New Camera Recommendations

[james ungehajer]

:mrgreen: The income tax check came recently,and i am looking into buying a new camera for exploring pics,and taking pics on my boat,an expenditure up to $1000 is not a problem.I am looking into the canon line of cameras,and i was reading on the site that stabilization is more important than megapixels,any info on a camera,accessories would be greatly appreciated.I have received info from my astronomy friends for astronomical pics,but,it is strictly for that purpose,a canon 20 da.I basically want an all around camera for different situations.Thanks

[BEHR655]

If you're looking for a D-SLR I can't be much help. I just up-graded from a Panasonic DCM-FZ20 to the FZ50. It's not a D-SLR so I don't have to lay out big bucks for all the lenses. It's 10mp and has a 12x zoom and image stabilization. If I set it to 3mp and use the 4x digital zoom I can get 87x zoom! It has full manual mode, aperture priority, shutter priority, program AE, macro, etc. All the good stuff a D-SLR has. It takes tele converter and wide angle lenses which are not that expensive if you don't buy the Panasonic ones. I bought Olympus lenses for mine.

Steve

[james ungehajer]

:mrgreen: Thank you steve for the info,it definitely looks like the camera you mentioned will fit my all around needs,will check out the panasonic web site.Thank you.

[Boyd]

I've been using Nikons since 1971, so I'm pretty set in my ways :) When digital cameras came along I got a Nikon CoolPix 900 in 1999, upgraded to a 950 a few years later, then a 5700 after that. The 5700 died recently, so I decided it was time to make the jump to a DSLR and I now have a Nikon D-80 and an assortment of lenses.

Image stabilization is an issue for telephoto shots (when you're zoomed way in) and Canon has always been a leader at that; they even license their techology to other companies like Sony. Nikon has avoided building stabilization into the DSLR body, but has telephoto lenses with built-in stabilization (I have a 70mm-300mm VR Nikkor zoom lens with image stabilization which works very well).

Canon makes great cameras, and I have their little Powershot SD600 which is tiny enough to carry around and not even realize it's there. They make a model that's a little larger/more expensive with image stabilization. If you want something really portable have a look at these. No experience with their DSLR's though.

Spend a little time looking at the reviews and specs here, it's a great site for digital photography: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs.asp

[TeeGate]

Since you are going to take it on a boat, I would buy a point and shoot cheeper model. You don't want to drop an expensive camera in the water. And even taking it in the pines is risky depending on what you do.

Guy

[james ungehajer]

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=6222&A=details&Q=&sku=457233&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

:)Thanks guys for all your helpful info,but i decided to go with this model from BH photo and video which is in manhattan.Of all the different places i looked for the best price,they were the most reasonable.

[Boyd]

I think that's a great choice, lots of bang for the buck! You will also be in good company, I see people with these everywhere.

B&H is a fantastic place, have you ever been there in person? Worth a trip to NYC just for that IMO. Easy access from the Lincoln Tunnel. I've spent quite a few $$$ there myself :) In fact, will be going there next week with a friend from Greece to help her choose a camera for a trip back to Athens.

[james ungehajer]

:v: I have never been there,but i intend to visit in the near future,the camera i will order online to save the sales tax.Comp usa has the worst price for this camera,ridiculous.Any other accessories you can recommend?

[BEHR655]

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=6222&A=details&Q=&sku=457233&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

:)Thanks guys for all your helpful info,but i decided to go with this model from BH photo and video which is in manhattan.Of all the different places i looked for the best price,they were the most reasonable.

Sweet! Sweet price too. Have fun with it.

Steve

[BEHR655]

Since you are going to take it on a boat, I would buy a point and shoot cheeper model. You don't want to drop an expensive camera in the water. And even taking it in the pines is risky depending on what you do.

Guy

You worry too much. I took my old Panasonic on several PBX hikes and I took it on many kayaking trips also. The problem with it is it's size. I'll probably do the same with the new one once the "newness" wears off.

Steve

[james ungehajer]

:mrgreen: Just received info that my new camera will arrive in two days,i think the first picture i will take is the gas sign on rt.70 between medford circle and red lion circle 89.9 centsa gallon and send it to the white house.

[Boyd]

i will order online to save the sales tax.

This is a common misconception. Your state (PA) and mine (NJ) both feel that you owe them "use tax" if no tax was collected on your out of state purchases:

http://www.revenue.state.pa.us/revenue/cwp/view.asp?a=180&q=248776

A Use Tax, at the same rate as Sales Tax, is due on taxable purchases of tangible personal property or specified services used or consumed in Pennsylvania where no Sales Tax is paid to a vendor. Taxpayers are personally responsible for remitting the Use Tax directly to the PA Department of Revenue. Purchases made over the Internet, through toll-free numbers (800, 888, and 877), from mail order catalogs or from an out-of-state location are examples of purchases that would be subject to Use Tax. The tax is reported on Form PA-1, Individual Use Tax Return.

or in New Jersey:

http://www.state.nj.us/treasury/taxation/su_4.htm

Whenever you purchase taxable items or services for use in New Jersey and the seller does not collect the appropriate sales tax, you are required to pay use tax to New Jersey. For example, if you purchase taxable merchandise from a mail order house and they don’t charge New Jersey sales tax, it does not mean that tax is not due; it means that the mail order house is not authorized to collect New Jersey sales tax. You, the purchaser, must pay 7% use tax directly to the Division of Taxation.

Will they catch you... who knows? People certainly get away with a lot worse. But I have a friend with a small business in PA and he was just hit with a big bill going back 3 years for unpaid use tax on items they ordered from out of state. My accountant says this is common for businesses, but not so common for individuals however.

Personally, I have been paying the use tax on stuff I order out of state (which isn't all that much really) since I claim most of it as business-related deductions. Seems like there would be a paper trail there and we all know how hungry the state is for revenue. Not inconceivable that they would start mining for this info from mail order companies in the future.

But it may not be an issue if the states can all agree on the centralized tax system under discussion though:

http://www.streamlinedsalestax.org/press_rel/11-12pressreleaseagreementsigning.html

[james ungehajer]

:) I did not want to start a new thread,what watermarking programs would be recommended for my new camera and windows xp? Thanks,jim

[bobpbx]

:) I did not want to start a new thread,what watermarking programs would be recommended for my new camera and windows xp? Thanks,jim

Jim, I don't know, I never really looked into it that seriously.

I don't want to start a new thread either (or your question would be missed), but I did want to say that I am very happy to say that yesterday I took my 428th picture with the Duracell rechargeables that I originally put in the camera when I bought it in (December)? That is amazing to me. They finally died after 428 photos. Amazing good quality.

[james ungehajer]

Since i received my new camera a couple of days ago,i was thinking of purchasing canon's 75mm-300mm telephoto lens,but since my 8" telescope is f/10 2000mm i can do projection photography through the telescope with a camera t-ring and a tele extender and crank up the f/ratio to f/50.

[BEHR655]

Since i received my new camera a couple of days ago,i was thinking of purchasing canon's 75mm-300mm telephoto lens,but since my 8" telescope is f/10 2000mm i can do projection photography through the telescope with a camera t-ring and a tele extender and crank up the f/ratio to f/50.

That's why I didn't get an SLR. I'd be broke! :mrgreen:

Steve

[Boyd]

Since i received my new camera a couple of days ago,i was thinking of purchasing canon's 75mm-300mm telephoto lens

A telescope won't be much of a substitute for that lens. I have the Nikon 70-300mm VR lens and I like it. This lens has image stabilzation built in - does the Canon? If you want to shoot handheld at 300mm you will want it. My Nikon lens goes from f 4.5 at the wide end to f5.6 at full telephoto. This is fine working outside in bright sunlight, but can be a little limiting in darker places.

f10 is pretty slow for a lens, I have an f8 500mm mirror telephoto and again it's primarily for use in the bright sun. Since that lens doesn't have image stabilization you have to shoot at a high shutter speed.

[james ungehajer]

That's why I didn't get an SLR. I'd be broke! :mrgreen:

Steve

The price for this lens at b&h is only $179.95,not bad at all.

[james ungehajer]

A telescope won't be much of a substitute for that lens. I have the Nikon 70-300mm VR lens and I like it. This lens has image stabilzation built in - does the Canon? If you want to shoot handheld at 300mm you will want it. My Nikon lens goes from f 4.5 at the wide end to f5.6 at full telephoto. This is fine working outside in bright sunlight, but can be a little limiting in darker places.

f10 is pretty slow for a lens, I have an f8 500mm mirror telephoto and again it's primarily for use in the bright sun. Since that lens doesn't have image stabilization you have to shoot at a high shutter speed.

The lens does not have image stabilization,it is recommended for a tripod,for piggyback photography on a telescope,from 5.5 or 2.7 is recommended for stars,galaxies,nebulas,but for projection photograpghy through a telescope f/10 or higher is recommended for the planets,and stacking of the images is critical to bring out the most detail.

[james ungehajer]

I also forgot to mention that i have a f/6.3 telecompressor from meade that takes my telescope down from f/10,for visual and photographic use for deep sky stuff,nebulas,galaxies,meade also makes a f/3.3 compressor for photography only not visual.the fastest mirror in a telescope that i ever heard of visual is f/4.0,anything below that for visual use would suffer from coma and aberrations no matter how well you collimnated your mirror.Rule of thumb,faster f ratios for deep sky stuff to brighten them up,slower f ratios for planets,moon,sun photos to brighten them down to bring out more detail photographically and visually.Also aligning,combining and stacking of images is critical,i have seen people who have taken at least 2000 images of saturn,combining them into one,simnply out of this world images.

[james ungehajer]

http://www.astropix.com/HTML/I_ASTROP/NIK_CAN.HTM

An excellant article on dslr cameras for astrophotography.

[james ungehajer]

Anyone familiar with sigma lenses for dslr's,looking for a f/2.7

[Boyd]

I've read different things, depending on which lens you're interested in. A good source for info is the review section at fredmiranda. They have sections devoted to Canon as well as Sigma and other lenses: http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/

[Boyd]

looking for a f/2.7

FWIW, that isn't enough information. f2.7 is the "speed" of the lens (its light-gathering capability). You also need to know the focal length, which is expressed in millimeters. These two specs operate independently of each other. For example, one 50mm lens might have a speed of f1.4 and another might be f2.8. The smaller the f number, the more sensitive the lens will be to light. So if you want to take pictures in dark places, look for the smallest possible f number. Unfortunately, you will pay a big premium for these "fast" lenses.

Zoom lenses have specs which indicate their range of focal lengths. For example, a 35-70mm lens can be set anywhere between 35mm and 70mm. Typically, zoom lenses also have a range of f numbers, so using the same example you might see a spec that says 35-70mm f2.8-4.0. That means the f number changes depending on the zoom setting so it would be equivalent to 35mm f2.8 at full wide zoom or 70mm f4.0 at the telephoto end.

F numbers can be very confusing. Each "full stop" reduces the amount of light by 50%; here's a list of full f stops:

f1.4
f2.0
f2.8
f4.0
f5.6
f8
f11
f16
f22

It's important to keep this in mind when shopping for a lens. For example, an f2.8 lens will require four times as much light as an f1.4 lens. So all things being equal, smaller numbers are better. But of course if the optics aren't good then a lower f number doesn't matter much.... unless you like to take blurry or distorted pictures in low light. :)

[james ungehajer]

I've read different things, depending on which lens you're interested in. A good source for info is the review section at fredmiranda. They have sections devoted to Canon as well as Sigma and other lenses: http://www.fredmiranda.com/reviews/

Thank you for the info on the site.

[BEHR655]

Also check out http://www.digitalgrin.con

Steve

[Boyd]

You might want to try http://www.digitalgrin.com/ instead :)

[BEHR655]

Oops.
The link I posted must be to a prison. :mrgreen:

[james ungehajer]

FWIW, that isn't enough information. f2.7 is the "speed" of the lens (its light-gathering capability). You also need to know the focal length, which is expressed in millimeters. These two specs operate independently of each other. For example, one 50mm lens might have a speed of f1.4 and another might be f2.8. The smaller the f number, the more sensitive the lens will be to light. So if you want to take pictures in dark places, look for the smallest possible f number. Unfortunately, you will pay a big premium for these "fast" lenses.

Zoom lenses have specs which indicate their range of focal lengths. For example, a 35-70mm lens can be set anywhere between 35mm and 70mm. Typically, zoom lenses also have a range of f numbers, so using the same example you might see a spec that says 35-70mm f2.8-4.0. That means the f number changes depending on the zoom setting so it would be equivalent to 35mm f2.8 at full wide zoom or 70mm f4.0 at the telephoto end.

F numbers can be very confusing. Each "full stop" reduces the amount of light by 50%; here's a list of full f stops:

f1.4
f2.0
f2.8
f4.0
f5.6
f8
f11
f16
f22

It's important to keep this in mind when shopping for a lens. For example, an f2.8 lens will require four times as much light as an f1.4 lens. So all things being equal, smaller numbers are better. But of course if the optics aren't good then a lower f number doesn't matter much.... unless you like to take blurry or distorted pictures in low light. :)

I am looking at the f/2.8 wide angle lens for piggyback photography on top of the telescope,full constellation pics,10 or more images stacked at 30 seconds on each shot,plus a remote shutter release.Thanks,jim

[LongIslandPiney]

Figured I'd add my opinion, I think the Canon A series cameras are excellent. I use an A610 (5MP) and really have no desire for anything more. You can adjust everything manually (focus, white bal, aperture, shutter speed,etc) or set it to automatic. Photo quality is excellent. Since it's an older model you can get it for $150 or less. That's half the price of an iPod.:mrgreen:

[TeeGate]

Figured I'd add my opinion, I think the Canon A series cameras are excellent. I use an A610 (5MP) and really have no desire for anything more. You can adjust everything manually (focus, white bal, aperture, shutter speed,etc) or set it to automatic. Photo quality is excellent. Since it's an older model you can get it for $150 or less. That's half the price of an iPod.:mrgreen:

You have something against Apple today! Do you work for Bill Gates? :mrgreen:

Guy

[Boyd]

Really! If you don't like their stuff then that's fine, but try to get the facts straight. The iPod shuffle costs $80, the Nano prices run from $150 to $250, 30GB video iPod is $250....

[LongIslandPiney]

Yeah but you really cant compare a shuffle or a nano to an MD recorder or most mp3 players out there since they hold much less.
Not to mention the battery isn't replacable. That's the real shortcoming, if you are on a long flight and your battery dies you're screwed, because it's built in. And often after a year the battery won't hold a charge as long or at all and Apple charges you $50 to replace it.
Apple likes to have stuff "built in" to their products, denying the user flexibility. I like flexibility and reasonable prices, how "chic" a product looks I could care less about (Apple cares more about image than flexibility).
That's why I love the Canon A series. It's flexible, you can even use add on lenses. And of course use AA batteries, not some proprietary battery that you have to deal with.
All I can say is thank God Apple doesn't make cameras. But maybe I spoke too soon, the iCam is just around the corner, the size of an iPod nano with a fixed focus lens, auto everything, and a built in battery.:rofl:

[Boyd]

Got it; you don't like Apple products. But comparing cameras to iPods is pretty meaningless...

[this_is_nascar]

On Saturday, I toasted my Casio Exilim when the canoe tipped and flooded the camera. I like simplicity and the ability to snap a half-decent picture from a small device. That was the main reason I went with the Exilim Series. I don't recall the model I had, but it was the top of the line in the Exilim Series. Now I see they have released the "EXILIM Zoom EX-Z1200", which appears to be a souped-up version of the one I had, so I'm thinking about getting it.

I know it's probably too new to be reviewed by anyone, but I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on it (not to meant to be a thread thief).

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/497656-REG/Casio_EX_Z1200BKDBB_Exilim_EX_Z1200_Digital_Camera .html

[Boyd]

This looks like a similar model with a 10MP sensor instead of 12MP:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/read_opinions.asp?prodkey=casio_exz1050

I have a Canon SD600 which I bought for times when I want to travel light but still be able to take snapshots. When I got it a year ago, it was the smallest one I could find. It's great for this kind of use - small enough that you can put it in your pocket and forget it's even there. Of course it's no match for my Nikon DSLR, but it ain't bad for a point and shoot camera.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_sd600.asp

[james ungehajer]

http://www.adorama.com/catalog.tpl?op=itemlist&cat1=Cameras%20%26%20Lenses&cat2=Digital%20Cameras%20%26%20Accessories&cat3=Digital%20Cameras&Startat=21

I will be receiving my second digital rebel xt from this camera store in Manhattan which IMHO is comparable with B&H, the price is real nice at $566.95, the first camera as i stated before was for astrophotography as i had to get the ir lens removed.

This camera will be used exclusively forr my pine barrens outings, i will be using it on my outings this Friday and Saturday, i will be using it for the first time so i do not know how the pics will turn out, but i will give it my best after reading the instruction booklet about 100 times.

There will be no more just verbal trips, pics from now on with verbiage added to them, i cannot wait.