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Maflynn · Sep 4, 2003, 09:38 AM

I'm now in the market for a new digital camera, so far my searches have resulted in looking at the:
Canon models a70, s45, s50.
Nikon Coolpix
Olympus c740.
Toshiba PDRm700

My needs are basic, however I do enjoy hiking and taking panoramic shots, I read on amazon.com that the olympus has issues with blurry backgrounds when focusing on the foreground, of course that's one thing I don't want. If I take a picture of my gf and the cityscape in the background I want both to be in focus.

Any advice of which camera has the best bang for my buck and which ones to avoid. oops, I almost forgot I'm looking at 3mp cameras and if there's other models that I haven't listed feel free to chime in. Of course I want the camera to be compatible to iPhoto, thats a must but that's the only real requirement.

Thanks
Mike

Zimwy · Sep 4, 2003, 10:59 AM

I don't know if size is of a concern to you, but check out the Pentax Optio S. I think I'll be getting myself one of those!

gabe

Ganesha · Sep 4, 2003, 12:42 PM

Originally posted by Maflynn:

My needs are basic, however I do enjoy hiking and taking panoramic shots, I read on amazon.com that the olympus has issues with blurry backgrounds when focusing on the foreground, of course that's one thing I don't want. If I take a picture of my gf and the cityscape in the background I want both to be in focus.

This is more of a matter of depth of field, then anything else. If you want to be able to control this you want a camera that you can manually adjust the aperture settings on.

Keep in mind higher depth of field = longer exposure times. Longer exposure times also can leaded to some blurriness. This is not much of a problem is your taking pictures in full sun light. But it can be if your taking them under lower light conditions, it will be.

Optics also play a roll. But in most higher end camera you get pretty good optics along with them.

scottiB · Sep 4, 2003, 12:42 PM

www.dpreview.com
www.dcreource.com
www.steves-digicams.com

Canon announced a new A camera, the A80.

I'm Canon-biased, so any of the ones you listed would be fine choices. The A series uses AA batteries, where the S takes a propritary one, fyi.

Good luck

zigzag · Sep 4, 2003, 12:54 PM

I always tell people to go to a store and handle the cameras in person. Maybe it's just me, but I think how a camera handles is a big part of how much you'll use and enjoy it. Do you like the size/proportions? Can you find and operate the shutter and zoom controls easily? Stuff like that.

imago dei · Sep 4, 2003, 04:38 PM

Canon A70

-imago dei

Back-to-Mac · Sep 4, 2003, 06:20 PM

The Nikion 5700 is a fantasic camera.

Maflynn · Sep 4, 2003, 06:27 PM

Wow,
thanks for all the info. I'll check the links out too. Keep the opionions coming. I plan to visit a couple of camera stores and get a feel of some of them, to make sure the ones I may buy feel right in my hand.

Mike

slffl · Sep 4, 2003, 07:11 PM

Canon S400, this camera even makes me look good.

Macpilot · Sep 5, 2003, 01:38 AM

I got a Canon S110 in early 2002 and this thing is bulletproof! It has been dropped, mishandled, spilled on, fondled, grabbed, thrown, etc!

Takes great pictures, has a great interface, and is sturdy.

If I was to replace it today, I would look at the new Canons and that Pixio.

Maflynn · Sep 5, 2003, 06:28 AM

Canon seems to be the camera of choice, I thought olympus or one of the other camera makers would be it.

Mike

xtal · Sep 6, 2003, 01:14 PM

This is the camera you want. Okay, so maybe it's the one I want...

Seriously though, I would head towards the Canon S-series, they seem to be excellent cameras.

Maflynn · Sep 6, 2003, 02:43 PM

Well, it didn't have a price, and that's probably a good thing since I don't want to have a heart attack.

Actually I'm leaning towards the Canon a70 or if I can wait the A80. The A80 looks great but at 400, its a tad more then I wanted to pay. Plus there's that waiting non-instant gratification issue

Mike

todrain · Sep 6, 2003, 06:04 PM

If you're looking at the C740, also look at the Kodak DX6490. It's out in about two weeks, and it also is 10x optical zoom, 4MP, and includes the cool charging dock for $499. (Same price as the C740)

It's hard to go wrong with the Canon A70 at $299, though. Only two drawbacks are the limited zoom (3x) and the 3MP camera. (good for now, but not great for enlargements)

slugslugslug · Sep 7, 2003, 08:54 AM

Originally posted by Maflynn:
Well, it didn't have a price, and that's probably a good thing since I don't want to have a heart attack.

Actually I'm leaning towards the Canon a70 or if I can wait the A80. The A80 looks great but at 400, its a tad more then I wanted to pay. Plus there's that waiting non-instant gratification issue

Mike

If you can wait, the A80 looks great. If it'd been out when I got my G3, I would've seriously considered it. The flippy LCD thing is about the coolest thing in the world, especially on a fairly little camera like that..

But yeah, waiting can kinda suck..

scottiB · Sep 7, 2003, 10:08 AM

I'd really consider waiting for the A80. It seems like a very kick-ass camera for the price (which you might find cheaper than $399 once released).

I have a flip-out/rotate LCD on my Canon, and it's just very handy when holding the camera over your head in a crowd or low without needing to lie on the floor.

Budget some extra funds for a larger CF card or two.

Whatever camera you select, have fun. Having a digital camera is a blast!