Need Help Pickin a Camera

[HardcoreHehaw]

Hi all I need some help picking out a Camera, I don't know very much about them but I know what I want it to do.


#1 have a good mega pixel rating, like 5 of higher
#2 Be able to zoom.. more than 10x too
#3 Be able to record video with no restrictions unless it's by memory, i don't want a camera that only lets me record for 1 minute, 10 minutes and more would be great if possible
#4 At least 1gb of memory.
#5 Be cost effective, under 6 or $700 would be nice.

Can you all help? I've tried to do some research but digital cameras are just so confusing to me. Thanks in advance, Evan

[EOSAddict]

I am not sure you will be able to get all your requirements in one camera! Are you after a P&S, a 'pro-sumer' or a DSLR?

[Persian-Rice]

He is not after anything EOS.

There is only one camera perfect for you. Canon Powershot S2 IS. Its around $500, you also need to buy a memory card, lets say 2GB for another 150-180. So just under $700 you get the camera and two 1 gig cards.

1. Has 5 mp
2. 432mm effective optical, you can't ask for more.
3. 640x480 /w audio, no limit. Bloody brilliant, one fo the first with this much capability.
4. Got that covered in the memory cards.
5. I think thats it.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_s2is.asp

[PhotosGuy]

I am not sure you will be able to get all your requirements in one camera! Me, either. Combining pics & video in one $600 package is going to give you average results with either format. Better to get a good P&S cam & a DVD video cam, too. (Then if one quits, you still have the other to use) ;-)

[HardcoreHehaw]

Well it's not for me really.. well it's for the family.My mom is buying. We're going on a cruise in hawaii and need more than our 35mm film camera!

I just showed her the Nikkon cool pix 8800 (sorry i know this is a cannon forum)
And she was willing to go higher after I explained to her how hard it is to find a camera with all these features.. i've been looking for the past few days.
So anyways I can up the budget now.. under $1,500 would be good and hopefully it can zoom more, or at least get a new lens. Although 10x optical and 8mp would allow me to get close and then zoom on the computer right?
See I want to be able to take pics of things from the boat, ya know.
Also I'll bring my lap top to upload pics and vid to, so 1gb of memory should be fine.

I'd rather go with cannon, anyone have any more suggestions? Thanks for the input so far, i really, really appreciate it!

[Persian-Rice]

I would still count out a digital SLR out of your range for several reasons. You are going to spend all you budget on a Camera that IMO is probably more then you will ever need. Getting a long lens is usually not very cheap, and you want one. You can't get any video and in general they are very big cameras.

You could go for the DVD recorder/good digicam rout. The best you can buy is the Powershot Pro 1 or a G6. They both don't zoom even as close as the S2, but they produce RAW, which I doubt you will want to use. On the other hand they have the high megapixels and image quality is very nice. They also aren't as capable when it comes to video, so if you want good video get a DVD cam. BTW, I'm just wondering, do you know what the megapixel does for you? I'm just wondering if you know why you need 8 mpx. Because there are many cameras out there with 4-5 mpx that are very good, even better then the 8 mpx. Megapixels pretty much relates the print sizes you can get. If you are doing anything up to A4 sizes 4mpx is more then enough. 8 mpx sound like alot, but ask any photographer here, although resolution is important, most won't even put it in their top 5-10 requirements unless it's a big jump. You can "zoom in" on the computer, which is called cropping, but you will lose image quality. With the S2 I showed you, there wont be a need to crop, because the zoom range is very very good.

All in all, the S2, based on your requirements is probably the best choice for an all in one digicam, and you will be more then satisfied, you will also save a good chunk of money. You could opt for a DVD cam and still be well under $1500. BTW the S2 is the longest zoom you will find in a digicam and the most capable in terms of video. I would seriously consider it, because it's probably the only camera out there that will meet almost all of what you are looking for.

[HardcoreHehaw]

My understanding of mega pixels (correct me if I'm wrong... I probably am)

The higher the MP the better the quality, at least when it comes to enlarging prints??
The higher the MP the may you will be able to crop without loosing as much quality as a lower mega pixel camera??

This one is a question.. will a higher Mega pixel camera be able to use the digital zoom without loosing as much quality?

The S2 appears to be what I need.
I'd rather have super, awesome close ups than vid. (My mom wants the vid part, I couldn't care less about it)
I guess I'm gonna have to see them in person to see the pic quality and all that. But thank you very much for setting me on the right course, I really appreciate it.
Also if anyone has any other ideas, keep 'em coming, i'm all ears :)
Thanks again Persian, and everyone else who posted.

[Persian-Rice]

You actually have it pretty close. But, it depends on the prints you want. If you are doing 4x6, 5x7, 8x10 they will be pretty much the same. However, the difference between 5 & 8 will show a slight difference in lets say an 11x14 print. Even then you would really need to look up close and be very picky to start telling the difference. It also has the advantage of crop. But you shouldn't be cropping the image down so much that there will be a significant drop in resolution, because then you go back to poor image quality, whether you shoot 5 or 8 mpx. However, it does make a difference.

As for digital zoom, stay away from it, it won't look good anywhere. When looking at zoom, don't look at the magnification factor, but rather the effective focal length ###mm. The S2 I told you about has very very good zoom, as far as I can remember, by far the most of any Canon. The difference I would guess between the S2 and a G6 or Pro1 is image quality that comes down to lens quality. On the higher end cameras they have lenses that are considered the pro quality stuff, so you get crisp & vibrant images. I am not saying the others are bad, but these are just very good.

Good luck. You should also consider a Pro1 or G6.

[Michaelmjc]

I say go with the S2, 432mm zoom is amazing! I thought 200mm was pretty far, thats double. It looks like an all around great camera, good luck.

[HardcoreHehaw]

every 35mm is 1x zoom correct.. so 300mm = 10x zoom
I was just playing with my dad's work camera: Olypmus c-700 wiht 10x optical and 2.1 MP
and it zoomed farther than i thought, and once i get it uploaded to the computer it will look even bigger, so the 12x zoom will be far enough, thanks for all the help guys.
I'm gonna take my mom and go to the mall maybe tonight or tommorow.

[lostdoggy]

No.
The S2 has a 6.0-72mm lens. Divid 6 into 72 gets you 12X zoom. The 35mm equivalent is 36-432mm.This is because of the size (1/2.5") sensor. This gives the lens a 6X multipling factor.

[HardcoreHehaw]

so perhaps as a rule of thumb?
432/35= 12.3...

[Persian-Rice]

No and yes. 10x or 8x is really a lamans or dumbed down way manufacturers explain things, no pun intended. ##x zoom is really a very useless figure. No 10X zoom is the same, in terms of reach, because it based on min and max focal lengths, the range of the lens.

In the SLR world we have lenses that are 100-300, which is very good zoom and it is 3x. Then we have lenses that only have one setting and it could be 500mm, and that is 1x. So the x factor can be a bit deceiving.

You could have a 10x zoom that goes half as far as another 10x zoom. Why? because one lens can be 10mm-100mm which is 10x, 10 multiplied by itself. Another like the S2 is 35mm and if it was 10x, it would be 35mm-350mm. 250mm more zoom then the other one. The X is really a value of the range, nothing else.

The reason why I also said you are right is because the focal length you have divided are about the same as the S2, which is 12x, but if I am thinking what you are assuming then it's wrong.

The smaller the focal length, ie 3mm, will allow you to see more in the screen you have a wider view, the larger the number the narrower the view is, so things appear closer. In essence, things are cropped by the lens. Don't look at the X value, look at the focal length next time. Don't be discouraged, because all p&s cameras will have tiny focal lengths, 6-19. but those become even more magnified because the size of the surface of the sensor capturing the picture. I will explain that some other time, too much to take in one seating lol.

Hang around here long enough and you will probably get hooked and have L hanging around your neck sooner or later. Don't even ask what L is :)