I went to a concert last nite and I realized that my cameras just really suck balls (Kodak Easyshare DX7630 and GE A735) - I'm looking for a camera that would be great for use at a concert (the lighting, range, and motion) - I'd be in the pit, which means I won't be too far from the stage of course, but I want clear pictures. I want to be able to zoom in on set lists posted 30 ft away from me and it be clear (one of the girls beside me had a Canon and could see the set list that was at least 30 ft from us and it was so damn clear) Of course, it would also be a general use camera, but I'd really like to be able to take great concert pictures. I can't use an SLR though because they won't allow them at concerts - just looking for something compact, willing to spend up to $300 (considering its not an SLR).

7/26/2008 5:15:43 PM

Check out http://www.dpreview.com if you haven't already.

7/26/2008 5:48:22 PM

what do you have now?

7/26/2008 6:14:25 PM

Quote :

"(Kodak Easyshare DX7630 and GE A735)"

7/26/2008 6:23:39 PM

^ They're just cheap cameras I got over the past few years - I'm in no way wanting to go pro or anything, I just want something that I can tweak (learn the ISOs and such on) and be able to take decent pictures on. The cameras I have won't work at all without flash and auto, they're just horrible. I've had some mentions of a Canon SD800, Panasonic Lumix, and a Sony W55, still looking.

7/26/2008 6:31:18 PM

i have the sd850, pretty satisfied with it

7/26/2008 6:42:01 PM

fuck

reading ftl haha

7/26/2008 7:10:40 PM

at Walnut Creek, they wont let you take in ANY "Professional cameras" which to them means "Any camera with a detacheable lense" lol.

So stick to a point and shoot camera and you'll be ok. I highly recommend pretty much any sony camera. The Carl Zeiss lenses are fantastic in my personal experience, as compared to the lenses on a few Canon's and a Nikon that I had.

7/27/2008 2:54:12 PM

Yeah Walnut Creek is where I went and my pictures just turned out horrible - I tried adjusting everything on both of them and the lighting was just weird - any certain Sony models you recommend?

7/27/2008 8:19:45 PM

Look at a Canon S5 IS. It's a big zoom camera (12x), image stabilized, but not a DSLR (which gets you around the "no detachable lens" rule. Not really pocketable, but not too bulky with the lens retracted. Good set of manual controls, hotshoe for an add-on flash (built-in flash too, of course). I personally have the previous model, the S3 IS, and while I'm not a pro, I've been very happy with it. Should be able to find it in the $300 range (newegg.com has it for $316).

I've also heard good things about the Panasonic Lumix series, including their TZ "travel zoom" models which have a big zoom lens in a genuinely pocketable body. As stated above, http://www.dpreview.com is a great resource for reviews and info.

[Edited on July 28, 2008 at 11:46 AM. Reason : d]

7/28/2008 11:45:04 AM

check out: message_topic.aspx?topic=532982

panasonic DMC-TZ5 for ~$260 (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonictz5/)

- leica optics
- 10x optical zoom
- image stabilization
- takes HD movies (720p)

[/thread]

7/28/2008 12:30:32 PM

how bout that waterproof one.. can't remember much about it. i know pilgrimshoes has one.. that's probably the next point and shoot camera i'll get

[Edited on July 28, 2008 at 12:40 PM. Reason : olympus brand i think]

7/28/2008 12:39:27 PM

^ the olympus 1030 SW

7/28/2008 12:48:03 PM

yea

that

7/28/2008 12:54:42 PM

you're right, i've got one and really love it.

7/28/2008 12:58:27 PM

*shrug*...i'm not a fan because they don't have any quality features (namely optical zoom and quality glass) so unless you're REALLY going to be taking a lot of pictures underwater, i don't quite understand the point of them...for the money, you could have a much better CAMERA (but one that won't hold up well in bad weather and won't let you go underwater, i know)

i suppose it depends on what's important to you

7/28/2008 1:04:31 PM

yea i literally just purchased the 1030SW for $275 about 10 mins ago. I was tempted to get a canon or panasonic and a case, but i really wanted something i could take on the boat/swimming/snowboarding etc. A case would work, but it would push me over budget, plus it would be bulky and not as convenient.

quag is right, the picture quality isn't going to be magnificent, but thats why I have my nicer DSLR for weddings/mountain ranges etc.

7/28/2008 1:27:21 PM

What are some good everyday cameras in the $100-150 range? I'm considering getting a new camera for my wife for her birthday, as she's still using the 3.2MP Canon we got for our wedding back in 2004.

I'm looking for nothing super-fancy, just a standard point and shoot, doesn't need to be waterproof like the Olympus you guys have been talking about. My wife uses her camera for a pretty wide range of occasions, but she's also a competitive ballroom dancer, so I definitely want something which can take good action shots and some decent movies. Movies don't need to be bleeding edge HD 720p or anything, though I'm certainly not going to complain about good quality.

Is there maybe a cam from a previous generation that's come down in price enough that would fit my specs? I wish I could splurge on her and get something really nice like the models being talked about in this thread so far, but we're moving to LA in a month so I'm pretty wary of making any big purchases when we haven't nailed down all of our moving costs quite yet.

7/28/2008 2:55:16 PM

^ i'll look into the models (because i don't know the older ones off the top of my head), but i'd suggest either a panasonic (look, i freely admit i'm a panasonic fanboy, but there's a good reason for that!) or a canon

canon image stabilization (which is definitely something you'll want if you're taking indoor and/or low-light shots) is slightly better than panasonic's (IMO), but you get better glass out of panasonic's lumix line for the same price

i really can't stress enough how much these things matter (or would, if you were to compare cameras), even in a basic point and shoot:

1.) megapixels are unimportant...you'd be hard-pressed to see any actual difference between a 6 and an 8 or an 8 and a 10 (probably little difference between the 6 and the 10, for that matter)

2.) optical zoom is important...throw digital zoom out the window and get as high an optical zoom as you can afford...trust me, you'll be glad you did later on down the road

3.) as a function of the optical zoom, quality glass is key - leica (panasonic) and zeiss (sony) are really good (i haven't really tried the nikkor glass in the nikons), but for all special circumstances (zoom, close-ups, low-light), you'll see the difference that it makes

[Edited on July 28, 2008 at 3:08 PM. Reason : panasonic's LZ line might be good for you]

7/28/2008 3:07:14 PM

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8783989&type=product&id=1205246214723 ? its $319 and I have $50 in BB rewards and I can throw it on my BB credit card - let me know quick though because I need to go pick one up tomorrow if I can - going to the Projekt Revolution concert in Charlotte Wed.

if not the Panasonic though - let me know something around the same price at BB that would work great

Circuit City also has the Canon Powershot S5 IS for $299.99 - which I also have a credit card for lol let me know

http://www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Canon-PowerShot-S5-IS-8-Megapixel-Digital-Camera-Black-POWERSHOT-S5IS/sem/rpsm/oid/184551/catOid/-13062/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do

[Edited on July 28, 2008 at 11:06 PM. Reason : ]

7/28/2008 10:56:49 PM

^ you can get either of those for less if you buy it online (and without paying taxes at ~$23)

for example, the DMC-TZ5 (black) is $267 here with free shipping (they have an okay online rating):

http://www.preferredphoto.com/viewproduct.aspx?Id=9842966

or here for $274 plus S/H (they have a very good online rating):

http://tinyurl.com/657rhs

7/29/2008 9:02:37 AM

yeah but the concert is tomorrow, I won't receive it in time

7/29/2008 9:53:16 AM

oh, i didn't catch that...then i'd go for the panny

7/29/2008 10:11:14 AM

Sony DSC-H7 or S5 IS would be the best choice for this budget. I have the H7 personally and love it. Great SLR-like camera.

[Edited on July 29, 2008 at 10:40 AM. Reason : ]

7/29/2008 10:37:33 AM

I think you'd be fine with either of the two you mentioned, I'd say go look at both of them in the store, run through the controls and see how they feel in your hands, and pick whichever you feel comfortable with.

7/29/2008 10:47:22 AM

It might be too late but I love my Canon PowerShot SD850 IS. I have a Canon 30D as well but this little hand held is great. Takes long videos and has pretty good indoor or low light pictures. Just make sure to get IS (Image Stabilization). Helps alot with these little hand heldcameras.

I also have an underwater housing for it and what's cool about that is I can dive with it up to I believe 40Ft. Was great for my trip in the Caribbean.

7/29/2008 2:08:39 PM

I went to Best Buy today to check out the S5 IS and they were out of them The next one that I could find was a Nikon Coolpix P80, which is what I bought. I couldn't afford the Canon G9, which was $500 and if I wanted to spend that much I'd buy an SLR, but I got the Coolpix for $350 and it has an 18x optical zoom and 6400 ISO max, so I figured it was ok for the price. Haven't tried it out yet because the battery is completely dead, but if I don't like it, I'll take it back and try something else. Anyone have any experience with the P80? (I didn't want this one, but with very little time and the fact that I had to drive an hr to get to the closest Best Buy, its all I could do). I checked out the Panasonic Lumix, and I really didn't like the feel of them. They did have good pictures and were reasonably priced, but the more I zoomed in, the less I liked them.

[Edited on July 29, 2008 at 4:27 PM. Reason : ]

7/29/2008 4:26:22 PM

I am still in the market for a rugged compact point and shoot camera.
Apparently the camera I had purchased [OLYMPUS STYLUS 1030SW] has numerous flaws/problems.

- 640 x 480 @ 30fps (but only for 10 secs!!)
- disables a bunch of features if you don't have an Olympus XD card
- 3.6x Optical zoom leaves a lot to be desire
- overall picture quality is barely mediocre
and the kicker
- PrefferedPhoto.com had my order on hold, only to tell me they had sold me a japanese model?! wtf?

Now I am looking at the Pentax W60.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Pentax/pentax_optiow60.asp
http://www.pentaximaging.com/products/product_specs/digital_camera--Optio_W60/reqID--10524531/subsection--optio

Reviews so far indicate:
- Plastic housing isn't so great (made in china)
- HD 720 video footage isnt so hot
- 5x Optical is better



What do you camera gurus think?

7/30/2008 4:48:20 PM

just wanted to update everyone on the Nikon camera I got for the concert

it really isn't that bad at all, I'm just not the best at photography, thats for sure

when I take the time (longer than 24 hrs, considering thats all I had before the concert) to sit down and figure out what to manually use (shutter speed and aperture), I have a feeling I'll be able to get some awesome pictures, but until then, they're mediocre

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/564904526anJFWh

8/1/2008 7:42:30 AM

yes/no/maybe so?

8/3/2008 10:46:19 PM

uno mas

8/12/2008 10:00:02 AM

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonictz5/

Someone please buy that and tell me how it is. 720p at 30fps. 10MP. 3 inch display. 10x optical zoom.

For like 250-275$!!!!

8/12/2008 10:18:58 AM

^ and leica optics! with image stabilization!

i wish the sensor was bigger, though (if they threw in a 1/1.8", i'd probably orgasm...but good luck finding a small point and shoot with that size)

[Edited on August 12, 2008 at 12:13 PM. Reason : .]

8/12/2008 12:10:02 PM

they need to start making full-frame 35mm point and shoots! Guess that's another 5 or so years off.

8/12/2008 12:22:39 PM

if ever. so many dig camera users never had 35mm so why bother? besides they just list the 35mm equivalent for those who care, and unless its dslr no lens changing anyway

8/13/2008 12:40:41 PM

^i think you're talking about lens size, not sensor size. I was talking about full-frame 35mm sensor size to match 35mm film.

8/13/2008 12:53:51 PM

Olympic came out with a rugged shock proof camera.

I have a sony cybershot 8mp which has worked wonderfully for me and is/was $250

8/13/2008 2:52:56 PM

you mean olympus ^, and yea check my previous post. it limits video to 10 seconds, has a 3x opitical zoom, and takes low end pictures.

8/13/2008 2:53:56 PM