Snap happy
My old trusted Sony DSC-P51 seems to have given up on me. Over the last few weeks it’s just been acting darn funny. First I lost about 20-30 images off the memory card (how it wiped them I don’t know), and then on a quite regular basis it decides to go back to factory settings and asks for the time to be set, etc. I keep it well charged all the time but I’ve no idea what is up.
We’re off to Disney World next month and I really don’t want to be losing pictures of that trip as it’ll be highly likely that it’ll be some years before we possibly get a chance to go again.
So off on the hunt for a new camera. I’m not after anything special, just a basic compact camera that takes pics of about 2megapixels (more isn’t really neccasary as I can get 6×7 inch prints at that res). I’m currently looking at the Sony DSC-T5.
I can pick one up for between 145 and 155 quid, which is about all i’m willing to spend. It would have been nice if I could have found another Sony camera that would use the Sony Memory Sticks I already have but unfortunately they all now use the newer Memory Stick Pro or Memory Stick Pro DUO standard. (Why does the media always have to change !)
Anyone have any other suggestions for about that price bracket?
Tags: camera, photography, sony
June 13th, 2006 at 1:50 pm
I’ve had good luck with my Canon A70 (there are newer models with bigger numbers). The lens is very good, the photos it takes are suitable for printing. Two nice things about the camera: It uses AA batteries (which you can find anywhere in DisneyWorld, but you can’t with the custom Lithiums that many cameras use) and it takes 640×480 movies in motion JPEG with audio (which is about the easiest format to manipulate on a PC when you’ve got the right codec). There are probably a handful of Canon cameras in your price range.
Mine takes CompactFlash, and I use an adapter so I can use SD cards (most of my other devices use SD). The newer models use SD instead of CF. Given the ubiquitiy of SD between manufacturers, you’re not likely to have the same problem re-using memory as with the Sony cameras.
I’ll grant you that Sony has some nice lenses on their cameras. I’ve owned 2 Mavicas over the years - both excellent cameras. But I can’t fathom the custom memory format and the custom battery format.
dpreview.com has good camera reviews.
June 13th, 2006 at 4:11 pm
I’ve had a Fuji F10 (6 megapixel) for about 6 months, and think it’s absolutely fantastic. I paid £200 for it (a good deal at the time), but Amazon now do them for £145.
Negatives:
It takes xD cards (about £30 for 1Gb).
You have to learn a few tricks to get the very best from it (use manual mode to set the best ISO, and force the camera to underexpose a little)
No viewfinder
No aperture or shutter priority
Positives:
Very very fast and responsive
Great battery life (supposed to be 500 shots per charge)
It feels very well made
Amazing low light abilities - supposed to come close to digital SLRs. Using a high ISO, I’ve taken really good shots WITHOUT A FLASH in badly lit rooms at night. No other compact camera that I’m aware of can do that (other than it’s more expensive brothers, the F11 and F30). The great light sensitivity also allows you to use a high ISO to force a high shutter speed. Works well to combat camera shake.
Although it’s 6 megapixel, the detail in its shots rivals 7 or 8 megapixel cameras. The difference between this and my old 5 megapixel Canon S50 is night and day. It has very similar image quality to my dad’s 8 megapixel Canon Powershot Pro1
The camera doesn’t over process the images. I’d rather have a slightly soft and dull image that I can work with, rather than some of the over saturated and over sharpened images that lots of consumer cameras produce
In summary, basically the F10 is almost a mini DSLR in a compact body. Not so many controls obviously, but capable of getting great shots in situations that would defeat most other cameras of a remotely similar size or price.
June 13th, 2006 at 5:07 pm
@Owen - I know what your saying about Sony and their cards, and I’d probably be best to look for something that uses SD/CF rather than memory sticks just for future proofing when it comes round to the next upgrade.
@Steven - I’ll have to take a look at some Fujis now! I was quite set on the T5, i’ve read some nice reviews.
I knew I shouldn’t have said anything, now i’ve too many good choices to look at!
Thanks for the help guys
June 13th, 2006 at 6:01 pm
No problem Gary,
dcresource.com is a favourite digital camera site of mine (dpreview is also very good). dcresource has reviews and real world sample shots from both cameras, so you can easily compare them. I prefer much the F10 shots, but the the T5 is quite a bit smaller (139g vs 190g) according to the dpreview side by side comparison.