Camera Advice

Fairytale

Fairytale

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I could do with some advice/opinions on what digital camera to buy. I want something really simple to use (complete technophobe) so point and shoot is good - but capable of taking decent shots of horses in motion as well as the usual portrait sort of thing.

Also needs to be capable of being stuffed in my pocket when necessary, and quick and easy to get going so no fiddling around with fancy lenses, attachments etc etc.

And......don't want to spend a small fortune - max say £100

Any suggestions??
 
Sorry, best suggestion I could give would be to pop along to your local Comet or similar store and have a play (when you have chosen you can go away and find the cheapest on the internet!!). There are loads on the market but personally I would go for a decent make like Sony, Canon, Nikon or Samsung. You need to check out the following though:

Megapixels - the more the better quality photo but unless you are going to blow up picture to masooove proportions you will not need huge numbers.

Battery - get one that is rechargeable - otherwise you will find yourself going through bucket loads of AA batteries!!

HD - is good but not absolutely necessary - better quality.

Video + stills is good too for all those little video clips you want to load up on here!

Bundle deals are good - ie get a carry case thrown in to protect your new camera!

Optical Image Stabilisers are good too for those shakey hand moments!

Something with a nice big viewing screen too so you can see clearly what you have taken.

Built in flash is a must and comes as standard on anything half decent.
 
You're describing a camera that is 3 times your budget, sorry you won't get a fast enough camera for decent sport pics for £100.
 
I spoke to a pro photographer at a venue & the main thing he said was that you need a shutter speed of a minimum of 4000th of second. Additionally if you wish to blow up the photos taken without any marked reduction in quality you need the biggest mega pixal number you can afford.

I've still never got round to buying a quality camera though, I video every round our horses jump so I can't use both at the same time & we prefer videos to watch. ;)
 
Actually, for £109.00, at Amazon, UK, you can get a Panasonic DMC SZ1EB-1 Lumix with 16.1megapixels, a 10x optical zoom, a 25mm Leica lens, and HD movie mode. Now, that's an awful lot for the price. I've got the 20x zoom one, for a bit more money, and it's a good little camera. I've got proper DSLR Nikons, but this Lumix fits in my pocket and is nothing to carry around all day. Go for it!
 
Toby_Zaphod said:
I spoke to a pro photographer at a venue & the main thing he said was that you need a shutter speed of a minimum of 4000th of second. Additionally if you wish to blow up the photos taken without any marked reduction in quality you need the biggest mega pixal number you can afford.

I've still never got round to buying a quality camera though, I video every round our horses jump so I can't use both at the same time & we prefer videos to watch. ;)
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4000th of second shutter speed is slightly excessive as a minimum! Depends entirely on what you are shooting and where. Depending on timing/lighting etc I frequently have to shoot indoor shows at around 1000th of a second sometimes lower if the light's rubbish (many indoor arenas are) and I have to get the shot no matter what. But that is with a Pro DSLR which has increased light sensitivity and a load of other bells and whistles. Most point and shoots will not cope with older dark indoor arenas all that well but will be okay outside. The only problem is that they have horrendous shutter lag (time taken from pressing the button to the shot being taken) so you have to adjust for this by pressing the button earlier than normal. Also make sure it has a sport mode (point and shoot compact camera) as this should always try to give you a higher shutter speed to freeze the action.

don't worry to much about Megapixels - most point and shoot cameras are around the 10MP mark and will therefore enlarge quite well to A3 (possibly) providing you remember to change the quality of the photo setting to fine or large or whatever the setting is on that particular camera to give the biggest file size. You'll get through more memory cards with the large file size but it will give you a better quality image for enlarging.

Your best bet is to visit a camera shop and try them out - you don't have to buy from them but you can see what suits you and then shop around online for the same make/model ! £100 budget might be a bit tight - depends how fussy you are going to be. It might be worth learning some basic photo skills (shutter spead, aperture, ISO relationship) as it doesn't matter how much you spend on a camera you are the one that is taking the shot. Having a bit more knowledge might help you choose the right camera or get better results from an existing one:o
 
I agree with rutlandh20, the lumix is a good little camera.
If you don't fancy that the iPhone 4S and 5 will take as good a picture and video as most cameras for that price, if you've already got one. I've also got an SLR, a canon 7d, it was £1700 including a decent lens, that's the sort of camera you'd have to buy to take very quick action, movement shots I'm afraid.
 
I agree, Blackwijet, shutter lag time with these small cameras can be a problem. I'm very spoiled after using my Nikon 7000. However, everything in life is a compromise. The Panasonic I mentioned, and several others in their line, is terrific value for money, with settings for almost any photographic situation, including sport/action.
 
Thanks for the input folks, certainly some food for thought and a basis on which to start my research......Comet etc here I come ;)

As for the iphone Snorkey......my phone is the equivalent to a Brownie 127 :D though I expect many are too young to remember that piece of photographic antiquity!
 
The one thing above all to consider is the delay between pressing the button and the camera actually deciding to take a picture. We had a fuji finepix but we couldn't use it with any confidence to take a moving picture. We have sice bought a canon eos 400d second hand with a sigma 18-200 mm lens and it is fantastic. I would bide my time a save up for something like this second hand.
 
Fairytale said:
Thanks for the input folks, certainly some food for thought and a basis on which to start my research......Comet etc here I come ;)

As for the iphone Snorkey......my phone is the equivalent to a Brownie 127 :D though I expect many are too young to remember that piece of photographic antiquity!
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Can I suggest you go to a proper camera shop rather than an electrical supermarket! You'll get better advice (hopefully), Look out for Wex, Jessops, Camera World - really any shop that specialises in cameras. Yes they may be a bit more expensive but you should get better advice and you can always shop around for price once you've decided on the camera that's right for you.
 
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