Digital Camera Recommendation 4-5mp Camera with good manual features

[isekii]

Want to start practicing photography
Something that's good at just point and shoot but also features manual controls

What do you suggest ?

So far the candidates are

DSC-F707
DSC-S85

 

[NTB]

Canon A80 - can be had for ~$380 or less now, even at regular retail stores. I've had one for a few months, and I love it. No proprietary batteries to worry about, either; it runs on plain old AAs, and NiMH last for ever

Nate

 

[Mr N8]

I have the Canon G5, and the manual features are some of the best. They are much easier to access than the Sony's when you are trying to shoot quickly.

The sensor & lens on the G5 beats the hell out of that dumbed down Zeisse lens on the Sony. Its a shame Zeisse even puts their name on those cameras.

Edit:

Didn't catch your price range. My G5 was $475, and they are still in that range. I would go for the DSC-V1 or Canon A80, in that range.

 

[Kelemvor]

I'm actually about to buy the Kodak DX 6490. It's a 4MP camera for $399 currently at Best Buy. It has awesome zoom and lots of other features that you can't beat for the price. I'm currently doing research on it and it seems like it's great for all around use.

Main thing about the Kodak is it has 10x Optical Zoom. Most other camera have about 3x or 4x. I love close ups and have read people who said they've zoomed all the way in and gotten incredible results that looked like they were standing 5 feet from the subject. It also has a 2.2" LCD which is bigger than others I've seen.

I'm looking for one to take on an Alaskan Crusie this summer so zooming is important. I currently have access to a Kodak DX 3440 (I think that's it) and it's good too but not as powerful.

This camera was $499 a month or so ago but has dropped to $399 because a replacement is in the works for this summer. Not sure if the $399 is a sale or permanent but that's what I saw at bestbuy yesterday.


Here's some quick links to Epinions of the ones mentioned so far:

Kodak DX6490
DSC-F707 although it's like $700
DSC-S85
Canon A80
Canon G5
DSC-V1

 

[Ornery]

You can get a 707 for that price? Might want to spend a few bucks more for the 717. Great choice. Damn thing almost can't take a bad picture. The DSC-V1 is nearly as good, and smaller. Fits your price range, too. The S85 is ancient.

One HUGE advantage of the Sonys, is the Hologram Autofocus Assist. This isn't offered by any other manufacturer. Being able to focus in dim or no light at all is just a major advantage. Certainly worth a few bucks extra.

comparison between the Sony F717 and the Nikon CP5700

• When there is very little light, the Sony F717 is better due to its Hologram Laser assist light.
  This is a separate "light source" (a bright red horizontally and vertically striped pattern is projected at the subject). Because of this the Sony F717 can almost always focus perfectly.

 

[Kelemvor]

Just found this site as well. Didn't look around for all the models listed but it's got TONS of information...

http://www.dcviews.com

 

[isekii]

Originally posted by: Ornery
You can get a 707 for that price? Might want to spend a few bucks more for the 717. Great choice. Damn thing almost can't take a bad picture. The DSC-V1 is nearly as good, and smaller. Fits your price range, too. The S85 is ancient.

One HUGE advantage of the Sonys, is the Hologram Autofocus Assist. This isn't offered by any other manufacturer. Being able to focus in dim or no light at all is just a major advantage. Certainly worth a few bucks extra.

comparison between the Sony F717 and the Nikon CP5700

• When there is very little light, the Sony F717 is better due to its Hologram Laser assist light.
  This is a separate "light source" (a bright red horizontally and vertically striped pattern is projected at the subject). Because of this the Sony F717 can almost always focus perfectly.

Yea I read on that.
The DSC-F707 on ebay is like 300-400ish.
The 717 is like 450ish I believe.

Does the V1 offer it as well ?

I really like the F series cuz it has 5x optical zoom.

 

[Ornery]

Only 4X zoom on the V1, but it has Hologram Auto focus. I have access to the V1 as well as an F707, and I much prefer the 707. The swivel body is another huge plus, and I can hold it steadier, due to its mass. You cradle the lens in your left hand, and swivel the body with your right. Shooting overhead, or from the waist is instantaneous and intuitive. As time goes by, I LOVE this camera more and more. Playing with other cameras just drives home how much nicer it is.

 

[isekii]

Originally posted by: Ornery
Only 4X zoom on the V1, but it has Hologram Auto focus. I have access to the V1 as well as an F707, and I much prefer the 707. The swivel body is another huge plus, and I can hold it steadier, due to its mass. You cradle the lens in your left hand, and swivel the body with your right. Shooting overhead, or from the waist is instantaneous and intuitive. As time goes by, I LOVE this camera more and more. Playing with other cameras just drives home how much nicer it is.

What type of battery does the DSC-V1 use ?

I think the DSC-F707 uses the NP-FM series right ?

Cuz I have a NP-FM50 battery laying around not to mention some memory sticks.

 

[pyonir]

I'll second the G5 or G3. I have a G3 and have been very happy with it. You can see some examples of my pictures here

 

[Ornery]

Got a couple NP-FC11 equivilent batteries from Sterlingtek for $18.50 each.

The 707 uses the NP-FM50 and it lasts WELL over 2 hours.

 

[Nanotech]

How come no one is an Olympus fan? I have their Stylus 400 and think the world of it. I only wish I would have known they were coming out with the
Stylus 410 before I purchased the 400.

 

[Kelemvor]

I think everyone has their specific Brand preferences and biases. Kodak is viewed to be a real basic camera for people that don' tknow what they are doing. But this stereotype came from their initial ones from years ago. Now they are one of the top brands when you compare the features and prices and such.

Canon is known for great cameras because of the A line (was A40 the first big one?)

It just all depends. But they all change so the best thing to do is go to Best Buy or whatever and pick each one up, see how it feels, snap some samples, etc. Features are almost equivalent on most and it comes down to personal preference.

Personally I like the new Kodak 6490 because it's got a 10x Optical and 3x Digital zoom, it has an LCDthat's bigger than the rest, and it's really user friendly while also having all manual options for the advanced user. It's one that can grow with you from beginner to advanced and everywhere in between.

 

[BigSmooth]

Originally posted by: Nanotech
How come no one is an Olympus fan? I have their Stylus 400 and think the world of it. I only wish I would have known they were coming out with the
Stylus 410 before I purchased the 400.

Olympus makes great cameras with excellent picture quality. The C-5060WZ would probably be my top choice in the $500 range. Only problem I have is that they tend to leave features off of their less expensive lines of cameras that competing models from other manufacturers often include.

 

[oldfart]

BEST 5MP prosumer camera on the market is the Minolta A1, but it is ~ $600. 28 - 200mm GT lens with image stabilization, live histogram, mechanical zoom (YAY!), long battery life, 5 shot high speed continuous RAW @ 2.8 fps. Most every setting via a dial instead of button mashing your way through menus. Fast AF, great low light, just a great camera. It has more features than many DSLRs.

Minolta A1 @ Steves.

 

[pyonir]

Originally posted by: FrankyJunior
Now they are one of the top brands when you compare the features and prices and such.

I'd call them a top brand for features and price, but quality is low. I've had a hard time finding people to say a series of pictures taken with any Kodak digital camera are better than those of Olympus, Canon, Nikon, or Fuji.

 

[sixone]

Originally posted by: FrankyJunior
I'm actually about to buy the Kodak DX 6490. It's a 4MP camera for $399 currently at Best Buy. It has awesome zoom and lots of other features that you can't beat for the price. I'm currently doing research on it and it seems like it's great for all around use.

Main thing about the Kodak is it has 10x Optical Zoom. Most other camera have about 3x or 4x. I love close ups and have read people who said they've zoomed all the way in and gotten incredible results that looked like they were standing 5 feet from the subject. It also has a 2.2" viewfinder which is bigger than others I've seen.

I'm looking for one to take on an Alaskan Crusie this summer so zooming is important. I currently have access to a Kodak DX 3440 (I think that's it) and it's good too but not as powerful.

This camera was $499 a month or so ago but has dropped to $399 because a replacement is in the works for this summer. Not sure if the $399 is a sale or permanent but that's what I saw at bestbuy yesterday.

I have the DX 6490, and I love it. I'm working my way up from a strictly point and shoot, so I'm making slow progress with the manual controls. But the auto settings are fantastic, I can always fall back in a pinch. The only need I've found for the manual settings is in extremely low light situations, and experimentation. I've been spoiled: I could never go back to a measly 3x optical zoom. A battery charge will last me weeks at a time, since I don't need the flash very often, as the camera compensates (to a point).

One caveat: Kodak's software is great for beginners or folks who just don't want to crop and resize, but lacks a lot of advanced editing features. If you're into serious editing, color adjustments, etc, be prepared to buy an additional software package.

 

[TrailerParkKing]

have you looked at the Sony MVC-CD500? I have the cd-400 and the pics are amazing..... beats the pants off my father's Olympus.. I am no camera guru... just a suggestion.

 

[Kelemvor]

Originally posted by: sixone

I have the DX 6490, and I love it. I'm working my way up from a strictly point and shoot, so I'm making slow progress with the manual controls. But the auto settings are fantastic, I can always fall back in a pinch. The only need I've found for the manual settings is in extremely low light situations, and experimentation. I've been spoiled: I could never go back to a measly 3x optical zoom. A battery charge will last me weeks at a time, since I don't need the flash very often, as the camera compensates (to a point).

One caveat: Kodak's software is great for beginners or folks who just don't want to crop and resize, but lacks a lot of advanced editing features. If you're into serious editing, color adjustments, etc, be prepared to buy an additional software package.

Glad to hear you like it. I agree about the Kodak software. It's garbage. You can't even rename a stupid file with it unless you open it and do a save as. How retarded.

I use their program just to download the images and then I switch to Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop to do whatever I need with them. Most of them just get used on websites or in email or something but every so often we do have them printed and that has always worked great too.

 

[sixone]

Originally posted by: FrankyJunior

Glad to hear you like it. I agree about the Kodak software. It's garbage. You can't even rename a stupid file with it unless you open it and do a save as. How retarded.

I use their program just to download the images and then I switch to Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop to do whatever I need with them. Most of them just get used on websites or in email or something but every so often we do have them printed and that has always worked great too.

I had one blown up to 20x30", and you can't tell it came from a digital camera. I just wish they hadn't added the lens cap. I got used to a retractable lens, and I miss it.

 

[isekii]

Hey Ornery

is it true that the DSC-V1 locks up in Tiff ?

 

[iamwiz82]

Buy a used G3 and call it good!

I loved mine and I am sure you can find one for under $350. I sold mine for $360 a few months ago.

 

[isekii]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
Buy a used G3 and call it good!

I loved mine and I am sure you can find one for under $350. I sold mine for $360 a few months ago.

I'm purchasing the DSC-V1 with 256mb Memory Stick pro and all accessories for $400 shipped

 

[Playmaker]

I'm purchasing the DSC-V1 with 256mb Memory Stick pro and all accessories for $400 shipped

Where did you find this kind of a deal? The lowest price I can find on pricegrabber is $425 shipped, and that's without accessories. By accessories do you mean a second battery, case, and cleaning kit?

I was about to buy a Canon A80 with all accessories for around $400 shipped, but this seems like it would be a much better deal. Thanks a lot if you can link me the site where you found this.