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Topic: 6MP digital camera for on the road

Michael Schaffer
"Where is the
Boardwalk Hotel?"

Posts: 4143
From: Boston, MA
Registered: Apr 2002

posted 03-10-2007 04:54 AM

What's a good, handy, reasonably solid and versatile 6MP (+/-) camera for good point-and-shoot on the road? I looked at the Canon PowerShot series, which some review sites seem to favor, but one thing I don't like is that you can adjust shutter and aperture manually.
Any recommendations/warnings?

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Richard Greco
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1180
From: Plant City, FL
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 03-10-2007 08:00 AM

I have a Powershot S2IS and adore it. It's a 5mp

The S3IS is the 6mp version and is the same camera virtually. On the "AUTO" setting, you don't have to worry about manual shutter and aperture settings

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 03-10-2007 08:50 AM

Michael,
My Nikon 2200 died last weekend... stuck lens. This is the 6th pocket digital camera I've bought in the last 7 years to die. So I can't reccomend any pocket type cameras any longer to anyone... except to the feeble that only use it at Christmas or a birthday. Pocket digitals just don't last and are to expensive to repair that its cheaper to get a new one... think of them as throw aways. Look at something more flexible like the Nikon D-50 or Canon Rebel... both about 6 mp although the Nokon blows the Canon out of the water with its top mounted LCD screen that reads out all functions.... many of these readouts are duplicated in the viewfinder as well. At least these cameras are SLR and have interchangable lenses and both cameras are VERY light... just a little over a pound with lens. Discount camera stores sell them pretty reasonably or watch for sales. The thing with these cameras are that they are expensive enough to justify a couple hundred dollar repair and not just throw aways....

Overall pocket cameras suck big time!

Mark

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David Stambaugh
Film God

Posts: 4021
From: Eugene, Oregon
Registered: Jan 2002

posted 03-10-2007 07:36 PM

I have an older Canon PowerShot S50, 5MP. It's ok but I'm not crazy about it. The thing I really hate about these tiny cameras is even if they allow manual exposure adjustments, they're very "fiddly". Lots of tiny buttons, menus to scroll though, etc. I rarely have the patience to thrash my way through all these options, so I usually just point-and-shoot and hope for the best.

I should dig out my very old Minolta SRT-102 and see if it still works. Talk about an easy camera to operate, especially setting the exposure. Sometimes the old ways are better. Too bad it weighs 5 lbs. though. [Wink]

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 03-10-2007 08:05 PM

My brother-in-law just bought a Kodak EasyShare Z650, and is very pleased with it:

quote:
Intense zoom. Incredible simplicity.
6.1 MP for prints up to 20 × 30 in. (50 × 75 cm)
10X SCHNEIDER-KREUZNACH VARIOGON Optical Zoom Lens
2.0 in. (5.0 cm) indoor/outdoor color display
Picture enhancing features
KODAK Color Science Chip
Auto options and manual modes

Kodak EasyShare Z650

My three year old Kodak DX6490 is still going strong, and is similar in design.

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Michael Schaffer
"Where is the
Boardwalk Hotel?"

Posts: 4143
From: Boston, MA
Registered: Apr 2002

posted 03-11-2007 05:41 PM

Both the Kodak and Nikon look very nice (I know the D-50, my mother has it), but I am really looking for something more compact for point-and-shoot operation. Of course, maybe it really doesn't matter so much then, as long as the camera has all the basic functions and doesn't fall apart after two weeks. I guess if I get more into taking pictures better than just taking a lot of snapshots while driving around, I will end up buying one of those nicer cameras anyway. But right now, I am looking for something more compact and pockety.

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Mike Heenan
Phenomenal Film Handler

Posts: 1896
From: Scottsdale, AZ, USA
Registered: Mar 2000

posted 03-11-2007 06:04 PM

WE just got the Sony Cybershot ds something 100, at Costco for $200, it's an 8.1mp camera, and has a nice big viewfinder on the back, so far it's working great and it's nice and compact as well.

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Bobby Henderson
"Ask me about Trajan."

Posts: 10973
From: Lawton, OK, USA
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 03-11-2007 06:38 PM

I like some of the Canon PowerShot models. Some use a longer lasting Lithium Ion battery instead of the AA batteries that seem to drain after only a few shots. Certain PowerShot models feature a handy flip out viewfinder that makes it easier to take photos of yourself with other people or standing in front of some landmark.

Kodak has a lot of decent models in a wide range of price points.

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Jennifer Pan
THE JEN!

Posts: 1219
From: Denver, Colorado
Registered: Nov 2003

posted 03-11-2007 07:10 PM

I have the Powershot A620 7.1 MP, had it for about a year or so and it works well for a point and shot camera. Probably heavier than the average point & shoot but it is durable. I've dropped it quiet a few times... so yeah it still works great. [Smile]

The flip out viewfinder is really handy as well.

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Scott Norwood
Film God

Posts: 8146
From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas)
Registered: Jun 99

posted 03-11-2007 07:13 PM

quote: Michael Schaffer
I looked at the Canon PowerShot series, which some review sites seem to favor, but one thing I don't like is that you can adjust shutter and aperture manually.

Why would you not want to be able to adjust shutter speed and lens aperture manually? Or did you mean to type "can't"?

In general, I would think that the ability to turn off any automatic features would be a good thing for any camera, even for users who would do so only rarely.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 03-11-2007 08:22 PM

quote: Scott Norwood
In general, I would think that the ability to turn off any automatic features would be a good thing for any camera, even for users who would do so only rarely.

That was really the point I was trying to make above.... Not to be able to have manual control over things is nonsense. I will never own another pocket camera again. They are just not durable enough. 6 drops it may still work ok but on the 7th..... [Mad]

Mark

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John Pytlak
Film God

Posts: 9987
From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922
Registered: Jan 2000

posted 03-11-2007 08:32 PM

quote: Michael Schaffer
Both the Kodak and Nikon look very nice (I know the D-50, my mother has it), but I am really looking for something more compact for point-and-shoot operation. Of course, maybe it really doesn't matter so much then, as long as the camera has all the basic functions and doesn't fall apart after two weeks. I guess if I get more into taking pictures better than just taking a lot of snapshots while driving around, I will end up buying one of those nicer cameras anyway. But right now, I am looking for something more compact and pockety.

True that the Kodak EasyShare D650 is not a "compact and pockety" camera. But it does offer a Schneider 10X zoom lens, that can focus at a macro level for real close-ups. Manual control of shutter and aperture is available and easy. It has both an electronic viewfiner, as well as a large display screen.

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Paul Trimboli
Master Film Handler

Posts: 274
From: Perth Western Australia
Registered: Dec 2002

posted 03-11-2007 08:46 PM

Bobby it is actually better to use a compact camera that used AA then the Lithium Ion packs, for the simple fact you can buy lots of AA NiMh so you have some spare and in a bind you can use alkaline. The cost of doing that with the battery packs is alot more.You are meant to use AA rechargeable in them and not just the normal Super Heavy Duty stuff. Buy the highest mAH batterys you can find and they will last ages. The number of cameras we get in for repairs and people complain about battery drain is to many to count, you open the battery door and you find crappy batteries in there......no one ever reads their manuals!

All of the Powershot range of cameras are really good, or the IXUS range (think they are IXY Digital or Digital Elf in US).

There is no one brand of camera that will withstand being dropped more then another. If you do plan on dropping it then please stay away from the higher end stuff like a D50. SLR cameras once dropped can cost alot of money to get working right. Any impact on them will normally put you mirror angles off which means you AF is way out of calibration. You will ruin the parallelism of the body which will show up as soft images on one side of the image (the lens and CCD are no longer parallel, this mean time consuming shimming of the CCD or worst case replacement of the main casting). The AF sensor itself will probably come out of alignment. Shutters on most SLR digitals are affected by impact, normally the locking cam does not re engage to lock the shutter. Bottom line is if it going to give the camera a ruff life get one of the lower end models, sure you might go through a few of them but it will be cheaper then the repairs of the higher end stuff.

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Mark Gulbrandsen
Resident Trollmaster

Posts: 16657
From: Music City
Registered: Jun 99

posted 03-11-2007 10:39 PM

quote: Paul Trimboli
There is no one brand of camera that will withstand being dropped more then another.

Not to mention what might happen to a mechanical type SLR... The thing here is that pocket cameras tend to end up in the shrt pocket... bend over and they slide out.... kabam. SLR's normally hang around your neck and yes are less convenient but stand less chance of getting dropped. I've never dropped one! Pocket cameras are also rarely worth reairing at all whilst an SLR type digital is worth even a few hundred dollar repair(or more). SLR's are not throw aways...

When I worked at Canon the Autofocus series of cameras was just comming out... thank god I didn't have to work on em... absolute junk. But we did come up with a good nickname for them "Canon Outoffocus"

Paul... Now on to another thing.... Why does the lens in my Nikon Coolpix 2200 stick sometimes and is it worth repairing? I took it apart and the lens mechanism is binding... giving me a lens error on the screen... the motor and associated position encoder seems fine. Does the entire lens assy. have to be replaced or should I just add it to my pile of dead pocket digitals?

Thanks!

Mark

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Paul Trimboli
Master Film Handler

Posts: 274
From: Perth Western Australia
Registered: Dec 2002

posted 03-11-2007 11:05 PM

Hi Mark

When you remove the zoom gear (the gear that couples the outer lens barrel to the gear box) does the lens still bind when driving the barrels in and out by hand? Then apple 3 volts to the motor (or is that a stepper motor hmmm can't remember off the top of my head) and see if it runs along and that the gear box is running smoothly. Does it have any sand in it at all? Sometimes one grain of sand can do that. I will check the parts manual when I head in to work and let your know if its a whole lens unit or you can get individual parts.

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