AndySpak Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 I want to get myself a new digital camera as the one I've got is a bit old now. I thought that since so many of you are camera aficianados I thought I'd ask your collective opinion. I don't want an SLR as I'll never take it to half the places I go, so compact is the way for me. But there are so many on the market I haven't got a clue where to start looking. I don't mind spending a few hundred pounds (upto about £300) . So any recommendations? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmac Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Have a couple Andy but the Casio exilim with 10.1mp is small, great to use and I usually have this with me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIXXERUK Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 got a panasonic luminix recently and i'm very happy with it agree with the slr, want one but wouldn't use it because i wouldn't want to carry it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmac Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 got a panasonic luminix recently and i'm very happy with it agree with the slr, want one but wouldn't use it because i wouldn't want to carry it Wife uses this and also very good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIXXERUK Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 got a panasonic luminix recently and i'm very happy with it agree with the slr, want one but wouldn't use it because i wouldn't want to carry it Wife uses this and also very good oh no i've got a girls camera !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M13KYF Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 casio exilm to. Really like it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3FIDDYZ Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Sony F828 as is for sale in the 4 sale section of this site.... Its a cross between a compact and an SLR as you have a full feature camera with a useful zoom / wide angle lens... Its also not as big as an SLR... Just my opinion!! Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob_Quads Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 Had a couple of Canon IXUS range and have been great for me. My brother has also had a couple of them and loves them. Recently also had A1 after-service from canon My old IXUS which I gave to my parents just died. It was over 5 years old and had been dropped on concrete/laminate, taken snowboarding etc. Survived loads of abuse but ultimately its time was up. It appeared it might have a problem some of Canon cameras have had so on the off chance sent it off to the canon repair people. It was worth nothing but they rang me to say spares were hard to get so how would an refurbed IXUS 70 do instead. This is a current range 7.1 MP camera instead of an old trashed camera. 4 days after sending mine off I had the replacement and it was fully boxed with all the accessories and everything looked as good as new. Now will aways buy canon again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK350Z Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 +1 for cannon here too. I've got an A70 - kind of compact with full manual settings. It too has taken a beating, and taking AA batterys (i used rechargeables) and regular CF cards has been super cheap to run. Plug and play with windows, no special software required. Screen is a bit glitchy now, but after reading that above i think i might try a "repair" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GIXXERUK Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 the luminix uses rechargable batteries and they are cheap off ebay for a spare, any camera with a zoom eats batteries, i wouldn't buy one that you can't recharge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuey Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 http://www.ukdigitalcameras.co.uk/__4_p ... l#features Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted May 13, 2008 Share Posted May 13, 2008 I got Amanda a Canon IXUS 860IS as am well impressed with it. They certainly have closed the gap between SLR and compacts. It has the same Digi processor as my 350D, so the only difference is the lenses. In good to fair weather there is nothing to tell the pics apart from my 350D, only in tough situations has it been obvious. But I still have good photos from things like The Kooks@Swindon where it performed admirably for a compact. It also has Image Stabilisation (you def want to spend the extra to get that) and a massive screen, fills the back panel as there is no view finder. All round it is excellent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronzee Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 got a panasonic luminix recently and i'm very happy with it agree with the slr, want one but wouldn't use it because i wouldn't want to carry it Wife uses this and also very good oh no i've got a girls camera !! You do. I've got one too. I find the colours are pretty true as well. For example the colour of the Sunset comes out correctly without mucking around with the photo, which even with most super flash slr's it doesn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmac Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichieP Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Recently I've totally changed my opinions on cameras. My Nikon D50 SLR has always taken fantastic photos and well worth the money but my girlfriend just bought a Sony Cybershot camera the other day (cant remember the exact model) which is 8 megapixel and a fairly decent spec list and honestly, the photos are almost as good. The Sony was about £130 so it just goes to show that you don't need to spend loads to get some great photos. Now that snapshot camera technology has caught up with SLRs, I think the only reason for going with the later would be for the manual control you have over the shot. I'd say take full advantage of the dumbass drones that work in comet/dixons and just test them all out. Its what you feel comfortable with really as most will take a shot that will be more than great when printed up. I mean, how often are you going to be making prints that are bigger than the standard photo frame? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbs Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Recently I've totally changed my opinions on cameras. My Nikon D50 SLR has always taken fantastic photos and well worth the money but my girlfriend just bought a Sony Cybershot camera the other day (cant remember the exact model) which is 8 megapixel and a fairly decent spec list and honestly, the photos are almost as good. The Sony was about £130 so it just goes to show that you don't need to spend loads to get some great photos. Now that snapshot camera technology has caught up with SLRs, I think the only reason for going with the later would be for the manual control you have over the shot. I'd say take full advantage of the dumbass drones that work in comet/dixons and just test them all out. Its what you feel comfortable with really as most will take a shot that will be more than great when printed up. I mean, how often are you going to be making prints that are bigger than the standard photo frame? I've got a Sony Cybershot which takes great pics, my only moan is that the little knob on the back which changes the mode is a bit too sensative and can easily be changed by mistake so you think you are taking a photo and you end up taking a video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Recently I've totally changed my opinions on cameras. My Nikon D50 SLR has always taken fantastic photos and well worth the money but my girlfriend just bought a Sony Cybershot camera the other day (cant remember the exact model) which is 8 megapixel and a fairly decent spec list and honestly, the photos are almost as good. The Sony was about £130 so it just goes to show that you don't need to spend loads to get some great photos. Now that snapshot camera technology has caught up with SLRs, I think the only reason for going with the later would be for the manual control you have over the shot. I keep saying this, but it has to be caveated that only in certain conditions can compacts keep up with SLRs. With the kit lense on an SLR, the compact will have no problems keeping up. Swap it out for some better glass and some more challenging conditions (fast action, low light, etc) and the SLR will compeltely wipe the floor with the compact. For most people in most situations the compact will be fine, but in those challenging places the SLR is still miles ahead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndySpak Posted May 14, 2008 Author Share Posted May 14, 2008 Thanks for all the advice guys and girls. Obviously I'm a red blooded northerner so I'll stay clear of the Panasonic Luminix I'll go take a look at the Casio and Canon models you've suggested. I've ruled out Sony because of their use of non-standard memory (i.e. the sony memory stick), I really want one that uses SD cards so that I can stick them straight in to my laptop or my printer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sl114 Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Recently I've totally changed my opinions on cameras. My Nikon D50 SLR has always taken fantastic photos and well worth the money but my girlfriend just bought a Sony Cybershot camera the other day (cant remember the exact model) which is 8 megapixel and a fairly decent spec list and honestly, the photos are almost as good. The Sony was about £130 so it just goes to show that you don't need to spend loads to get some great photos. Now that snapshot camera technology has caught up with SLRs, I think the only reason for going with the later would be for the manual control you have over the shot. I keep saying this, but it has to be caveated that only in certain conditions can compacts keep up with SLRs. With the kit lense on an SLR, the compact will have no problems keeping up. Swap it out for some better glass and some more challenging conditions (fast action, low light, etc) and the SLR will compeltely wipe the floor with the compact. For most people in most situations the compact will be fine, but in those challenging places the SLR is still miles ahead. I totally agree, check out all my pictures and you can see that the there isnt much in it between the first ones and the latest pictures, bar the fisheye. However as above, as soon as you start going away from kit lenses and play with the manual settings, you really start to get some amazing shots Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ardesco Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Shamelessly ripped from another forum I frequent, but hopefully of some use. The guy that posted this is a professional designer so I would assume he has a reasonably good idea of what he is talking about: The Gimmick The Gimmick is a dressed-up compact that either looks a bit like an SLR, or has a handful of SLR features. This, IMO, is a bit like buying a supercar with a Peugot engine, or modding a Nova with bits from a Ferrari - it's inconsistent, and once you get a taste for the more advanced features you'll be quickly frustrated, as you'll already have hit the limits of that bit of kit, possibly within a week. Eventually, after having bought all the accessories, you realise that the only sensible way to upgrade is to buy a whole new system. Gimmicks are useful for: The holiday snapper who wants to impress people and take high quality snapshots. Gimmicks annoy: The holiday snapper, who, having toyed with the labyrinth of settings absent-mindedly for a while, wishes he/she had bought the lighter, smaller camera that does the job just as well (i.e. should have bought a compact). Typically: £250-£350 Good example: Fujifilm FinePix S8000fd - faff, faff, faffery. The Argos Special The Argos Special is typically a stripped-down plastic copy of one of the big pro SLRs (think Olympus, Nikon, Canon, Minolta) with a fraction of the features, often mistakenly referred to as 'entry level'. You'll buy one of these and be able to fit most lenses in the maker's range - or if it's a Nikon or Canon, many 3rd party lenses - which will perform adequately (and cost far more than the camera body). The Argos Special is ideal for your first camera if you want to cheat and use the automatic settings, and aren't bothered about tasking yourself too much. If you buy one of these, try to buy one that allows you full manual control, the widest shutter speed range possible, and RAW image capture. The Argos Special is useful for: Holidays, the family, for getting a taste for the SLR experience without having to lug a kilo of equipment around and without worrying about it breaking - as it's cheap to replace. The Argos Special annoys: Someone who thinks he/she's buying a real, entry level SLR and tries-and-fails to use the techniques in the magazines because the features are limited. Typically: £300-£500 Good example: Nikon D40 - brilliant value for money. The Serious Amateur The Serious Amateur is a bottom-of-the-range pro SLR, correctly referred to as 'entry level'. The Serious Amateur will often benefit from more features than you can shake a stick at, fully manual settings, the pro build-quality, compatibility with the (expensive) pro accessories, and excellent optics. The Serious Amateur is normally heavier, bigger and tougher than any of the above. The Serious Amateur will take about 3-5 months to get used to, and years to master. Unless you are a jobbing professional photographer, The Serious Amateur will suit all your needs for its lifetime. If buying, the quality of the optics and the CCD, and full manual control/widest shutter-speed range (pref bulb-8k), and focusing speed is paramount. Also - watch for depth-of-field preview, precise spot metering (small spot size) and a close min focal distance with a standard lens. The Serious Amateur is useful for: Pretty much anything. The Serious Amateur annoys: Semi-pros and pros who brought this one out instead of their workhorse as it's marginally lighter, also annoys wife/partner of person using this conspicuous, large camera on a holiday, pretending to be a pro and forgetting to enjoy the scenery with his/her eyes once in a while. Typically: £900-£1,500 Good Example: Canon EOS 40D - Ideal The Puppy's Particulars The Puppy's Particulars is what you or I would call overkill unless we did this for a living. The Puppy's Particulars are usually slung over the shoulders of burly men nudging you out of the way at sports events, usually with a 4km mirror lens about the size of Saturn 5, smacking into people. These men are burly, and usually men, as this kit is heavy, really heavy. If asked nicely, The Puppy's Particulars will brew you a cup of loose leaf Assam tea, read your paper and wash the dishes while burning film or memory at 500 frames-per-second. They can be switched to auto as with any DSLR - so even the most catatonic Sun Pap can blindly click away while scratching his balls, or fully manual - requiring a PHD in astrophysics and several assistants to operate. Some Puppy's Particulars are so tough they've been run over by tanks and survived. Often the only thing left intact in a mortar crater. The Puppy's Particulars are useful for: Pro photography, particularly sports or photojournalism. The Puppy's Particulars annoy: Someone who lashed out a tonne of cash on it and will rarely, if ever, realise it's full potential, and who is sick of the weight of the camera and all the accessories. Typically: Make up a figure, and double it. Good example: Canon EOS 1Ds Mark III - Hectic Lenses Fixed: 28mm (wide), 50mm (standard), and 90mm (portrait) equivalent 35mm focal length lenses are the most common. Fixed lenses are usually sharper and brighter and faster to focus. Fixed long lenses (300mm and the like) are faster than lenses with a focal range (telephoto). Telephotos: 35-210mm equivalent focal length is typical. Buy the lenses with the widest aperture (2.8 or below - large telephoto lenses may start at 5.6) and from a recognised manufacturer - take note: Canon (Canon EF) - fast focusing, wide apertures, large range, expensive; Nikon (Nikkor) - excellent optics, faster focusing, and very expensive; Olympus (Zuiko) - sluggish focusing except the top range; Leica - excellent optics, ok focus speed, expensive. I'd just like to add: If you're buying a DSLR - don't rely on that silly little pop-up flash - it doesn't cut it, and leaves shadows. Buy a proper flash with corresponding focal range for your needs. My Canon Speedlight (Around £300) is perfect for most applications. Remember to get a sync cable for off-camera portrait or studio work, and a diffuser (good models have this built-in). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndySpak Posted May 14, 2008 Author Share Posted May 14, 2008 Thats great Ardesco but I think I'll be looking for an Argos Gimmick! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ardesco Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 My wife would like a digital SLR at the moment, so I have been looking at the Cannon EOS 40D. Hmmm.... Bits for the car, or something to take pretty pictures of the car...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbs Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 I've ruled out Sony because of their use of non-standard memory (i.e. the sony memory stick), I really want one that uses SD cards so that I can stick them straight in to my laptop or my printer. I can stick my Sony memory stick straight into my laptop, all you need is a small adaptor, mine came with the camera. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zummertor Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Several in our family: WARNING: Panasonic Lumix has performed well but the screen broke whilst just in a drawer when a couple of months old absolutely no pressure applied. Turns out a common problem that Panasonic refuse to do anything about several sites/ forums talk about this. Canon Ixus's have all performed well. Olympus is doing well and is an in between point click and more expensive DSLR. Fuji ok but not in Canon or Olympus picture league. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 I flooded my faultless casio, it doesn't like water. Changed to a girly panasonic which has been great so far. Various pics posted by me on the site have been taken with this in 'auto' mode - never touched any settings and I think they turn out pretty decent. My dad bought a sony compact yesterday. 3.5" touch screen on the back. Looks pretty good I must say! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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