http://kenrockwell.com/tech/fart.htm

10/21/2010 2:02:30 AM

Going to Peru in a couple of weeks, and I need a new camera before I go...reposting my last couple of posts for page 2:




yeah, the problem with waterproof cameras is that all the ones i've seen are only good for pretty shallow depths...10, 20, 30'. Maybe a little more, but nowhere near the 130' depth I can go to as a recreational SCUBA diver. I mean, if it was good to 100', that would be OK, but being limited to 20-30' really restricts what you're going to be using it for underwater.

Like you said, you can get a lot more camera for the money if you don't need it to be waterproof, so I'd rather just get the camera suited for how I'll use it 99% of the time, and then get a good case for it so I can take it diving once in a blue moon.


So, any particular model Canons (or others, if they make cases for them) that you recommend for my purposes?


Looking at the Best Buy website, I'm kinda narrowing it down to these (without yet checking to see what waterproof cases are out there, which could be a deciding factor):

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Nikon+-+Coolpix+12.1-Megapixel+Digital+Camera+-+Black/9758692.p?skuId=9758692&id=1218168160003

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Panasonic+-+12.1-Megapixel+Digital+Camera+-+Black/9767132.p?skuId=9767132&id=1218170033004

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Olympus+-+Factory-Refurbished+14.0-Megapixel+Digital+Camera/1233313.p?skuId=1233313&id=1218239489468

Here's the link to the comparison between the 3...don't know if this will work: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?id=cat13504&type=page&pageIdentity=searchDriven&useProductString=true&productString=1218168160003*1218170033004*1218239489468&unProductString=1218237709263*1218171772665*1218012834817*1218082646903&catId=




http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Nikon+-+Coolpix+S8100+12.1-Megapixel+Digital+Camera+-+Black/1222844.p?skuId=1222844&id=1218237710867

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Kodak+-+EasyShare+14.0-Megapixel+Digital+Camera+-+Black/9789852.p?skuId=9789852&id=1218175318615

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Olympus+-+14.0-Megapixel+Digital+Camera+-+Titanium/9790493.p?skuId=9790493&id=1218175867075


Those are a few of the ones that caught my eye at a slightly higher price point. Let me know what you think. I'm cool with spending $200, and I'm cool with spending $500, as long as I get what I want and it's a good value...I don't want to waste money and buy more than I'll use, though.

10/24/2010 7:28:05 PM

Duke,

I have an A570IS (an older Canon P&S) that I use with an Ikelite housing. If you want a few photo examples from it let me know. It does decent photos (not nearly as good as a dSLR though), and does surprisingly good video.

Note that the housing was $260 and the camera was $130. The housing is good to 200ft. I've had it down to ~100ft so far, and bounced it around in caves a bit...a few scratches but it still works great.

Just about any good Canon P&S will do you just fine for underwater stuff, especially if it allows manual control.

There's an underwater photography forum on ScubaBoard, with subforums for Nikon, Canon, and others.
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/underwater-photography/


The only problem with getting a housing for a camera is that you're essentially locked into that camera model for awhile. Which is fine if it's a decent camera, but the P&S market goes so fast that your model will be discontinued quickly if you're not careful. If your camera breaks you might be SOL until you can grab one from Ebay or wherever.

[Edited on October 24, 2010 at 9:52 PM. Reason : ]

10/24/2010 9:49:13 PM

holy shit, the other problem is that the Ikelite cases for those cameras (that they offer them for) are all $400. That's absurd!

10/25/2010 3:08:11 PM

bump for more help

i need to go ahead and order something within the next few days

10/26/2010 11:31:35 PM

i don't know what other help you're expecting...the waterproof-to-100' requirement kills your selection

a new case will cost you almost as much as the camera, but you CAN do the case and camera together for the $500 you're willing to spend...your camera will likely be nothing special, but it won't be BAD, either...go to the canon website and see which camera models have cases...then go to your favorite electronics site and find the camera with the best specs that's $250 or less

as noted, that kind of locks you into a particular model if you want to continue using the case, but thems the breaks

10/27/2010 8:15:05 AM

oh cool, i missed the part where the Canon website lists which models have cases.

I can spend >$500 total if I need to IOT get what I want (including case)...that was just a rough figure. I'm not overly worried about getting locked into one camera...I plan to keep it for a long time. I like nice stuff, but photography isn't really my thing--I don't need the latest and greatest, state-of-the-art DSLR every year. A good camera will suit me just fine for a long time.

I'm not willing to pay $400 for a case, though. That's ricockulous, no matter how nice it is.

10/27/2010 1:10:42 PM

OK, so I found a few cameras that have cases available for at least somewhat less unreasonable prices:

Canon G12, Canon S95 (Canon offers cases for them for $240)

Panasonic ZS5/ZS7 (case available for $300)


I'm assuming that the G12 is the best, due to its size and price both being larger than the others , but just looking at the specs, I'm not sure I understand why. Only 4x zoom, lower resolution, smaller sensor. Pretty good shutter speed and ISO, but not far and away better. What do you guys think about this camera? I figure that a newly released, $500 Canon has to be pretty sweet and have a MAJOR leg up on compact cameras costing significantly less. What's the deal?

10/29/2010 11:10:20 PM

well, I went ahead and bought a Canon G12 today. Probably overkill, but that's kinda my school of thought on most things.

10/31/2010 11:36:46 PM

Quote :

"I went ahead and bought a Canon G12 today. Probably overkill, but that's kinda my school of thought on most things."

i don't think it's overkill...see below

Quote :

"Only 4x zoom, lower resolution, smaller sensor. Pretty good shutter speed and ISO, but not far and away better. What do you guys think about this camera?"

first, i think it's 5x optical zoom (optical is all that matters...i think the G12 has 4x digital, which is completely and utterly useless no matter which camera you get)...5x optical is a bare minimum, IMO, but if the rest of the camera is awesome (which in the G12's case, it is), i'm willing to sacrifice zoom

second, resolution means virtually nothing, whether a DSLR or a point-and-shoot...a combination of sensor size and processor matter much more and in most cases, a newer camera will have a better image processor than the camera it replaces (or, at least, no worse)

as for the sensor, that is one of the biggest reasons the G12 is more expensive...it has a LARGER sensor (1/1.7") than most p&s cameras (which are usually around 1/2.3" or 1/2.5")...this makes a big difference

the second reason it's one of the more expensive cameras is the fast lens...f/2.8 (with a top end of 4.5) is pretty damn fast for a p&s (most are around f/3.5-5.6)...i'm not good at explaining how this works optically, but what it boils down to is: faster lens (lower f-number) + faster shutter speed (less blur) + lower ISO (less noise) = better pictures (also gives you that blurred background "bokeh" effect)

a couple of other features like 720p video, a hotshoe, canon's tried-and-true IS, 1cm macro, RAW image capture, and full manual control make it an awesome point-and-shoot

[Edited on November 1, 2010 at 8:34 AM. Reason : in short, excellent choice ]

11/1/2010 8:30:25 AM

yeah, i understand at a basic level the interaction between aperture, shutter speed, and ISO.

Quote :

"t has a LARGER sensor (1/1.7") than most p&s cameras (which are usually around 1/2.3" or 1/2.5")"

haha, shows what I know. I thought that was smaller. I thought it was a set of dimensions. Is it a ratio of something?

11/1/2010 5:53:47 PM

hah, the fraction is actually a designation rather than a viable number...IIRC, it's a holdover from decades ago and isn't really valid anymore...it still serves to give you an idea of sensor size (all 1/1.7" sensors will be roughly the same size), but it doesn't directly translate to the sensor size

sensors on 1/1.7" or 1/1.8" cameras are usually 9-9.5mm (0.43cm2) diagonally, which is large for a point-and-shoot...but by comparison, a DX-format camera (nikon D90) is around 27.5mm (3.5cm2) and FX-format (nikon D3) is around 43mm (8.5cm2)...just to give you an idea of how tiny point-and-shoots really are

11/2/2010 7:56:20 AM

^^ 1.7 < 2 and 2.3

but

1/1.7 > 1/2 and 1/2.3

but as ^ pointed out, the numbers are not the actual sizes of the sensors these days, however, the relative scale still holds true, as i pointed out!

11/2/2010 5:13:30 PM

BTTT for my own personal requirements


-Quality
-Quick and responsive shooting
-High resolution with decent optical zoom
-AA or AAA replaceable batteries
-Good screen size
-Waterproof preferred / rugged required
-Compact

I'm not a huge photographer but I often see a lot of things I'd like to grab a shot of and need something that I can throw in a bag or in a pocket and not really worry about. I realize some of the above goals may be contradictory and that compromises will have to occur, but any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

9/4/2011 8:07:19 AM

^I have this guy:

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1496

which has been a decent performer -- you may be able to get more features for the same price though

also it uses a rechargeable battery






Can anyone point me to some options for an inexpensive (<$300) camera with a Time-Lapse option?

9/4/2011 10:03:26 AM

Do you have any photograph examples from that camera?

9/4/2011 9:39:32 PM

i think the ones from utah in his gallery were taken with that camera. tww makes them look like crap though

[Edited on September 4, 2011 at 10:45 PM. Reason : ]

9/4/2011 10:44:23 PM

i was just thinking about this

i'm going to give my F200EXR to my folks and my wife is going to give her sony to her mom...we have the D90, so i'm in the market for another P&S...around $300 is my top...i need to start checking out the options

9/4/2011 11:21:57 PM

^^yeah

I don't think they look as good when you upload them to Tdub as compared to on my computer. And the pictures I took that trip tended to be a little washed out --really bright utah sun. I probably could have messed with some settings more than I did, but the reality is I don't go out of my way for pictures and usually just end up "pointing and shooting"

9/5/2011 10:43:29 AM

Canon Powershot SX120 (after seeing someone post up pics from the same/similar camera in the non-SLR pics thread). I bought it on CL for $120. max 10MP

taken standing about 40' away on "auto"

http://img102.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=272635367_Callie15_122_119lo.JPG
(2816×2112 aka 6MP)

[Edited on September 5, 2011 at 10:18 PM. Reason : ]

9/5/2011 10:16:44 PM

nikon coolpix P300 for $250 with free shipping: http://www.amazon.com/Nikon-COOLPIX-P300-Wide-Angle-Black/dp/B004M8SVGG/

i think it was originally marketed as an S95 or LX5 competitor, but it's not quite that nice...at $250, though, the f/1.8 lens and 1080p recording capabilities make it a good deal

9/19/2011 9:09:58 AM

if you're looking for a top-of-the-line P&S, the panasonic LX5 is on sale for $269 from amazon with free shipping...great deal on a great camera: http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMC-LX5-Digital-Stabilized-3-0-Inch/dp/B003WJR69E/

12/2/2011 1:01:57 PM

FYI - S95s are now generally $299.

12/2/2011 1:42:47 PM

just ordered the nikon coolpix S8200 for $209 with free overnight shipping *squee!*

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&sku=818665&is=REG&A=details&Q=

it'll be my first experience with a BSI-CMOS sensor, but the reviews are very good (4/5 stars at dpreview, which is AMAZING for those folks...4.5/5 at amazon), particularly the low-light performance (the single thing that i'm concerned most about)...things that make it cool:

- 16MP
- 1/2.3" BSI-CMOS
- 25-350mm (14x optical zoom)
- manual focus (i care a lot about this)
- 3" 961K-dot screen (these are gorgeous)
- 1080p30 video (with stereo audio and constant AF)
- automatic HDR setting (this can be cool if the conditions are right)

things i'm concerned about:

- EVERYONE hates the flash...it's awkward and you can't manually put it away, you have to turn the camera off
- 1/2.3" sensor (smallest i've ever owned, though BSI-CMOS might make a big difference)
- proprietary USB connector?
- they don't give you a charger (cheap bastards), so you have to charge the battery in the freaking camera
- video time limit?
- slow lens, though F3.3 is about as fast as can be found in a pocket cam



[Edited on December 21, 2011 at 10:46 PM. Reason : 14x optical zoom]

12/21/2011 10:45:10 PM

...so some motherfucker stole my G12 when my truck got broken into.

Upon looking to see if the G13 was released yet, it appears that the G12 has been retained, but a new camera, the G1x has been added to the G-series lineup. It's $800, as opposed to $500 for the G12. It features a nice spec sheet (although I have read that its vastly larger sensor will be partially canceled out by the fact that the sensor is slow-ish and will therefore force the camera to operate at higher ISO levels).

You guys think that the G1x will kick so much ass that it will warrant the price premium over the G12? At the $800 price point, should I just go ahead and get a lower-end EOS DSLR, even if it will be used in full-auto mode 95% of the time?

2/26/2012 11:03:26 PM

I can't imagine every buying a camera thats too big to fit in my pocket and isn't an slr. Depending on what you're looking for I'd opt for an s95/s100 or whatever DSLR you decide suits your fancy.

2/27/2012 6:55:29 PM