Digital Camera Suggestions.
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Well the time has come again and I've got Duty Free shopping on the brain.
I was looking for suggestions on a good digital camera (with so many IT guys out there). Budget is about $500 and the smaller the better. I really like the idea of the waterproof and shockproof cameras but I'm open to any suggestions.
I don't think it needs to come from Down Town because I'm hoping to use TRS and buy it in a couple of weeks. (depart 24 November)
If anyone could provide some thoughts and advice it would be much appreciated.
Cheers,
littl_flier
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Member of: AA Exec Plat; QF LTG; PC Plat; HHonors Gold
Posts: 10,055
Re: Digital Camera Suggestions
A few suggestions:
Do your pricing research. There is no duty on cameras any more, so the only saving is GST and you can often find better deals in local stored with sales than from duty-free shops, especially at airports.
Look for a camera that uses replaceable batteries such as AA size. Then buy a few sets of high quality, high capacity rechargeable batteries (2700mAH are now common). At least if it uses AA batteries and you run out of charge you can pick up some new batteries from any local store for a reasonable price. If it uses a proprietary battery, be sure to buy a spare and not just reply on putting the whole camera on a charger since you can't use it while its sitting on a charger.
Don't relay on digital zoom. That is a trade-off for picture quality. Get a camera with enough optical zoom to meet your expected photographic needs.
May cameras with large amounts of optical zoom do not provide very wide-angle capabilities. So if you want to take in a large landscape (say at The Grand Canyon), a camera with say 8x optical zoom will often not be wide enough angle when used at 1x zoom.
I am not in a position to recommend any particular make or model, but do your research and heed the advice of people who have used specific brands and models.
Look for a camera that uses replaceable batteries such as AA size. Then buy a few sets of high quality, high capacity rechargeable batteries (2700mAH are now common). At least if it uses AA batteries and you run out of charge you can pick up some new batteries from any local store for a reasonable price. If it uses a proprietary battery, be sure to buy a spare and not just reply on putting the whole camera on a charger since you can't use it while its sitting on a charger..
Some good advice from NM but most cameras these days have remarkable battery power (non proprietary) - not much of a concern for me.
I have several digital cameras including Sony Cybershot, Nikon D70S and a Canon IXUS 75 which I bought for my better half on the first day it was released on the GC on 03/04/07 (Teds Camera Store). It's a wonderful point and shoot, with a 3inch screen which I've found very useful for showing friends after the shot is taken. Go to the store and feel a few models out; if it's social and you'd like to share with friends the photo you've taken - go with a model with a 3inch screen. Cheers.
I concur - the LUMIX - their lens is a Leica, which is very good indeed and does have zoom from wide angle (36mm equivalent) to telephoto (about 450mm from memory). The anti shake system is also effective.
I have an older one and have used it for work and have shot several hundred photos between recharging the batteries at the 5 meg pixels level of quality.
It is easy to use and I have rarely been disappointed with the results.
I am not a professional, but have used a wide range of cameras, and always been satisfied with the LUMIX for the price.
Going beyond that quality level you would need a serious budget and to build a full kit of equipment!
However, you almost certainly will have to buy an extra memory card, because they will probably only give you a 16Meg one with the camera which isn't gong to hold more than few shots. You will need to bite the bullet and budget to buy at least one "big" one over the price of the camera, at least a 512Meg or preferably larger - it does sting the wallet to spend on such an small accessory. My advice is to do a deal on the memory card(s) when you buy the camera!
One final thing - these cameras have the large LCD back screens and dicussions with friends suggest that there may be a problem if you try to find a camera pouch/case since these screens might get scratched.
Oh yes, as others have mentioned, it is not a water proof camera, but you probably can purchase a housing (I think I have seen them in the window of the l,ocal dive/photo shop here in Cairns).
Re: Digital Camera Suggestions
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