Digital Camera Recommendation
 

Howdy,

I like my current camera - but it lacks a bit and I'd like to replace it. Why post this here under travel technology? Well one of my big uses (in terms of numbers of pictures snapped) is out of airplane windows (I fly too much). And my camera does a very poor job of that. Currently I've got a Kodak DX4330. I like a lot of it.

Here's what I hate about it and would like a new camera to do better.

1. Pictures taken out of plane windows are really poor.
2. The zoom doesn't zoom enough (true optical zoom part that is).
3. When taking pictures from the air to the ground (city skylines, etc...) the quality is poor.
4. The lag between when I press the shutter button and when the shutter actually fires is far too slow.

Here's what I like about it and would like the new camera to have as well.

1. Take nice movies with audio.
2. Resolution is nice.
3. Camera is tough (I've dropped it more than a few times).
4. Easy to use (has settings for far away pictures, close ups, bright sun, fast movement, and easy to use menu to adjust shutter speed for longer exposures, etc...).

Anyway - if any of ya'll have any ideas for me - I'd love to hear them.

Thanks in advance.

Keep the faith,

Pakse

I don't know your budget, but I recently upgraded my camera to the Sony DSC-P10 (5 megapixel) and I think it's great. It has many of those modes you described you wanted. Also, it has some interesting light metering system that can correct exposures so that you don't get very harsh shadows and over/under exposure in your shots. I think it goes for about $349 online these days.

Neat topic. I would suggest checking out the full line of Canon digital cameras. I've had much success with both the 2 and 4 MegaPixel versions of the Elph (sp?) (the very little silver square looking one).

I have enjoyed these cameras for several reasons:
-Focusing is automatic, but manual modes can replace all focus settings
-Excellent support from Canon (had to send one back because the lens got grimey and wouldn't come out). They fixed it and sent it back no charge.
-Good software for PC to edit the pictures
-Fairly good zoom. I believe this is one of the features that they have been working on for the newer releases.

I'm definitely not saying to go buy one - but you definitely would want to check them out. They are so small they easily fit in a pocket so they go anywhere.

http://www.powershot.com/powershot2/home.html

Safe Travels,
Chris

I bought a Sony DSCF717 last year prior to a vacation to Europe. Due to all of the modes, it does take a little while to learn. Modes include scenic (for landscapes) and nightvision. I haven't put its ruggedness to the test. Given its SLR lens, I have tried to be fairly gentle with it. It also takes movies, but they are not Sony camcorder quality, although they are better than the satelitte phones CNN has been using from Iraq. The camera uses memory sticks, so figure those in your cost as well. Pics from plane were good where the scene outside was bright and objects distinct (for example icebergs floating in the Artic Ocean) but were not as good with less distinct objects (such as mist-shrouded Canadian Rockies).

If interested, PM me and I'll send you a slide show which includes movies that I did with the camera.

So, you are the one behind the Paris Hilton video :eek:

Good Job ^

I love my Canon S50 camera, although, it does take a second or so after pressing the shutter and taking the picture.

Other than that, it is a wonderful camera.

I wish I were. I probably would have a good bit more cash in my pocket, among other things.

Happy with mine
 

I am very hapy with my Canon Powershot S400. The newer version is the S410, or if you want a 5 MP version, the S500. I think the 4 MP version is more than sufficient.

A friend of mine bought the Pentax OptioS4i. It is smaller than the Elph, but the reviews say the Elph takes better pictures. They both use proprietary digital batteries.

The things I would change about my camera-- I wish there was a remote for timer pictures (minor annoyance) and the camera gives very little warning that the battery is low (useful to have a spare).

All the above cameras have 3X optical zooms. If you want a very compact camera, it's hard to go much above that.

Check out www.dpreview.com or www.steves-digicams.com for more info, too. I have found them useful.

Additional resources online:

http://www.dcresource.com/
http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/index.asp

I purchased a Sony DSC-P1 in 2001 and still love it. Unlike the newer Sony models, it has a metal (not plastic) body, and it uses a lithium battery. A well-cared-for used P1 might be a good buy.

This one i think you can get an underwater case for - colleague of mine took it on a diving trip back then. some very nice underwater photos...

When I went looking for a dig camera, these were some of my criteria:

• Use AA batteries rather than proprietary batteries - never be caught with flat batteries
• Min 6x optical zoom. Forget digital zoom, that just reduces the picture resolution and only useful in limited circumstances
• Fast action from pressing button to taking photo (some cameras have a long lag, though much better with current models than a few years back)

I always carry at least one spare set of fully charged AA NiMH 2100mAh batteries in my camera case. Digi camera are heavy on batteries. And if I am ever caught with flat batteries I can go into almost any corner store and buy a set of Alkaline AA's.

Watch out for lenses with large zooms. They generally have poor wide angle performance. Its great to be able to zoom in to get a close-up pic of that aircraft at the other end of the tarmac, but there are times when you will want a wide angle to get the aircraft parked in the adjacent bay. Without going to the expense of a camer with SLR-style interchangable lenses, make sure you understand the compromise between zoom and wide angle performance. Mine only goes out to 34mm and there are times I would really prefer to get out to 28mm. But I do like the 6x optical zoom and use that quite regularly.

There are not many digital still camera that do a very good job of movies with audio. If that is a major criteria, then I suggest you really want to look for a digital video camera that has still shot capability, and I don't have much experience with them to offer.

By the way, Fuji and Olympus make some good cameras with good 6x to 10x optical zoom lenses.

The only fix for that is a D- or film SLR.

I was at a kid's party recently with my Nikon F65 (film), and I was the only one with an SLR, and the only one who got any action shots of 2-4 year olds at full speed. A Nikon 5700, 5400, Canon IXUS 300, a Pentax Optio 430?, a couple of Kodaks - none of which could focus then shoot with flash anywhere near the speed of an SLR.

I went through the whole digital thing, and nearly bought a Canon G3 a year ago. With the new Nikon D70, now might be the time to revisit.

I can also keep my Nikkor lenses, and SB TTL flash...

As someone who is looking very hard at the EOS 10-D and leaving the film world altogether, I am in agreement with your general advice on SLRs. However, some of the difficulty digital camera users have getting action shots is that they don't know how to use the features of the camera they have. On the Canon ELPH series (and many/most autofocus cameras) you can depress the shutter button halfway to obtain focus and apeture lock. Once this is done, you can hold the button halfway until you are ready and then you can depress the shutter fully to take the pic instantly. I use this trick all the time for candids of children, who can't usually be relied on to do the same thing twice otherwise.

I am a huge fan of my Canon Powershot S400. Top quality pictures, excellent design, ample features, and a very compact camera. It would be my recommendation.

I'm in the same boat right now - looking for a better digicam. I have an old Canon S100 (the little Elph thing) that still works nice for snapshots. It's 2MP and fits in a pocket - perfect for parties and stuff like that where you want to take a bunch of simple pics of people and upload/email small pics of average quality. But my little Elph fails miserably when I attempt to photograph pinnipeds. :(

So I think I want to step up to the next level - even if it means taking a class to learn how to take really good photos with a mid-range ("prosumer") camera. I've read countless reviews about cameras - and lots of advice on how to go about properly learning to use to a good camera - but I can't pull the trigger on actually buying one.

Here is my dilemma: Canon, Nikon, Minolta, and Sony all have fairly new "prosumer" models out now, released in late '03 or early '04. All have received fine reviews from the main review sites. All of them sell for $650-800 shipped. The problem is that I haven't found a single vendor that offers these cameras at a fair price and doesn't have pages and pages of very negative customer reviews from people who have been baited-and-switched, had their camera never show up, had a camera show up without the UPC bar code (I guess the code tore off when it fell off the truck ;)), etc., etc., etc. Problem after problem - and the only positive reviews look like poorly-written planted comments. I know the easy way out is to go to my local high-end camera store and pay about $1100 for the $650 camera, but know walking out the door that I have what I paid for.

Or...I can wait until Costco has what I want. (They are always a few months behind, but they frequently have good stuff at 10-20% higher than the best online price, which is a premium I'd be willing to pay to walk out with the gear in hand.)

So my question is: how do you guys buy cameras? I have always had great luck buying computer gear from deep-discount online shops, but camera stuff seems to be different. Ripoffs abound. And is it any coincidence that every single online camera vendor is based in Brooklyn? Is it just one big company?

I recenty purchased the Canon 10D. The "reputable" mail order camera shops will sell you the camera, but at not much of a discount from retail for the new models. The other downside is they pressure you to buy accessories at inflated prices. They are masters of the hard sell.

I also checked out my local retail mom-and-pop shops like Ritz, but found the prices no lower and their technical knowlege quite lacking.

I bit the bullet and went to my local pro-photography shop and paid the retail price. I made them very happy and supported a local business.

Edited to add: Don't forget to add in the cost of the lenses. Good glass can easily exceed the price of the camera body itself!

My rule of thumb of online shopping: If it's available at amazon.com, buy it there.

Reputable NYC camera stores
 

I have dealt with the following online camera merchants:

B&H Photo & Video ( http://www.bhphotovideo.com ) (by far the most highly rated mail order camera shop - I love 'em)

Adorama (http://www.adorama.com ) (good reviews, bought a few things from them, never a problem)

17th Street Photo ( http://www.17photo.com ) (bought a Nikon flash based on their price and high reputation - great to work with - no problems whatsoever)

Check out http://www.reselleratings.com and http://www.epinions.com for their reviews of these guys.

Just make sure that you get a product that carries a warranty for the area in which you live. Nikon USA, for example, will not perform service on a camera that was purchased with an non-USA International Warranty. This is so they can control distribution of their products, apparently.

I have had nothing but good experiences with B&H (http://www.bhphotovideo.com) and Adorama (http://www.adorama.com). I tend to deal with B&H more than Adorama only because I've had slightly better customer service with the former.

For reviews I like www.megapixel.net , though this is aimed at professionals and more serious hobbyists than I am.

Lens lens lens!!
 

For me, the most important feature is lens quality. I am not so interested in megapixels; if the lens is poor, what use is having 5 megapixels?

After consulting with a friend of mine who is a professional photographer I chose the Panasonic FZ-2 as it features a Leica lens. For all intents and purposes, the FZ-2 is a Leica camera as Panasonic manufactures these camera's for Leica. 80% to 85% of the camera are identical -- the Leica has those extra's which double to triple the price.

Since it is an SLR type camera, the transition for me has been quite easy and the camera does take some very nice photo's. In many Japanese pro-photog circles, the FZ-2 is considered to be amongst, if not, the best of the digital camera's for amateur's. Best part, the camera is not terribly expensive.

The Marine Pack is displayed in the middle portion of this review:


http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/P1/P1P.HTM

Great - thank you for all of those links. I will take a look at those vendors...

Beware of Brooklyn
 

While there are good shops in Brooklyn, there are several about which you should beware.

B&H Photo is reputable and honest. I know people who have dealt with them without trouble.

SOme of the Brooklyn shops use tactics similar to this:
You see an exceptionally low price for a hot new camera. You go to their website and place an order. You will receive an e-mail or phone call from them that they need to "verify" the order. When you call them back, you will get a high pressure salesman who will push all sorts of unnecessary extras upon you. For example, they may charge 4-5X the normal price for a memory card. Or, they will tell you that the regular battery is no good and you need an overpriced extra battery. Just check out the prices! One site I know that does this is Broadway Photo (www.bwayphoto.com), but lots of the Brooklyn places are shady. If you do not order anything extra, suddenly the camera will become backordered. They will make you keep waiting for weeks. And not all the cameras come with US warranty.

Just a few words of caution. If the price is super low, there's a reason. People in the past used to use ads from those places for price matching with Starwood, etc.. I am not sure if you can do that with the print ads in the back of photo magazines.

Best wishes.

I ordered a coolpix 5700 from http://www.freedelivery4u.com last week and they rates were cheap. Epinions dont have good reviews about them. But what the heck? I called them and they said it will be shipped this thursday. As long as I get original camera in new factory sealed box I dont care. I will wait and watch. anyone else has experience with http://freedelivery4u.com ?

You're braver than I am, Debo! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you...let us know how it turns out. :)

I have a Canon S400. Reasons I bought it:

1. Lots of experience with Canon cameras.
2. Canon has camera experience, and is not just an electronics company.
3. Small
4. 4 Mpixel
5. Does videos
6. Bought with a waterproof enclosure designed for the camera...operates all controls, through the case.

The availability of a diving case is what closed the deal for me. I can take it on the jetski, the boat, fishing, to the beach, by the pool, hunting...and the camera is always safe and dry, and I can take pics, where I would otherwise never take the camera.

As far as your concerns: It takes great pictures out of plane windows. Just did some while crossing the Italian Alps. Zoom is 3X. Digital goes much further. My normal shot is 1024, digital zoom looks fine even far in. Any farther, and the shake is so bad on such a small camera, that a tripod would be required.

Takes 3 minute videos with sound. 4 Mpixel is alot. I have a 256 MB CF card, and can shoot lots of pics before needing a card. Camera is well built, but not what I would call tough. The dive case hardens it up alot, but I still would avoid dropping it.

I think you will find a lot of very happy customers for both Adorama and B&H Photovideo. I recommend them without reservation. I have seen things for a few dollars cheaper but these guys have had brick and morter stores for decades and sell to a lot of pros in NY. I have bought multiple cameras, optical devices, accessories, etc from them, both new and used. I have always felt I was treated fairly and professionally.

As far as shutter lag, Leica makes a non-SLR digital camera that they say addresses this issue.

Hi debo_nair -

Did you get your camera?

I ordered from them on the 17th, and the web site said it was being delivered today. All I got was a "free gift" of a cheap media holder and a note saying my order would be following. The order on the website shows delivered, which is really annoying, and the website says the business is closed.

Just wondered if you got your order or not

Fishy...
 

:eek: I, too, wonder whether you got your camera.

As an example, I see the Canon Powershot S410 at 271.00, while even with discount, at Dell, it is 339.

The S500 is listed as about 335.00, at Dell, 430.00.

The site is registered to Wieslaw Komoszewski, in Brooklyn, NY. Read my above post- it sounds like it could be one of these scams, particularly if there are negative reviews on epinions...

Just interested to hear how it turns out. These guys could take your money, sit for a while making excuses about the camera being "backordered," and make you wait, unless you pay for ridiculously overpriced accessories. As an example, check out the price he has for a Kingston 256 MB Compact Flash card. He wants 149.95. I paid about 35 dollars for mine. They will tell you that the original battery is good for like 10 minutes, so you need an overpriced "high capacity" battery. I found an aftermarket battery for my S400 for about 9 dollars.

Let us know, but it sounds fishy.

Jennlee: The very samething happened to me--
 

Jennlee: The very samething happened to me--
:confused: I ordered my Camera on May 13, the "free gift" is the only thing I got. The freedelivery4u.com was closed for the past week and is NOT opening today even there is no message say anything. The is no one answer the phone call at all. The e-mail to customer service does not work either. It seems there is no way to contact with them.

Is this freedelivery4u.com a true vendor or :mad:

I hope you guys who bought cameras from this vendor used credit cards for your purchases so you can dispute those charges when they show up in your statement.

Alert from Better Business Bureau
 

If you do not hear from FreeDelivery4U quickly, in addition to contacting your credit card company, it might also be worth trying to contact the NY State Atty General Office of Consumer Affairs and perhaps even the NY Times to see if they have any reports/complaints against them.

Edited to add: it appears this company is NOT a member of the BBB, based on this notice.

You may want to rethink doing business with this company.

Not to say it is impossible. but I think it is pretty tough to find a legit place that will significantly (or at all) beat B&H or Adorama on price. I would be suspicious if someone did.

Oddly enough, I did a recent search and found Dell.com to have some of the best deals going.

For example, I found the Canon Powershot Pro1 for $899.10 (shipped) at Dell.com. B&H has the same camera nearly the same price ($903) shipped. Most other vendors have it for around a grand.

Beach Camera and Buydig.com have it for $815 delivered. Although both of those have mostly-positive reviews, it seems to me to be worth it to pay the extra $85 and get it from Dell.

Ouch
 

Well, it sure sounds like they are one of these shady businesses. They are even using the BBB sign fraudulently. Definitely may be worth contacting the attorney general's office.

Even Dell can be backordered, but this site seems to be stringing you along and you might not get the camera for weeks or months. Basically, they'll wait until the camera falls in price to what they offered you, then miraculously, it will be in stock. Unless, of course, you order the extra crap they push on you. Then, it will be in stock.

I can usually do a little better than Dell if I search a little bit. Their customer service has really been poor lately. A colleague of mine has one of their laptops and, while it's cheaper than a Thinkpad, will never buy another because of their service and build quality.

Take swift action against this company. If they are not responding and their e-mails are bouncing, be concerned. I do hope you used a credit card to purchase, as it would offer some protection. Call the credit card company right away. And monitor for fraudulent use!

Anyone know how to contact freedelivery4u.com?
 

Hi,

Anyone know how to contact freedelivery4u.com?
The phone 888-265-3990 does not work. I tried over hundred times (really) and the line is always busy. :mad:
The e-mail [email protected] seems to be working, and the result just like throwing a stone into water.

If I were calling a business and their phone line was constantly busy, the next step would be to flip over my credit card and dial the number on the back.

You've been scammed. Hopefully, your credit card issuer will go to bat for you. The one time something similar happened to me, the bank reversed the charges and I had very little hassle on my end.

So what now ?
 

Like all of you, I ordered from this freedelivery4u.com company as well. They charged my card 3 days later, now they won't pick up their phones and I have seen no signs of getting what I paid for .

What do we do now ? Are we all just being a little paranoid ? HAS ANYONE OUT THERE EVER RECIEVED AN ORDER FROM THESE GUYS ? I called my bank, they told me that it was up to me to file for fraud which I will, if I don't recieve my camera and/or if I receive a box with media case holders . I'll get my money back but I wonder, are we all just being a little paranoid about this company ? They could be legitamate but just take over. I think it is very hard for a business online just to charge everyone, grab the cash and flee the planet, their are dire consequences for fraud. Here's what I think. I think they advertise so low because they buy in bulk-wholesale. So if they're selling, let's say, the Canon GL-2 for a price of $1600, they would need to get 50 orders in order to buy it wholesale at that price and still make a profit. Now that they see that it's going to take longer than promised, theyve turned their phones off. But I don't think they scammed us, otherwise the website would have been closed down, and our bill statements wouldn't say FREEDELIVERY4U.COM as the company charge.

WHo really knows though, maybe they are back in Bulgaria, couting our beautiful American dollars, but I hope not.

please someone respond with a purhcase update .

Well, it's up to you, but if you ordered from them and they are not answering their phones, you are not being paranoid. That is unacceptable. If they need 50 orders or whatever, and they didn't explain that to you up front on the order screen, you've been defrauded. You have every right to fight for your money back.

Read the reviews on resellerratings.com and other places. You aren't alone. This is a scam operation - there is surprisingly close to 100% agreement on that in the numerous reviews about them.