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skylar7575

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Hi,

Im about to switch over from film to digital for the first time. I know that I will get a Canon & currently am leaning to buy the SD600 for its size & price. I really like the A710 but unfortunately the price is too high right now & I dont think I have the fortitude to wait several more months for the price to drop on that one. Another factor is Im not entirely sure if going with one with manuel features as my first digital camera would be wise. Itd be easier to justify the cost if I knew Id be using those extra features which although in the future I may be interested, right now Id just like to get used to having a digital camera! So, realistically, would the A710 offer too much for a first timer/previous point & shooter? Even if I had the desire to learn manuels, I wonder if it would realistically be too much in first digital camera use.

Ok now to some questions...

I realize the A710 and the later sd models have IS (image stabilization) & i keep reading that this feature knocks all other cameras out of the park. Exactly what does IS do? Although Ive never owned a digital camera, I HAVE taken shots with friends cameras (with no IS) while traveling and everyday shots. Ive never seen a blurry shot taken...also, if one takes a photo & you dont like, you can always re-take it with digital. So, is IS just really fantastic if you are a particular type of shooter? Of course, Id prefer to have the feature but does it really make enough diffc for a point & shooter?

Last question would be what is the average lifespan of the lithium batteries in the SDmodels. Are they better than the AA batteries?

Of course my timing has hit this inbetween time for cameras. It appears the cameras that are cost-friendly and have it all are just out reach (the a710 or sd700/800) & Ive reached the point of being tired of holding out any longer...and the SD600 seems to be the one available. Is this camera a good buy or should I wait perhaps close to another year for the prices to drop to around $250 on the other ones? I can get the sd600 for $225 right now.

Thanks so much!
 
1) Towards the end of February, Canon will be introducing a new batch of cameras. I expect the SD600's replacement to be announced at that time, and think it's likely it will include Image Stabilization. So if you can wait two months, it might be worthwhile doing so.

2) Both the SD600 and A710is are great cameras.

3) What kind of 'regular' camera did you use before? Did you use many manual controls? How important is camera size?
 
Hi Skylar,

Welcome to the forum. You are not sure whether you want a manually adjustable camera or not. The fact that you have joined this forum tells me that you are curious about what the manual settings would give you. Excellent, so you should get one with these possibilities. You can put any of the small powershots on "Auto" and use them as a pure P&S but I doubt that you will.

So you are on a very tight budget, just short of the A710. Perhaps you can get hold of a discontinued model, A610 or A620, both about the best budget cameras ever released. The new A640 test states that these models were about just as good. No IS, but there was photography before IS and you can do without it.

Cheers, Ralph

--
  • -Better a small camera in the pocket than a big one on the shelf --
 
Thanks, but the A610 & 620 models I found way too bulky! I think Id later regret the bulkiness. The A710 is bigger than the elphs but there is a compact element to it that is more forgiving in bulk.
 
I have never used manual controls before. My film camera is a 35mm Olympus Infinity Jr. and its been a trusty old friend. Great photos. image quality and ease of use are important to me, as well as size.

Well, I think the prices of the replacements coming out in feb07 would still be high (for me), but i suppose it would also mean that perhaps the a710 or sd700/800 would drop.
 
skylar7575 said:
Hi,

Im about to switch over from film to digital for the first time. I
know that I will get a Canon & currently am leaning to buy the
SD600 for its size & price. I really like the A710 but
unfortunately the price is too high right now & I dont think I have
the fortitude to wait several more months for the price to drop on
that one. Another factor is Im not entirely sure if going with one
with manuel features as my first digital camera would be wise. Itd
be easier to justify the cost if I knew Id be using those extra
features which although in the future I may be interested, right
now Id just like to get used to having a digital camera! So,
realistically, would the A710 offer too much for a first
timer/previous point & shooter? Even if I had the desire to learn
manuels, I wonder if it would realistically be too much in first
digital camera use.
Click to expand...
Any camera that has manual controls also has fully auto. So you don't have to choose between them, you can have both.
skylar7575 said:
Ok now to some questions...
I realize the A710 and the later sd models have IS (image
stabilization) & i keep reading that this feature knocks all other
cameras out of the park. Exactly what does IS do? Although Ive
never owned a digital camera, I HAVE taken shots with friends
cameras (with no IS) while traveling and everyday shots. Ive never
seen a blurry shot taken...also, if one takes a photo & you dont
like, you can always re-take it with digital. So, is IS just really
fantastic if you are a particular type of shooter? Of course, Id
prefer to have the feature but does it really make enough diffc for
a point & shooter?
Click to expand...
IS is great, especially for long zoom occasions. But a tripod works even better :-)

(You can live without it but at some point when you can afford it, you'll be glad you have it).
skylar7575 said:
Last question would be what is the average lifespan of the lithium
batteries in the SDmodels. Are they better than the AA batteries?
Click to expand...
The camera takes the NB4L, it's proprietary. But don't be scared off by it, batterybarn.com has great prices on such things. All of my digital cams have been proprietary battery units except for one and it's never been an issue. Just make sure you have two batteries so you can swap.
skylar7575 said:
Of course my timing has hit this inbetween time for cameras. It
appears the cameras that are cost-friendly and have it all are just
out reach (the a710 or sd700/800) & Ive reached the point of being
tired of holding out any longer...and the SD600 seems to be the one
available. Is this camera a good buy or should I wait perhaps close
to another year for the prices to drop to around $250 on the other
ones? I can get the sd600 for $225 right now.

Thanks so much!
Click to expand...
Well, you'll always be between models or photo shows such as Photokina. The tiny SD would be a great first camera because if you decide you want something different later, the SD is still a capable pocket cam for travel.

--
Eric
http://www.blogger.com/profile/28647453
http://www.pbase.com/haglunde
 
That is true, the SD600 would be a good small camera to have even if eventually I moved to an A series.

The possibility of keeping the A710 in Auto mode could be a solution in the beginning whilest i get used to digital and the menu selections. My only fear is Id inadvertantly change something in the settings & not realize that is what is making a photo peculiar. Im sure those menus are easy to navigate for someone who knows what all those terms are, like aperture and fstops and what have you, but i have no clue really.

Is the Auto mode really just a matter of switching to it & everything falls into place? If I play around with the manual settings, does it affect Auto mode in any way?

thanks
 
Usually, setting the camera to auto takes care of everything, but depends on the model. It does on my A610.

I would recommend getting a camera with some manual features in case you really decide to take up the hobby. At least you will have the other options.

As far IS goes, yes, it is a plus, but as others have pointed out it is not a "silver bullet." I think the A series is the best value going in cameras right now and the A630 (under $250 now) would be my choice if I suddenly had to start from scratch. I was never a fan of rechargable AA batteries until I bought my A610, now I don't want another camera without them. I can get 450 shots from my A610 on a single set and this includes using flash sometimes and the LCD on every shot.

I have 3 cameras all with different features and pros/cons. 90% of the time I reach for the A610. My wife borrows it and shoots in Auto only with no problems. I will always have an A-series camera wherever I go.

--
A610 * Pro1 * Olympus UZI
 
skylar7575 said:
Is the Auto mode really just a matter of switching to it &
everything falls into place? If I play around with the manual
settings, does it affect Auto mode in any way?
Click to expand...
You can change settings that affect the other modes and always return to the default Auto settings.

You may also want to consider the A530/A540 as entry level cameras with all the manual features. They're both available for around $150 to $170.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=canon_a530%2Ccanon_a540&show=all
http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/a530.htm
--
Regards,
Hank

 
I was in your position two years ago (but did use manual contron on film camera) and I decided to get the A520, great little camera, you could probably get a A530 or even a A540 in your price range. It does have a lot of manual control (on the A540) so you could experiment when ready to do so.

The quality can be very good, all the photgraph on my website we're taken with the A520 : http://www.projetsurbain.com/photographie/

--
Stephan
 
Agree with this comment. The A540 in particular has good auto and fairly aggressive manual support including aperture and shutter preferred which is not found on many cameras. Great to start on Auto and grow if you want ot experiment with manual settings. So much easier to play with a digital. After all you don't have to pay to develop the failed experiments.

Take a look at this review.

http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/A540/A540A.HTM

Likely some good post Christmas pricing out there.
 
One thing that might help you a lot, and be fun would be to learn about the f stop, depth of field, ETC by experimenting.

Go to a junk store or flea market and get a old camera that takes large obsolete film and wit the cover removed, allows access to the film plane. One of the old folding Kodaks is perfect for this mount the camera on a tripod, take some nice smooth wax paper and stretch it across the film plane (Where the film should have been. find the shutter setting that allows it to stay open (either B or T) and open the shutter, aim the camera at a nice cluttered bright outdoor scene and throw a blanket over your head to block outside light from the wax paper.

Now PLAY change the f stop, change the focus, aim the camera at stuff close by and change both, then at far away and do both. Move to low light and play.

I think you will learn more this way then any other way.

If you have a friend who has one of these cameras or better yet has a view camera or a Graflex 4X5 they might allow you to use there camera. what I am suggesting is non destructive.

Once you have a digital camera you can shoot, look at it on your computer, then shoot the same scene again with different settings, ETC but it is not as good as seeing the change instantly on your wax paper "Ground Glass"

Have fun.

Frank

--
'Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man
upright;but they have sought out many inventions.'
Ecclesiastes 7:29
 
Thanks all. Just thought Id update the thread by reporting that I ended up getting the Canon SD600 over Christmas. So far, Im quite happy with it. Honestly, just learning the details for this camera is abit overwhelming so I think it was the right choice for now. Im one of those who likes to read the entire manual and get a gist of all features before really using it...so I know if I had gone to the A-series, my brain would probably be exploding! HA! The only feature that Im sad about giving up in the SD600 so far is the 3x zoom as opposed to the 6x that the A710 IS has, which I think I would have used often. Everything else so far Im content with. I hope the battery life doesnt disappointment me too greatly. Its unfortunate that there isnt a travel charger where one could charge these batteries in a car.

Finally digital! :--)
 
skylar7575 said:
I
hope the battery life doesnt disappointment me too greatly. Its
unfortunate that there isnt a travel charger where one could charge
these batteries in a car.

Finally digital! :--)
Click to expand...
Pick up a Inverter from ebay or walmart ETC You can charge your camera battery and as a bouns you can charge your cell phone battery and if you get a biger one you can run your laptop. You only need about 15 watts for the camera battery. the smallest ones out there are around 40 watts and cost as little as $8.00 including shipping.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170065070657&fromMakeTrack=true

--
'Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man
upright;but they have sought out many inventions.'
Ecclesiastes 7:29
 
Thanks for the tip. I didnt know these existed & for such a low cost.

The only concern Id have is if they are capable of damaging any equipment (ie. the charger or battery itself) in any way? They seem to say they are safe, but others have possibility of not being so.
 
I don't know. I have a 150 watt one from Tripp-lite and I have used it for my Cell phone, camera, and laptop.

If you are nervous, perhaps a name brand like Tripp-lite would be safer.

Frank
skylar7575 said:
Thanks for the tip. I didnt know these existed & for such a low cost.
The only concern Id have is if they are capable of damaging any
equipment (ie. the charger or battery itself) in any way? They seem
to say they are safe, but others have possibility of not being so.
Click to expand...
--
'Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man
upright;but they have sought out many inventions.'
Ecclesiastes 7:29
 
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