some preprogrammed modes. We've started having some issues lately, but it's probably just due to the rechargeable li-ion battery having no capacity anymore.

So, my wife is big into scrapbooking, as into it as me into jetskiing, so we want to be able to take better pics. A digital SLR is out of the budget, so I started looking around and ended up buying a Canon A630 (http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/cameraDetail.php?cam=913) last night. 8mp, 4x optical, full manual controls, can add on filters/etc, a great camera from all the reviews.

Anyway, the point of this post is how far digital cameras have advanced in the past 5-6 years.

Our first digital was a Kodak 1Mp, $140, NO optical zoom, that sucked the life out of 4 batteries. The pictures were decent for 1Mp, but when we upgraded to the 6440 for $280, we were blown away.

The new camera was $257 shipped! 10 years ago, digital cameras didn't exist and now few people consider buying a film camera anymore.

I had a Canon EOS 1000 that I bought in 94, excellent film camera, and I still have it. We haven't touched it in years, no reason to.

Here's our progression so far.
DC3200 - 1MP, no zoom, fixed focus, battery hog, flash was horrible
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/images/kodak_dc3200.gif
DX6340 - 3MP, 4x optical, good camera but broke within a year
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/images/kodak_dx6340.gif
DX6440 - 4MP, 4x optical, same as above but this is what Best Buy replaced the 6340 with, great camera, still have it
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/images/kodak_dx6440.gif
A630 - 8MP, 4x optical, full manual controls, we'll see if it lives up to the reviews - EDIT - returned it
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/images/canon_a630.gif
S2 IS - 5MP, 12x optical, image stabilization full manual controls, LOVE IT!
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/images/canon_s2is.gif

[SuperJETT]

Ok, just looked, I guess they did exist 10 years ago, but weren't really in the public's eye.
The first digital cameras for the consumer-level market that worked with a home computer via a serial cable were the Apple QuickTake 100 camera (http://inventors.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.epi%2Dcentre.com/reports/9403cdi.html) (February 17 , 1994), the Kodak DC40 (http://inventors.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.epi%2Dcentre.com/reports/9604ihs.html) camera (March 28, 1995), the Casio QV-11 (with LCD monitor, late 1995), and Sony's Cyber-Shot Digital Still Camera (1996).

[WaveDemon]

new digital camera are great. we just replaced my wifes stolen 8mp canon xt slr (consumer model) for the canon slr 30d (pro model) the deapth of color is amazing. She loves it and is startig to actually my money from it :woot:

[WaveDemon]

my dad is a long time hobby photog. you can't touch the quality of an old school large format camera. the negative is 3"x5". he's going on a photo shooting vacation after tax season, most likely iceland. I can't wait to see those pics!


the down side to the large format is he'll end up spending a couple of grand on film.

[SuperJETT]

What kills me is the megapixel war. There are compact digicams now with 12 megapixels!!! Pointless! They are just selling to uneducated buyers who think more is better.

4 MP is plenty for most people, going above that is for serious cropping or enlargements, you'd never see a difference in a 4x6 print.

Plus, the super-zoom cameras are nice, but I know several people (one is my aunt) that have them and complain about getting blurry pics all the time. >4x optical zoom is nice if you have image stabilization, but can be a detriment if not.

[SuperJETT]

my dad is a long time hobby photog. you can't touch the quality of an old school large format camera. the negative is 3"x5". he's going on a photo shooting vacation after tax season, most likely iceland. I can't wait to see those pics!


the down side to the large format is he'll end up spending a couple of grand on film.

Wow, both on the size of the negatives plus the cost of the negatives.

[Sanford]

The A620 is a great camera. My favorite "Point-&-Shoot" camera is the Canon S3.

However, I've been a Canon whore all my life. I still have all my "film" cameras but since going DSLR (camera on left side in pic), they only sit in a display shelf.

BTW: Picture below was taken with a Canon SD600 :purr:

[WaveDemon]

What kills me is the megapixel war. There are compact digicams now with 12 megapixels!!! Pointless!

a lot of trueth there. we could have bought a higher pixle count for my wife with the money we spent but the quality wouldn't have been better. we bought essentially the same MP as her old one (8mp vs 8.3mp) but got a much higher quality camera. how big of a print do you need? even if you made the print 8' tall how close are you going to stand to it?

[WaveDemon]

The A620 is a great camera. My favorite "Point-&-Shoot" camera is the Canon S3.

However, I've been a Canon whore all my life. I still have all my "film" cameras but since going DSLR (camera on left side in pic), they only sit in a display shelf.

BTW: Picture below was taken with a Canon SD600 :purr:

nice lense! I'd like to buy a new telaphoto for my wife to shoot me on the water but thats the only time she'd ever use it. not really worth it. maybe we could rent one, hmmm.

[sjetrider]

Holy smokes.

We have a Kodak 4mp 4x optical DX6440 from like 3 years ago. It takes good pictures, but is basically a point/shoot with some preprogrammed modes. We've started having some issues lately, but it's probably just due to the rechargeable li-ion battery having no capacity anymore.

So, my wife is big into scrapbooking, as into it as me into jetskiing, so we want to be able to take better pics. A digital SLR is out of the budget, so I started looking around and ended up buying a Canon A630 (http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/cameraDetail.php?cam=913) last night. 8mp, 4x optical, full manual controls, can add on filters/etc, a great camera from all the reviews.

Anyway, the point of this post is how far digital cameras have advanced in the past 5-6 years.

Our first digital was a Kodak 1Mp, $140, NO optical zoom, that sucked the life out of 4 batteries. The pictures were decent for 1Mp, but when we upgraded to the 6440 for $280, we were blown away.

The new camera was $257 shipped! 10 years ago, digital cameras didn't exist and now few people consider buying a film camera anymore.

I had a Canon EOS 1000 that I bought in 94, excellent film camera, and I still have it. We haven't touched it in years, no reason to.

Here's our progression so far.
DC3200 - 1MP, no zoom, fixed focus, battery hog, flash was horrible
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/images/kodak_dc3200.gif
DX6340 - 3MP, 4x optical, good camera but broke within a year
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/images/kodak_dx6340.gif
DX6440 - 4MP, 4x optical, same as above but this is what Best Buy replaced the 6340 with, great camera, still have it
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/images/kodak_dx6440.gif
A630 - 8MP, 4x optical, full manual controls, we'll see if it lives up to the reviews
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/images/canon_a630.gif

What size display on the A630, also isnt one of the most important thing w/ these to get maximum amount of optical zoom vrs. digital zoom? My wife wants a new one for X-mas, but all she cares about now is large display and slim design. I want to make sure I get these two things for her but still get the best quality photos and user friendly qualities as well.
Any help would be appretiated.

[WaveDemon]

Wow, both on the size of the negatives plus the cost of the negatives.

I got something wrong it's 4x5 film. after a quick interenet check it's compairable to 200-350 megapixels.

[WaveDemon]

What size display on the A630, also isnt one of the most important thing w/ these to get maximum amount of optical zoom vrs. digital zoom? My wife wants a new one for X-mas, but all she cares about now is large display and slim design. I want to make sure I get these two things for her but still get the best quality photos and user friendly qualities as well.
Any help would be appretiated.

I would completely disregard digital zoom. it's junk, all it does is zoom in closer to fewer pixles and the picture looks like junk. its the same thing as zooming and croping in any photo editor. Might as well do it in an editor anyways you can get the crop right there.

[SuperJETT]

What size display on the A630, also isnt one of the most important thing w/ these to get maximum amount of optical zoom vrs. digital zoom? My wife wants a new one for X-mas, but all she cares about now is large display and slim design. I want to make sure I get these two things for her but still get the best quality photos and user friendly qualities as well.
Any help would be appretiated.

2.5" tilt/swivel LCD on it. If you're wanting something smaller to take everywhere, the SD600 is a good one.
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_sd600-front.jpg

www.dcresource.com
www.dpreview.com
www.steves-digicams.com

[sjetrider]

2.5" tilt/swivel LCD on it. If you're wanting something smaller to take everywhere, the SD600 is a good one.
http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_sd600-front.jpg

www.dcresource.com
www.dpreview.com
www.steves-digicams.com

thanks, I will check that out.

[feartheride]

What is a good slr to buy these days .I would like to stay under 500 if possible for the amount I would use it

[SuperJETT]

Here are my basics on digital cameras:

1. at least 4 megapixel
2. over 6 megapixels is overkill for most people
3. digital zoom is pointless, don't even think about it. you're letting the camera guess what the image looks like once you pass the range of the optics.
4. over 4x optical zoom, image stabilization is needed unless you're using a tripod or just not zooming in much
5. do a little research, dcresource.com dpreview.com are good sources, plus check pbase.com/cameras for pictures from the camera you're considering
6. make sure the camera is something you'll actually carry with you

[WaveDemon]

What is a good slr to buy these days .I would like to stay under 500 if possible for the amount I would use itI don't think you can get a new SLR body for 500 but I havn't priced them since the new cameras came out.

[SuperJETT]

I don't think you can get a new SLR body for 500 but I havn't priced them since the new cameras came out.

Just barely on a good deal, like right now.
http://forums.slickdeals.net/showthread.php?t=384025
Black Canon Digital Rebel XT (body only) (http://slickdeals.net/?pno=8516&lno=8&afsrc=1) is available for $599 - auto 15% off - 10% coupon (http://slickdeals.net/?pno=8516&lno=4&afsrc=1) = $458

[WaveDemon]

the xt body was 900-1000 a year and a half ago when I bought one for my wife. good deal, good camera

[Snackem]

The wife and I are going to get a new camera in another year or two, we both really want a digital SLR, we have a Nikon N65 (film) right now and I love the features that it has, if it was digital it would be perfect but we got that camera for $229 and the same camera in the digital version was like $900. Another year or two and you'll be able to get a good 6mp camera for $300-$500, well maybe 500-600

[Rickster]

Here are my basics on digital cameras:

1. at least 4 megapixel
2. over 6 megapixels is overkill for most people
3. digital zoom is pointless, don't even think about it. you're letting the camera guess what the image looks like once you pass the range of the optics.
4. over 4x optical zoom, image stabilization is needed unless you're using a tripod or just not zooming in much
5. do a little research, dcresource.com dpreview.com are good sources, plus check pbase.com/cameras for pictures from the camera you're considering
6. make sure the camera is something you'll actually carry with you

I read about 7 years ago that they figured regular 35mm photos were the equivalent of 7.5mp.

does anyone actually know?

[SuperJETT]

I read about 7 years ago that they figured regular 35mm photos were the equivalent of 7.5mp.

does anyone actually know?

http://www.clarkvision.com/imagedetail/film.vs.digital.35mm.gif

[showmepro1200]

I just ordered a Canon S3 IS for my "xmas present" a day or two ago, its the first camera I have bought since getting a Canon AE-1 Program years ago (still have it).

[JFP3]

I just ordered a Canon S3 IS for my "xmas present" a day or two ago, its the first camera I have bought since getting a Canon AE-1 Program years ago (still have it).

Ah, gotta love the old AE-1 program!:arms:
Good Times, Good Times!

[SuperJETT]

Ok, so change of plans.

I did buy the A630, but once it gets here I'm returning it.

I just picked up a Canon S2 IS this morning, 12x optical, 5MP, image stabilization, full manual, etc etc, for $134 plus tax. $134!!!!!

Someone posted on slickdeals.net that Office Depot had them on closeout, so I called around and found only one store here in Louisville had one, and it was a display model. So, $149 closeout minus 10% for display model.

I added an extended warranty and total with tax was $167. Wow!

[gj_fx1]

I read about 7 years ago that they figured regular 35mm photos were the equivalent of 7.5mp.

Sure, but thats 'all things equal'. What you see now are low end cameras with rediculous "megapixel" numbers. If the optics aren't up to it all you get are huge (file size) low quality pictures.

[JFP3]

Lots of MPs are great but what realy matters is how they are grouped on the sensor. Bottom line, is there is A LOT more to high quality images that that amount of MPs.

[showmepro1200]

Ok, so change of plans.

I did buy the A630, but once it gets here I'm returning it.

I just picked up a Canon S2 IS this morning, 12x optical, 5MP, image stabilization, full manual, etc etc, for $134 plus tax. $134!!!!!

Someone posted on slickdeals.net that Office Depot had them on closeout, so I called around and found only one store here in Louisville had one, and it was a display model. So, $149 closeout minus 10% for display model.

I added an extended warranty and total with tax was $167. Wow!



Thats a great price on the S2 - new?? Where at?

Nevermind - gotta start reading for comprehension - doh

[hevnsnt1]

After struggling with 2 kodak digital cameras that crapped out on me, not to mention their poooooooooooor customer service, I finally broke down & got a Canon digital SLR Rebel XT a couple of months ago & love it. Haven't learned everything it can do yet though. I plan on getting an SD600 for regular everyday pics & to smuggle into concerts. :sneaky:

[SuperJETT]

After struggling with 2 kodak digital cameras that crapped out on me, not to mention their poooooooooooor customer service, I finally broke down & got a Canon digital SLR Rebel XT a couple of months ago & love it. Haven't learned everything it can do yet though. I plan on getting an SD600 for regular everyday pics & to smuggle into concerts. :sneaky:

The SD600 is what one of my coworkers bought for their 'carry everywhere' camera too.

[SuperJETT]

Here's a shot I just took with the new camera. 12x zoom is nice! 432mm equivalent.

I'm slowly learning what adjustments this thing likes.

[WaveDemon]

Lots of MPs are great but what realy matters is how they are grouped on the sensor. Bottom line, is there is A LOT more to high quality images that that amount of MPs.
so true.

[SuperJETT]

Almost a year later, I freaking love our S2. I just recently started my head around some of the features and getting away from P/programmed scene modes, and am really realizing that we don't use 1/4 of the power of this thing yet.

The S3 has been going on closeout at different stores recently, and I thought about selling our's on Ebay for what I could get a S3 for, but the difference between the 2 is so minimal, it's not worth it. Now, the S5 that is out now, whoa momma, I'd love to get one of those with the hotshoe and DIGIC III processor.

[crab]

Almost a year later, I freaking love our S2. I just recently started my head around some of the features and getting away from P/programmed scene modes, and am really realizing that we don't use 1/4 of the power of this thing yet.

The S3 has been going on closeout at different stores recently, and I thought about selling our's on Ebay for what I could get a S3 for, but the difference between the 2 is so minimal, it's not worth it. Now, the S5 that is out now, whoa momma, I'd love to get one of those with the hotshoe and DIGIC III processor.
All those Pismo shots you uploaded for me were from my wifes S2, "the more you know".

And I had to reduce them to make them usable here.

[Snackem]

I think that I am going to buy this (http://www.tvsdepot.com/product.php?id=114468&ref=froogle) camera. I'd like to stick with a Nikkon so that I can just buy the body and just transfer the lens from my N65.

[WDKfan]

I love my D40 it is awesome IDk if I'll ever be able to use it to its potential but I try. All the pics I took at Wave Daze were taken with it :biggthumpup:

[XFT LOU]

I just bought the canon s5is 8mp. 12x stable lens and a large 4mb sc memery card. Consurmer reports last month gave it top buy to film jet skers far away. Well I added the jet sker part. It really read bikini at a distance!

[Peter123]

Here is a pretty dang thorough review of the S2.

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_s2-review/

---------

Speaking of large format cameras, have you ever scanned in any old photos from the medium format carmeras that were used up until the late 60's? I was scanning in some of the photos of my grandparents, and holy smokes, as long as you scanned them with fairly high resolution you could really zoom in and keep so much detail. They were just so superior, film-wise, to 35 mm.

[SuperJETT]

All those Pismo shots you uploaded for me were from my wifes S2, "the more you know".

And I had to reduce them to make them usable here.

Cool, it's a sweet camera!

I can't convince myself to get the S3 even if it were just an even swap because I know our's works great and the S3 is just barely better, like 2.0" screen instead of 1.8" (minimal), 6mp vs 5mp (again minimal), black instead of silver case (either is fine w/us), and I think it goes to ISO 800 instead of 400 (useless upgrade for 99.9% of shooting with this class of camera).

Now, the S5, DIGIC III processor with face detection, flash hot shoe, 2.5" screen, much longer videos possible, but not worth the $200 it would take to upgrade right now. I'll be looking for one next year when they go on closeout.

BTW, the S3 has been going on closeout ~$150-175 so if anyone wants an awesome long zoom camera with full manual controls, keep an eye on slickdeals.net for it.

[SUPERJET-113]

I've been reseaching and looking at the S2 or S3 on Ebay because I want a camera with good zoom for lake/surf,etc pics like most here.
My ol 2.2 MP little Kodak DX3500 isnt made for distance or zooming. Its been reliable and takes great close ups and macro, but it's time for it to go and I'll probably give it to my daughter for Christmas.

I'm really liking the S2 and S3 a lot and it will fit my budget and I will feel like I have a mans camera. Where can I see these pics that crab took or some other S2 pics? Are they on superjett.com?

TIA

[crammit442]

Almost a year later, I freaking love our S2. I just recently started my head around some of the features and getting away from P/programmed scene modes, and am really realizing that we don't use 1/4 of the power of this thing yet.

The S3 has been going on closeout at different stores recently, and I thought about selling our's on Ebay for what I could get a S3 for, but the difference between the 2 is so minimal, it's not worth it. Now, the S5 that is out now, whoa momma, I'd love to get one of those with the hotshoe and DIGIC III processor.


I had the S1 IS and it croaked. My buddy owns a camera shop so I had him send me a new S3 IS. I found out afterwards that the S1 had a recall and it was repaired for free. The S3 is sweet for a consumer camera. Mark (2ndNature) is using the repaired S1 now and it still works awesome.

[superrob750]

Heres what i just picked up a few weeks ago..
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665199981

[SuperJETT]

crab's: http://www.x-h2o.com/photoplog/index.php?c=1&u=440

And I'm uploading some I shot yesterday with mine: www.superjett.com/gallery/ in the Jetskiing gallery. You can also dig around in the other galleries, but make sure you look at the Exif data to see if it was the S2 or some other camera that took the shot.

http://superjett.com/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=55&g2_navId=xa0780ddb

Also, you can see the full size original in my gallery by clicking in the upper right on the link.

[waxhead]

im using a g5 cannon
nice camera
getting old now but great quality
the only issue is the time between hitting the button and taking the pic
but for taking a pic in a normal situation its awesome

i suggest you go to
www.dpreview.com

[Snackem]

So if I get a Nikon D40, will my nikon lens fit on it? Do I need an adapter to make a film lens fit onto a digital slr or will it simply 'snap on'?

[onesojourner]

I just got the rebel xt for less than 500 bucks with a lense.