I need to get a digital camera for a class I am taking and need some hints/tips/recommendations for buying one. Please help me.
Canon Powershot. Model depends on your price range but I’ve used many and they are great.
The powershots are pretty nice. I would second that recommendation.
Need a little more information as to what the camera will be used for, and what type of class you are taking.
Entry level DSLR’s like the Rebel XSi and the Nikon D40 are great if you are looking to learn how to take manual mode photos.
Canon SX1 is the best non-DSLR on the market at the moment due to it having a CMOS sensor, but it’s sizeable and equally as expensive as a DSLR (more flexability due to the built-in optics having more range than you will find with a DSLR kit lens.)
If you need something really small, then I would recommend a Canon SD990 or maybe even the older SD1100.
Basically what it comes down to is: What’s your budget? What’s it going to be used for?
For just normal “family use” P&S cameras, the Canon Digital ELPH line is pretty hard to beat in terms of being a combination of small size, decent quality, and good value.
Going up the line, the Panasonic DMC-LX3 seems to be very highly rated as a compact camera that includes a lot of high-end features and capabilities.
As for DSLRs… probably comes down to preference. Canon seems more popular, but most people I know prefer Nikons.
i got a canon powershot and it fucked up. http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=PgComSmModDisplayAct&keycode=2112&fcategoryid=221&modelid=8776
i recommend something else over a powershot.
canon powershot sd1100 is digital elph… not the blue one though. because i have it. =P
basically, it’s for a “visual thinking” class at my university that requires you to take pictures of shit. I’m more interested in film than photography but having a good camera wouldn’t hurt.
I highly recommend that you check cnet.com. They specialize in reviewing electronics such as cell phones, cameras, software, etc, and even have a buyer’s guide that’ll help answer your question more thoroughly [want out of the camera, as well as price/quality differences]; check it out here.
I have the Canon PowerShot SD870 IS, but it takes horrible night time photos.
If you want to get into an SLR, a Nikon D40 with 18-55mm and 55-200mm VR lenses is rather cheap, and will give you a camera that just “goes”, as opposed to a point and shoot. The flash exposure is also leagues better than any point and shoot on the market, including the G10. Also, even at 6mp, because of the size of the sensor, you’re going to have cleaner images than a point-and shoot. It’s also amazingly light and compact compared to other DSLRs.
If not, I’d go with the Canon Powershot range. Megapixels don’t really matter for much of anything, but anything with image stabilization (called “IS” by Canon, “VR” by Nikon) is going to make indoor photography worlds easier.
I’m into photography, and I have my a 5D Mark 2 DSLR camera (full frame) and I’m planning on getting the Leica D-Lux 4. It’s essentially the Panasonic LX-3, but somewhat better built. Same internals, same hardware same everything EXCEPT leica has their own custom firmware (which CANNOT be downloaded anywhere/flashed from anywhere) that give the camera the “Leica Look”. In photography, when you mention the name “leica” it’s usually regarded as the end all be all of all photography: Especially in it’s optics (lenses).
Anyways, with the Panasonic LX-3 or the Leica D-Lux 4 you’ll get extremely fast lenses with huge apertures (2.0-2.8) which creates a VERY Shallow Depth of field (which i know many people call it “depth of field” effects). I personally go with the Leica just because it’s a leica, and the coloring is somewhat better than the LX-3 and produces sharper images (thanks to Leica’s software) in JPG format.
The “Leica look”, in my personal opinion, is the look on your face when you realize that you’ve spent entirely too much on a camera, when something cheaper could have done the job just as well. Want a rangefinder? Forget the M7, find yourself a decent Contax. Want a solid point and shoot? Get a G10. Only thing I find Leica has going for it right now is the M8.2. Also, I could get a phaseone back on a hasselblad for the price they’re charging for their attempt at a medium format camera.
It’s like buying a Rolls Royce, yes it has prestige, but there’s not going to be much practical difference when it comes to actual use.
Not to mention, because of the size of the sensor on a p&s, even at ?/2.8 you’re not going to get the same limited depth of field even a 1.5x crop DSLR can do at ?/3.5