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Recommend a Digital Camera

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Well guys, thanks for all the sound advice. I am a new owner of a SX230HS. The video mode of the nikon was just terrible. I kept coming back to the canon every time I looked at another model. I only used it breifly tonight and really like it. The people that complained about image quality probably didn;t use it correctly. It is way batter than my sony.

Thanks again guys. Im sure I will have operation realated questions later.
 
you cannot go wrong with the canon power-shot cameras, they are the best. Also avoid sony like a plague
 
oh i see you bought the 230hs already, I have the same one in black fantastic camera, do look at the color accent effect and the fish effect on the camera in the program mode. makes things very very interesting
 
Yeah, some of the tree shots looked hazy, but other than that, they looked good IMO. Do you have an image storage/editing software such as Picasa? Bumping up the Contrast will help. There is another thing you can do (raising the black level) but it's a little more complicated.
 
Besides the mist, the problem shots are taken at maximum zoom, aren't they? That explains why they're "flat" and the colors seems washed up.

Keep the "Vivid" colors scheme on at all times, unless you really want to use something else, like "Sepia"... Lots of people use the "Positive film" setting, which is not as good, IMO. And avoid the "Neutral".
 
How do I keep the VIVID setting on? I couldnt find.

Yes they were at max zoom, but only at max optical. I have digital zoom off.
 
Here's a nice, detailed explanation: http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/camera-adjustments.htm

"I love vivid colors, and always set my Canons to their Vivid modes. To do this, press FUNC SET, click down three to 'off,' and click one to the right to 'Vivid.' Press FUNC SET again to set it. "

Look at this discussion thread as well: http://www.flickr.com/groups/canonpowershots3is/discuss/72157605958252099/

The zoom effect on color saturation is a normal occurrence, due the optical processes involved in a "mimicking" a long lens, and there's not much you can do about it. You have to "learn" your camera and work around its limitations.
 
In all fairness to my Sony DSC-H5, it really takes outdoor pics way better. I hope this is just a matter of learning because I want to canon to do better. My sony is terrible for indoors of any magnitude, and battery life makes it hardly usable.

However this canon is great in every way except outdoor photos do not compare to my sony with any zoom setting. Either a tree line isnt as sharp, or the canon over shoots the brightness.
 
Compman55 said:
In all fairness to my Sony DSC-H5, it really takes outdoor pics way better. I hope this is just a matter of learning because I want to canon to do better. My sony is terrible for indoors of any magnitude, and battery life makes it hardly usable.

However this canon is great in every way except outdoor photos do not compare to my sony with any zoom setting. Either a tree line isnt as sharp, or the canon over shoots the brightness.
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1) One of the links I posted earlier advises you to shoot 2/3 stops lower than what the auto settings indicate.
2) Use "P", not "Auto".
 
Not sure if there are still deals for it but Lumix LX5 is great. My sis bought it for $260 on sale a while ago.
 
AnitaPeterson said:
Can I chime in?

First of all, OP, a word of advice: look for stereo microphones on whichever camera you end up getting. You say you want 1080p - what's the point pairing it with audio which sounds like it comes from a $1 microphone, recorded under water?

Second... unlike you, I have had NOTHING but good experiences with all my cameras running AA batteries (and that goes a long way back, to 2003, when I first got a HP210, then a Canon A310, then a Canon S3, then the Canon SX1). In my experience, two-three sets of good Eneloops or some reliable NiMH batteries(2700mAh and above) are just as reliable as a Li-Ion cell. In fact, I'm still miffed about the fact that my SX40 now uses proprietary stuff, instead of the tried-and-true AAs. It sounds like the Sony you mention had other issues...

You can probably guess by now that I'm a Canon fan, but I'm honest enough to admit that other brands can also make great products. In fact, my SO and I went looking for a camera a couple of years ago, and although I had been suggesting the SX200 (the precursor of the SX230 HS) at the beginning, we ended up agreeing that the comparably-priced Panasonic ZS7 was a much better camera.
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My first digicam was a Samsung Digimax V3 (saw a thread here in Hot Deals), and I still have it. When I don't want to lug my Pentax Kr, I take the Samsung V3. It uses 2x AA, and I've always been super high on AA's compared to proprietary Li-ion batteries. I've avoided those like the plague, but I must say that I am completely sick and tired of how finicky the Samsung V3 is. I have Eneloops and a newly charged set may get me 25 shots if I'm lucky, and that's with turning the LCD off and using the viewfinder. I'm never surprised when the lens just draws back in and the camera shuts off. My Pentax DSLR, OTOH, just keeps on shooting like the Energizer Bunny, I can't remember it ever running out of juice! However, the Pentax also runs on AA's, but 4 instead of the 2 that the Samsung runs on.

But I doubt that there are compact P&S cameras that do well with AA's. 4 AA's are pretty heavy, right? Aren't all the P&S cameras with decent battery life Li-ion based?

I'm looking at an ad in today's paper for the Canon Elph 100 HS, for $110 + tax at Office Depot, and it includes a case and 4GB SDHC card. I'm tempted, but I don't know the terrain. I see threads here talking about the 300 HS, which is around $160 at Amazon. What are its advantages? I see it has a 24mm lens where the 100 HS has 28mm. Is that the main advantage? The ad's good for this week, it's a better price than Amazon's.

Edit: So it looks like the OP went with the Canon SX230HS. What's that got that the 100 HS doesn't? It's more than 2x the cost. It has 14x optical zoom and the 100 HS has 4x, that seems to be the difference. It's also around 30% heavier and quite a bit thicker (1.3" vs 0.8"), i.e. not as portable.

One thing I would miss with one of these (100 HS, 300 HS) would be a viewfinder. I've never had a camera without one and I've never been in the habit of using an LCD to compose my shots. I suppose I'd get used to it if that's all I had.
 
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On paper, a 24mm angle does not seem like much compared to the 28mm, but in real life it makes a LOT of difference. It allow for much wider compositions, from the same vantage point.

Also, the 100/300 ELPH cameras can be too small and cramped for people with big hands. I like the 300 HS, and it's a fine camera, but am not comfortable when holding it, I'm always afraid of dropping the damn thing.
 
Yes, the 24mm would be a big advantage. My hands are big, I wear XL gloves minimum, but I doubt I'd find the Elph's too small. I don't drop things when it matters. Don't remember dropping any of my cameras. My Samsung Digimax V3 came with a wrist strap and it's never left the camera, and I use it if I'm nervous. I also always store the camera in the case that was supplied by Samsung with the camera. The only downsides are the abysmal battery life, and the size/weight relative to what's come out in recent years.

I always have a neckstrap on my DSLR, and there's a wrist strap on it too, one I made. Sure don't want to drop it. Wonderful camera.

I figure I should do my homework, not be impulsive here. I'd like a viewfinder, for one thing. I saw an Elph 1200 IS on ebay and passed it up. I looked in posts here and many thought it a good camera but I saw some people saying it didn't take very good pictures, so decided it wasn't for me. It does have a viewfinder, though.
 
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