Sue & Waldo Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 I am wanting to buy a basic digital camera since my current one has decided not to work. I take photos mainly of the grandchildren and dogs at play. Any suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SchnauzerBoy Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 What is your budget? What was your old camera? Point and Shoot or a more complex dSLR? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kja Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 A budget will help narrow the field. I'm guessing by your request for a "basic" camera you are thinking more of a compact camera than a dslr, is this correct? Is size an issue for you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue & Waldo Posted March 11, 2010 Author Share Posted March 11, 2010 A budget will help narrow the field.I'm guessing by your request for a "basic" camera you are thinking more of a compact camera than a dslr, is this correct? Is size an issue for you? I am thinking of a compact. Up to $350 I guess. I'd rather spend a bit more and not put up with battery problems and poor pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kja Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 (edited) Off the top of my head: Super small and well within your budget. Canon SD1200. I have one of these and adore it to little bits. You can get a feel for images by heading to my bloggedy blog -> Kristin's News <- and checking out October, November & December archives as most of the images there (unless noted) are taken with it. Great battery life, tiny enough to go anywhere, great photos, reasonably good images even at higher ISOs. No manual controls on this one but there are plenty of scene modes and options to get good images in a nice variety of lighting and scenes. Larger and maybe at the edge of budget - Canon G series. The G11 is the newest one, I think, so maybe look for a second hand G9 or G10. Excellent cameras with the capability to let you learn manual controls if you want to later. Midsized and a range of budgets - Canon A series. Some have manual controls, some don't. I adore the Canon compact range because they all do very very well. Panasonic has a couple of gems in its line-up but they may be at the upper end of your budget. I'm not a fan of the Olympus range (unfortunately, coz I love the idea of them) or the Nikon range. You will be able to make your dollars work harder for you if you are willing to order from the US. All of my compact cameras come from overseas as I have never found an Aussie retailer who could compete with the prices. Edited March 11, 2010 by kja Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue & Waldo Posted March 11, 2010 Author Share Posted March 11, 2010 Thanks for this advice-your photos are great. I will have a look at them and check on line prices as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kja Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 My Dorable at the beach the other morning with the Canon SD1200... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue & Waldo Posted March 11, 2010 Author Share Posted March 11, 2010 My Dorable at the beach the other morning with the Canon SD1200... Wow-that is a great photo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SchnauzerBoy Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 As previous the 1200 IXUS is great, but don't forget the Lumix DMC TZ7 which is fantastic and has HD movie too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trifecta Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 I am also interested in this thread as OH would like to do some photography, but doesn't want to lug a DSLR around on long hikes & bush walks. Just trying to remember who on here has a Lumix, from recollection it takes very nice piccies? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huga Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 I think Wolfsong has a Lumix and she takes great pictures with it. I also have one that gets pulled out every now and then (less now that I have borrowed the DSLR), although I took it to Soundwave recently. These were taken from pretty far back in the crowd, zoomed in as far as it would go: This is one of my favourites from the Lumix: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iltby Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 I just bought a Lumix to have for social gatherings so I don't have to cart my DSLR around. It's a great little camera, very impressive for the cost and size of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kja Posted March 11, 2010 Share Posted March 11, 2010 Yup, the Lumix cams are really nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 (edited) I too have a Lumix. I dropped my old camera on Christmas Day and discovered that they don't bounce. I went into Harvey Norman to be told that it would cost more to repair and I was better off getting a new one. The Lumix I was looking at was $699 at HN and so I went to Wow where I was given a price of $649. I looked on ebay with no luck and then a workmate suggested I buy from Hong Kong on the web. Got the same camera for AUD $214, added a case for 99 cents, and a 16gb memory card for $60. I paid with paypal on a Sunday evening and fedex delivered to me on the following Wednesday. Fantastic! Edited March 12, 2010 by Lesley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kja Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 Holy frijoles, Batman - $650 for a compact camera??? The very reason I find it very hard to shop for camera gear onshore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trifecta Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 (edited) JB HiFi have the Lumix advertised at $246 until March 22nd. I presume this is the current model, though it doesn't say. ETA No it is not the TZ7, which retails for just over $500 & is not in stock. Apparently the TZ10 is due in any day & will be priced at $693 :D Definitely better to buy off-shore! Edited March 12, 2010 by trifecta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iltby Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 (edited) My model is the DMC-FS42 and it was $200 from Camera House. http://www.panasonic.com.au/products/detai...m?objectID=5117 Edited March 12, 2010 by iltby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
huga Posted March 12, 2010 Share Posted March 12, 2010 I have the TZ7, but we paid wholesale. Just one of the perks of having a husband that works in that industry :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue & Waldo Posted March 13, 2010 Author Share Posted March 13, 2010 What about the Panasonic Lumix DMC FT1 at $448? I have looked until I am confused! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ripley Posted March 13, 2010 Share Posted March 13, 2010 (edited) I have a Panasonic Lumix DMC. Bought it in August 2006 so it's a bit old now. It's still my take anywhere camera, I think it's great. Back in 2006 it was around $400 so was never a cheap pocket digital. It has a Leica lens, which makes it a great little pocket digital I think. Here are a few pics taken with it back in 2006. It's a great little pocket camera and I had no clue about taking photos back then, which is why I just did the point and click thing with it. To give you an idea of straight out of camera jpgs from it, this image below is straight out of camera with no photoshop used on it, I used the Landscape setting which increases the blue and green saturation. It also has image stabilisation and a movie mode, and comes with a tiny tripod which would fit in its case. This image was slightly sharpened in PS due to slight movement blur of wild squirrel Edited March 13, 2010 by Ripley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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