Need to buy new camera. Please give me some suggestions. There are so many beautiful pictures on GardenStew,so I figured this would be the best place to go for info. Thanks, Donna moderator's note: added a more descriptive title to topic
I use an $80 Wal-Mart reject. My daughter tells me if you know what you are doing with it, spend $700.
I swear by Panasonic Lumix digital cameras as they are easy to use and give good picture quality at a competitive price.
What's your price range, and what do you want to be able to do? Do you want something small you can fit in your pocket, or can it be bigger?
Hi Donna, nearly every member of the Stew has a camera of some sort so you should get a long list of cameras. If you look through the forum photographs you will see some very clear photographs,..ignore the size of course as they were downsized to forum size,..but look at the clarity of the photograph,..then ask that member what they use,..take into consideration the price of course,..and very important,..a camera that you can carry about with ease,..for example my own camera will fit in my shirt pocket,..the link below shows my own camera,..hope this will help you decide,..the Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-W55 is my camera in use for the pictures and videos you see in YouTube. Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W55 Camera - Full Review
I have a Fugifilm, Finepix S8100 f. It is 10 megapixel with18x optical zoom. I will shoot still pictures or video and acn put them on a card. Very easy to use with auto. I do use macro and super macro for closeups such as flowers. Very affordable at about $400, for all that you get with it. Mine is about 5 years old and the newer ones have even more megapixel and zoom for about the same price. I am very happy with mine.
I'll be in the market soon for a new camera. I've been totally happy with my now 4-year-old Canon Power Shot A550. It cost under $300 then. I like it's small size so I can always have it with me. But now I want one with higher zoom capabilities. I've owned Canons all my life and will probably stick with that brand for my next one. UNLESS there's something that really does what I want for a lesser price.
If you are looking for very clear close-up shots, then do consider Sony Cyber Shot line. Lots of honest reviews of nearly all models can easily be watched on YouTube. Next best candidate I'd say is Casio's range of digital cameras. This is for pictures of course, for video - There is nothing better than my Sony DCR-SX44. It is totally solid state (meaning that there are no moving parts in it). So it records on it's own digital momory (4GB internal, and can support a memory stick of about 32GB). It is very small, plus it has an optical zoom of 60x!!! So when combined with it's digital zoom, you get 2000x! It also takes good quality pictures too. Basically, it's a very small camera which will shoot widescreen video, at the fraction of the cost of a full HD handy cam. Ideal for holidays (and absolutely perfect for snooping). It's basically a beefy broadcast quality TV camera from the mid 90s, that news teams would carry on their shoulders. Which now has been shrunk into a size that fits into the palm of your hand! Oh yes, forgot to tell one thing - It has very good night vision too, where everything is seen in real colors (not becoming a monochrome green or gray). Just a very small and clever device, that is also extremely user friendly. I now make all of my YouTube videos from this. See the link below of my Flower Show video: http://youtu.be/CI0yR40uLT8
I use a Fuji Fine Pix S1600. It takes great photos, and is easy to use. I also have a little 'pocket camera' that I carry everywhere - it is also a Fuji.
I am a Canon person like Cherylad and my Canon is with me for more than a decade. Even though it is temperamental now it is still my choice over the newer Panasonic Lumix. My daughter gave me her Panasonic Lumix of 1 year old and got herself a Canon. I like her reasoning that if we are not a photography hobbyist or professional, a cheap point and shot camera would be the best to have because it is easy to handle, shot great pictures and can easily be replaced.
Actually, you know what? All point and shoot digital cameras of today are of a good quality. The real thing which one really needs to invest in, is actually a solidly built tripod. Seriously, a camera (be it of any brand), will give phenomenal results - When placed on a steady platform. So again, I'd say that any camera of today will be an improvement over whatever you may have used in the past (as the technology keeps on improving). But the tripod's place in both photography and filming, has remained the same since the last 200 years! So please do consider a sturdy tripod for the camera. I recently bought one which was made in China (for equal of about 11 US$), and I can easily attach any modern movie or still camera on it. It is of a solid aluminum construction, and best of all, has even got a spirit level in it too! When collapsed, it is about 16 inches, has it's own carrying case (which too is very well made). Weight is about 1.2 pound. And when fully extended, it is almost 5 feet tall (chest height). And the time it take for me to take it out of it's carrying case, attaching the camera over it, and deploying in the field - Is less than 30 seconds! Really, having a tripod now gives a me such a high level of freedom (for both pictures and video) - That I'll never go anywhere with it!!! Only thing that I do not like about it, it that it is silver in color (so can be easily spotted when I am doing some "clandestine filming"). But thankfully my camera's zoom is so powerful, that up till now I haven't been caught! By the way, the more powerful the zoom, the more one would need a steady platform like a tripod (as above 30x even your own heartbeat will start to show up in the footage)... You however can see me using my camera and tripod in this video clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjhtxHh9dBg I am on the extreme left of the screen at 22 seconds, then again at 33 seconds on the bottom right corner of the screen. And again at 1 minute and 33 seconds, in the center of the screen (in the background). I once more can be seen with the camera and tripod at 1 minute and 44 seconds (in the background). And again at 1 minute and 50 seconds. Camera and tripod 1 ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Camera and tripod 2 ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Camera and tripod 3 ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden ) Camera and tripod 4 ( photo / image / picture from S-H's Garden )
Keep an eye on slickdeals and fatwallet for deals on cameras. There's one or two a week usually. Search the forums!
Just remember that there is a world of difference between having a tripod and not having one... Now this may be a bit off topic, but this reminds me of an inside joke of the famous Star Trek TV show... Once William Statner was asked to pose for an action photograph. However no one had a futuristic looking prop for him to hold as a weapon - So he made a split second decision, and borrowed a cameraman's tripod to pose with (with a stiff upper lip and the ultimate expression of manliness on the rest of his face)! 99% of the people in the world really thought that the good Captain was indeed holding some awesome 3 barrel Phaser cannon!!! But it actually is only a folded tripod - Just goes to prove what else a tripod can be used for! here is that famous picture: http://imgur.com/gallery/JCnp6
