hey all,
i was wondering if anyone could recommend a digital camera that takes decent video too.
my canon ixus (i5 i think) has been great for the last few years but it’s time for an upgrade. last time i checked there weren’t any cameras out that could take decent stills and do video as well.
ideally i’d like to spend around 20 - 25K. is that realistic?
thanks!
Fuji S9100 (S9600), I have the previous S9500 model and did some vodeos with it and it’s satisfactory, not as good as a standalone videocam (HDvideo) but it does do the work … I paid less than 20K NT$ … lens is 18-300 mm, stills are great too …
Whatever you do, don’t get a Sony DSC H5 or whatever the latest version is! Get a real DSLR if you’re want serious photography.
I’ve got one but its shit to use for anything but basic point and click, going cheap if you really want one… 
On the DSLR question, any good suggestions?
[quote=“Roach”]Whatever you do, don’t get a Sony DSC H5 or whatever the latest version is! Get a real DSLR if you’re want serious photography.
I’ve got one but its shit to use for anything but basic point and click, going cheap if you really want one…
On the DSLR question, any good suggestions?[/quote]
You can’t take video with a DSLR … the middleway is the Fuji …
I have two … a DSLR and the Fuji which was my first digcam, let’s call it my entry level cam …
You can do “serious” photography on just about any camera. My little Canon IXUS40 does just fine for both pictures and video (640x480 at 30fps).
But yeah, a DSLR will give you more control if you use it right.
I recently bought a Canon G7.
10 Megapixel
Fully manual appeture, shutter speed, either priority, or fully auto
AF or MF
Adjustable ISO upto 1600
35-210 lens equivalent (6x optical)
image stablization and face recognition AF
Compact size (fits most pockets)
Solid construction
top non-slr camera on DP review since it came out
GREAT video capability. AVI quality, allowing zooming during filming (many cameras don’t)
I’ve had mine since December and love it. My second Canon G series too.
EDIT: forgot to mention, it’s about 16,500nt.
If you want an SLR, the Nikon D40 is pretty good. It’s the cheapest and smallest Nikon. Probably will get it soon.
Have a look at www.trustedreviews.com they have at least one camera review a week.
I found this review useful. The D40 looks better in the review, but I ended up going with the Pentax k100d, partially for the built in image stabilization, partly for the availability of cheap, used lenses.
Truant, yours sounds tasty. I was playing with a Leica D-Lux 3 the other day and it tickled my fancy for a number of reasons. About the same price as yours but with 3200 ISO ability, 10.2 megapixels, the German-made Leica glass. Not sure about the video but not such good optical zoom (x4). It’s much smaller though, and of course there’s the ultra-sexy Leica design and the ultra-sexy Hermes leather case, also extremely important for the discerning metrosexual. Hmmm. I’m torn. Opinions anyone?
Is this the camera you used in Donggang?
First off, a 3200ISO picture from any point and shoot is going to look like poo. That Leica indeed is slick, but from what I can tell the innards are basically the same as the Panasonic Lumix line of cameras. If you want to save several thousand NT, get the same pictures, and not have people doubt your sexual orientation, you can go with one of those. Also you mention that the Leica’s zoom isn’t as good as the Canon G7. Though I don’t know how the image quality compares between those two pieces of glass, I would actually prefer the Leica, which has a shorter zoom ratio but its wide angle is even wider (Leica’s 28mm equivalent, compared with the Canon’s 35mm equivalent.) That probably sounds like gibberish to you, but it just means that you can take a noticeably wider shot. That’s very handy for landscape pics, and I would say more useful than the longer end of the zoom on the Canon.
If I were to buy a point and shoot today, the one I would go with is the Fuji Finepix F30 or F31. From what I hear, it has by far the best high ISO pics out of any of the point and shoots (but still is inferior to any entry-level DSLR). Hopefully, that Fuji hopefully is a turning point in the megapixel wars, where manufacturers were racing to get ever higher megapixel counts while sacrificing image quality.
As for DSLRs, I’d recommend that Pentax 100D or 10D. The higher level Pentax 10D is to me THE most interesting DSLR on the market (well, save for Canon’s 5D, which is about US$2700. If anyone has a spare one, PM me.) If it weren’t for the fact that I already have a bunch of Canon gear, I’d switch to that Pentax in a heartbeat.
I’m thinking of getting the Canon 400D, as it is an SLR, its previous models all gave fantastic results (not me personally), but the standard lens is crap, I’ve seen them take good photos with sigma lenses.
I found dpreview to be a pretty useful resource for comparing digi cam specs and (user) reviews. Enter your requirements and there you have it; a neat comparison table.
Edit: Err… oops, after globally skimming the topic the first time I missed Truant’s link dpreview link. Anyway just to add to the discussion, they also have a nice buying guide.
Don’t forget the LCD. I have a DSC-T3 and it never leaves my pocket because it’s so small and has a WICKED clear LCD. Make sure you check the viewing angle of the LCD. I see people crowd behind some cameras to look at shots because the LCD is unviewable unless you’re directly behind it.
I’ve been teaching engineers at AUO (the 2nd biggest LCD manufaturer in the world) and they teach me about LCD’s 
. They say the best screens go to Sony, then BenQ, then… I didn’t care. They said it’s all about the viewing angle.
Grab two cameras side by side and tilt them up, down, left, right… and see which one turns to blue shodows and which one is still clear. Don’t do it next to a DSC-T3 because I haven’t lost yet. If the camera doesn’t have the LCD on a swivel or something it will help when you’re taking pictures over a tall fence or at a concert and you’re mug isn’t directly behind the cam… trust me.
Sorry this is a little off topic but you need to remember that with a 4gig mem card… you’re cam becomes a fat/tiny photo album as well.
I doubt you’ll have $25k+ cameras in your pocket and be showing stuff to people that often maybe.
Sorry for the long post.
Wait till after the PMA show. It starts next week.
pma-show.com/
pmai.org/
letsgodigital.org/en/13087/pma_2007_report/
dpreview.com/articles/pma2007/
I think the most interesting DSLR right now is Canon’s new 1D Mark III. 10 Mpxls at 10 frames per second with photodiode sites the same size as the 1D Mark II. It also has native ISO3200 and can be stretched to 6400 if necessary.
I have to agree with Truant for P&S. The Canon G7 is indeed a very wonderful camera. With the lens retracted, it’s smaller than previous G-series cameras and is kind of pocketable. The flash shoe is also a wonderful feature for indoor bounce flash shots so ppl don’t end up with that dreaded deer-in-the-headlights look.
Ah well, it was pointed out to me by the wife that it’s not a choice between cameras, but a choice between a Western-style stove, getting my teeth seen to, or a Leica. So I guess it’ll be the Leica. Glad to hear about the wider-angle lens, though. Also that it seems rather difficult to find anyone with bad things to say about it, other than it lacks a neckstrap and the manual’s not an easy read.
My wife’s friend DL’ed the Panasonic/Lumix with the Leica, by the way, and the Leica’s pics with both cameras on full auto were just much better, apparently. Plus the Leica does RAW. Don’t know if the Panasonic does.
The G7 doesn’t do RAW which is one of it’s only downers.
I’ve readthat the Leica’s aggressive filtering system results in overly soft photos, which might reduce your cropping options. Other than that, though, it seems to take pretty decent pictures.