Reading mode: Light Dark

Looking for a recommendation

Go to last post
T

Tanya K Metaksa

Member
Messages
13
Reaction score
0
Location
Pahrump, NV, US
My daughter is looking for a digital camera with a street price of $300 or less. Wants to be able to shoot quickly, therefore the lag time before the shutter goes off, should be as small as possible. Would like zoom capability and at least 5 megapixels. Will shoot indoors as well as outdoors. She is used to using a rangefinder, so that would be a plus. Any suggestions?

Thanks for your help.

Tanya
 
Tanya,

My perspective based on what you "Want" is that there are a few conflicting issues. At the cost of $300.00 you'll need to consider either used equipment or lower your expectations quite a bit.

A "Fast" camera with quick shutter lag would seem to dictate DSLR, and at 5 Mp this is gonna be tough to find I think. The focusing of the DSLR's is fast and there is little to no lag. I don't follow the used DSLR prices, but perhaps some of the earlier versions might be available used at close to your price point. In the Oly line what comes to mind is the E-10, but it isn't small by any means.

The P&S types are pretty much all plagued with shutter lag I think, but I don't know about all of them. They as a lot tend to focus slower and have additional shutter lag to some degree.

All of the rangefinder types I know of are quite expensive, and not necessarily "Fast".

If you find something that fills your needs I would like to hear what it turns out to be.

Good Luck & Best Regards,

--
John,

'Lord help me to be the man my labrador thought I was'
 
Maybe 4...
Oly C7000, or 5500 or the Fuji F10 & new F11 (for cleaner high ISO) or
I have to go with what's been typed about it...

It would be the Panasonic FZ5... Small, plenty-o-reach & stabilized at that, focuses well, even fast as fixed lenses go & with the usual halfpress for prefocus lag is very good as is write times as well... Biggest wrap on it is absolutely no means of manual focus but till its big brother the FZ30 came out... Manual focus on almost all fixed lens cams was more fight than anything else.... Indoors or low-light without flash is possible but as with most in this realm a hit or miss opportunity at best but the onboard flash is there although no hotshoe for externals.... I give more background on this because it's arguably the most complete package... Inspite of no manual focus...
Of all of em for the money...

Even though I don't have one, I'm still the C7000 fan for a pocketable.. It probably has the biggest & best pic quality of this bunch too.. The 5500 is almost the same only a 5mp instead of 7mp.. The rest aren't for me although they're all pocketable with the FZ probably limited to a larger pocket...

I suggest perusing the forums & reviews & PBase to determine what'll be best for you/her....
--



[email protected] http://www.pbase.com/rrawzz ****
 
My Stylus 800 has no shutter lag that is noticeable, when compared against my C-40 and C-750 and my 35mm all-in-one SLRs Olympus IS-1000 and IS-2000 (which have autofocus).

Recent reviews here suggest that this year's crop of point and shoot digital cameras from all makes are fast operators.

The catch is that these new cameras do away with the viewfinder, which is one of the requirements listed, and this is why I did not reply straight away. On the Stylus 800 there also are not as many things to fiddle with as on the C-40 and the C-750. A couple of 'My Mode' memories would be useful. The scene modes do not retain WB, shutter and aperture information. You cannot preset contrast, saturation and sharpness.

The shell of the Stylus 500 apparently crushes more easily than the case of my Stylus 800. Have not seen user reports on the Stylus 600 - is it out yet?

I would look at the specs of other makes that have been mentioned in the news here over the last two weeks.

But you definitely are no longer stuck with DSLRs if you want a fast response from a digital camera.

Henry
--
Henry Falkner - C-40, C-750UZ, Stylus 800 http://www.pbase.com/hfalkner
 
http://www.steves-digicams.com/2005_reviews/c5500_pg5.html

Steve considers the camera fast, so you might take a look. It does produce those vibrant Olympus colors.

I bought the C-5500 Sport Zoom a few weeks ago. I haven't had much time with it, but I like it so far. I'm taking it on vacation soon, so I will have a better opinion when I get back.

What impressed me immediately is how you can turn it on....and off.... maybe 4 times, while my C-5050 is powering up and extending its lens.

I also like how it has a built in lens cover and I don't have to worry about losing the cap like I do with my C-5050. It's about the same size as my wife's Canon A-80, so I like its "pocketability." The 5x zoom makes it a little more versatile than the 3x on the C-5050. The 5500 is now my pocket camera while the 5050 is my serious camera. I used the movie-mode last week to record my granddaughter's solo at a school music concert. A 512MB card will hold a little over 12 minutes of movie.

What really caught my interest is the C-5500's "time lapse" feature. I'd like to explore the possibilities of a sunrise/sunset, a flower opening, etc. You can set it to take picture every minute or every hour or anything in between.

One of the things the Sport Zoom does not have is any way to attach accessories. But, that's what I wanted...so I wouldn't be tempted. All the accessories go on my C-5050. I think they (C-5050 and C-5500)complement each other quite well.

--
C-5050 Zoom, C-5500 Sport Zoom.
Photos hosted by Photoshare at http://www.photoshare.co.nz

http://www.c5050andanuzi.MarvsFavourites.photoshare.co.nz http://members19.clubphoto.com/marvin654655/guest-1.phtml

 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Keyboard shortcuts

f
Forum
m
My threads
Mobile site
About
Editorial content
Cameras & Lenses
Community
All content, design, and layout are Copyright © 1998–2025 Digital Photography Review All Rights Reserved.
Reproduction in whole or part in any form or medium without specific written permission is prohibited.
When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
©GPS Media - Guides, Products, Services.
Back
Top