Digital Camera

[iQing]

Let us talk all about digicam here....

I am currently using NiKon Coolpix 2100 digicam...
my favourite CF card is Lexar and PQI

[Randomphantom]

What criteria do you normally look for in a digicam?

I'm thinking of buying a digicam. 4.0 megapix is good, preferably within RM1000 range.

[iQing]

The most important criterion for me is optical zoom.
some digicam doesn't have such feature and it is trouble some.

to me megapix is not very important.

i prefer smaller digicam than bigger ones.

[lovelybao123]

i just bought my brand new digi cam last week. it's canon powershot sd200, (ixus 30 in malaysia) 3.2 mp.
it's small, but the battery run out very fast.
anybody know where to get 512MB SD memory card at lower price o not?

[iQing]

you can try eBay.

learn how to use paypal and you can buy those cards at low price..
ask the seller to ship the cards to malaysia.

[youngyew]

Experts in the photography review websites always say that there is no such thing as "the best camera". I couldn't agree more. For me, it really depends on how we would like to use the camera and our budget.

The camera usage would come first. How do you plan to use it? Serious in photography? Sports and actions? Casual snapshots only? Want a lot of manual control? Want it to be as simple to operate as possible?

Once clear about the usage, then we should go to review sites such as steve digicam or dpreview.com to look for the appropriate categories of camera. No matter what the usage is, there is always a range of camera that would suit all or most of our needs. For example, for serious photographer should browse through Digital SLR or prosumer models; while snapshot lovers would like compact point-and-shoot cameras.

Finally, based on your budget, choose an appropriate camera model which has received a lot of good user reviews (don't only read those website expert's views, some of them might be sponsored by certain company and therefore biased). If there is no perfect choice in the budget range, make a compromise between the price and the features.

[youngyew]

I have been using Canon Powershot A70 since May 2003. The reason I chose it is because it allows a great range of manual controls but yet affordable. It came at the price of RM1400 when I bought it, but the model (A70 now phased out, there is only the slightly improved version A75) only costs less than RM800 today if I am not mistaken.

Coupled with a tripod, it's been faithfully producing wonder pictures especially in outdoor situations. However, I faced the infamous E18 (google for more info) error which rendered my camera useless and I had to go without my camera for one month. Other than the time it shows some little temper, basically A70 has been a pretty lovely camera for me.

[iQing]

Personally I think NiKon camera is more economical.
If you are going to study oversea, it is better to buy a digicam in Malaysia.

The price of digicams in Germany is higher than Malaysia. I am not sure about other countries.

[taufiq]

The price is about the same over here compared to Malaysia
If you buy a camera locally (oversea) you don't have to buy a converter to charge it
btw i'm still using film camera
..uhh how old-fashioned..

I'm planning to buy one soon
Canon offers good quality pictures i think
and the SD500 looks cool as well

sometimes i think it's better for me to get a digital SLR
that's what actually keeping me away from buying a compact digital camera

[vseehua]

I have been using Canon Powershot A70 since May 2003. The reason I chose it is because it allows a great range of manual controls but yet affordable. It came at the price of RM1400 when I bought it, but the model (A70 now phased out, there is only the slightly improved version A75) only costs less than RM800 today if I am not mistaken.

Coupled with a tripod, it's been faithfully producing wonder pictures especially in outdoor situations. However, I faced the infamous E18 (google for more info) error which rendered my camera useless and I had to go without my camera for one month. Other than the time it shows some little temper, basically A70 has been a pretty lovely camera for me.

yea, i've been using it for the past year up until now..and its very very good...a nice way to learn about photography :)

[lovelybao123]

anybody use apacer SD memory card? how isit? how bout kingston? which one better?

[youngyew]

anybody use apacer SD memory card? how isit? how bout kingston? which one better?
I am not sure whether brands do matter, but with regard to high-speed or normal speed memory cards, it's often over publisized. Many reviewers have pointed out that unless you are using super-duper DSLS camera which requires very high writing speed, you won't notice any difference in the speed when you use a high-speed memory card.

[PJKru]

i got five point two mp camera. halal camera ;)

[raihhh]

i just bought iXUS 40. really like it! 4mp, 3 optical zoom, 2" LCD screen,a lot of features. but most importantly, it's very small! can be put into a cigaratte pack. (not larger than an ATM card, about 2cm thick) COOL! perfectly suits me.

[Penny]

I'm using IXUS 500.
It's pretty good.
Except for the fact that the battery doesn't really last very long.
And it doesn't indicate the remaining power of the battery.

[balderdash]

Been using a Pentax Optio S50 since January and being the tech-dummy I am, it has served me well so far :)

[misled_youth]

Nikon D50 + SB600 Speedlight

Pro's:
- Make's my crappy skills look pro.
- Very fast AF
- Battery lasted me for 9 days during CNY celebrations took 500+ pics
- Comfortable grip
- Can borrow lense from other Nikonites.

Con's:
- Kit lense cannot manual focus
- SLR photography very hard to learn...

[taufiq]

I like 35mm Pentax.
I left mine at home before coming here.
The Optio is also a cool version of Pentax.
Their *ist is nice as well.

I'm using a Sony DSC-H1 right now. Sony's R-1 does not register as a great purchase in my mind though...

I have considered to buy Canon's 350D (Rebel XT) before but since I don't have enough money, I prefer to wait. Olympus' E-500 and E-330 EVolt might be a good purchase also...(since they are using 4/3 lenses). Nikon D50 is definitely good as well. It's almost equal to the Rebel XT.

Since they are now competing among each other, I'll wait and see for another few months and see how it goes. Maybe the price will go down soon.

Anyone here has used EVolt before? I would like to know how do you like it...

[youngyew]

The highest-end model: EOS 1Ds mark III is released at a price tag of 8000 USD. Crazy eh...

http://www.dpreview.com/previews/canoneos1dsmarkiii/

[SaMURaI-Y]

Finally found this thread!



As a beginner, which should i go for?


P/s: recently D300 is wooing the market?

[youngyew]

Beginner as in absolute photography beginner or SLR beginner?

[SaMURaI-Y]

http://www.dpreview.com/learn/?/glossary/

[youngyew]

Huh?

My question was, when you say "as a beginner, what should I go for", do you mean that you are an absolute beginner in photography (haven't learnt much about most functions on a camera); or do you mean you are a beginner in digital SLR?

[SaMURaI-Y]

Beginner as in absolute beginner...

When I looked through the "Digitalcamera" magazine and "Clique" i found out many words of SLR...or D-SLR...I dont even know what is that....


well, i am an absolute beginner... :P

[youngyew]

Ooh I see. :)

There are many factors which you should consider before buying your own camera. Basically it's down to two most important factors: budget and interest.

Most compact cameras nowaday are in the range of 800 to 2000 ringgit; while digital SLRs with its basic kits are available from 3000 ringgit, and there is no maximum for how much you can spend on a digital SLR. Basically a digital SLR is much better than the usual compact camera in that you can switch all the lenses according to your need, and the image quality is usually much better than the compact ones. It's not about the megapixel in the camera, as you will learn, megapixel is only a small factor in image quality. It's about the sensor and the electronic technology available in those cameras. Digital SLR also allows fully manual control of all the functions, so you are able to get the exact picture that you want.

So yeah, it depends on how much money you could spend. Having said so much advantage about SLR, I should say that compact nowadays are nevertheless very good and produce very amazing results. Probably I should say that a compact on a good hand can actually produce better pictures than a SLR on a bad hand; but a SLR on a good hand will definitely produce better pictures than a compact. In any case, photographer is the person that takes good pictures, and not just the camera.

As for the interest, if you simply want to take good photos, you could always go for the higher level compacts (some call it the "prosumer" level) which should set you back by around 2000 ringgit. Those are not SLR, but has many manual functions which wouuld let you play with it and have a fairly wide control about your images. However, if you are an enthusiast and would like to take many pictures and learn about photography in long term, SLR can be a good long-term investment.

[SaMURaI-Y]

I think what I want to start with is SLR here.

What spec should i see whether it is good or bad?

and..which area should i look for if I want to seach for one?

[youngyew]

It really depends on how much you could spend. For a minimal budget, get the entry level SLRs like Canon 400D (heard that 450D is coming out at the end of January so it is worth a wait), Nikon D80 etc. If you have 10000+ to spare, get the Canon 5D. If you have 20000+ to play with, get the 1D Mark III.

Those are all great cameras, and in good hands they all produce awesome pictures. You can visit sites like www.flickr.com to get a feel of what those cameras are capable of producing. However, do note that in a large part image quality depends on the type of lens you are attaching the body to, and the lens sometimes cost more than the body itself.

So if you are into SLR, my advice would be to go for the entry level and save for the lenses.

[Thirdshifter]

get a nikon d40x best bang for the buck and the kit lense that comes with it is great.

Once you are familiar with SLR and can shoot in manual mode comfortably maybe you can take it to the next step and get the pro-level SLRs.

What to look for?

1. Get a feel, hold one up and try to reach all buttons without moving you eyes from the viewfinder.

2. Check noise levels on low light shots, see review pictures.

3. Find a good all rounder lens, this will be very crucial since theres many cheap lens out there and if the lens is bad no camera body can save you.

4. For lens the bigger the focal ratio (F number), the better but usually cost much more.

Good luck.

[SaMURaI-Y]

oh...Thanks for all the replies.

What brands are available and which you all recommend?with budget 2500++?

[SaMURaI-Y]

I found a forum mainly for digital camera and photo......dunno suitable for me to put it here or not. Still, here is the link. :P

MalaysiaPhoto (http://www.photomalaysia.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=25)

:P

[youngyew]

This is what I frequent:

http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/

Lots of tips and tricks for everyone, and there are something suitable for everyone from absolute beginner to practising photographers.

[SaMURaI-Y]

Thanks YoungYew!