Advice/Questions on buying Cameras & Accessories. **Please read OP first**

Zascar

I just bought a CaseLogic SLR Sling: http://www.caselogic.com/slr_sling/product_detail/index.cfm?modelid=138051
I had the LowePro 100 AW before and liked it, but after seeing a nice small CaseLogic SLR Holster in Dixons I was very impressed with them and thought i'd get this just for a change. I did not even know CaseLogic did such a big range so I thought I'd share here in case others are in the market for bags

MiketheMechanic

Hi all,
Can anyone recommend a compact or ultracompact P&S for under €100.
Its for my other half for a present.

Priorities in the following order:
Overall image quality, optical zoom, and low light performance.
Good macro closeup performance would be nice also.

Was thinking of an Canon IXUS 105 or this Nikon S3100 for €79
http://www.argos.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10152&catalogId=13352&langId=111&searchTerms=S3100&authToken=

Thanks in advance.
MtM

tbayers

Hi guys, sorry if im posting this on the wrong forum buts its worth a try!

I have an interest in photography but all i have is a poor quality compact camera so i want to upgrade to a DSLR. I like shooting action sports so nice burst speed would be a bonus. Was looking at the Nikon D3100. Or is there anything similar at a cheaper price that would suit my needs. Thanks in return.

PrzemoF

I think that Canon 500D is similar. Or get a used Canon 40D and 6.5 shots/second (I can recommend this one).
For sport shots it's handy to have a fast lens as well.

.Longshanks.

tbayers wrote: »

Hi guys, sorry if im posting this on the wrong forum buts its worth a try!

I have an interest in photography but all i have is a poor quality compact camera so i want to upgrade to a DSLR. I like shooting action sports so nice burst speed would be a bonus. Was looking at the Nikon D3100. Or is there anything similar at a cheaper price that would suit my needs. Thanks in return.

PrzemoF wrote: »

I think that Canon 500D is similar. Or get a used Canon 40D and 6.5 shots/second (I can recommend this one).
For sport shots it's handy to have a fast lens as well.

Just to back up this (for tbayers who I presume has no DSLR experience)....the camera determines how quickly the lens can take pictures - but the type of lens determines how fast the shutter speed can be.
A fast lens is generally something like a f2.8 or a f1.8 or something. A f5.6 lens is a slower lens

tbayers

Cheers for the reply. So basically if for example i got the Canon 40d which can take x amount of pics per second, therefore the lens i get will determine how long i can take a burst of pictures? Apologies again :P

samhail

tbayers wrote: »

Cheers for the reply. So basically if for example i got the Canon 40d which can take x amount of pics per second, therefore the lens i get will determine how long i can take a burst of pictures? Apologies again :P

Nope the Lense wont affect it.
The Canon 40d (for example) can take up to 6.3 frames/sec, and a maximium of 75 images of JPEG in a row (**source below). After this the memory buffer is filled up and will need to be written to the memory card.
So that will last up to about 12s.

If you enable a smart mode on the camera, for example that will autofocus on an image if it is moving towards the camera, that will add to the time it takes to take each picture.




**Continuous Drive up to 6.5 frame/s (75 images (JPEG), 17 images (RAW))
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_EOS_40D

tbayers

So how does the term slower come in to it regarding lens. Slower time to focus? Im currently reading up on all this by the way:p

samhail

Lenses will affect the 6.5 rate alright... past that I have not had experience in this area so wont comment any further on lenses

MiketheMechanic

MiketheMechanic wrote: »

Hi all,
Can anyone recommend a compact or ultracompact P&S for under €100.
Its for my other half for a present.

Priorities in the following order:
Overall image quality, optical zoom, and low light performance.
Good macro closeup performance would be nice also.

Was thinking of an Canon IXUS 105 or this Nikon S3100 for €79
http://www.argos.ie/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10152&catalogId=13352&langId=111&searchTerms=S3100&authToken=

Thanks in advance.
MtM

Looking at this some more, there is also a Sony S Series DSC2100B or a Fujifilm FinePix JX350 that I would consider.

Of these four, can anyone comment on which is best in terms of the priorities I'm looking for?

MtM

cubeking

hi guys looking to buy a new dslr with a budget of round 500. its for motorsport photography but mostly for still pictures or cars in good light not moving i want a very clear crisp image i was tinking a d90 or canon 550d? if u guys know sumtn cheaper for the job please help

MiketheMechanic

Anyone?

MiketheMechanic wrote: »

Looking at this some more, there is also a Sony S Series DSC2100B or a Fujifilm FinePix JX350 that I would consider.

Of these four, can anyone comment on which is best in terms of the priorities I'm looking for?

MtM

marko93

Would be upgrading from the D3100 to the D90 be worth it?

Zascar

Telchak wrote: »

MemoryC are good, I got a 16GB class 10 Integral for €25 that has no problem with recording HD video. Free delivery too (:

Have to recommend www.memorycards.ie - got a Class 10 Transcend for €14 delivered in a few days, great service.

markjbloggs

Hi all,

after much research, I am about to pull the trigger on a TZ8. I am looking for sharp pictures, good low-light performance, no lag after pressing shutter release and good enough video not to have to buy a camcorder.

Anyone have any advice / warnings before I go ahead

much appreciated,

M

johnmcdnl

tbayers wrote: »

So how does the term slower come in to it regarding lens. Slower time to focus? Im currently reading up on all this by the way:p

slower means it has a smaller aperture... and a fast lens has a wide aperture...

I dunno why but I assume it's because to get the same amount of light into a picture you'd have to have a slower shutter speed because the aperture is smaller...


say a lens with 2.8 aperture - this is a a fast lens - so you might be able to take a perfectly exposed picture at 1/1000 of sec with ISO400 lets say....

but a slow lens that has max aperture of say 5.6 - in this case you'd have to shoot at.... 1/250???? (stand be be corrected here - still learning myself so)

1/250 is a lot "slower" than 1/1000 which is needed to get the best exposure in this situation hence the lens is called slow....


when your taking sports shots you'd need a fast shutter speed to freeze the action so you'd use a "fast" lens - ie a lens with a wide aperture of 2.8 more than likely....

jeffk

I'm looking to get a back up battery for this camera, as if I'm out or even away I get around 100 photos and then the battery is dead.

Thanks for any help

curly hayes

Im going to Canada for 3 weeks and need to buy a new camera.Im looking at 2 at the moment.

They are the Nikon Coolpix 59100 ,12.1m.pix,18 Xzoom and 7.5bLCD for €349 or the Canon Powershot SX220 WITH 14X ZOOM HD and £LCD. Guy in the store advising me to buy The Canon.

Anyone got any feedback on these? Should I be looking at any others? thanks in advance

markjbloggs

markjbloggs wrote: »

Hi all,

after much research, I am about to pull the trigger on a TZ8. I am looking for sharp pictures, good low-light performance, no lag after pressing shutter release and good enough video not to have to buy a camcorder.

Anyone have any advice / warnings before I go ahead

much appreciated,

M

I see that the video features aren't great on this camera - not as good as the older tz7. this sony is supposed to be very good.

http://www.simplyelectronics.net/mainproduct.php?pid=13807

check out some reviews of it.

xzodia

Hi

As the title says i am thinking of buting the nixon p100 camera and was wondering what people thought of it. mainly for family photos and when im out and about

thanks

FishTaco

I've decided to buy myself a new camera, and after much deliberation have settled on this http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/panasonic_lumix_dmc_gf2_review/

It comes with a choice of two lenses, either; http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-electronics/shop/Supplies-Accessories/Cameras-Camcorders/Digital-Camera-Accessories/Lenses/model.H-H014_11002_7000000000000005702 Or http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-electronics/shop/Supplies-Accessories/Cameras-Camcorders/Digital-Camera-Accessories/Lenses/model.H-FS014042_11002_7000000000000005702

Could anybody give me an idea of the main differences between these two lenses?

PCPhoto

one of them is a fixed lens at 14mm the other is a zoom 14-42mm .... the advert says it comes with 14-42mm !!

14mm
Max aperture f2.5 which allows a lot of light in and will allow for taking pics in low light conditions

Filter size is 46mm (meaning if you use filters you may need to get adapters to suit the 46mm)

Generally prime lenses (ones that are a set number and not a zoom ...ie. 14mm) are sharper and faster when focussing.

14-42mm
max aperture f3.5 (at14mm) and f5.6 (at 42mm) decent enough but if you are at 42mm - when shooting at low light this will require more time to get the same shot (meaning it might be required to use a tripod in a situation where the other lens might get a pic)

Filter size 52mm (which is a fairly standard size, I think 49, 52 and 58 are the most common - 72, 77 and 82 for professional standard lenses are most common)

weight 165g

all depends on what you intend shooting .... if you are doing landscapes I would say get the 14mm, if you are shooting anything else....I would suggest you either buy the zoom lens or you keep searching.


PS. you could get a much better setup with either Canon or Nikon (no offence to any Panasonic users out there) .... but with either Canon or Nikon you should be able to pick up some secondhand bargains on lenses.

Have you completely made up your mind on the panasonic lumix (I've heard they are great cameras but I've over €30K worth of Canon stuff and Panasonic just dont make some of the lenses I require)

ED E

http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/s/finepix_hs20exr/specifications/

Any particular drawbacks?

Thanks,
LB.

EDIT: NVM, it uses AA.

landsleaving

Just a heads up for anyone interested, I picked up this tripod in lidl today, wasn't expecting much from it but was pleasantly surprised. It's small, very light and works like a gorillapod, I had it wrapped around a wooden fence and it was nice and tight, it also held up well balanced on an uneven surface. That was with a DSLR on it, an e520, so as I said, very pleasant surprise since I was expecting it to just be for a compact. Well worth €7 I think

FishTaco

PCPhoto wrote: »

one of them is a fixed lens at 14mm the other is a zoom 14-42mm .... the advert says it comes with 14-42mm !!

14mm
Max aperture f2.5 which allows a lot of light in and will allow for taking pics in low light conditions

Filter size is 46mm (meaning if you use filters you may need to get adapters to suit the 46mm)

Generally prime lenses (ones that are a set number and not a zoom ...ie. 14mm) are sharper and faster when focussing.

14-42mm
max aperture f3.5 (at14mm) and f5.6 (at 42mm) decent enough but if you are at 42mm - when shooting at low light this will require more time to get the same shot (meaning it might be required to use a tripod in a situation where the other lens might get a pic)

Filter size 52mm (which is a fairly standard size, I think 49, 52 and 58 are the most common - 72, 77 and 82 for professional standard lenses are most common)

weight 165g

all depends on what you intend shooting .... if you are doing landscapes I would say get the 14mm, if you are shooting anything else....I would suggest you either buy the zoom lens or you keep searching.


PS. you could get a much better setup with either Canon or Nikon (no offence to any Panasonic users out there) .... but with either Canon or Nikon you should be able to pick up some secondhand bargains on lenses.

Have you completely made up your mind on the panasonic lumix (I've heard they are great cameras but I've over €30K worth of Canon stuff and Panasonic just dont make some of the lenses I require)

Great reply, thanks very much for that. I'm pretty set on the Panasonic, but I'm open to having my mind changed if you could offer a viable alternative. What's drawn me to the Panasonic is the fact that it's a nice size, between a compact and a DSLR, has a removable lens if I want a change, and it has a reasonable price tag.

Re. the lenses; I will be shooting a bit of everything really, the 14mm is slightly more expensive but I'm more drawn to it as it looks quite a bit smaller.

5uspect

Lethal_Bullet wrote: »

http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/s/finepix_hs20exr/specifications/

Any particular drawbacks?

Thanks,
LB.

EDIT: NVM, it uses AA.

That's not a drawback. Throw in some high capacity hybrid NiMH AAs and you won't believe the battery life.

johnmcdnl

Simple Canon v Nikon question

Canon 500D or Nikon D5000 - going to be picking up a 50mm lens with whichever body I go for... going to be mainly used for (trying to shoot) gigs and just general walk about the place stuff... down the line it'll be used a bit for sports so just to keep that in mind maybe....

right now I'm leaning towards the 500D but open to any other suggestions or advice...

are their any other cameras in this price range worth looking at... 500-600 really is max at the moment including the 50mm lens...


also - if buying from ebay will there be any problems if I get an asian or american version?? incompatible lens and stuff like that - I'd imagine there wouldn't be a problem but I don't want to find out the hard way is all... the warranty might be a bit problematic too I suppose

hbr

johnmcdnl wrote: »

Simple Canon v Nikon question

Canon 500D or Nikon D5000 - going to be picking up a 50mm lens with whichever body I go for... going to be mainly used for (trying to shoot) gigs and just general walk about the place stuff... down the line it'll be used a bit for sports so just to keep that in mind maybe....

Both are good cameras with similar capabilities. If the 50mm lens is a priority,
I would go with the Canon and the excellent but very cheap 50mm f/1.8.
The Canon is also a good choice for sports, but suitable lenses can be
expensive.

right now I'm leaning towards the 500D but open to any other suggestions or advice...

are their any other cameras in this price range worth looking at... 500-600 really is max at the moment including the 50mm lens...

The other obvious candidate is the Pentax K-x. They use the same 12MP
image sensor as the Nikon D5000. Argos are selling them for €431 at
the moment.

also - if buying from ebay will there be any problems if I get an asian or american version?? incompatible lens and stuff like that - I'd imagine there wouldn't be a problem but I don't want to find out the hard way is all... the warranty might be a bit problematic too I suppose

The camera body hardware is usually identical. It may have different
firmware, users manual and the wrong power plug. The biggest issue
is warranty support. Most manufacturers including Canon and Nikon
won't offer warranty support for a camera from another region.

5uspect

If you are going for the Nikon consider their 35mm instead of the 50mm.

johnmcdnl

5uspect wrote: »

If you are going for the Nikon consider their 35mm instead of the 50mm.

why would you suggest the 35mm over the 50mm