File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
I'm looking for a camera that's about $200-300. It'll be my first camera. I don't know a lot about photography, but I'd like to try and get above the amateur level. What camera would be a good to try and build my skills with?

I've read some on the internet and came across Fujifilm's S700. People who bought the camera seemed to be happy with it, but then I came across a review that gave the camera a 6.2. The review was by a what seemed to be a professional website.

Anyway /p/, can you help me out? What do you think would be the best camera for me?
EXIF data available. Clickhereto show/hide.
Camera-Specific Properties:Equipment MakeNIKONCamera ModelE5400Camera SoftwareAdobe Photoshop 7.0Maximum Lens Aperturef/2.8Focal Length (35mm Equiv)28 mmImage-Specific Properties:Image OrientationTop, Left-HandHorizontal Resolution72 dpiVertical Resolution72 dpiImage Created2004:08:27 13:49:38Exposure Time1/203 secF-Numberf/4.4Exposure ProgramAperture PriorityISO Speed Rating50Exposure Bias0 EVMetering ModeSpotLight SourceUnknownFlashNo Flash, CompulsoryFocal Length5.80 mmColor Space InformationsRGBImage Width650Image Height487RenderingNormalExposure ModeAutoWhite BalanceAutoScene Capture TypeStandardGain ControlNoneContrastNormalSaturationNormalSharpnessNormalSubject Distance RangeUnknown
>> Anonymous
For your first camera, the Canon S3 IS would be a good camera to get familiar with.
>> Anonymous
>>57114
The S3IS is a very good camera; the Panasonic DMC-FZ8 is better at the same price. It shoots RAW and has a bunch of nifty little features that make it, overall, better to work with. The only big thing the S3IS has on the FZ8 is the tilting screen.

Both can be had for anywhere from $280-350.

I don't know anything about the Fuji camera in question, other than that its a superzoom. Fuji cameras, though, are exceptional when it comes to noise. (I think that's Fuji, right?)
>> Anonymous
>>57113
http://www.dpreview.com
http://www.dcresource.com

^I somewhat trust these two sites more than consumer reports/reviews. Every consumer has different needs and wants, from your casual snapshot taker to the aspiring photographer. Simply because one site gives it a low score, it doesn't mean the camera is bad. You should make a note the reasons for giving it a bad review and see if it matches up with other more professional sites. If they are consistent with one another, then it's a flaw in the product, not a discrepancy in wants or expectations. Price is sometimes included when making a review as well. And as we all know, price usually drops over time. So even if the camera didn't perform to justify its price at the time of its release, it doesn't meant it performs poorly either.

S3 IS is a good camera for a amateur photographer, but too bulky if you're more into family or friend pictures.
>> Anonymous
Yeah, if you're not going to get a DSLR, you might as well get a pocketable P&S.
>> ac !!VPzQAxYPAMA
>>57119
Agreed.

The PowerShot A630 gives you the same ability to learn photography, but is small enough to be pocketable (assuming you don't wear really tight pants). Pocketability means it's a lot more likely that you'll actually bring the camera around with you, which means it's a lot more likely that you'll take a lot of pictures, which means it's a lot more likely that you'll get good. And if you ever do upgrade to an SLR, the pocketable camera will still be useful, whereas there's no real reason to have an S3IS if you've got an SLR.
>> Anonymous
>>57119
A superzoom can fit into a jacket pocket and is a much more versatile camera, because of its lens, than most compacts. Plus, they tend to handle better because of the SLR-style grip, the EVF, and the ability to hold onto the lens for stability.

Superzoom: held just like an SLR, steady against the face, with one hand wrapped around the handle and the other holding the lens steady.

Pocket P&S: held at least a foot away from the face by the corners, or on the better models, the lens.
>> ac !!VPzQAxYPAMA
>>57121
Handling doesn't matter if the camera's left at home because it's a nice day and you're not wearing a jacket.

Also, I found the handling on my PowerShot about equal to the handling on my old (Minolta) superzoom. If you really want to be old-school and hold it up to your eye, they've got a viewfinder for that.
>> Anonymous
>>57121
Except that most decent P&S cameras have some sort of stabilization built into them, so holding the lens steady is unnecessary most of the time.

And don't get started on the EVF.
>> Anonymous
>>57123
>Handling doesn't matter if the camera's left at home because it's a nice day and you're not wearing a jacket.

Well, true. But that's what compact camera bags are for, and I find it's always a good idea to bring some sort of jacket with one; photography or not (I did it before I was into photography, too) it give some extra storage space, can quickly change one's appearance or cover up stains and tears, and comes in handy if a building has overly harsh air conditioning.

>If you really want to be old-school and hold it up to your eye, they've got a viewfinder for that.
One that probably isn't much corrected at all for parallax error.

>>57124
>have some sort of stabilization built into them
Usually digital stabilization, which I understand has a negative impact on image quality.

>lens steady is unnecessary most of the time.
The idea of holding the lens- on a fixed lens or interchangeable lens camera, of any focal length- isn't just to stabilize the lens itself. The lens is a remarkably good handhold for stabilizing the camera body, too.

>And don't get started on the EVF.
I love electronic viewfinders. Granted, most of them are shitty, but when well-executed an EVF is superior to an SLR viewfinder. One can quickly switch between display options, without having to remove the whole viewfinder and put it back in; the screen shows exposure in advance, allowing a more natural setting of exposure than a metering reading alone and chimping afterwards; most EVFs offer one or more increased magnification modes to ease manual focusing, whereas an SLR's viewfinder magnification has to be a compromise between fitting the whole frame in and making manual focusing easy.
>> Anonymous
>>57113
I guess you have several options. But mainly all in the P&S category and Canon.

S3 IS
Powershot A630
Powershot SD 600

^I know that the SD600 hasn't been mentioned yet, but it's very portable and my main complaint with it is red eye but that comes with most P&S cameras anyway. Even still, I find that the flash is very short and gives off enough light for a solid picture most of the time.

But you really have to ask yourself if you NEED image stabilization, or would mind the size of the camera and where you would think you'd be taking these pictures. After you made these decisions, it'll be a lot easier to find a camera that fits your own needs.
>> Anonymous
Thanks a lot for the help all of you.

>But you really have to ask yourself if you NEED image stabilization, or would mind the size of the camera and where you would think you'd be taking these pictures. After you made these decisions, it'll be a lot easier to find a camera that fits your own needs.

I'll carry the camera around with me a lot and just take pictures of things I spot around me. I'm not going to use it to just take pictures of friends and family. Don’t really care about the size much.

I'd like a SLR camera but I don't think I should just buy the Canon Digital Rebel or anything similar when really I don't even know if I can take ok pictures. I probably will change to something like that some day though. Then I’d have two DSLR cameras. Though, I’m not sure if I’d ever use a small camera when I have a DSLR either. I’d just carry that around with me instead.

I’d like to mess around with a DSLR, but if I buy one and get a new one later I have one camera I wont ever be using.
I might still use a small camera even after I got a DSLR and it’s more cheap, but I don’t get to mess around with a SLR camera.

What would YOU do /p/? Think PowerShot A630 is enough for me to mess around with for now?
>> angrylittleboy !wrJcGUHncE
>>57222

If you'd like to have a dslr but you think you're not quite ready yet, maybe a Fuji S6000fd (or S6500fd, depending on where you are)?

It's got manual zoom, kinda-manual focus & almost slr-like proportions and handling. It's high ISO performance is also better than most bridge cameras. The only downside compared to most cameras like it are lack of image stabilization and the tilt-swivel lcd (but when you buy a dslr later on, I doubt you'd be able to afford one with IS lenses or get one with a tilt-swivel lcd either).

I just got one the other day. I like the way it handles, but I'm still getting piss-poor pictures out of it (not the fault of the camera, since I'm still not used to the shift to a manual camera from an all-auto ultra-compact)