digital camera-help in picking a new one

i have decided that i want to buy a new digital camera by the end of the year. i have a sony cybershot now and my wife has a nikon coolpix. mine is a 3.2 megapixel and hers is a 2.1. mine takes better video, but we don't use that feature on either very much.

hers has a better zoom than mine, but again, that is not overly necessary.

The important thing i am looking for is hers takes better action pics than mine. i want something that i would be able to get a pic of something in motion and not have the object be too blurry.

i would just use hers, but i want something with at least a 5.0 mp and a quick capture time, as my sony seems slow and makes it hard to catch object in motion.
i am probably going to research this for a few months and buy as a christmas present for myself.

any suggestions? what are you guys using for your action pics? looking for the 250 to 400 price range too...thanks

[GPracer2500]

I just got an Olympus Stylus 720SW. It's got a huge screen on the back (covers almost the entire back) and is built rock solid. It's 7.1mp and is really compact. I haven't had a chance to use it much yet.

I chose this model because it is waterproof to 10 feet and shock proof from up to 5 feet.

[ITSTOCK]

You can find a Canon Rebel (DSLR) for right over $400. For a couple hundred more, you can get the Rebel XT. They are BOTH ABSOLUTELY AWESOME CAMERAS. I bought my girlfriend the normal Rebel, and ended up buying myself the XT. To be honest, I wish I saved the $200 and bought the Rebel (NON XT). 6.3mp to 8mp...you can NOT tell the difference in most reasonably sized prints, and you can do just as much. I believe they both take around 3 frames/second under the corret setting.

THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF TAKING PICTURES, IS LEARNING HOW TO TAKE PICTURES. I think I have a pretty decent picture, yet there are people with crappy cameras that can take million times better pictures than I, simply because they know how to use all the features of the camera, and also photoshop.

Anyway, my rec. is the Canon digital Rebel.

[LTZ400rider]

id get a dslr, if not id get a sony h1 or h2

[QuadJunkies]

WOOLIN has got a heck of a deal on a Rebel right now in the for sale section!!

If I was you, I would jump on this deal!!

http://www.exriders.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=240702

I would get it if I had the funds right now.

thanks guys...it seems like the rebel is the way to go.

QJ, unfortunately, I do not "have the funds" right now for that as I have just put $500 in two tires for my wifes car and she needs 2 more here soon, plus I have about $800 in body work coming on my truck. The rust is just coming out left and right on it. I have the money, but after seeing nearly 2 grand come out of the savings in a few month span makes for the vehicles makes buying a camera a little less important and something that can be done at a later date.

It was actually his post and the pics my father in law tried to take with my camera last weekend that made me decide to buy a new camera.

[250R-Dee]

A friend of mine has a 5mp Sony DSC-F717 for sale. It just got the CCD replaced so you will not have to worry about it failing. He also has an 8mp DSC-F828 for sale because he just picked up a Canon D100 for CHEAP!!

He probably wants $200ish for the DSC-F717 and twice that amount for the DSC-F828. The F828 uses Sony memory cards and compact flash. The F717 uses Sony cards only.

I took the attached pic (1st pic with the cam) with my old DSC-F717. I upgraded to a DSC-R1.

nice pic, how are those for taking objects in motion? i know my sony is not good for that and has me leaning away from sony cameras. i like everything else about it though, well, except for the zoom

[250R-Dee]

The uppper level cameras (DSC-F717, F828, H1, R1) have absolutely no issues with taken pics of moving objects.

I only use the faster memory stick pro cards and it helps to study the manuals for the aformentioned cameras.

If you think you might get a little more serious then the rebel will be a better buy. Add-ons for the Sony cams are expensive and will never perform as well as a true DSLR.

that helps...i have a few months to research and buy...maybe...

thanks for the input

The 717 is a heavy large camera though, it does take great photos but it's big!!

I have a Panasonic FZ20, it's much smaller than the 717 and it has 12X optical zoom with an incredible image stabilization circuitry for fast moving action shots. I take pics of my son racing all the time. The Panasonic was rated the tops too on the dpreview web site. Here are some shots:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/briansgi/P1010165.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/briansgi/P1000302.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/briansgi/P1000374.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/briansgi/P1000112.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/briansgi/P1010370.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/briansgi/P1010376.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/briansgi/P1000715.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v224/briansgi/P1010316.jpg

[QuadJunkies]

Originally posted by speedyquad
that helps...i have a few months to research and buy...maybe...

thanks for the input

I moved from a Sony point and shoot to a DSLR... Trust me.... SAVE UP and BUY AN SLR..Its worth spending a little bit more on.

http://i.pbase.com/g4/26/660826/2/62245969.oFqJQkev.jpg

i was talking to my wife and i am not sure, but i think we decided on a sony dsc-h2 for our anniversary in september. that should be a good starter camera for me...i hope.
if it was solely up to me, i would have a rebel, but she doesn't want to spend that much on a camera since we already have 2 other ones.

thanks for all the help....now any advice on taking good pictures?

[QuadJunkies]

just make sure it has a decent shutter speed, or you will end up dissapointed with ALOT of blur...(that is, if you plan on using it for the sport) you will rely on panning more.. I suck at that :o

Pappy has some of the best panning pics Ive ever seen.:cool:

Have fun with the new camera when you get it :)

thanks, i'll be a picture taking fool when i get it...maybe she will get it soon and let me have it as an early present....hmmm i think i might have to take her out to dinner tonight...

[JForestZ34]

ItStock is right you could have a decent camera and take awesome picture. It's all on how you take them. I have the Canon Digital Rebel XT. and love it. Take's all the kinds of pictures I would ever have to, and then some. There are a bit pricey I paid around $900 a year ago and then I got a zoom lens to go with it. Whatever you choose they are all good camera's.


James

[<DRS>GPF]

Originally posted by speedyquad
i was talking to my wife and i am not sure, but i think we decided on a sony dsc-h2 for our anniversary in september. that should be a good starter camera for me...i hope.
if it was solely up to me, i would have a rebel, but she doesn't want to spend that much on a camera since we already have 2 other ones.

thanks for all the help....now any advice on taking good pictures?


you could save youself $100 and get this:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Kodak/kodak_z650.asp
the specs are comparable all the way down(better in some)..
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Sony/sony_dsch2.asp

btw. thats a great site to compare.. theyve done a nice job of laying out specs.