Camera Advice

[Tambaqui]

Hi all,

I have a camera but my mum and I are not all that happy with the camera, so I am wanting to do some research on getting a new camera and I am hoping you guys can please give me some advice and direction.

There is a few things I am after.

I am needing something light and point and take photos. When I take the photos, I want it to be done and in good quality straight away. I have Min Pins and they are buggers of a dogs to take photos! Been trying to take photos of Clancy but everytime a perfect shot happens, he moves and the camera is too late!

So I need something good that will take good showy photos that I can use for my future website and Clancy's profile.

Also the other thing I need is the ability to take photos of a night at the windows indoors. I am going to the Gold Coast in February again and I am intending to go back and adore the Q-Deck and adore the night life and take beautiful photos of it. The camera I took was so horrible it was blurry and it was a waste of a great view!

I am not too worried about price range, but I think it's time I look for a good quality camera that will do the job quickly!

Can anyone please recommend something?

[kja]

You're actually asking a lot for a compact camera and you're going to have to accept that some of the things - instant capture and great in difficult lighting situations - are going to be a compromise unless you head to a full dslr set up.

But all is not lost. I have the Canon SD1200 (Ixus 95 maybe?) and it can do the things you are asking pretty well once you get used to the camera. There are several little Canons that would do a pretty good job. Fuji also has a couple of contenders that should work for you. Personally, I'd stay away from the Nikon, Olympus and Sony's.

You will need to experiment a little bit to make sure that you are getting the best from your camera. The half press prefocus technique is essential in capturing fast moving doggies, for instance.

If you really want to head to dslr, check out some of the threads that have popped up recently as most of the options including some buying information are in those to get you started. Prepare to spend $1000+ on this route, though.

Good luck!

[rubiton]

Agree with kja - the little canon point and shoot cameras do a fantastic job if you just want something to turn on point and take photos.

[Guest Tess32]

I agree.

There's a reason photography is a skill - cameras are just tools and they also happen to be tools where you get what you pay for AND you get more when you put in the time to learn what you're doing.

Night/low light is not an easy shot, even for experienced photographers.