Buying a digital Camera

[Susan J]

I have , over the years, bought a few 'snap and go' digital cameras. I have had a couple of Olympus which have a great lens and there fore good sharp photos, and the software isn't bad- the batteries do not last long though. I now have a Sony, which has a longer lasting battery, but is slow to release the shutter, and results are just not as good.
Anyway, I am thinking of treating myself to a new one.........
I want clarity of picture, a fairly good zoom, I think a view finder is good too, as you can not always see the screen in bright light, light and slim is always a bonus, and easy to use. I am wondering whether to try a Nikon , or another Olympus
Go on, let rip with the advice.........It is purely for holiday snaps etc, and I want to be able to just throw it in my handbag and go!

[freddiehollie]

Don't forget Canon. They make some fantastic point & shoot cameras, as well as some awesome DSLR's.

Check out "What Digital Camera Magazine" in the back they list lots of models, with good advise[msnsmile2]

Make a short list of what you expect/want from your new camera. Cost/memory/battery life/touchscreen/viewfinder/waterproof/video function, etc so its easier to compare.

If you are thinking about using it in the waterparks as well, Canon's D10 is a cracking all rounder. (ours even goes down the water slides in video mode)[msnsmile2][msnsmile2]

But there are plenty of others as well.

Enjoy looking. Its a minefield[msnwink][msnwink]

[sammibabe]

Love my panasonic lumix, but still getting used to all functions. Nice pics and easy to use in 'point and shoot'mode. Good optical zoom too

[Snapper]

Hi Susan,

I'll go out on a limb here and suggest to look at the entry level DSLRs instead of a point-and-shoot snappy.

I still don't know of any snappy that will give you any kind of speed of shutter release.

There has also been a trend recently to chase higher and higher megapixels with the snappys. The trouble with this is that the piece of silicon with those megapixels on is the same size, about the size of your little fingernail. So squeezing more megapixels on to them makes the pixels smaller and less sensitive. The result is that the image quality falls off as soon as the light becomes a bit challenging.

You will get heaps better photos with a DSLR. The downside is that they are a bit bigger. They don't have to be huge these days, but you aren't going to fit on in a pocket.

If that's an option, let us know and we'll come up with some ideas for you.

[Susan J]

Hi
Thanks for all the help- I do need it to fit in my Handbag, Steve, sorry and agree about the pixels!

[BIGEYE]

It much depends on how much you want to spend.

[MTP]

I have to admit to a slight fondness of the Canon product. I guess it is like all things, you tend to have your own biases - from memory Snapper is a Nikon fan - ultimately all of the makers should be making good cameras!

If you are wanting almost a DSLR, but not quite, then one to look at may be the Canon SX30 - 35x zoom in a "compact" camera (albeit not really point and shoot pocket size). To me, this camera is a good compromise of various desires.

[Snapper]

Hmmmmmm, you pose a good problem Susan if it has to fit in a handbag. There's no chance of getting a bigger handbag??

I've got a Panasonic lumix snappy for times or places where I wouldn't take the DSLR - skiing is it's main use along with nights out (I can't be doing fiddling with phones for photos). It's OK but I wouldn't label it as great when it comes to image quality or autofocus speed. That said, it was bought to be small and to have a fast power-up / power-off (I don't want my glove off for too long when we were in Levi). I think my older Canon snappy way outperforms it for image quality - maybe because it only has half the number of pixels.

What to buy these days I don't know as I haven't looked at snappys for a while now. To hit two of your requirements, look at cameras that have a viewfinder that will allow you to switch the screen off. That should really extend your battery life.

What I say next is going to be a bit controversial ... but it's what I would buy if I were looking for another snappy ...

Take a look at the Sigma DP-2.

Sigma have put a sensor in it that's the size of the sensors in most DSLRs (the ones that aren't full-frame 35mm equivalent). The image quality is nothing short of stunning!

The catch is that to make everything fit it has a fixed 24mm lens (41mm equivalent in 35mm terms). So you've no zoom.

When I've looked back at how I use my little Panasonic I hardly ever use the long end of the zoom. I tried it out a few times at concerts but the image quality in low light just wasn't anywhere near up to it so I sort of gave up. Everything now that I use it for tends to be at the wideangle end of the lens. So having a fixed 'standard' lens wouldn't worry me. Remember the way us photographers used to zoom in the past ... if we wanted something bigger we'd just take a few steps closer to it. And you have to admit that there's something temptingly purist about the notion of heading out with a camera with a fixed 'standard' (50mm or thereabouts in 35mm terms) lens.

For another idea - have a look at 'bridge' cameras. They are like a halfway house between pocket sized snappys and small-body DSLRs. My brother-in-law has the bridge equivalent of my Panasonic Lumix and there is no comparison between them for image quality. His is head and shoulders better. MTP's recommendation for the Canon SX30 is a perfect example and while I haven't used one personally I have no doubt it will perform excellently. They won't fit in the pocket of your ski jacket but should definitely fit in a handbag.

But then ... if you're looking at handbag sized bridge cameras you might as well look at the smaller footprint DSLRs like the Nikon D3100.

The best recommendation ... an afternoon at a camera shop. [msnsmile2]

[florida4sun]

I have gone through quite a few point and shoots over the years, someone stole all my pro equipment about 8 months ago and I bought a Panasonic Lumix TX10 point and shoot. This is an amazing camera, small easy to use and the video on it is incredible too.