[Archived] Digital Camera

[colin]

I'm going to be dragged screaming and kicking into the 21st century in the knowledge that my beloved Canon EOS 35mm is no longer an option.

Can anyone recommend a digital camera for about £100 - £150. I actually want it to take decent photos, not just snap-shots.

All advice gratefully received.

[yorkblues]

go on fat fingers mate i got mine for £34 .in the shops £120

[yoda]

I have an HP R507, which we use for business and pleasure, the prices have come down now and it takes very good photo's (Pentax lens) and is also very easy to use. Saving to the computer and editing is easy to, we print all our photo's at home now!

There may be a higher resolution version now, ours is 4.1 MP but the quality in most aspects is comparable to more expensive cameras.

http://www.digicamreview.co.uk/hp_photosmart_r507_review.htm

http://www.3dvelocity.com/reviews/r507/hpr507.htm

got ours at Wilkinsons when they had a sale

[Paul]

I'm no photographer but find my Fuji A330 very reliable. Several years ago I got very good advice in Wilkinsons on the previous camera I had which was also a Fuji. When I bought the A330 Argos were by far the best price.

[dillo_dillo]

I know it's one class upper than your taget...

I recommend it "RICHO GR DIGITAL"

sorry I don't know English page... and I don't know how much is it in the UK. ...

http://www.ricoh.co.jp/dc/gr/digital/

Please try to use it at a camera shop if you don't want to buy it.

[Al]

I have an old Canon EOS 35mm and a new digital job that is small and easy to carry about. Get a digital for fun but it can't hold a candle to the old Canon for quality.

[Billy Castell]

I have a canon A 80, which is a couple of years old, and it's good for someone who wants to take holiday pics and stuff. The great feature of this, and its successor the Canon A 95 is that they have screens that flip out like digital camcorders. Thus making it easir to take pics of things when you have to hold the camera at a funny angle (e.g. at a gig). Mine is really easy to use, and is great if you want a simple camera. However, I'm not sure if there is a more up to date model than the A 95.

[3rdpillar]

Forget BIG megaPixel Cameras. Buy a SLR from a premium brand. 3 - 5 MP will be just fine, anything more is a waste.

Its the quality of the lenses, just as it was with film that makes a massive difference. I could go on here, but it gets techi and boring.

[colin]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

I'm going to go for a Samsung Digimax D103, simply on the fact that a keen photographer at work has recommended it. I've seen how it works & the results.

Trouble with the internet - it offers many options but no solutions.

[Cheeky Sidders]

If it's not too late I'd like to add that buying one with a rechargeable ion battery is a far better option than one that runs on ordinary batteries. I bought a Kodak LS633 (3.1Mp) three years ago and although it's a bit big compared to the latest stuff it's absolutely brilliant. Ideal for snaps and I take a lot of lanscape pics with it too. Really easy to use, software is straight-forward and it's been dropped more times than I care to remember (including a fairly major tumble on Ingleborough). Still going strong.

My relatives have a variety of digital cameras and the common feeling is among those that use ordinary batteries is that their cameras eat them. My nephew'ss camera only works on high grade batteries as well so he can't even use rechargeables.

[Ninjathunder]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

I'm going to go for a Samsung Digimax D103, simply on the fact that a keen photographer at work has recommended it. I've seen how it works & the results.

Trouble with the internet - it offers many options but no solutions.

I've got a Samsung Digimax but don't know what version. Recommended off the Which site a couple of years ago and it's been excellent.

[sleepyjack]

Who needs digital when you can lug around almost a kilogram of fragile old metal, and then pay for processing afterwards?

[Ricky]

Colin.

If I can make a quick suggestion if you haven't purchased the camera already I can recommend the Ricoh R6

Ricoh R6

Just a quick review above, it's 7.2 megapixel with a 7X optical zoom. Also comes with a rechargeable battery pack so no probs with AA batteries.

I picked one up from Jessops for £139.99 reduced from £249.99 also got a £20 voucher off them with the purchase which bought it down to £119.99 so not bad at all. The 7X optical zoom is very good for pics at matches.

[Al]

Who needs digital when you can lug around almost a kilogram of fragile old metal, and then pay for processing afterwards?

Depends whether you like champagne or lambrini.

[Ozz]

Ahhh the Canon A-1. A classic 80s 4 AE mode SLR. It offered Program, Shutter and aperture priority and full manual. The viewfinder was one of the first to offer red LED readouts of both shutter speed and aperture, and under/over exposure too. With an ASA range of 1600 to 25 it offered an excellent choice of fims, obviosly the de-rigeur positive emulsion of the 70s Kodachrome 64, (send off to Hemel Hempstead and hold your breath) or the excellent Ilford XP-1 (latterly XP-2) which could be used at 100, 200, 400 or even 1600 ON THE SAME FILM without any adjustment in processing!!!

The A-1 also offered useful features such as a depth-of-field preview, +/- 3 stops of compensation, AE lock for back light subjects, speed dial lock, manual tapered shutter release socket, external PC flash socket (non TTL though), 2 and 10 second self timer and a multiple exposure function.

I notice the photo shows the A-1 with the early breechlocking SSC 1.4 standard lens, a bit heavy but great for low light shoots such as churches etc. The SSC range were well thought of, and I think were originally designed to go on the legendary F-1. The breechlockers were a nightmare though if you didn't know what you were doing, esp if you got a Sigma or Tamron equivalent!

The only moan about the A-1, and indeed the later more affordable AE-1 and AE-1 Program was the shutter sneeze. As the lube on the bearings dried out, the cloth shutter curtains used to give out an annoying sneeze noise on use. Most people shy away from sneezy A-1s, but to be honest they are usually still bob on. Certainly not worth blowing £55 quid on a service for.

I noticed in Koln you had a Canon Sleepyjack, was it an A-1 or AE-1?

[colin]

Well thank you one and all for you advice. It was much appreciated.

On the suggestion of a colleague at work I went down to to the local camera shop near where I work and picked up the special offer of a Samsung Digimax L60 with case, 2 gig memory, & leads for £150 quid. 2 years' guarantee. Rechargeable battery, just plug the camera into the mains. Spent an hour tonight having a look at how it works & it seems OK. It'll take me a few more hours to come to grips with the bugger, but I'll get there.

I'll be taking it to Ewood tomorrow night to take a load of rubbish shots. But at least I'll be able to delete them.

Just goes to show that t'internet isn't always the answer.

Thanks again for everyone who offered advice.

[Hannah]

My Dad has asked me to get him a camera that you can wear on your head and it films as you go walking, rock climbing etc!!!

I have done a quick google search on this and found hundreds of sites that sell them but I have no idea which are any good or what features you are looking for! Has any one any experience of these or any ideas where I can find out more information about them?

Thanks

[Presty On Tour]

This is the same principle as google street view, except its a video, not photo.

Click and move your mouse on the video and you can move is 360 degrees just like street view!

Oh and the sample is at a festival, good viewing!

LINK - Yellow Bird

[benhben]

I got a Fujifilm J120B from Comet afew weeks ago. 10mp and a 5x optical zoom. I got it for the good zoom and price (£89.99, I got a tenner off that). The zoom and 10mp help take some pretty good photos.

http://www.comet.co.uk/shopcomet/product/4...M-FINEPIX-J120B

[Tim Southampton Rover]

Nice pictures!

[Tim Southampton Rover]

I currently have the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ5 however unfortunately it isn't working anymore so wouldn't mind getting a new camera with a bigger zoom. Any suggestions?

[Sandiway Blue]

For those who want something better than a bog standard compact camera,but don`t want to spend a fortune on a SLR,i recommend a bridge camera.As you may well have guessed it`s somewhere between the compact and SLR.

A few months ago i bought a Fuji finepix s5800 and at less than £100 it`s a great place to start if you are looking to get into photography without laying out too much hard earned.

[American]

I have a Sony with a 15x zoom and it takes great pics. My main criteria at the time was a good zoom. Was a bit pricey, though.

[colin]

As I started this thread off I'll add to it.

Two years later & I'm now on a "Fujifilm Finepix S1000"

I don't think you can buy one now apart from on e-bay. I really like it.

The difference from the Samsung that I got at the start of this thread is that the Fujifilm is heavier and a lot better to grip and hold steady - a lot less shake which comes with a lighter camera. It definately takes better piccies.

Two years on and camera technology has advanced so much.........

[Paul]

Any suggestions?

If you want an SLR I can recommend the Canon EOS 1000D. Got my wife one last Christmas and it does produce very good photos. When I was looking into this, and I'm no photographer, it was suggested to me the brand sto look at where Canon and Nikon. I went with Canon on the basis of the reviews I then read. Expensive at around £320 but I found a deal which brought it down to just over £200 so don't go by the headline prices.

Boots online is very competitive on certain lines