5 replies to this topic

[Stormy Normy]

Advice on camera purchase please.

Looking to buy a digital camera for general family usage and the inevitable trials pics. What can you chaps recommend ? Needs to be simple to operate and download, able to cope with speed of bikes plus lack of light and be tough enough to take to events. Dont need to be able to do movies. Budget approx £200 could go to a bit more but only if it is worth spending the xtra.

Thanks in advance

Stormy Normy

[rapid roy]

LOW COST DIGITAL CAMERA
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS SHUTTER LAG (TIME BETWEEN PUSHING THE BUTTON AND THE IMAGE CAPTURE)
THE LAST TIME I LOOKED THE BEST VALUE FOR MONEY WAS THE CASIO EXILIM RANGE
IT ALSO TAKES VIDEO

Edited by rapid roy, 05 June 2006 - 12:48 PM.

[rabie]

most cheap digitals allow you to prefocus so it cuts lag which is inherent with normal digitals

they also have a sports mode that helps with moving bikes

it just take some experimentation to learn to use

just get a highish number of megapixles, quiet a bit of ***optical*** zoom (digital zoom is BS!) and a decent memory card or two (so you can take loads of photos and not worry about crap shots)

[lordlanky]

There's a US site that is pretty helpful and full of reviews that I use when considering cameras:

There's a "Feature select" area that I've just thrown US$300 as the upper limit, and it came back with some nice cameras.

Have a play yourself here: DP Review.com (Compare Page)

[Hillary]

In my experience the "snapshot" style digital cameras are not quite up to the job of action shots. I started out with a Canon Powershot S50 - 5m pixels and a great digital camera but not for action. I did plenty of action with it but you can never quite overcome the shutter lag no matter what folks say and how hard you try.

Impressed with digital, I eventually bought a s/h Nikon D70 with a 18/70 lens and it is brilliant. Everything about it is so good, that I have also bought a D50 which has almost as many features but with a 18/55 lens. Current price of a new D50 on Amazon is £386 and I would recommend it without hesitation. There is NO shutter lag with these at all, which is crucial for action.

I'm happy to reveal that I am a photo journalist and if you want to see my work it's in the June issue of TBM at the Scottish. The pics are on the D50 with the 18/70 lens, because the screen is a bit bigger and easier to see without reading specs! The D70 is just as good, but I struggle to see the image on the screen!

Hope this helps - I know it's over budget, but as I've learnt, buy cheap, buy twice!

[MalibuDon]

Hillary is correct.

Unless you want to just click-and-hope, you must use an SLR. Perhaps a point-and-shoot camera that allows comepletely manual operation--both focus and exposure--might give you a fighting chance, but those features are usually in the province of more expensive point-and-shoot cameras.

Point-and-shoot compact digital cameras were made for snapshots, not for shooting sports action.