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Need help for buying a new camera

(25 posts) (9 voices)

Started 9 months ago by markpeterson59
Latest reply from ibwebb

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ornithos

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Hi markpeterson,

If I were you I'd seriously consider buying the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H50 camera.

It is a LOT cheaper than the Canon and although it has a slightly lower resolution CCD (9.3 vs 12.3 megapixels), I think it has better optics, namely a Carl-Zeiss Vario Tessar lens, with 15x optical zoom (Canon has only a 6x zoom).
I have the 7MP predecessor to the Sony and I like it a lot. This "bridge" type camera is easy to use, yet it has all the advanced, manual options as well. It is compact and comfortable and has a very bright, sharp LCD screen on the back.
Sony cameras are also known for their reliability. I have two cameras and one camcorder from Sony and they've never let me down. And, no, I sadly don't own any shares in Sony :<)

Many companies sell this camera for less than €250.

Good luck,

Ornithos

Posted 9 months ago #
copmom

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I have the Sony Cyber-shot DSC W-55 and so does Paulga. He has always posted some beautiful shots on this forum, and I liked his pictures so much I asked what he had and bought it. This model is prior to the 'touch screen' ones, takes great pictures, is 7.2 mp, the rechargeable lithium battery lasts a LONG time, and it comes with a charger. I installed a 2GB memory stick in addition to what it comes with internally so you can really take a LOT of pictures. It works GREAT and is not very expensive, (under $200), and you can also do videos with it! I've got it in my pocket all the time!
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/W55/W55A.HTM
Good luck!

Posted 9 months ago #
Archangel

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OOP's thought someone was needing some donations for a camera.

Posted 9 months ago #
BentlyTCow

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Hi Mark, I think I can help but I'll need more information as there's loads of cameras for all kinds of purposes!

How much experience do you have with photography?

Are you upgrading from a film camera or older digital camera?

What kind of photography will you be doing? Indoors, outdoors, people, sports, landscapes, concerts, macro, underwater?

Is size important? Do you want something you can stick on a belt or pocket, or something that needs to be worn around the neck or carried?

That ought to do it for a start :)

-Duane.

Posted 9 months ago #
copmom

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I think Mark forgot to turn his computer back on? LOL

Posted 8 months ago #
BentlyTCow

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Or maybe he's decided on something and is busy taking lots of pictures :)

Posted 8 months ago #
copmom

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That could very well be! Well then, perhaps he'll post them after he's gotten the hang of it.

Posted 8 months ago #
Buckleysmom

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Well gee wizz Arch.....if you really wanna donate I'd be happy to oblige....I've been needing a new camera for quite a while now...LOL

Posted 8 months ago #
copmom

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Gee, BK.. I missed Arch's intent. Didn't get the impression someone wanted camera donations! LOL Hey.. I've still got an OLD Polaroid in it's hang up case in the closet. Maybe that's an antique by now?

Posted 8 months ago #
Buckleysmom

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Copmom....I didn't take it that way either till I read Arch's comment and then re-read the thread title. You could actually take it that way, though I'm SURE Arch was only joking....unfortunately....lol. If the polaroid of yours isn't an antique yet it should be soon :> We had an old Polaroid Sun camera that we tried to sell at the yard sale last year....no go. We even made sure you can still buy the films for it. We ended up giving it away to some kid who wanted it (much to the dismay of his mother). All I have now is my Sony FD Mavica which works fine but this model only takes a 3.5 floppy disk and we have no 3.5 floppy drive anymore. Hubby suggested getting an external drive but I couldn't see putting money into a drive that I could put into a new camera instead. I'd like a nice little digital I can stick in my purse or pocket.....no more dragging a box of floppy disks around.

Posted 8 months ago #
Buckleysmom

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Mark....a thread was started on this subject a while back..... you might want to check it out here: Before you buy a digital camera

Good luck!

Posted 8 months ago #
Archangel

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Haven't been keeping up with this thread like I should LOL but I actually thought that and was willing to help out. When I began reading the thread I then knew Mark was just needing advise and thought it was funny on my part of taking it wrong.

Remember I'm back out of retirement and have a few extra bucks that I haven't budgeted yet and with our new President's promises and plans we are all going to see good times again (OOP's I'm still waiting on the first ones LOL).

Today we are getting our contingency plans for the snow and ice storm heading our way again because we haven't recovered from the first one earlier this month. Stay safe and keep warm all.

Jay
Archangel

Posted 8 months ago #
ibwebb

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First, I want to promise that I do not get a kickback or work for them or anything. I am just a really happy customer. I know that I have mention in the past, but check out geeks.com if you are in the market. More so after you have an idea of what you want. I bought an excellent camera there. They have anything from a real beginner's camera (some that might be more for your kids) to some that are really nice (like, I dont think I would know what to do with half of what it does). My neighbor took a look after I talked to her about it and just received her Kodak EasyShare Z8612 and she is thrilled. Looking at it; I believe that you can control space and time, but then I never claimed to be great with cameras either. I still have my Kodak disc camera:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disc_film

(anyone remember those from the 80's? You can't get the disc film for them). I think it is tucked away in the chest with my Atari(You know; Frogger, Adventure, Pitfall, all circles were square still). Yes, I still break it out to play; and no I am not joking. Oh well, take a look if you want:

http://www.geeks.com/products.asp?cat=CAM

ibwebb

Posted 8 months ago #
Archangel

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I loved Frogger LOL. I still play with a Sony Mavica FD91 I bought in the late 90's (I think). It was the top of the line and boy with the 3.5 disks,,,,,,,,,whew I had it made.

Posted 8 months ago #
copmom

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My friend had that Mavica when I was originally shopping years ago and that's the one thing that turned me off.. it was bulky and took floppys. So I ended up with the Olympus C4040 which is still a great camera! Then got various add on lenses for it like telephoto and macro. Kinda klutzy to sport around and the batteries don't last very long, always had to carry spares. Also was very expensive back then. Now I prefer the convenience of my Sony Cyber Shot that has all that built in and a long lasting battery.

Posted 8 months ago #
RunesageMagik

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Remaining true to form, my reply has absolutely nothing to do with choosing an inexpensive camera, but nonetheless may prove interesting to those who like high tech innovations.

The GigaPan Epic is perfect for those who want a really clear close-up photo (HINT: use the controls on the left side to zoom and be patient... allow the image to come into focus!!) Click on the "Show Me" buttons in the top right for a bunch of sample photos. Pretty cool.

Then, there's HDR Photography for those who'd like to be the first on the block to take exceptionally good time lapse movies.

Who knows, maybe if GAOTD asks nicely, Photomatix will offer their pro software for free. cough cough

Posted 8 months ago #
HOSS

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5 or 6 years ago we bought a Sony Mavica MVC-CD350 . We liked the fact that it stored pictures on a mini re-writeable CD that you just pop out of the camera and into any CD-ROM drive. No software needed. It was great but, after a while it got a little bulky to drag around. This past Christmas the flash quit working so now it is only good for outdoor shots.

We decided a new camera was in order so off we went to our local Wal-Mart store. I spend the better part of 30 minutes yesterday afternoon in front of the camera display looking at all the different brands and styles (close to 50 cameras) trying to decide which camera best suited our needs. That narrowed it down to about 8 choices. I decided that since we don't take a lot of pictures and we are not really what you would call photography buffs, I shouldn't spend more than $100 if I can help it. That narrowed it down to 4 choices; a Panasonic, a Sanyo, a Kodak and a Sony. Then I remembered copmom saying how much she loves her Sony so... we bought a Sony CyberShot DSC-750 . It was right at $100 but we spent another $40 on a 4gb memory stick. I don't think I will ever need that much storage space but at least I have it if I need it!

Thanks for the tip copmom!! :)

Posted 8 months ago #
aRenegade

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Megapixels aren't the only thing you should consider when shopping for a digital camera. There is a video at PC World titled (are you ready for this), "How To Buy a Digital Camera". It covers the essentials: resolution, optical zoom, exposure controls, white balance, and LCD's. There are also links to a Digital Camera Buying Guide for more information.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/157124/article.html?tk=nl_hoxvid

Renegade

Posted 8 months ago #
ibwebb

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I will check back to make sure that his link is working for everyone, but when I got this email I immediately thought about posting it here. It sounds like a really good deal if you are looking for a deal on a digi camera and all the fixing:

http://www.geeks.com/pix/2009/C913.html?cm_mmc=geekmail-_-daily_html-_-02mar09_C913-Viewasweb

****Please remember that if you do want it it expires on the 15th of March and you need that code at the bottom to get the shown deal. I get one of these updates from them every now and then (more now then then) with an offer of a deal on something and thought I would try and pass it on.

ibwebb

Posted 8 months ago #
HOSS

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I got the same email, of course after I bought the Sony camera!

The thing you want to watch with Geeks.com is that they also sell refurbished products which is great if you are looking for a cheap item. Just be sure you check to see if an item is new or refurbished so you know what you are getting. They don't try to fool you or anything, it's just easy to miss if you are not paying attention. I don't think I have ever bought anything from Geeks that was refurbished. I did get 2 video cards not to long ago that work great.

An example of what I am referring to is an item on the same page in ibwebb's link above. It is a Dell computer that is less than $200. If you click on it and go to their site it will tell you that it is refurbished but if you don't read the description very well, you may miss it.

Posted 8 months ago #
ibwebb

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@Hoss:
Thank you for pointing that out. I didnt think of mentioning that. It is true that several of their items are refurbished (mostly from the maker), but if it is any consolation I have purchased their refurbished items. The laptop that I am using now is a Toshiba refurbished that was a great deal. I wont lie I paid for the extra year warranty, but have had no problems with it. I also got a Magellan GPS that was refurbished that I love very much. SOME of the extended warranties are through 'SquareTrade' (before you buy it lets you know) but from what I have found through research they are a stand up company. My warranty for my GPS is through them and no matter what happens they take care of it. I was a bit worried on that one at first because Im not the most graceful of people. Yet, they have it in writing that even if I drop it then it is taken care of. Hope that might help ease some worries, but I know that each situation is its own and I cant speak for them.

BTW right under the pic and desc there is always a list that has in it 'condition' and then 'packaging' so make sure to look at that to know for sure.

ibwebb

Posted 8 months ago #
HOSS

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The only problems I have had at Geeks.com are customer service issues. I had ordered a video card for this computer. After checkout, I got a screen that said my order did not go through and advise me to re-order. I did that and was shipped 2 video cards. The upside is that my second computer uses that same one so instead of returning the second card for a refund, I kept it and installed it in the other machine. It was only $40 so it wasn't a big problem. Another time I had used a gift certificate during checkout that did not get credited. My credit card was charged the whole amount of purchase. It took 2 months and dozens of emails to straighten out.

I can't remember every having a problem with any item I bought from them and have been tempted to buy a refurbished item. I think my next computer might be a refurbished one from them.

Posted 8 months ago #
copmom

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HOSS.. you'll NEVER fill that 4GB card! I got the 2GB card and it only shows about 1/3 full. I've still got pictures on it dating back to last August, all in high quality, have taken 422 pictures, several of them videos, and still shows I have room for another 812 pictures!!

Posted 8 months ago #
HOSS

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I wasn't thinking about how many 'hundreds' of megs that is and what size the pics would be.

According to the menu on the camera it can hold 10,000 'VGA' or small email size pics, 3,000-3mb or 5x7 inch pics, 1860-5mb or 8x10 inch pics, or 1290-11x17 inch pics. I can't imagine having more than 100 pics on the camera at a time because I download them to my computer for storage and then save them to CD from there.

So no, I will NEVER fill this memory card. (hanging head in shame)

Posted 8 months ago #
ibwebb

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Just a note:

If anyone gets anything off of Geeks or anywhere and uses the SquareTrade warranty (not good on EBay items); I have a promo code that I am not going to use. It is for 20% off to buy the warranty and expires 6/30/2009. It doesn't say it is a one time use, but judging by the use of 'NEXT' in it I assume it is. So PM me and I will offer it to the first one I get.

ibwebb

BTW http://www.squaretrade.com if you want to read up on them/it.

Posted 8 months ago #

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