Which new camera

[casanovawa]

Hmmm, thinking of getting a new DSLR camera for my upcoming trip, nothing too fancy or expensive... Just wondering if there are any keen photographers on the forum and what they use (camera body/lense) and why?

 

[Fantic125]

Last August I purchased a Canon Rebel XS in the US (sold as the 1000D in AU), along with the EFS 18-55mm lens, bag & SD Card for $499 USD. You can pick them up now in AU for around the $500 AU mark.

I'm really happy with it for what some would consider an 'entry level' camera. 10.1 mega-pixels is more than enough for showing on most electronic screens, LCD's etc, and the pictures that I have printed (approx A4 size) have great clarity.

I also purchased a Canon EFS 55-250mm lens a few months later which although still good, doesn't have the same degree of 'sharpness'. I've since heard the EFS 75-300 is better but I haven't had the opportunity to compare them.

 

[kamchatsky]

Alternatively if you want something lighter, less bulkier, not bothered to change lens, but still want close to DLSR quality, I would recommend Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5.

A lot of people who own DSLRs would have this as their "normal" weekend camera:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5 Review - Digital Compact Cameras

Another option is Canon Powershot S95, it is cheaper but LX5 does have better quality.

 

[Bundy Bear]

Last August I purchased a Canon Rebel XS in the US (sold as the 1000D in AU), along with the EFS 18-55mm lens, bag & SD Card for $499 USD. You can pick them up now in AU for around the $500 AU mark.

I also have the Canon Rebel XS, as I brought it from the US as in Australia they wanted close to $1,000.00

I own 3 cameras and I am planning to buy another one.

The one I used on the weekend was the Samsung TL205, one thing I love about the Samsung is its size and it has a screen on the front so you can take pictures of yourself or very useful for count down timers when taking a group shot.

The Canon is great for set shots but it can do a terrible shot if you are in a hurry.

I also had a Sony DSC W150 of something similar to that, I should put it on ebay.

Great place for Camera reviews is Digital Cameras: Digital Photography Review, News, Reviews, Forums, FAQ

 

[Dee Thom]

My choice is Panasonic DMC-F100 Lumix I purchased about a year ago for O/S travel, and of course the family close ups. It does all I need, including Air Show flying shots that are better than most. Camera House sells them for around $600, less Tax back at the A/Port.
There is an upgraded Lumix, the DMC-G10 for about $800, which gives a lot more 'Bang for the Buck'.
Both are 12.5 pix ( any more is overkill) and lightweight compact units. My only extra add-on was a polaroid filter I picked up in SFO.
Trust this may help,
Good hunting

Cheers Dee

 

[BAM1748]

I stick with Canon. Image quality is all in the optics not the number of megapixels.

Canon make their own lenses and senors, other brands do not make both so you have hybrids of the two.

For a moderate DSLR I'd suggest the EOS500 for about $1K or if you can stretch to it the 5D for about $3K (was $5K not that long ago)

 

[Princess Fiona]

What's a good entry level DSLR?
My daughter (14) would like one for her birthday, I know nothing about cameras or photography
In LOTFAP this week and would be very grateful for some pointers as I may purchase there if cheaper than Oz

 

[djfuzz]

What's a good entry level DSLR?
My daughter (14) would like one for her birthday, I know nothing about cameras or photography
In LOTFAP this week and would be very grateful for some pointers as I may purchase there if cheaper than Oz

I would recommend either the Nikon D3100, the Canon 600D (just released) or its immediate predecessor, the Canon 550D (which can probably be picked up at a bit of a discount at the moment). Combine either with a walk-around zoom and a fast 50mm prime (eg the Canon f/1.8 50mm or Nikon f/1.8 50mm), and that would be the perfect way to get started.

LOTFAP prices are better than ours, HK prices are pretty good too. If LOTFAP, give B&H a go, if HK try Digital Rev, if local, JB HiFi can be bargained with to a reasonable margin over international prices. Also, DWI is a good online site - not local stock, but pretty reliable and you can buy international warranties if you need (I don't buy into the grey market vs local market thing, it's inconvenient enough to repair locally bought cameras as it is).

Note that the LOTFAP name of the Canon models are T2i for the 550D, and T3i for the 600D.

As for compact point and shoot, I went with the Canon S95 and would highly recommend it - pocketable and adequately powerful, which makes it perfect for times when a DSLR is just too unwieldy.

 

[Princess Fiona]

Thankyou

 

[iqis60]

Another good review site to check out is www.digitalversus.com , they take photo's of the same things in different modes, so you can compare pictures side by side and also review lot's of other features.
Latest on SLR's- Digital Cameras: SLR, Micro 4/3 and Interchangeable Lens Reviews
I used them in choosing a point and shoot and have been very happy with it.

 

[MatF]

Another option is Canon Powershot S95, it is cheaper but LX5 does have better quality.

I have a Canon 5D mkII that I took on our recent european holiday (with a 17-40 f4L lens that lived on it), but I also bought an s95 before we went and took it as well.

The s95 was fantastic. Easily small enough to carry around in my pocket, and we found that we took probably 80% of the photos while we were there with it. I really only got the 5D out when I thought I might get a shot we might want to enlarge and frame.

You wouldn't go wrong with either the s95 or LX5 if you are thinking about a P&S. As edison has said, the LX5 gives slightly better image quality, while the s95 is smaller and more pocketable.

So glad I took a decent P&S camera as well as the big beast. I would have missed a lot of photos when I didn't have the 5D in my hands. Sure, the 5D image quality is a siginificant step up, and I wouldn't have wanted to go without it, but sometimes the best photos are when you're in the moment - not that easy to do with a DSLR, unless you're going to carry it, ready to go, all the time.

 

[BAM1748]

For those not wanting the full monty SLR, this one is excellent.
Canon - G11

 

[MatF]

There is a newer G12.
Excellent camera, but fairly chunky - not really a pocket camera IMHO, but much more control than the smaller pocketable models, and a better lens.

Incidentally, the G12 and the s95 use the same sensor.

 

[djfuzz]

There is a newer G12.
Excellent camera, but fairly chunky - not really a pocket camera IMHO, but much more control than the smaller pocketable models, and a better lens.

Incidentally, the G12 and the s95 use the same sensor.

Must say, this is the precise reason I chose the S95 - prefer to have full control (5DMkII) or as good quality as possible in something that can go everywhere with you and that is relatively n00b-proof (S95) for those times you need someone else to take a photo with you actually in it.

That said, the G12 was sorely tempting, and the above was pretty much the sole deciding factor.

 

[casanovawa]

Thanks people will look at some of these models you have suggested... for my trip around Europe and North Africa earlier this year i bought a Lumix FZ35, a HD Panasonic camcorder and cheap Sony point and shoot for carrying around in the pocket from DWI in HK and they all came to less than $1000 with postage... I have to say i thought the shots from the Lumix were pretty good... I decided that i might like to eventually do something with some of the pics i take so want some decent quality (not mind blowing) and as i often travel alone an articulated screen was something i am also looking for to help with composition...

I sold the FZ35 to a friend for approx what i paid for it, and more than what i could buy it again in the US from Amazon and thought the FZ 100 was the way to go, more mega pixels, more zoom and articulated screen... but after reading the reviews it seems the more MP has decreased the quality of the shots... now probably not noticeable to non-pro's like me, but u like to pay for an upgrade, not a down grade... this was a disappointment as had lots of what i wanted at a very reasonable price from Amazon (about half of JB Hifi here!!!)

That got me onto DSLRs... for people looking, Nikon D3100 looks good at the moment, not the cheapest entry level, but seems pretty well spec'd, but for me no articulated screen, the Panasonic four thirds or whatever they are look good, but don't think they have the articulated screen, are pretty expensive and as the format is new don't seem to have a lot of lens to choose from... the new Canon 600D looks like it has quite a few of the features i want, but getting up there a little, about $900 with basic lens from Amazon IIRC...

I am tempted to go with the Nikon D5000, because i think it has been discontinued the body from Amazon is about US$579 and maybe get something like a Tamron 28-250 lens for about US$300 as friends have told me that the switching lens thing constantly while travelling is a big Fail, even though some sharpness might be sacrificed at long zoom... then i can get a good 50mm prime lens later... the 18-200 Nikkor lens is about US$600 unfortunately... only problem with D5000 is the articlated screen folds down, not to the side, which would be a bit of a PITA for composing a shot when its sitting on a tripod unless i tried to improvise some mount for it...

anyone looking for a new camera i have found this site useful (it has the review up for D5000 but you can look at many others)
Nikon D5000 review: Verdict, D5000 vs D60 vs D90 vs 500D / T1i vs Olympus E-620
This camera labs place also has reviews on youtube, so just go on and put in D3100 or or whatever Canon model and they will show you what it can do... I also look at CNET and and one or two others and if they all say about the same you can tend to believe it and that no one is paying for any good reviews...

Also i am planning to buy overseas always from now on, even if warranties aren't honoured here of its more difficult etc, often not a lot goes wrong in the first year that they usually cover and cameras on DWI and Amazon are often half the price here in Oz so you could buy a completely new one if you have troubles and still come out ahead!!!

 

[BAM1748]

There is a newer G12.
Excellent camera, but fairly chunky - not really a pocket camera IMHO, but much more control than the smaller pocketable models, and a better lens.

Incidentally, the G12 and the s95 use the same sensor.

Good to know as I need a pocket camera, which compared to an SLR the G12 is.

 

[Alanslegal]

Look I'm a sucker for all things Sony ... or Apple.

So I'd be tempted to buy a Sony A55 dSLR (or otherwise a Sony nex5.)

The Sony A55 was released mid2010, and if you google "Sony A55 reviews" there are alot of reviews give it more than positive ratings, also it won some fancy Camera of the Year 2010 award.

 

[munitalP]

When I bought my DSLR, I shopped around looking at Nikon and Cannon, and in the end chose the cannon due to the easy manual controls compared to the Nikon D range that seemed at the time too complicated.

I purchased a EOS D400 body, 18-55 auto focus with easy manual override, a 75-300, lens hoods, UV filters, speedlite flash, spare batteries, a crumpler bag, baby tripod strong enough to hold the camera with the 300 extended and memory - extreme III, quite a few gig's worth.

I am looking at another lens in the 35-125 mark as that focal length is a big hole in my kit

There are good buys on this gear now, I paid about 3K at the time, you would get the same gear for 1-1.5K now days (new)

If you buy entry level, you will be disappointed quickly, make sure you choose a camera with manual controls easy to activate and understand - its pretty cool taking night shots with the shutter open for 30 sec's or more

Most importantly though, pay the $$$ for memory. The extreme III range is ultra fast writing, I can continuous burst my camera for goodness knows how many shots without clogging the camera memory.

Changing lenses out and about is no biggy - I switch between them frequently and can swap out in just a few seconds - the pain is always having a backpack or bag with you for your camera.

munitalP

 

[Paddy55]

My main camera is a Canon 7D, and I have a few lenses to go with it and a nice big Crumpler carry bag.

Mrs Paddy loves the image quality it all produces but is mystified why I want to lug it everywhere when we go to Europe in April.

So we'll buy a point and shoot to complement the above and replace our old Lumix.

On DPReview.com I saw recently that a new Panasonic Lumix TZ20 and a new Canon Powershot 230 SX will be out end March and they have two features I value:

1. 14 or 16 x zoom lens, so they're good for close up and far away, and
2. Built in GPS for keeping a track of where each photo was taken.

Lots of other capabilities of course but may be worth considering

Paddy

 

[BAM1748]

I am looking at another lens in the 35-125 mark as that focal length is a big hole in my kit

This is one to consider Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM Lens Review and can be had for less than $500 in US stores. (double that for Aus, no wonder people buy online overseas)