Any photographers in the house?

[JakeRS]

Hi all,

I'm quite into taking photo's, mainly of my bike but often views, buildings etc but all I have is my phone to take them on.

What I'm looking for is a decent digital camera with at least 5mega pixels, and optical zoom.

I'd appreciate any advice from anyone who's into this sort of thing, and even better if someone has one, or knows of one, for sale.

Thanks for your help!

Jake

[Quiff Wichard]

someone will be along soon

there are loads and loads of good photographers on here

Jelster has a few good cameras... in fact I think there are a couple of pro photographers on here.



drop a pm to Amarko he nearly does it for a living.. and he's a nice guy ..

I have a Kodak 5MP Z 740 - it is blooday ace.! so so easy to use.. a it bulky but brill ..

but the guys will know of costs and size and if u want an SLR etc..


just pm mark.. hes a good guy

[fizzwheel]

You want to be talking to Amarko you do...

Or have a read of this, very useful site.

http://www.dpreview.com/

[Rob S (Yella)]

As A general rule get a camera from a known camera brand such as Nikon, Canon, Pentax etc. You might seem to be getting less for your cash than a BenQ or some other shop brand in terms of specs like screen size and megapixel numbers BUT......... The photos will be better as they spend the money on quality glass and larger image sensors etc and not headline grabbing specs and games etc..

A quick browse thru the camera mags in WHsmith might be useful as they have lists of best buys etc in the back.

[Biker Biggles]

You in Dover?You could practice by taking pictures of the finest Norman castle in the world that sits on top of the hill to your left if looking at France. :) A bit more tricky would be the giant Napoleonic fort under the hill on your right :D Post em up on here.I used to play "war" with my mates in that fort as a kid.

[northwind]

It sounds like you want a compact? I love my wee Canon Ixus 800, I got a storming deal on it but it'd still have been a decent buy at full price. 6mp, 4 x optical zoom, which is pretty uncommon in the really small compacts, not bad optics... Not much lag either, though there's enough to be annoying. It's better than I am, put it that way. And it's the size of a fag packet :) You can get decent results out of even very budget compacts now, if you don't mind them being old-tech- bulky or slow. I chopped in my old Kodak because it had gone a bit senile, but other than its size (a bit smaller than a typical 35mm compact) it wasn't massively less good than the Canon, and they only set you back about £50 now.

[JakeRS]

You in Dover?You could practice by taking pictures of the finest Norman castle in the world that sits on top of the hill to your left if looking at France. :) A bit more tricky would be the giant Napoleonic fort under the hill on your right :D Post em up on here.I used to play "war" with my mates in that fort as a kid.

Well I could just look out of my bedroom window direct across to the castle :wink: its directly out across the valley from my house!

I have a few pics of my bike up by Fort Redoubt up on Western Heights (Aycliffe) but I really need a decent camera!

Whats your name and how old are you mate my Dad used to play up there as a kid says there's a slight chance he'd know you lol.

Thanks for all your help guys!

[5hort5]

All depends on how much coin you have an if you wish to do funky things with it? If you have the bucks then get a Canon EOS400D but that's a lot. If you want something to take with you that wont take up much space then the ixus is good. All comes down to the money tbh.

Edit:

I find this site useful for helping out on price, pixels, zoom etc - it can give you a good idea of what you can get:

www.pixmania.co.uk

But watch out if you order from them they try and add stuff on teh bill at the end but apart from that there prices are good

[philipMac]

here's some cool pics... http://www.widerange.org/index.php

[linco]

I'm one. Sort of.

[Viney]

You want to be talking to Amarko you do...

Or have a read of this, very useful site.

http://www.dpreview.com/
Noooooooooo, that site is so confusing, so much so, i gave up buying a new camera.

I favour Nikon cameras. I have had a cannon, but wasnt overly impressed.

Look for good optical zoom 3x plus
Rechargaeble batteries, or Li-Lon battery - They eat Nicads etc.
A good flash - Distance. Some only rate the flash at 1m!!
Start up time
And good manual control if/when you get good.

[falc]

That site was confusing, I like the Sony's personally they do some good 5,6,7 mp cameras but that's what I guess you call the bottom end of the camera market while I guess you are after a proper high res camera.

[Scooby Drew]

I use a DSLR with 12Mp so you probably don't want one of those... I use Nikon which I prefer although I have used almost everything on the market, and they are comparable on performance and quality as long as you stick to know names like Canon, Pentax, Olympus etc.

Have a look at some of the 'Bridge' cameras which have all the functionality and features of a DSLR but without the interchangeable lenses. They normally come with a good zoom so you get a good range with them. The Canon 'Ixus' range is very good if you want a compact (as per Northy...)

[Spiderman]

www.pixmania.co.uk

i bought a Olyumpus Mju 7mp from these guys and its a brill little camera. Light, small, loads of features and idiot proof too.

[fizzwheel]

Noooooooooo, that site is so confusing, so much so, i gave up buying a new camera.

I favour Nikon cameras. I have had a cannon, but wasnt overly impressed.

Look for good optical zoom 3x plus
Rechargaeble batteries, or Li-Lon battery - They eat Nicads etc.
A good flash - Distance. Some only rate the flash at 1m!!
Start up time
And good manual control if/when you get good.

Oopsss... it is a little confusing but I did spend ages wading through it though...

All good points from Viney, just one thing I would add is to think about storage as well. Check what memory cards your potential purchase can use.

I've got a 4mp Nikon Coolpix compact, very pleased with it, takes great pictures. But I'm in the market for something else now as I want something with bigger zoom or bigger zoom capability that I can use to take better pictures when the subject is moving, i.e at bike racing events and my Nikon isnt up to that.

IMHO I found that the nikon images I saw had a better colour depth etc than the cannon images I have looked at did. The canon looks washed out in comparison with the nikon.

I've been looking at the Nikon D50 / D70 and the Canon EOS350D, but neither are cheap.

[Beenz]

Fizz, I've been using a D70 for a few years. It's been used a great deal in all weathers also. A well built machine.

I have had intermittent problems with my Canon IXUS though.... :?

[Rob S (Yella)]

I've been looking at the Nikon D50 / D70 and the Canon EOS350D, but neither are cheap.

I have a mint Nikon D50 with the 18-70 lens (better than the normal D50 kit lens) that is surplus to requirements. I am considering selling this complete with SD card and case so let me know if you decide the Nikon SLR route.

[Scooby Drew]

Fizz, if you are looking at DSLRs, have a look at the Nikon D80, the spec on them is really good. The main drawback on the D70 is that the batteries do not last. Other than that they are great.

[JakeRS]

Wow, what a load of info :D

I'll keep this thread in mind when it gets past xmas and I have some money to hand again!

Thanks guys

[fizzwheel]

I did look at the D80, but TBH it was a bit out of my price range. I'm due a bonus from work in february 2007 hopefully so some of my bonus will get spent on upgrading my camera.

[Beenz]

Fizz, if you are looking at DSLRs, have a look at the Nikon D80, the spec on them is really good. The main drawback on the D70 is that the batteries do not last. Other than that they are great.

:shock: I get about 200 shots per battery (RAW + JPG) easily from the genuine Nikon battery and roughly the same with a Hahnel one with the D70. Thats more than enough for me although I'm not earning a living from it. Both batteries abou 2 1/2 years old.

[linco]

I'd get about 500 shots with my 750mAh Canon battery on my 350D without flash.