Digicam question

[tt3]

For you photo buffs out there, what would you recommend for a digi camera? We own an olympus camedia c720 3.0 megapixel ... had it since Tara was born, and we're pretty dissapointed with the quality of images that it gets. We want a camera that will take the pic when you depress the shutter release, ya know? I don't mind holding it down halfway for it to focus, but when I want it to take the pic, it should, not half a second later. Sucks trying to get action shots (which, considering my active toddler as a subject, most shots are action shots)
We went and looked at the rebel digital, and are impressed, but its a bit out of our range.
Input? What do you guys use, are you happy with it? Hows the speed?

tnx

[csimonl]

Hey Tony,
I’m a huge Nikon fan so I would recommend one of there SLR digital ones. http://nikonimaging.com/global/products/digitalcamera/slr/index.htm SLR is nice so you can buy different lenses to put on the camera. In terms of what megapixel to go with any one over a 6 you will need a very fast computer and a fat wallet. The DH2 will allow you to up to 8 frames a sec so you should be able to get the shot you want. Check on your Olympus to see if they have a sport setting. That will increase the time the camera takes the pic. I’m sure that Jackson’s dad will weight in being that’s his background. Good luck Chris

[Don-Dad]

I have been using my Kodak DC 240 for almost 5 years now, only a 1.3 megapixel but it takes good pictures.

What do you mean by quality? Are you using the highest setting? Sometimes the pictures might look a little grainy til they are compressed with a photo editor. I'm no pro but I bet Jackson'd Dad will have some great input. :-k

[tt3]

Quality of the pic from my camera hasn't been an issue, when the subject is still, or the flash catches it just right I can get some incredible shots that can be blown up pretty considerably.
Its the reaction time that bugs me (if I can call it that). It does me no good to have great resolution on a blurry shot, ya know?
I'll look into what you guys are using, thanks... I'm also hoping for Dan's input ;)

The SLR range of digital cameras are just too high cost right now, btw, but they sure would be nice :lol:

[tt3]

That is an absolutely freakin' awesome link, man, just exactly what I'm looking for! Thanks! I went through the reviews from my camera and found "slower then average" lag time. wha, yeah...
Cool, I'll have to play with that site during nap time tomorrow.
Thanks!

Oh, the only accent I can throw back is kind of hard phonetically... if you've seen "Fargo" though, that'd be it! :lol:

[Jackson's Dad]

What, a conversation about cameras? I'm in!

Yeah, one of the biggest drawbacks of a lot of digicams is the lag time. They are crunching a lot of data through a tiny device, and thus can be a bit slow. And taking pictures of kids is notoriously difficult, since they never stop moving. Those sports modes that many now have are often very useful in shooting pics of kids -- run of 4-5 quick frames, and see which one works the best.

Digital SLRs will be much faster (like a "regular" camera) but will cost you around a $1000 easy. Probably overkill for most folks too. I own one for my work, but still have a Nikon digicam for trips, snapshots, etc.

Imaging-Resource is a great site. I love the reviews - nice and balanced. There's also a site called dpreview.com you could check out. The reviews are very detailed (almost too detailed), but beware of the forums. They are filled with people trying to one-up each other. Photography brings out the machismo in a lot of people for some reason, and it can be a hoot to watch. But it gets tiring fast. Just beware whenever you read opinions in a photography forum -- there is a tendancy towards extremism and blind-brand-loyalty in them.

In general, you can't go wrong with any big name brand: Nikon, Sony, Canon, etc. The best thing to do is look online for the lag time, and any other specs that are important. Also, look for brands that handle skin color well (Nikon, Canon, Sony are all very nice). Then go into a store and actually play around with it. See how it feels in your hand, and practice trying to catch your toddler in mid-whatever. The most important feature for a camera is how it fits in your life. Do you plan to carry it in your pocket? Do you have big or small hands? Etc.

Uhh... I've run on a bit. Hope this helps.

Dan

[tt3]

Helps a lot, thanks! When we first went looking again a few nights ago, once I got to the rebel, I couldn't quite look at others... We'll go again and see what we can see.
Thanks for all the input guys!

oh... anyone want to buy a slightly used digital camera? :lol:

[Jackson's Dad]

You don't know the people I hang out with. It's "Rolicord this and Rolicord that... :) Just kidding.

[Jackson's Dad]

If you find it, hang on to it. A friend showed me a camera she had that was her fathers. She never heard of the brand, and thought it was "just an old camera" and was thinking of just selling it at a local shop. It was a gorgeous Leica, in great condition, and probably worth thousands of dollars. After salivating over it a little, I told her what it was worth (in money, and what it had been worth to her father as a photographer), and told her to hang on it.

[Jackson's Dad]

> it's disappeared under a velvety green "swamp thing"

Now that would make a cool photograph! I can imagine a whole series on the decay of an old camera... :) Too bad it's all probably gone "back to nature" though.