Help needed about choosing a new camera

[PocketCircle]

I need help from those who post great vivid photos on the WAYWRN thread.

My old camera died, then I bought an Olympus which took sh**ty photos. Gave it back, then tried my brother's Sony. Even though it is better than Olympus, still it is not good enough. I'm a hopeless photographer, therefore, what I need is a camera that can take really good photos in the automatic mode, especially with the self-timer. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[anon]

so you just want a point & shoot, then?

Canon is my usual recommendation. If you want something smaller/more compact, look for the Canon "SD" line.. something like the SD1100IS. The Powershot "G" series is better, such as the G7, but it's also going to cost more. Finally there's the "S" series, which is known for its great zoom. Both the G and S models are much larger than the SD line, but if you don't plan on carrying them on you in your pocket or something, it's not a big deal.

 

[mdg137]

Canon g10, Panasonic LX3, or Leica D lux 4

I own the Canon and the Leica (the panasonic is essentially the same camera as the Leica..)

There arent any shots on my website from these camera yet, but there will be soon. Both fantastic cameras.

 

[acidboy]

+1 on Canon's G series and the Panasonics with the Leica lens.

 

[butkusrules]

I was/ am in your position. I 1st had a canon Elph that died a premature death after a few years because of sand in the telescoping lens. But it took GREAT GREAT pics. Then I bought an Olympus Stylus that was water proof/shock resistant. That thing takes a beating but the pics are meh- just ok. All this while my brothers and dad had purchased like 4 canon elphs and I continue to be impresssed with the quality of pics. So Im buying this as soon as it comes out in a month. It also takes HD video which should be pretty neat if not practical. http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/co...&modelid=18335

 

[wetnose]

Are you taking lots of pictures in low light (e.g. evening dinners, nightclubs, etc) - an older model Fuji F30 is brilliant for those. But otherwise, the Canon SD series is excellent, but they do use custom batteries though...enough for 200+ shots only.

 

[PocketCircle]

I used to have an old, big 4MP Canon and it used to take great pictures, even in low light. Now I'm trying my brother's 8MP Sony (DSC-T100) with a Zeiss less and yet the image quality is worse than my old cheap camera. And the 8MP Olympus FE-320 I bought before was the worst camera I have ever tried in my life.

Click on the first link in my signature and you can see the very average photos I can take with the Sony.

 

[thereader]

If you want to get a point and shot camera, try to aviod those compact cameras, get a camera with bigger lense, generally bigger length provide better optical quality. Get one with bigger zoom range if you can, longer focal length is always used in portait(>80mm) lt will blur the background and flatten the face.
You cant go wrong with sony canon or nikon, but I would recommend fuji F or S. Fuji has very vivid color many pro portait/wedding photograher use fuji

 

[thereader]

The Zeiss and leica lense on cheap sony and panasoinc is no good. Firt they are tiny, its impossible to get good quility at this size, and they are more like "zeiss certified" lense I doubt they are actully designed by Zeiss or leica. The glory days of Zeiss and leica in consumer market is long gone.

 

[js4design]

Originally Posted by mdg137

Canon g10, Panasonic LX3, or Leica D lux 4

I own the Canon and the Leica (the panasonic is essentially the same camera as the Leica..)

There arent any shots on my website from these camera yet, but there will be soon. Both fantastic cameras.

good choices, i think the leica d lux 4 is what PG uses for his WAYWN shots and everyone knows how great his photos look. reason enough right there

 

[Tarmac]

You can make great shots with practically any camera these days.

You should read through reviews.

All I can say is that there is only one camera I have wanted in the last 4 years, it's the Lumix LX3:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pana...lx3/page17.asp

 

[GuidoWongolini]

Originally Posted by thereader

The Zeiss and leica lense on cheap sony and panasoinc is no good. Firt they are tiny, its impossible to get good quility at this size, and they are more like "zeiss certified" lense I doubt they are actully designed by Zeiss or leica. The glory days of Zeiss and leica in consumer market is long gone.
- I challenge you with WAYWRN pics..

Originally Posted by js4design

good choices, i think the leica d lux 4 is what PG uses for his WAYWN shots and everyone knows how great his photos look. reason enough right there

- actually I use the lowest of the Leica for my WAYWRN (a C-LUX2) as I can't be fuked lugging around a larger camera, I need it to be portable & reliable - just like my wardrobe - every other day I think about getting the new Leica D-LUX4 to replace my D-LUX3, but then realize there is nothing wrong with my current. - to the OP, not all is up to the camera. I have seen really bad pics from fancy ASS cameras as the person did not know how to use (I'm one of them), what is important is lot's of natural light, a steady hand (or use the time function) & the composition. Heck I have taken some great shots with my iPhone!

 

[adelphi]

Originally Posted by Tarmac

You can make great shots with practically any camera these days.

You should read through reviews.

All I can say is that there is only one camera I have wanted in the last 4 years, it's the Lumix LX3:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/pana...lx3/page17.asp

yea i want an lx3 too.

 

[stickonatree]

as a professional who takes pictures for a living, i can recommend canon P&S cameras if you are looking for a P&S.

even though i use film for actual, serious work, for some types of shoots i personally use/own a nikon dslr system. howevr, when it comes to P&S's canon beats nikon in color reproduction (specifically, the notorious reds that are plague most camera cpu's), color toning, and luminosity controls (granted that you know how to manipulate them in post-production programs, that is).

if you have any other questions i'd be happy to answer them for you, shoot me a PM!

 

[dzot]

Try this buyer's guide.