A decent camera that can be found in Walmart or Sears B&M?

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gorcorps

gorcorps

aka Brandon
Jul 18, 2004
30,739
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I'm in po-dunk-ville, MS and all that's around here is a Walmart. I was just curious if there was any decent cameras sold in store there worth looking at. What I'm mainly looking for is a cheaper starter hobby camera where I'd use it more for outdoor stuff than indoor. I know I can't expect much but I know NOTHING about the models being offered, or even the different brands anymore so anything would help.

edit: also found out there's a Sears fairly nearby as well, but I expect they'd have the same sort of stuff
 
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Gooberlx2

Gooberlx2

Lifer
May 4, 2001
15,381
6
91
You want a point-and-shoot or dSLR? Budget? Need it to be pocketable?

Canon is a reliable choice. Seems they sell the SX20is in-store.

Are you just visiting and need a camera right away? Otherwise why not just buy online and have it shipped to you?
 
gorcorps

gorcorps

aka Brandon
Jul 18, 2004
30,739
454
126
Gooberlx2 said:
You want a point-and-shoot or dSLR? Budget? Need it to be pocketable?

Canon is a reliable choice. Seems they sell the SX20is in-store.

Are you just visiting and need a camera right away? Otherwise why not just buy online and have it shipped to you?
Click to expand...

Doesn't need to be pocketable. I'd like DSLR but I think it'll be out of my budget for too long. I'm not going to be here too long, so I'd rather just buy it now so I can have as much time as possible... unless there's a great deal on a DSLR online fairly soon.

budget is variable, but I'd like to stay below $300 if possible
 
gorcorps

gorcorps

aka Brandon
Jul 18, 2004
30,739
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Hmmm... that SX20-IS looks pretty nice. I like how it has some decent features so it's a lot better than a P&S but I won't have to break the bank further with lenses and such. It's currently marked as sold out at the stores around here, but that means they do indeed carry it. Hope they get some more stock fairly soon.
 
9

996GT2

Diamond Member
Jun 23, 2005
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gorcorps said:
Hmmm... that SX20-IS looks pretty nice. I like how it has some decent features so it's a lot better than a P&S but I won't have to break the bank further with lenses and such. It's currently marked as sold out at the stores around here, but that means they do indeed carry it. Hope they get some more stock fairly soon.
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I would go for the S90 over the SX20 IS any day. Unless you really need the long zoom on the SX20 IS, the S90 is a much better camera from an image quality standpoint. Bigger/better sensor, faster aperture lens, easy manual control with the rotating dial. It's also much smaller and more pocketable than the clunky SX20. If you can afford to spring an extra $80 or so on top of your $300 budget, the S90 is a camera that will last you for quite a few years.
 
gorcorps

gorcorps

aka Brandon
Jul 18, 2004
30,739
454
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Well I was hoping to get decent pictures from afar up in the Rockies eventually, so the long zoom would be nice. In all honesty though I don't know how much zoom I'd need and what all these 4x, 18x etc numbers really translate to in reality. I don't own any camera at all so I have no basemark with that to even compare it to. I'm figuring that I'd probably kick myself more for not getting the superzoom if I got the S90 than if I sacrificed a bit of image quality by getting the sx20.
 
9

996GT2

Diamond Member
Jun 23, 2005
5,212
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gorcorps said:
Well I was hoping to get decent pictures from afar up in the Rockies eventually, so the long zoom would be nice. In all honesty though I don't know how much zoom I'd need and what all these 4x, 18x etc numbers really translate to in reality. I don't own any camera at all so I have no basemark with that to even compare it to. I'm figuring that I'd probably kick myself more for not getting the superzoom if I got the S90 than if I sacrificed a bit of image quality by getting the sx20.
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S90: 28-105mm (4x)
SX20 IS: 28-560mm (20x)

Do you see yourself really needing to zoom in on small, distant things? The S90's 4x lens range is a very standard and versatile range on most DSLRs. The SX20 gives you a lot more telephoto range, but to be honest there are lots of limitations associated with that. For example, don't expect to shoot sports with an SX20, as it simply cannot focus nearly as fast as a DSLR with a dedicated 500mm telephoto. Same goes for birds in flight and lots of other things. So, unless you mostly want to shoot small, distant, and stationary things from afar, I am not sure how much you'll actually need the full 20x zoom. Personally, I have a Panasonic FZ8, which goes out to 432mm on the long end, and I find that I rarely actually use that long end of the zoom range. In the end, though, everyone's shooting styles differ, so I would suggest trying out both cameras in-store and seeing which suits you better.
 
corkyg

corkyg

Elite Member | Peripherals
Super Moderator
Mar 4, 2000
27,370
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I have the SX20's predecessor, the SX-10, and use the long zoom very frequently. It does an outstanding job for flora and fauna shots. Especially useful is the articulating LCD. I almost bought the SX20 yesterday - it was on the shelf in Office Depot for the same price as at B&H on line ($369.99.)

BTW, just because you have 20X zoom does not mean you can't use anything in between to properly frame the subject. I use my SX10 as a supplement to my EOS 5D and a large assortment of heavy glass.

I certainly agree that you should try them all out in the store.

As an example, here is a shot I never could have gotten with my 5D - two baby hummingbirds in their nest in a tree about 30 feet away - not easily seen. The mama bird gave them away when zooming in to feed them.

hummers.jpg
 
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gorcorps

gorcorps

aka Brandon
Jul 18, 2004
30,739
454
126
996GT2 said:
S90: 28-105mm (4x)
SX20 IS: 28-560mm (20x)

Do you see yourself really needing to zoom in on small, distant things? The S90's 4x lens range is a very standard and versatile range on most DSLRs. The SX20 gives you a lot more telephoto range, but to be honest there are lots of limitations associated with that. For example, don't expect to shoot sports with an SX20, as it simply cannot focus nearly as fast as a DSLR with a dedicated 500mm telephoto. Same goes for birds in flight and lots of other things. So, unless you mostly want to shoot small, distant, and stationary things from afar, I am not sure how much you'll actually need the full 20x zoom. Personally, I have a Panasonic FZ8, which goes out to 432mm on the long end, and I find that I rarely actually use that long end of the zoom range. In the end, though, everyone's shooting styles differ, so I would suggest trying out both cameras in-store and seeing which suits you better.
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Possibly, yes. There are quite a few big horned sheep and such that gather pretty far out from easy public view in the Rockies, so it'd be nice to see/picture those. Same with other animals in other places. I'm not expecting the performance of a DSLR by any means for my budget, and the SX20 seems to offer more than the simple P&S stuff I've used for specific things I have in mind. What I REALLY want to do requires a decent DSLR, but before I drop serious money on something I'm not sure I really want to do, I'm thinking just getting decent long range shots would be better for me.
 
Gooberlx2

Gooberlx2

Lifer
May 4, 2001
15,381
6
91
The S90's big advantages, to me, are RAW shooting, the control ring and F2 lens. However, the SX20 seems to have more overall versatility (including HD movies) for shooting outdoors.

When I'm shooting in the mountains, I do find that I'm usually trying to capture whole scenes at the wider end than I am objects and animals at the long end. But still, those circumstances do come around when I'm on a mission to shoot wildlife instead of landscapes.

OTOH the S90, being actually pocketable and with the wide aperture lens, will probably be more useful and certainly less clunky on social occasions. Might be nice if you end up deciding to go with a dSLR for the mountains, but have the S90 for more casual things.

I don't think you'd be upset with either camera really.
 
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Z

Zargon

Lifer
Nov 3, 2009
12,218
2
76
996GT2 said:
S90: 28-105mm (4x)
SX20 IS: 28-560mm (20x)

Do you see yourself really needing to zoom in on small, distant things? The S90's 4x lens range is a very standard and versatile range on most DSLRs. The SX20 gives you a lot more telephoto range, but to be honest there are lots of limitations associated with that. For example, don't expect to shoot sports with an SX20, as it simply cannot focus nearly as fast as a DSLR with a dedicated 500mm telephoto. Same goes for birds in flight and lots of other things. So, unless you mostly want to shoot small, distant, and stationary things from afar, I am not sure how much you'll actually need the full 20x zoom. Personally, I have a Panasonic FZ8, which goes out to 432mm on the long end, and I find that I rarely actually use that long end of the zoom range. In the end, though, everyone's shooting styles differ, so I would suggest trying out both cameras in-store and seeing which suits you better.
Click to expand...

when I went hiking in NM with 4x I missed TONS of great pictures because I couldnt reach out and get them.
 
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