Advice on a digital camera

[hammml8]

I have a Minolta Maxxum 7 and a half dozen lenses, flash, etc. I

love the camera but carrying it around to informal situations where

I want to snap a few shots is somewhat cumbersome. I've begun

looking at a point and shoot digital camera to fill that gap as well

as expose me to the digital world in case I ever want to make the

leap to a DSLR. Unfortunately I don't know much about going digital

so I was hoping for some recommendations on cameras and makers? Or

maybe be pointed in the right direction to find some comprehensive

reviews?

[phule]

dpreview.com is about as comprehensive as it gets. :)

[jordan2240]

Justin,

 

I always plug the ultra-zoom digicams because I think they are a lot of fun to use, and the most versatile of the lot. I have an Olympus C-740, and with a 35mm equilavent lens of 38mm-380mm, there aren't many shots you can't get. My "Digital Shots" folder has recent shots from this camera. Canon has just introduced it's own version of an ultra-zoom digicam (don't know the model), and it has the added benefit of image stabilization. I've always found Canon products to be of excellent quality, so I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it as well as the Olympus 740 or 750 models. Panasonic makes a 12x zoom, but I understand it's a bit bulkier than the other models I noted, and may not be as convenient to carry around.

 

Bill

[mtwhite]

I think you're refering to Canon's Powershot S1. Beautiful machine. A

little low on the megapixel side (3MP), but all in all a pretty damn

good buy for those looking to do image stabilized telephoto on the

cheap.

 

In a similiar vein, there's also Kodak's 6490. No IS, but costs less,

has a 4MP sensor, 38-380mm equivalent zoom and also allows full

manual overrides. Don't listen to the anti-Kodak digicam prejudices,

the 6490 ain't no cheapie 6200. Nice build quality and flat black

color. One could file off the Kodak logo and glue on a Nikon logo and

you'd probably fool most of the "I do not buy equipment from the

plebian brands" snob crowd. :)

[craig_gillette]

Besides Dpreview, I'd suggest Imaging Resource as well:

 

http://www.imaging-resource.com/

 

Going beyond these is possible but just as there is a staggering variety of camera choices, it's likely to add info but little clarity.

 

I'd think the place to start might well be choosing just how "portable" or pocketable you might want to be - the smaller you go, the more likely the controls and optical performance begin to be compromised to achieve the small sizes. If you don't plan to exceed 4x6 or 5x7s, then a 3 meg would likely be fine, otherwise 4-5 megs would be more useful for both 8x10s and to add cropability. I'd suggest looking closely at review comments on flash and low-light performance if that's important, low perf there will drive you to larger cameras and or a kit w/external flash and you are trying to avoid that. Finally, a decision on zoom ranges. 4x or lower typically has an optical finder, above 4x is both bulkier and will have an electronic finder. Some folks don't like them.

 

I don't disqualify Sony's over the memory stick but it is more expensive, likewise there are trades between AA battery omnipresence/low price and tailored performance with proprietary batteries. I'd avoid a SmartMedia only camera these days because while they are available but I think it's run it's course as a popular/supported media format. CF is still a safe bet.

[ben_lanterman1]

It's a new just out 8 megpix sensor with good lens and images. It has a wide

range zoom lens and looks to be a ball to use.

 

I used a Minolta Maxxum 7 from the time they came out until about 3 years

ago when I gave up on waiting for Minolta to make a digital SLR. I sold the

whole lot of cameras and lenses and went with Canon.

 

The Canon G1 was my first digital. It made nice photos but was slow in all

respects. One used to the great handling of the Max 7 you will find most

anything under $1000 to be slow and clunky handling. The Canon Pro1 is

much closer to handling like a SLR.

 

As someone mentioned look at dpreview.com for a truly comprehensive

listing and tests of cameras. Their reviews are very accurate and make

comparisons very easy to make.

 

Take care though, the instant gratification of digital can really spoil you. When

I bought my first Canon 1D I also bought a Canon EOS3 for film use. I have

put exactly 2 rolls of film through it in a year and a half. It works fine but digital

is so much more fun.

 

One last thing, the Canon EOS 300D is a cheap digital SLR that will be a lot

better than most any point and shoot variety even the Canon Pro1.