Cameras

[JHoughton]

Hi Everyone!
My boyfriend and I are coming up on our 4 year anniversary and I have requested a new camera as a gift!! I was wondering what a good digital camera would be. I don't really want an SLR because I am not a professional photographer. I like taking pictures for fun. My boyfriend is also in a local DFW band so a lot of my photos are in dark venues!! If you could send me some great camera recommendations that would be AMAZING! If you know of any local DFW stores as well that would be helpful! Thank you hope you all have a WONDERFUL day!

-Jill

[CaptainTom]

WOW ! This question should get a lot of responses.
Do you want a good quality camera that you can carry in your purse? Your pocket ?
In a small camera bag ?
I assume from a previous thread of yours that you don't want to post process. That means you want a camera that does it all for you. With todays P&S cameras this is all very possible.
I think you should look at the specifications of all the cameras that will be recommended here.
Necessities as I see them.
1- battery life and type
no exotic hard to find batteries or cameras that have to be hooked to a charger
2- lens quality
the more you pay, the better the lens "should" be
3- ease of operation
if it takes looking at the manual every time, it's too complicated
4- picture quality
this should be number one.
5-how it feels in your hand
if you love how it feels, good. If it feels cheap or you are embarrased to be seen with it, bad.
6- buy one of the Leica lens equipped Panasonic Lumix cameras.
7- choosing a new camera is harder than choosing a new boyfriend. (just checking to see if anyone has read this far).

[CBass]

I have used a Sony P&S for a long time now and it has always served me good. I would say as for what camera its like asking what brand car. Your just gunna have to test drive them and figure out what you want to spend. For a really good P&S you are going to spend about the same as you would for a D40. I used a D40 this weekend its a really nice camera and you have the option of buying lens later on down the road to further improve. Anyway i only shoot photos as a hobby so take my advice with that in mind and best of luck.

[Teddington]

Jill, Tom raises good points in making the decision. My first camera was an Olympus c4040 and it was pretty good in low light but the battery life leaves something to be desired for serious shooting and the shutter speed is slow (a common characteristic in point & shoot cameras, at least older ones). I have friends who started with Sony's, got a good zoom and -ecent wide angle capabilities and took some pretty awesome photos. Unless you think you will always be a hobbyist, look for one that lets you shoot in something other than Program (aperature or shutter priority or full manual).

You've posed your question to a forum that has a lot of really good photographers. If you want advise for a "non-pro" opinion, take a look at Consumer Digest reviews. They'll speak in simple ways you'll understand fully. For more technical reviews, try Fred Miranda or DP Review.

[Robbzilla]

Jill, as to #6, as a Lumix owner, be aware that while the lens id fabulous, unless you go with either the FZ8 or the FZ18, you might have some disappointment with low light shots. Why? Because a lot of the others in that line have a very aggressive noise reduction, and in low light, the camera tends to go to higher ISOs which will cause artifacts. The reason I mentioned the FZ8 and 18 is because I KNOW both of those cameras can record in RAW format vs. JPEG, which negates this problem for the most part. The disadvantage to RAW is that it's a little slower to write and takes up more space. But a $100 8GB memory card can hold almost 500 pics in RAW, so size is relative these days... :) The other disadvantage to the FZ line is that they're relatively large. Somewhere between one of the tiny flat digicams and a full SLR. Go hold one, and see if it fits your needs.

That being said, I'm VERY happy with my Lumix FZ8, and got it for what I consider to be a steal. ($250) They're even lower now (~$230) online. And the pictures I've been able to get out of this camera are some of the nicest I've ever taken. While they aren't on par with some of the people around this forum, they ARE ooohed over by friends and family... So much that I've been asked to be the photographer in my Nephew's wedding. (blush)

So overall, I LOVE my new camera, and just wanted to expand on Captain Tom's suggestion. There are some smaller Lumix Cameras that might fit your needs better, like the TZ3... It's a lot like the FZs but in a smaller package. A LOT of people like that one...

Here's a few reviews that might make things a little more helpful

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/spec...nic_dmctz3.asp
TZ3 (About $300)
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/spec...ic_dmcfz18.asp
FZ18 (Surprisingly, as low as $341)
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/spec...nic_dmcfz8.asp
FZ8 (Older Brother to the FZ18, but a nice price at $236)

If you DO consider the Panasonic line, I hope this helps!

[JHoughton]

Hey Robb! Thank you so much for your web links! They are very helpful! Well it looks like everyone is encouraging Panasonic!! This makes my life much easier!

[zach-e2]

i'm a sucker for canon EOS series cameras..
i don't know if that's what you're going for, but i think they are great for live shows and such

[Robbzilla]

Originally Posted by JHoughton

Hey Robb! Thank you so much for your web links! They are very helpful! Well it looks like everyone is encouraging Panasonic!! This makes my life much easier!

I'm not specifically endorsing Panasonic so much as sharing the info I used when I made a buying decision last month. While this camera is just about exactly what I want, please don't take my experience as the end-all be-all :) You likely have different needs, and there are a LOT of really nice cameras out there. For example, a lot of the Sony's have Zeiss lenses... Definitely not anything to gripe about there!

But I CAN endorse myh decision for me. And I'm happy with it. And if my info has helped, then I'm happy for that too! And don't forget that the website I directed you to has a lot of forums with people who use those cameras on a daily basis as well as reviews for just about every camera made, plus they have a really nice feature: The reviewer has standardized pics he takes during the day AND in low light. Very easy to compare because of that. Have fun picking a camera!