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Cameras: what do you have, and what do you wish for.

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Mads Barnkob

Sat May 31 2008, 06:54PM

Registered Member #1403 Joined: Tue Mar 18 2008, 06:05PM
Location: Denmark, Odense C
Posts: 1968

I currently have a Canon Ixus 70 (1400dkr/290$) just for its every purpose design so I can take it anywhere. Taking pictures of sparks and streamers have posed some problems with focus and long exposures. focus is often behind the streamers and alot of noise appears at long exposures.

camera prices at cheapest shop in denmark

picture taken of my flyback driver with canon ixus 70, its 1024x768 cut out of a 3072x2304.

As everyother on this forum we would love to have it all and I hope this could be the answer, anyone got experience with this camera and high voltages photographs?

Casio Exilim Pro EX-F1

(6700dkr/1395$)

Or am I better off with a much cheaper (and no bling functions) like a Nikon D40? (2200dkr/458$)

What have you guys got, and what do you dream of? pictures are welcome :)

Munkey

Sat May 31 2008, 08:12PM

Registered Member #588 Joined: Sat Mar 17 2007, 11:06AM
Location: UK
Posts: 93

MadsKaizer wrote ...

...much cheaper... like a Nikon D40?

Right now I have a Sony Cybershot DSC-P71. My dad has a Nikon D40 and its totally awsome! It costs a LOT of money though, but thats what I would love to have...

Arcstarter

Sat May 31 2008, 08:30PM

Registered Member #1225 Joined: Sat Jan 12 2008, 01:24AM
Location: Beaumont, Texas, USA
Posts: 2253

I have a kodak easyshare c613. It cost me ~100 dollars and it will do videos and pictures. It takes very good pictures, even when you are moving or shaking! Check out the videos on youtube. triggerhappy77707

Dave Marshall

Sun Jun 01 2008, 12:23AM

Registered Member #16 Joined: Thu Feb 02 2006, 02:22PM
Location: New Wilmington, PA
Posts: 554

My wife and I use an Olympus E-510 10MP DSLR. We just recently upgraded from a Sony cybershot DSC-H1, which was a great starter.

We really like it, still have yet to really hit the limits of the camera, so we're probably gonna stick with it for a while.

I highly recommend it to anyone in the market. Its got some great features that none of its competition (Canon XTI, D40X/D80) seem to offer in one package. Its 4/3 standard for lenses as well, so lenses are fairly easy to find, and the fact that it has a pretty effective anti-shake function in the camera makes new lenses a little cheaper unless you're going really high end.

Dave

aonomus

Sun Jun 01 2008, 01:07AM

Registered Member #1497 Joined: Thu May 22 2008, 05:24AM
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 801

I have the Canon S5IS, its not a DSLR, but its as close as you need for non-professional/hobby usage. 8MP, 12x optical zoom, super fast power on time (I believe the DP review stated 1.2s from flicking the power switch and holding down the button to take a photo, to taking the photo). The macro/super macro lets you take pictures down to 0mm lens distance (yes, as in place the camera lens against a computer screen, and you can see the individual pixels).

I got it on slight special, total cost for the camera and a 4GB SDHC card was about $500CDN. Highly recommended for macro/general/nature/sport photography.

Bjørn

Sun Jun 01 2008, 03:00AM

Registered Member #27 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 02:20AM
Location: Hyperborea
Posts: 2058

The great thing about a dSLR is that you are in control and you can adapt the camera to the task. If you only need a camera to document things then a dSLR does not make much sense in most cases.

A camera like the Canon S5IS is like a good multitool you can carry with you. If it does what you need there is no reason to get something else. A dSLR is more like a large toolbox where you can add the tools you need, it does not even have macro capability without buying an extra lens.

If you try to take pictures of shy insects then the Canon S5IS falls short but with a dSLR you can buy a macro lens that lets you keep enough distance to the insects. As you can imagine this will soon get very expensive but when it is time to upgrade the camera you only buy the body and you keep your lens collection.

Only you can decide what will work best for you so before you decide on the camera you need to decide which philosophy you will be most happy with.

I have 3 Nikon dSLR's and one small Olympus compact camera. The Olympus I carry with me at all times in case I see something interesting. The dSLR's I use when I plan to take pictures since they can do things that are impossible with any compact camera.

Noelle

Sun Jun 01 2008, 03:03AM

Napoleonic Powermonger
Registered Member #2 Joined: Thu Jan 26 2006, 05:10AM
Location: Meadville, PA
Posts: 70

I have a Panasonic DMC-FZ5, which is a bridge camera. I've found it to be good for long exposure shots. I haven't got any photos of lightning or sparks, but I've taken night photos and photos of the moon. Very little noise. This camera has been great for long exposures. I believe this camera sells for about $500USD now.

I don't have any experience with the cameras you're checking out. I'd take a look here

to see if there are some stats and sample photos of the cameras you're thinking about buying. The more expensive one, however, is aimed specifically at high speed photography and gives exceptional control over a range of shutter and exposure speeds. If you're serious about getting good photos and are willing to spend the cash, that could be a very good investment.

Shaun

Sun Jun 01 2008, 03:58AM

Registered Member #690 Joined: Tue May 08 2007, 03:47AM
Location: New Jersey, USA
Posts: 616

I just got a Sony A200, its a 10MP DSLR, and I have to say its a huge improvement over other cameras I've used. Taking good pictures of sparks is still very tough; but I think this is true with any camera. AF wont work on them, and they have to be very bright to be caught below ISO 1600.

And it goes without saying that the aperture is open all the way, so not all the sparks are in focus, just the ones in the center. That wouldn't be a problem with large sparks taken from several feet, or sparks between 2 electrodes, but on my small SSTC its noticeable.

Despite all that, it still make some extremely good pictures. The only accessory I plan on getting is a macro lens, or if I cant afford that then ill get a cheap[er] macro adapter.

flannelhead

Sun Jun 01 2008, 08:08AM

Registered Member #952 Joined: Mon Aug 13 2007, 11:07AM
Location: Finland
Posts: 388

I have Canon PowerShot A710 IS. It can take quite good photos of sparks if you get the touch on the manual mode and macro settings. Video quality is also awesome!

Steve Conner

Sun Jun 01 2008, 10:15AM

Registered Member #30 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 10:52AM
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 6706

I have a Pentax ist-DS and an old Canon Powershot S45. They both have manual mode and can both take good spark pics. I planned to sell the S45 when I got the DSLR, but I found that they kind of complement each other for the reasons that Bjoern mentioned.

The Pentax might not have been the best DSLR (it's made by Samsung) but I already had a load of Pentax gear and wanted to reuse the lenses.

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