can you please help me choose a camera?

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Forum -> Hobbies, Crafts, and Collections -> Photography and Fine Art

Can you please help me choose a camera?

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greeneyes ↓

Sat, Feb 25 2012, 10:29 pm

I need to buy a new camera, and don't want to spend too much.

I've spent way too long reading reviews and getting myself very confused. LOL

I'm wondering if any of you camera savvy imamothers can help me choose a camera that will suit my needs... I want to be able to take nice pictures of my kids.

Here are some of the cameras I've been considering:

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Po.....t_top

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Po.....r=1-3

http://www.amazon.com/Canon-Po.....NLX6T

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004N.....&

Any advice would be super helpful!!

seeker ↓

Sat, Feb 25 2012, 10:50 pm

I don't know tons about the specific ones you linked, but in general re. the Canons I think you'd probably do better with the Elph as the A-series is known to be their lower end offering. I'd even go with an Elph that has a lower MP count over an A that's higher, the quality of the camera is more important than the megapixels. Also the Elphs are so tiny and cute, you'll have it with you everywhere and never miss a shot. They're built better and less likely to break easily (A's are notorious for loose battery covers, etc) I borrowed a friend's Elph 100 for a few minutes to check it out and got some very nice pictures of a very active DD in a poorly lit room. Also a great video clip of same. (However, I ended up spending more on a fuller-featured camera that I found a Gold Box deal on. I was looking for a somewhat more serious hobbyist camera in addition to cute kid snapshots.)

Don't know about the panasonic at all.

Overall, in your price range I assume you don't have major photographic ambitions, so I think you will be very happy with whatever you choose. These days almost any basic camera can take great everyday snapshots. When I was looking for a new one several months ago, I was looking to replace a very nice Canon that was about 5 years old, it was one of the best when I bought it and yet even the lowest-end cameras from all the major brands far outshone its performance. Go with something by Canon, Nikon, or Panasonic; skip the very cheapest lines (like A series) but no need to go for the most expensive either. Choose a higher-quality line over more megapixels, more megapixels in a cheaper camera just means your pictures will be grainier.

↑ seeker ↓

Sat, Feb 25 2012, 10:52 pm

Also wanted to add that I have definitely seen ads for the Canon Elph 100 in Jewish stores for less than the price on your amazon link. They were going pretty low around Chanukah, don't know when the next sale season is (before camp/summer?) but even after that they were still around $119

chocolate chips ↓

Sun, Feb 26 2012, 12:02 am

I have a canon elph300 hs and I am really happy with it bh.
THe people who I know who have it are also very happy with it.
As one poster mentioned above elph is the latest range canon (it is the same as the ixus range in the UK) and is really great.

Sony is also a great camera make and I used to own one and was very happy.
If you ask around in your local jewish stores they might have better deals than amazon but I know my mil bought a canon the same as mine on amazon for $160.

↑ seeker ↓

Sun, Feb 26 2012, 11:04 am

I know Sony is supposed to be a good brand, but I had one and hated it. Just saying. Maybe they've improved over the last couple of years, but I wouldn't even bother with them after the one I had. It did not focus well, many images looked flat and/or grainy, major red eyes every time flash was used (so bad that it looked bad even after fixing it), not nearly fast enough for kids... just an all around fail.

↑ greeneyes

Mon, Feb 27 2012, 9:20 am

Thank you so much for your help.

I think I am going to go with the Canon elph100.

Now the question is whether or not I need to buy a warranty... Any opinions?

↑ chocolate chips

Mon, Feb 27 2012, 9:44 am

We bought a Mack Camera warranty. Cant remember the price but my camera broke last week. I sent it in on monday, they received it tuesday, and by thursday it was fixed and back in the mail!

VEry good service.

↑ seeker ↓

Mon, Feb 27 2012, 11:58 am

With little kids on the scene I think extra warranty is always good to have! Make sure you get the kind that covers "accidental damage," they'll replace it even if your kid throws it in the toilet. Saved my laptop once, no questions asked.

shev143 ↓

Fri, Jun 01 2012, 6:02 am

I know this is an old thread byt, we are also looking into buying a camera and I really do not know much about anything. Went into a store and salesman was trying to sell us something that is a cross between a DSLR and point and shoot.
The camera would really be for pics of the kids, we don't want to be changing lenses or anything too complicated. One feature mentioned that I would love is that when you snap the picture is taken right away or some have even 3 or 4 pics taken... with active kids we have often missed great shots.
Anyone know anything that can help a very un-techy kind of couple.
Oh, price should be under 300, will go a little higher if really worth it. But have heard because we are so tech clueless there might not be a point in getting something with a million features we won't know how to use!

happy mom1

Fri, Jun 01 2012, 8:05 am

The canon g12 costs more but is great because even when on auto it takes great shots. It's not that compact but still manageable to take along. I guess this camera would be a cross between dslr and point and shoot.

↑ seeker ↓

Fri, Jun 01 2012, 11:52 am

First of all, scroll up and search imamother because I think there were a few similar threads around the same time as this one and even though they're slightly oldish, these cameras are still on the market and the new ones do not seem so revolutionary over the last year or so, just redone versions of the same ol', so if you do want the latest you could just get a newer version of what people liked last time.

If you're not techy, the Canon G12 is probably major overkill. It's geared towards people who would want to make a lot of adjustments. I have the Canon S95 which is kind of like a mini version of the G11 and I like to make a lot of tweaks to get what I want out of it. Also, these are excellent cameras but they're not especially known for being speed demons, which seems to be the main thing you're looking for in a better camera. There are definitely cameras with better speed ratings. In online ratings, the number you're looking for is low shutter lag (that's the time between your click and the picture taken). Most cameras have settings that will take more than one picture at a time, that's hardly an advanced feature - my point-n-shoot five years ago had it. It's usually called "burst mode" or "continuous shooting" or something of the sort.

↑ shev143 ↓

Fri, Jun 01 2012, 2:56 pm

seeker, you seem to know a lot about cameras...so should I be looking at the point and shoot versions that are suggested?

Simple1

Fri, Jun 01 2012, 3:01 pm

Small, slim cameras (the point and shoots) are in a way great because it's so easy to carry around in your purse or pocket, and you'll be less likely to miss good shots because the camera was too bulky to shlep along.

↑ seeker ↓

Fri, Jun 01 2012, 3:11 pm

It's a personal choice but if you're not a serious hobbyist you will probably be very happy with a point and shoot. If you want mainly easy snapshots of your kids, you want to turn on the camera, press the shutter, and print the results on Snapfish or something, yes.

I'm not an expert in any way, I just did a TON of research and soul-searching before choosing my new camera Chanukah time. My previous camera was several years old, and quite a good one, and I found that almost anything on the market now was automatically a major improvement since then!

The difficulty is that no small consumer camera is going to produce professional-quality pictures (at least not consistently; you might get some lucky shots), but a DSLR (which will give that beautiful, professional quality and be fast enough not to miss much) will require learning and using a whole bunch of bells and whistles, not to mention spending several hundred dollars more. "In-between" is very nearly a myth, it will give some of the more artistic options but the speed and quality won't be like a DSLR anyway, so if you won't be using the bells and whistles then you may as well keep it simpler. But that's just my humble opinion, and I personally chose to go with the bells-n-whistles kind and I'm very happy even though I don't use it that professionally. The Canon G12 and S95 mentioned above do have some advantages besides the extra controls; they have a bigger sensor which means they can capture more details in pictures. But for most consumers, that won't make a huge difference in their lives. EVERY decent camera these days will have a big enough sensor to get you good prints up to 8x10 at least.

Curious which one the salesperson was trying to sell you...

↑ shev143

Sun, Jun 03 2012, 2:45 am

sorry, don't remember the name. WE decided not to go with it because it was an open-box sale and we would not be able to return. It was approx $300...and having done zero research before walking into the store, we couldnt just buy it.

↑ seeker

Sun, Jun 03 2012, 11:41 am

I hear you; definitely on something like this you want the option of returning. I got mine on an Amazon "Gold Box" day so it was down in my price range and could still be returned. Also, I think I've said this already on this thread, but if you have kids and hope not to have to purchase another one anytime soon, GET THE ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE WARRANTY!

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