Some digi cam help please

[dirtmomma]

OK well I think I MAY have the hubby talked into a new camera here soon so I've been looking around but need a little help!! I'm digi cam illiterate :) I'm looking for one that will take good action shots of the races & good still also.
I'm looking to spend from $100-$300??
I found this one on sale I'm wondering if it would be a decent one?? http://www.staples.com/Catalog/Browse/sku.asp?PageType=1&sku=577184 (http://)
And now if someone can help me w/ this reg zoom/dig zoom, mega pixels ect ;) I've seen 3.2 like thiso ne & 4.0 just wondering what the quality of the 3.2 would be!!
Thanks in advance :) Maybe someday I"ll be able to do some race coverage of the flattrackin out here if I ever get a decent cam & OH IT HAS TOO TAKE GOOD NIGHT SHOTS TOO!!

[Bush0102]

Megapixels is the measure of quality of the image the camera will take. 3.2 megapixels= 3.2 million pixels, or little dots, that the image will be made up of. The reason you will want a higher resolution camera will be if you want to enlarge the entire or parts of the picture. If you do this, you are essentially stretching the image out, and having more pixels in that space will prevent distortion. A 3.2 megapixel image can be printed up to 8x10 without distortion, but you cant do much in the way of extreme cropping and enlarging without getting some blurriness.

Digital Zoom is where the coputer inside the camera is enlarging the picture, so you are going to get some blurriness if you are using a lower resolution camera. Optical zoom involves the actual lens moving to zoom in.

You should be fine with a 3.2 megapixel camera for everyday use. In your price range i'd probably check out the Canon A70/A75...i actually have one and i am very impressed. Dont forget to save money for a larger memory card though..

Feel free to ask any more questions...I used to work at the camera counter at Best Buy:macho

[SAND LUVR]

hello dirtmomma. Look at dpreview .com

[dirtmomma]

Thanks!! OK here's what I've come up w/ so far,Fugifilm FinePix E550 is a 6.3 megapixel, w/ a 4X optical zoom for 349.99 w/ a yr NO interest ;) + a $40 gift card whoohoo :p thats fro Circuit City
It has some good reviews & think it has a few different settings for like sports ect.
The next one is also a Fugifilm it's a FinePix A340 w/ 4 megapixel & 3X optical zoom, thru 199.98 you get a free dock & 64mb memory card, & thru cC it's 199.99 w/ a free 128mb card
They both seem to be decent I THINK :o & the prices didn't seem to bad for what they are. I want one that will take good action shots & did some reading up & these seem like they would work??

[Bush0102]

The A340 is a pretty good buy for that price, especially with a 128 card thrown in for free. At 4 megapixels, that should hold 70-100 images. If i remember they had took pictures pretty quickly. You need to go to the store and try them out to see which ones have the fastest shutter speeds so you can capture some good action shots. Fuji makes a pretty good camera, those deals sound pretty good.

Check E-Bay as well...you might find a good deal there.

[bulkdriverlp]

youll want the 64 meg card if you wanna take a lot of pics. i think its a must. when you buy a camera buy some nickel metal hydride batteries and charger, they last 4 times longer than duracells. well heres my pic its a vivatar 3.2 mega set on the best pic setting. i dont think you need 6.0 mega. save ur money for accessories

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v347/bulkdriverlp/IM000019.jpg

[LazeR]

I have an olympus d-560 zoom, its 3.2 megapixels, and its a pretty good camera!

http://img32.exs.cx/img32/1240/SunsetAcrossbay.jpg
http://img115.exs.cx/img115/4233/Blaironmyquad.jpg
http://img50.exs.cx/img50/5064/TenmileLakeA-Frame.jpg

Just a few pics i have taken with my camera, they are all sized way down! I have high resolution copies if you want them! These pics were taken at the second to the highest setting, and i can take about 200+ pics on a 128mb card!

also it takes pretty good action shots, i can dig a few up if you want.

[86350x]

Cool pics, ed details his 300 everytime he gets done riding it:p

[thomps6s]

This has to be the best digital camera review site. This guy has tested almost every camera that has come out over the years. Each review has full size sample pics so you can see the quality before you buy.

http://www.steves-digicams.com

[JTRtrx250r]

All I can say ...I learned my lesson w/ cheap cams, I figured how bad can they be these days...lemme tell ya...I'd have a better chance trying to draw a pic:rolleyes: w/ this cheezy POFS cam, its a $60 Concord something or other....STAY AWAY FROM THE CHEAPO's!!!:( :o :p

[dirtmomma]

Originally posted by JTRtrx250r
All I can say ...I learned my lesson w/ cheap cams, I figured how bad can they be these days...lemme tell ya...I'd have a better chance trying to draw a pic:rolleyes: w/ this cheezy POFS cam, its a $60 Concord something or other....STAY AWAY FROM THE CHEAPO's!!!:( :o :p

OH YES I know all about the cheap ones LOL, got one from Big 5 for $20 :o on sale now thats a POS gave it to the kid to play w/ LOLmy one I use now I've had for about 4 yrs & it's a PreTec DC600 never seen another one like it LOL, it doesn't do too bad on stills but forget trying to take an action shot :rolleyes: it also has a timer, but it's only 640x480 :( the battery door is taped on LOL I can get a memory card for it but just haven't it holds about 27 pics w/o it I think.

Now as for the other replies, good stills, BUT I really need one that takes GOOD action shots ;):) So if you have any action shots post them

I'm still searching I'll probably go check out that site thomps6s posted thanks!!
I'll let you know what I come up w/ :)

[LazeR]

I'll post some action shots when i get home, im running late for school :rolleyes: :p

[dirtmomma]

Originally posted by LazeR
I'll post some action shots when i get home, im running late for school :rolleyes: :p



:cool: now get to school LOL j/k ;) man if they had this back when I was in school I would of been late EVERY day hehe gotta have my 2 hrs in the morning on the puter!!

[Lil - Braff]

Dirtmomma... I'm glad you started this thread b/c I was needing help with picking a camera too! My digi camera don't work to good after all the mud races it's been to. lol.

The site that thomps6s suggested is a pretty good site.

Another question... what is a good "shutter speed" to be looking for in a camera? and is it better to have a "dock" with the camera or batteries? (I'd think batteries just in case but I duno.)

[Bush0102]

As far as I'm aware, only Kodak uses a dock. Their cameras are known to be more user friendly for older people and first time buyers, but they wont have quality like Canon, Olympus, Fuji, or Sony. Their 6490 is a pretty good camera, but its around 4-500 bucks.

The Kodaks have the slowest shutter speed of all, but they are simplest to use. Get a Canon, Olympus, or Fuji for good action shots. Sony's shutters seem to be slow as well, and their lenses arent great, either.

I've worked in broadcasting for 4 years and worked at Best Buy for a year in the camera dept, and from my personal experience, Canon is the absolute best camera you can buy- whether it be a pro dv cam, a home camcorder, a digital camera, or a film camera. My next choice would be Olympus and then Fuji, and Dirtmomma the A340 you mentioned is one of their better cameras. Dont go cheap on a digital camera- you'll wind up saving money because you wont have to replace it like cheaper off-brand models.

[LazeR]

Originally posted by dirtmomma
:cool: now get to school LOL j/k ;) man if they had this back when I was in school I would of been late EVERY day hehe gotta have my 2 hrs in the morning on the puter!!

haha i am always late for school, but i do decent in school so i don't worry about it!

Here is a few pics

http://img79.exs.cx/img79/6314/JesseJump.jpg

http://img79.exs.cx/img79/7281/JesseRoost.jpg

http://img79.exs.cx/img79/7136/JesseandIwheelie.jpg

I was pretty far up in the stands when i took this one
http://img79.exs.cx/img79/5671/ChevyJump.jpg

[LazeR]

This is a good one minus the pillar
http://img79.exs.cx/img79/6023/HotwheelsnBlacksmith.jpg

http://img125.exs.cx/img125/971/BumperGrabWheelie.jpg

http://img125.exs.cx/img125/5683/OneTireWheelie.jpg

Last one, i was second gear almost pinned and i let off a lil and it came up on me
http://img125.exs.cx/img125/4116/AlmostFlipped.jpg

Yes i saved it ;)


Again those are all sized down, i have all the originals on a cd somewhere if you want to see them :macho

[initall]

Stick with Nikon, Sony, or Cannon

I have a Nikon wokrs great, and is very durable, all around good camera.

Sony is good for poor lighting conditions, good camera

Cannon has real god lenses. also good camera

Get something with a fast shutter speed, and GET OPTICAL ZOOM.

Sony DSC-P73

Canon SD2000 or A85 or S410

Nikon Coolpix 4200 or coolpix 3200

[Bush0102]

dont get a sony...overpriced and they break alot...we saw so many people bring in sonys that had fried on their chargers or broke LCD screens while dropped inside of a case. i just dont like them

[LazeR]

Mine is pretty tough, i've dropped it with the lens out before, it hit the ground and was facing down :eek2: Still works fine, it was from only about 2 feet though! I've had it almost a year. i would recommend some rechargable batteries though i have Ni-MH Nickel Metal Hydride rechargeables and they work awesome! They last quite awhile, and charge in about 2 hours! My kit also came with a car charger, which is nice!

[dirtmomma]

Thanks for the pics!! They are good ones WAAAYYYYY better than what i have now would take!!
I think I will stick w/ the Fugi brand they've been around A LONG time!! I already have rechargable batteries I use in my digi now so I'll just use them they are great batteries!!
The next thing I'm going to compare is the shutter speed I would say that is probably the most important right now, plus how good it is in crappy lighting!! THANKS for all the responses ya notice how the photographers on here haven't responded :rolleyes: my price range must be too small LMAO:o :p

[Bush0102]

haha yeah i've heard harlen uses a digital rebel....1000 bucks.


Eddie George bought one of them (and 500 bucks worth of video games) from me once...

[QuadJunkies]

DM~~ you and I will be taking pretty much the same type of pics and I have to say... the chepaer Digi's just dont have a fast enough shutter :mad: IF you can swing it, I suggest spending a little more (well. ALOT more actually..lol) and getting a camera you will be bhappy with for many years. I have had some pretty nice races that I missed the action shot due to blurr, or too much of a delay in timing.... My Camera is an all around good camera,but NOT for action shots.. I have the P72 Sony Cyber shot
Good luck ...........................ITS ABOUT TIME!!!!:p :D

[dirtmomma]

Originally posted by QuadJunkies

Good luck ...........................ITS ABOUT TIME!!!!:p :D

LOL YEP it sure is :p now if I could just bring myself to put some vids up LMAO still waiting for high speed internet :( Ron says if I'm making $$ onthe internet THEN I can get HS :rolleyes: doesn't he realize how hard it is to post on the forums w/ dial up hehehe like he cares!! Yeah we're gonna have to spend some decent $$ for a good camera, but I"m tired of paying $5 per pic & thye are copyrighted so ya know how that goes!! This way I can take pics of the whole team heck maybe some of them will pitch in YEA RIGHT!! I've also thought of just going w/ a NICE 35mm then just putting the pics on disc but then your getting into development costs oh decisions decisons ;)

So Tina are all the boyz comin up this weeknd?????? I think I might be racing as well :eek: :blah: we'll see how I feel. We are going to race @ the ice races also I think(Ron,Bobby & I) in the unstudded class LMAO GOTTA have pics of that!!!!

[LazeR]

OOO another thing! You want to go with a camera that has an all glass lens! They tend to take better pictures :D

[dirtmomma]

Originally posted by LazeR
OOO another thing! You want to go with a camera that has an all glass lens! They tend to take better pictures :D

OOOOO OK ;):p

[LazeR]

Originally posted by dirtmomma
OOOOO OK ;):p

Don't make fun of my OOO :blah: lol, i got excited :eek2: since i remembered something useful :D

[QuadJunkies]

Originally posted by dirtmomma

So Tina are all the boyz comin up this weeknd?????? I think I might be racing as well :eek: :blah: we'll see how I feel. We are going to race @ the ice races also I think(Ron,Bobby & I) in the unstudded class LMAO GOTTA have pics of that!!!! I heard them buzzin at the track about heading up, just not positive ....hehe racing Ice is WAAAYYY different that dirt!! :p especially in the Ice breaker class..:o its fun though ;)

[86350x]

Originally posted by LazeR
This is a good one minus the pillar
http://img79.exs.cx/img79/6023/HotwheelsnBlacksmith.jpg

http://img125.exs.cx/img125/971/BumperGrabWheelie.jpg

http://img125.exs.cx/img125/5683/OneTireWheelie.jpg

Last one, i was second gear almost pinned and i let off a lil and it came up on me
http://img125.exs.cx/img125/4116/AlmostFlipped.jpg

Yes i saved it ;)


Again those are all sized down, i have all the originals on a cd somewhere if you want to see them :macho

I'm going to get one of those next, My kodak does everything well but take action shots. The one with the banshee is killer. I love that pic.

[dirtmomma]

I found this info sorry if i sound dumb but doesn't this mean like shuttter speed??
and if so is it good?? :)
Continuous shooting • Full resolution: 3 fps up to 4 images
• Long Period: 1.6fps up to 40 images (only 2MP mode1600 x 1200)
• Auto bracketing

[44oEX]

Originally posted by LazeR

http://img79.exs.cx/img79/5671/ChevyJump.jpg

man that truck is like 15 ft off the ground that had to hurt lol