New Camera Recommendations

[james ungehajer]

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]

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/con...233&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/con...233&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]

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]

Watermarking programs

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!

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!

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.