Camera

The_Foxhunter

The_Foxhunter

New member
Hi everybody,

I really don't know where to post this so I put it in the equipment section. In the picture thread, I have seen a lot of very beautyfull pictures of landscapes and animals. I also like taking pictures so that's why I want a good digital camera. I hope some of you guys know something about this.
At the moment I have saved some money for a digital camera. I'm going to use this camera to take pictures of the wildlife when I'm sitting on my stand. I'm using a cheap crappy camera now with a 3x zoom and it's loud! When I turn it on it makes a loud noise and when I zoom in it's even louder.
I don't have a very big budget so I can't afford a professional camera. But I have seen some cameras that fit within my budget. I can spend 400 dollars (max) on the camera. It has to have a big zoom (10x or more) and it has to be quiet. Off course, it can make some noise but not too much. So does anyone know a good camera?

Thanks
 
Look at Canon first. Then make sure you look at nikon, pentax, olympus and fuji. There are good reasons to like each of them. Canon has rated highest in consumer level digital cameras for years.

Make sure when you price them, that you're including everything you need to transfer to computer. Some makers like Canon include everything in their listed price. Nikon often doesn't, and you'll need to get a few more items.

Don't get less than 4 megapixels! More megapixels produce better quality images. When it comes do zoom lens features, you need to be critical about the "optical" zoom.

Any hype about "digital" zoom is just hype. It doesn't bring the image closer, it simply crops the image in camera and you can do that on the computer much better.

You'll need some form of image handling software on the computer. The ImageBrowser that came with my little Canon is ok, but the top of the heap is Adobe Photoshop at $500.00+

You can spend tens of thousands of $ on camera related stuff. Sometimes more money buys you better stuff, but the end result is the photo -- and the great photos are created by the photographer, not the eqipment.

I've seen some great things done with a $2 Diana plastic film camera, years ago. I'm not recommending that, but you need to figure on a learning curve. If you don't like some of your photo, analyze why and how you might change it. When you see photos you like, figure out specifically why you like them. Subject matter plays a part, but its not everything.
 
Second the Canon suggestion. I use a Canon Power Shot S2IS, 5.0 MP w/12X lens. An important feature on any camera w/this much zoom is image stabilization as it is difficult to hold steady enough on high magnification.

About the only complaint I have is the silver color, but current models are black......much easier to hide for wildlife photos. Here are a couple of pics from last hunting season:

IMG_2423.jpg


IMG_2370.jpg


IMG_1730.jpg


IMG_2227.jpg


The Power Shot S2IS comes w/all software you need and fits in your price range.

Regards,
hm
 
Man,that was good advice when I read his I was going to respond exactly the you guys did.NO DIGITAL ZOOM,get optic stabilizer++
 
I did a lot of reading before I got a DSL camera 3 years ago. There is some very good ones out there.
My first one was a Panasonic FZ-7. Then I moved up to a Nikon D40 with a kit lens 18-55mm and 55-200MM no VR and a "very good" Nikon 70-300MM VR lens for wild life.
Then two weeks ago I moved up to a Nikon D80 and this a very nice camera. Ive been looking for coyote dens with pups and have had no luck yet. Will post when I get some pictures. Hope to see some of your pictures soon. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif GENE'O
 
Don't get caught up in the low cost 12+ megapixel cameras around your price range. My 8mp DSL can outshoot any of them. I'd pick one of the big name companies and buy one with a good optical zoom and with a good sensor.
 
Ok guys, my budget went down a little due to some costs I forgot about /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif I have searched the internet for cameras within my budget. Here's a list of the only ones that I can afford. I really like the Olympus and the Sony because of their high optical zoom. But I really don't know if they are good for the things I'm gonna use it for. I'm sorta leaning towards the Olympus because I've heard they are good cameras and it's the only one with a wide-angle lens.

Canon PowerShot SX100 IS
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/contro...delTechSpecsAct

Fuji Finepix S5800
http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/s/finepix_s5800/specifications/index.html

Fuji Finepix S8000 FD
http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/s/finepix_s8000fd/specifications/index.html

Olympus SP-550 UZ
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1289&fl=4

Sony Cyber-shot DSC H7
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stor...ductId=20005009
 
Try to get a camara that uses double A batteries. There's nothing wrong with a digital zoom by the way. Take a look at the Kodak Z series. I have a 10x standard zoom and with a five X digital added to that it has an effective zoom ratio of 50 power and that works very well for wildlife. the anti-shake really makes the high zoom ratio more effective.

I'm shooting a Kodak Z 740 and it has just been a great camera.
 
I use a Sony Cybershot H2, did this after reading and reading, looking at Tripod's photos on here and was within my budgeted price. Below are some photos taken with that camera. I am still learning all the tricks on my camera and have had it for over a year. It comes with rechargable sony batteries and a charger. They are under $300.00 now and area good camera. For a little extra you can bumpt it up a few megapixels with a H5-H10. Anyhow...here they are.

Yellowstone07208.jpg


Yellowstone07183.jpg


Oct07048.jpg


Yellowstone07211.jpg


June07211.jpg


July07157.jpg


July07185.jpg
 
You guys sure make beautyful pictures! I hope I can do the same in a few weeks.
@SureShot: So you prefer the Sony for taking wildlife pictures? I have read that the H7 is the successor of the H2 so if the H2 can make such beautyful pictures, the H7 will too. But is it quiet enough? I mean, does the wildlife notice the sound the camera makes when it zooms in and such?
 
Some very good advice here...

Nice pictures SureShot!

That is what others meant about "seeing" the picture, that's the photographer more than the camera!

I've made a decent living as a photographer and have used everything from "Box" cameras to high end "Digital SLR's", mostly Pro Nikon stuff. There are some fantastic point and shoot cameras out there right now. Digital zoom does nothing for you that you won't be able to do on your computer(and do better)or at the photo kiosk at Walgreens or WallyWorld..
Higher optical zoom and higher pixel count will yield better pics. The quality of the lens also makes a big difference. Olympus often uses "Zeiss" glass which is some of the best in the world. High quality glass will give sharper images and better color contrast.
The thing I look for as much as any is the autofocus speed and shutter latency. That is the time needed for the camera to focus on the subject and actually capture the shot. Often the cheaper cameras have slow shutter latency... you press the shutter and wait... wait... wait and then "click", the pic gets captured... not good! You want the camera to instantly focus and take the picture when you press the shutter or you will lose many shots due to movement or just plain missing the moment. The Nikon D40-D100 SLR series are all excellent in this regard and are also more expensive!

I would recommend looking at Canon and Olympus in your price range. You will have to be willing to make tradeoffs regardless. Good Luck and be sure and post some pics! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
Thanks for the advice Nikonut!
I have compared the Olympus with the Sony camera.
This is the difference between the 2 with the things you mentioned.

Olympus SP-550 UZ:
- Lens: On their website, there is nothing mentioned about the Zeiss lens. I have zoomed in on the lens and it just says "Olympus ED lens". Can you confirm that this model has the Zeiss lens? He does have an 18x optical lens and it has 7.1 Megapixel.
-Shutter speed: 1/2000 sec

Nikon Cyber-shot DSC-H7
-Lens: This one has the Zeiss lens with 15x optical zoom and with 25x HD digital zoom. It also has 8.1 Megapixel
-Shutter speed: 1/4000 sec

Which one of these 2 is the best?
 
The Sony H2 is quiet, and you can turn the sound off. The only real audible noise I hear is slight on the zoom. Zeiss lens is nice and you can buy additional zoom lens. Before I purchased anything I went to stores that had both cameras. I tested shutter speed by point and shooting in the store at "unknowing" test subjects throughout the store kinda fun and someone later had a lot of pics store to look at. The H2 is only 6 mp so my next one will be an upgrade. I don't think you can go wrong with anything Sony has made, Olympus or Nikon.

It's true that a lot good pictures are seen by the photographer right before shooting it. The elk crossing yellowstone river above a in the right place/right time situation. I have that blown up to 8x10 and wonder if I can go bigger. Anyhow, thanks for the compliments.

Good luck on camera choice..
 
Thanks.

I had an h-2, h-5 and then moved to the h-9. I suppose I should be checking for an h-11. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Randy,

Those are some really nice shots! I haven't used a Sony other than a video cam. I can't see much wrong with the pics you're getting. The picture of the squirrel is a tough one for any camera to meter with the darker shadow area where the subject is located and the bright full sun in the corner. The skin tones are very nice in the full sun pics of the girls... very nice eye for framing and subject matter! That is what is known as a "moment" a slower shutter latency might have missed that shot.

Foxhunter,

The 1/2000th shutter speed isn't what I was refering to about shutter latency... shutter latency is the "Lag" in time between pushing the shutter and when the picture is actually taken. A few thousandths of a second can make or break an action shot. 1/2000ths shutter speed refers to how fast the shutter travels across the image sensor. The faster the shutter travels the more likely you will be able to stop action(1/250ths and above) and camera movement... at a tradeoff in ISO(film or cmos sensitivity). Clear as mud isn't it! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smiliesmack.gif

I couldn't begin to really tell you which camera might be better in your above choices without trying them in the store as suggested. Nikon compact cameras are "Coolpics" not Cybershot, that's Sony. I'd certainly throw the Sony into your mix. Almost the entire line of Olympus "Stylus" cameras use Ziess lenses, not sure about the rest of their line.
 
yeah i would go with a Canon i really like there quality. it sounds like you would want a SLR but its gonna be hard to get one with a nice zoom lense. im in the same situation as you are i am wanting to get a new digital SLR camera but there all over $500 right now and ill be goin off to college in the fall so the budget isnt the best right now
 
Lots of reactions here! Thanks for the help guys.
Well I did some more research and checked out some online reviews. I've looked at the score that was given to the models and it looks like the Sony DSC H3 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 get the highest scores. The Panasonic even got an award according to the review I read and is highly recommended. Here is the review of the Panasonic camera:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfz8/

Keep the advice coming!
 
The Foxhunter,

Only advice I can offer. Is to get a camera with an eye-viewfinder.

Otherwise, the LCD screen on the back for viewing. Turns dark in Sunlight. Hard to find your target to take the picture. Especially, when zooming in for a close-up.
 
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