camera ideas

[aimeekitty]

hrm. so our digital camera stopped working, and I AM going to Japan early next year... so I need a new camera.

things I need out of a camera:

(1) must have AA batteries. battery chargers not convenient enough

(2) must have manual options and allow me to learn some a little more advanced camera techniques (like changing how the light is taken in, the aperture, focus etc.)

(3) must take very good macro photos. (ie, how well does it take a photo of a tiny doll? like 3 or 4 inches tall? many cameras aren't good at this)

(4) must be relatively small (could deal with medium, but not LARGE. would prefer compact) so that it wont be a total pain to take to Japan with me

(5) under $400 or $300.

(6) speed to actually take a photo must be good. I've had digital in the past that took so long to take the photo that it would be extremely hard not to get a blurry picture.

(7) probably from 3 to 6 megapixel

(8) would prefer trustworthy brand with good trackrecord

(9) obviously outdoor and indoor photos (portrait) that look nice would be great too.

I was looking at the Canon PowerShot A95... but open to suggestions, pleaaaaaaase!!

Comments

[harmonious.livejournal.com]

Well, I've got a Powershot A60 and I absolutely adore it. Not sure if you're going to be in need of the A95, there probably aren't THAT many more options on it.

[slai.livejournal.com]

Hi mooglegirl,

Wow, another Nurse Angel Ririka S.O.S. fan 8D! Sorry for the off-topic-ness of this post, but I don't see many other Ririka fans ^^;!

[harmonious.livejournal.com]

Nurse Angel Ririka SOS rocks! ^_^ I still haven't finished the series, though. I REALLY should buy the rest of those fansubs at some point. ^^;

[dmk26.livejournal.com]

dpreview.com has pretty good reviews and full specs. Lots of reading material =)

[leahkitty.livejournal.com]

I have the Powershot S1IS. Excellent photos - a bit big though -, but I certainly think it's worth it. Others think the ergonomics could use work, but I have small hands and it's not a problem

[tweedlekeys.livejournal.com]

I have the PowerShot A70 and it seems good enough for me. Diffy's brothers then all got A75 and A85s after he brought it home for early Summer break. I have great faith in Canon cameras.

[amezri.livejournal.com]

I have a Nikon CoolPix 3100 and it has the best macro lens out of any similarly priced 3.1MP cameras. There are quite a few manual features, which were somehow lost when they released the CoolPix 3200. I uploaded a few sample images for you here: http://www.eternalvox.net/photos - there are a variety of lighting conditions and focus lengths.

Another great review source is http://www.steves-digicams.com/ - every feature of a camera is reviewed with sample photos taken with each.

[taeha.livejournal.com]

Get the A95. :) On points 3 and 6 it's a little less brilliant on than other, more expensive cameras, but for that price range is the best you're going to get.

All of the photos I post are taken with my a70, which I've had for a year and still adore.

[ziggybecket.livejournal.com]

Heya. :) I'm also hunting around for a pocket sized camera too. I realized this week that sometimes, I just don't want to lug my monster camera around. :(

Unfortunately, all of my favorites so far have rechargeable non-AA batteries. Most digital cameras now don't use AAs. But the Canon A95 and the Nikon 3100 both do.

Both are very good cameras, though I'd lean toward the Canon because it's 5mp vs 3mp on the Nikon. However, Nikon's are known for there very good macro pictures, but reading the review the Canon's macro isn't so bad either.

If you're willing to bend on the rechargeable battery, I can suggest some more cameras that are much more compact, but I can understand why you want to stick with normal batteries.

I'm going to go camera shopping this weekend and I'll keep an eye out for any cameras that meet your requirements. :>

[aimeekitty.livejournal.com]

hrm! I'm curious because a couple of the review sites said stuff like a couple of the nikons are really good with macro photos (ie better than the canons I was looking at) however, the canons were listed as more beginner to intermediate,... whereas the nikon coolpix were listed as beginner-amateur.

is that right? cause I really wanted to try some more "fun" features that might be in a more intermediate camera... but then macro stuff is important to me. I wish I lived closer to you, we could go shopping together (cause I'm probably going to go shopping today too!)

[pogo101.livejournal.com]

Remember to weed out your options (if not narrow them down to just one or two, quite) with ConsumerReports.org. Remind me to print out their recent ratings for ya ^^

I'm using...

[damoclesangel.livejournal.com]

Casio QV-r51

I think it fills all those reqs. I got mine here for 37,000 yen.

Check out its specs at megapixel.net

Re: I'm using...

[damoclesangel.livejournal.com]

oh yeah, that price was from february, so it's likely gone down a fair bit. Remember, you can get electronics duty free here!

[macbeemer.livejournal.com]

I've got the A95, got my dad the S1iS. We both love our cameras. Canon's definitely the way to go. :)

[joshuaaaaaa.livejournal.com]

Go to Samy's Camera at one of their LA locations. They can give you a lot of guidance. Then go buy the camera off their website of samys.com, since it will be cheaper there.

I'll check my recent photo mags for reviews, too.

[mao.livejournal.com]

I own an Olympus Camedia c-4000 which covers all your criteria except for #4. It's kinda big. Not too big, but it's definitely more of a hassle to carry around than I'd like it to be:



Otherwise it's perfect. It uses batteries well, it's got great manual and macro options as well as 4 megapixel count. Plus it's 2 years old so you can get it used or at a discount price. I got mine for around $300. Not bad considering how nice it is.

Also, this lady uses one and she takes some nice ass photos.

[nikita2471.livejournal.com]

Get the Canon A95. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canona95/page2.asp

You'll love the swivel screen which means easier at taking pics at certain angles.

Get it HERE and don't try to buy a camera from Japan. For one, if you get a camera that is offered there and not here, getting support for it, should something go wrong, will be hard.

Try using pricegrabber.com to compare online prices if you decide to get it online. Some places don't charge tax.

[miraelizabeth.livejournal.com]

I have a Canon Powershot. I love mine. One of the best pieces of equipment I ever bought.

[trickster-brat.livejournal.com]

Howdy

[girlcreeture.livejournal.com]

Hello! I cruised in here on yet another link to link to link surfing night.

I hope this might help, from slickdeals.net:
" Dell Home has the Canon PowerShot S70 7.1MP Digital Camera for $499 - 15% off coupon 6MZ0G578GVWXTJ - $45 off coupon GCBMDDS79ZD?F8 = $379 w/ free shipping. Lowest on Pricegrabber is $413"

I *believe* the 15% coup off may be expired or is no longer stacking on the other coupon code, but the
-$45 isn't so bad and it's got a decent review here:
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/s70.html

Again, hope it helps! Wish I weren't in the market for a Rebel or I'd pick it up!