Looking for camera help

Mark W

Mark W

Well-known member
Currently have an old point and shoot Olympus (4mp) that while OK, is old. I have been shopping around for a new camera for my wife and must admit have not come to a conclusion. This is going to be her camera, not mine, although it will be brought along on some future duck hunts. I hope to do a better job of capturing some of my future hunts with the help from the experts here.

As much as it would be great to have a SLR, it would not be used by the wife. If it isn't used, it doesn't make sense to purchase. Knowing my wife, these are her requirements.

1. Takes good indoor pictures. The camera will be used mostly indoors and mostly for family type shots.
2. Be simple to use. She will not fiddle with adjusting various camera settings to get it set up perfectly. With that said, if there is a camera that has a setting that can be used that does better than "auto" that doesn't require lots of fiddlin, this would be OK.
3. Has to be small enough to carry around (fit in a purse).
4. Stabilization of some type. I have heard that digital stabilization is not a good way to go and that optical is the ticket.
5. A zoom bigger than 3X.

Cameras I have looked at are the following: (all below have a 10X minimum optical zoom)

Canon SX200 (nice zoom and it is a Canon) - a little big for wifey
Olympus Stylus 9000 (bad reviews)
Nikon SX630 - not the best recommended camera at local camera shops
Panasonic DMC-ZS1 - rated high but I had an earlier version I used for work and I thought it took bad pic's
Fujifilm F70EXR (FX72EXR at Best Buy) - very touchy zoom control

Any suggestions? I have been to Steve's Digicam review and to dprview.com to read about the various cameras under cnosideration.

Thank you for the help.

Mark W
 
there are some incredible P&S cameras on the market that will allow you to go "full auto" AND to shoot "raw" fi you ever advance to that stage, in the "just under $500.00" range.....excellent zooms and high resolution....more than your wife would need but gives you more range for when it leaves the house.....

Can't help you on the fit in your shirt pocket, shoots like a National Geographic Pro with a large format rig, stuff other than to tell you that I personally haven't found one that I like.....I've got a $450.00 Olympus that takes great pictures indoors, does a good job with stuff like closeup shots of decoys etc. that I'd sell ya for half price and I'd pay the postage.....

Steve
 
Mark, I have a digital camera that I absolutely love and it didn't break the bank. I use a Fuji Finepix. The S2100 is a 10mp digital camera with a full size body. It is still small enough to put in a purse or camera bag, I put mine in my gear bag for duck hunting. You can buy micro and macro lenses for it, filter kits, etc. It has a 15x zoom and all the bells and whistles. Mine can be set to take several pictures at a time, some with flash, some without so that you can instantly see what works better. It records video also, has the antishake and anything else you can think of. I would guess you can pick this up for $150-$200 on ebay (NEW). I am amazed at the photos that Steve shoots and want to pursue that hobby one day in the future, but for right now, this camera is perfect. We have no problem giving our 9 year old the camera and letting him take it outside to play with. He has come back with some really neat pictures. It doesn't eat batteries like some, downloads very easily to your PC.....can't say enough good stuff about it. dc
 
I like the canon d10. It's a fun, easy cammera to use. Plus it's water proof and the kids love taking underwater pictures while playing in the pool. I bought it this year and like it, but the wife keeps hiding it on me when I need it out in the blind. She says she'll give it back, soon.
 
Mark-

For what it's worth, I've never been impressed with picture quality on the olympus cameras. Especially indoors. They have always been grainy, and the same picture taken with a different camera doesn't turn out grainy. But that could be an issue with the olympuses that I have used.

Not really sure on any of those. But I had a canon P&S for 5 years before it died on me and loved it. And I have heard from lots of folk that their customer service is outstanding.

My mom has a fuji and I don't like it as much as I do the canon, but that could just be bias on my part. Pictures are fine, but I like the canon over the fugi.

I know a few people with Nikon P&S and they take good out door pictures. I haven't seen many indoor pics so I couldn't say on that part.

Dani
 
I have a DSLR and its awesome for its purpose, but I really need to get a P&S for hunting and fishing.

I honestly don't know anything first hand about the Olympus Tough 6000, but it is sposed to be waterproof, shockproof, and freezeproof. That is exactly what I need in a camera!

Let us know whatcha get and how it works . . . especially if you get the tough 6000!

NR
 
I have an Olympus Stylus 850SW It is small, pretty much point and shoot, or you can adjust some things. It has Zoom and flash or no flash, fits on a tripid if you want. I have taken it on my motorcycle and taken video with it also. It holds about 800 picturers. All the pictures I have posted here were taken with it. It is pretty inexpensive and it fits in your shirt pocket. It would be great for wildlife stuff too. I think it sold for about $200 a couple years ago.

Dave
 
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