cali_beemer Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 So I am looking at possibly getting a new camera for my big trip coming up. I would like to stay $250 or less. My big turn off is with all of these point and shoot cameras have little to no zoom. So, I started looking at the long range zoom style cameras (but not SLR). Most of these jump to about $400-500. Soooo, I came along a nifty little new model by Nikon called the L120. I can find them for $260 and they have 21x optical zoom. It seems to have alot of capability to it, fast shooting, HD video.....I dont know alot about cameras but this seems to be the only one in my price range and seems to have significantly better specs than the Canon SX130IS. I should say I am partial to Nikon or Canon. Too many camera people have told me to stay with either one of those. So, any recomendations? My sister has the P100 and seems to be a good option as well but gets to be a bit over $300. I need money for tires, gas, food and lodging....LOL Link to comment
BerndM Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 Check these out. Pretty good reviews for P&S cameras Canon SX30IS is 35X $397 at Amazon Nikon P500 is 36X $379 at Amazon Fuji HS10 is 30X $359 at Amazon Regards Bernd Link to comment
Mike Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 You might have to increase your budget a bit, or buy a refurbished/used camera. I got a new Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS7 a while back for $199 at Costco, and I'm very happy with it, but it was a clearance sale. This model has a Leica lens with 12X optical zoom and image stabilization, yielding good image results even when you're zooming pretty radically. My experience, and all the reviews I've read, indicate that it's a top-notch camera. Link to comment
cali_beemer Posted June 7, 2011 Author Share Posted June 7, 2011 Well, I can get this Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40. It seems like alot of camera for the price but would I be better off with a Nikon P-500 after spending that much. The Nikon L120 is looking better and better at $260. I am not a serious photographer. I am just looking for somethign easy to use, takes good quality pictures and doesnt go blurry as soon as I zoom in on something like most P&S cameras I have used. I like that the supere zoom cameras have alot of optical zoom and also give me somethign a bit more to hold onto than the tiny compact cameras. Link to comment
Mike Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 Well, I can get this Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40. It seems like alot of camera for the price but would I be better off with a Nikon P-500 after spending that much. The Nikon L120 is looking better and better at $260. I am not a serious photographer. I am just looking for somethign easy to use, takes good quality pictures and doesnt go blurry as soon as I zoom in on something like most P&S cameras I have used. I like that the supere zoom cameras have alot of optical zoom and also give me somethign a bit more to hold onto than the tiny compact cameras. Good review here. Link to comment
cali_beemer Posted June 7, 2011 Author Share Posted June 7, 2011 Well, I can get this Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ40. It seems like alot of camera for the price but would I be better off with a Nikon P-500 after spending that much. The Nikon L120 is looking better and better at $260. I am not a serious photographer. I am just looking for somethign easy to use, takes good quality pictures and doesnt go blurry as soon as I zoom in on something like most P&S cameras I have used. I like that the supere zoom cameras have alot of optical zoom and also give me somethign a bit more to hold onto than the tiny compact cameras. Good review here. Thank you, I read that review and seems like its a good bang for the buck and offers descent pictures. best of all its in the budget. In the panasonic line it seems the one I would want is the FZ100 but that goes up to close to $400 and thats more than I would like to spend. Maybe I should just look at an inexpensive point and shoot. Link to comment
Mike Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 Not speaking as an expert, I don't find extreme zoom capability to be a big advantage. Even with optical zoom and image stabilization, my highly zoomed photos never turn out well. If you are going to use a tripod, then you might do better. Even then, when you start zooming, it's easy to lose the context of the subject and lighting issues seem magnified. The L120 looks like a fairly priced camera, and the Nikon name certainly stands for quality. In truth, the technical capabilities of almost any camera on the market exceed mine as a photographer. What I look for are good quality optics, minimal shutter lag, good indoor performance, and easy-to-manipulate controls. Most of the time I leave my camera in the fully automatic mode, and I gauge performance by how well it performs in the hands of a total moron. Link to comment
Bob Palin Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 Unless you are trying to take wildlife shots, which probably won't work so well with a P&S anyway, the wide angle aspect is more important than the zoom. Look for a camera with the equivalent of a 28mm at the wide end, many of them start at 35mm which is frequently not wide enough. Link to comment
cali_beemer Posted June 7, 2011 Author Share Posted June 7, 2011 Mike, That is exactly the way I am with a camera. I am a complete moron with one, so I look at how easy it is for a guy like me to take a descent picture. With that in mind, the Nikon Coolpics S9100 may be the ideal camera for me. From the reviews its alot of camera for the price, takes full 1080 HD video, 18x zoom, seems like its easy to take good pictures without getting into camera features I wont use/dont know how to use. It also has easy to use features for hooking up to a tv and uses a very high res screen. It is close to the budget at $285. Link to comment
Selden Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 Unless you are trying to take wildlife shots, which probably won't work so well with a P&S anyway, the wide angle aspect is more important than the zoom. Look for a camera with the equivalent of a 28mm at the wide end, many of them start at 35mm which is frequently not wide enough. True words. I'm on my second point and shoot. The first, a 2005 Nikon, was quite rugged and pocketable (metal case, folded optics, so no protruding lens), but it had a limited 3-1 zoom, no stabilization, and had terrible pincushion/barrel distortion at either end of its range. The second, a Panasonic Lumix, has 10-1 zoom with image stabilization. More importantly, it's got a wider wide than the Nikon. The biggest problem with long zooms seems to be autofocus; mine hunts constantly, making it almost useless at 10 X for anything but a still shot, preferably braced against something. The fact is, they all can take good pictures, so the user interface may be more important than the specs. Go to a store with a big camera selection, and start picking them up one by one. Buy the one that feels good in your hand, and whose features you can figure out without reading a manual. Link to comment
BerndM Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 I firmly believe that a maximum zoom is an absolutely necessity here in SoCal. I highly recommend at least 30X, although 36X is even better. I live about 15 miles north of Newport and Huntington beaches. Have you SEEN the wildlife roaming those beaches on weekends when the weather is nice and warm????????????? I rest my case!!!! LMAO Regards Bernd Link to comment
RTRay Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Go to www.adorama.com and look at their used cameras. This is a family owned store that sells excellent new and used equipement. You can get a very good DSLR or point and shoot for very little money. I've used them a lot and am very happy with their cameras and service! www.terrysouthphoto.com Link to comment
Couchrocket Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Unless you are trying to take wildlife shots, which probably won't work so well with a P&S anyway, the wide angle aspect is more important than the zoom. Look for a camera with the equivalent of a 28mm at the wide end, many of them start at 35mm which is frequently not wide enough. + 1 Link to comment
Pbrokaw Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 You have another vote from me on the panasonic lumix cameras. I have a TZ5 from a few years back with the wide angle Leica lens on it. If it died tomorrow I would search for a refurb to purchase just like it. I have both a nikon d40 and a d90, with about 2 grand worth of lenses to boot. The pana gets used right with them at all times! Just my 2c worth. Perry Link to comment
tallman Posted June 11, 2011 Share Posted June 11, 2011 Nikon Cool Pix P 100. Got one for the UN last year. Very happy with it. Link to comment
g_frey Posted June 12, 2011 Share Posted June 12, 2011 handiest so far Panasonic ZS7. You do have to careful with it since the viewscreen is so large. Wide angle to 12 power, movies, auto everything, great pictures, fits in shirt pocket. I have taken many picture from a moving bike too with fair to good results. Link to comment
cali_beemer Posted June 13, 2011 Author Share Posted June 13, 2011 So I have been researching more. The latest and greatest pocket camera from Panasonic, the ZS10, doesnt seem to be getting good reviews. The older models seem to have been great but the newest offereing took a nose dive. The camera that is lookign better and better is the cannon SX230HS. Every review and comparison I can find says it takes better pictures, the only downside is that its not as fast as the others. It has alot of features and is still priced reasonable at $350. Its the new and improved version of the camera my wife and I had, the SX210IS, only the 230 is supposed to offer even better pictures. I was impressed with the cannon we had (she has the camera after the split). The comprable Nikon S9100 has some downfalls to it and seems to take a poor video quality from what I have read. I have been tempted just to buy an older model lumix like a ZS7 since they got good reviews. I have ruled out the superzoom cameras. I think the pocket sized cameras offer more value and more flexibility. Other than zoom capability, the smaller cameras seem to have some better specs. Overall, I am looking for a camera that takes great photos without any experience or knowledge. It seems this is where the cannon SX230HS is a pro and cant be beat, it just sacrafies on speed a bit. Link to comment
longjohn Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Every review and comparison I can find says it takes better pictures, the only downside is that its not as fast as the others. Is that fast in terms of max aperture size, or data through put, or shutter lag? Link to comment
cali_beemer Posted June 13, 2011 Author Share Posted June 13, 2011 Every review and comparison I can find says it takes better pictures, the only downside is that its not as fast as the others. Is that fast in terms of max aperture size, or data through put, or shutter lag? Fast as in how fast I can take another picture after just taking one. It has a faster startup time than most. I have no idea about the terms you mentioned. Yes, I am that dumb about cameras... Lol. The canon seems like a safe bet from personal experience with the unit it replaced and there are many reviews giving it the best travel zoom camera rating. Link to comment
longjohn Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Ok, you were referring to frames/sec., which also depends on how fast the cam can cram the data onto the memory chip, or data through put. Aperture size refers to how large the iris of the camera's lens is, and a large aperture will let you take pix in darker environments by letting in more light. Shutter lag is how long the cam takes from when you press the shutter button to when it actually takes the pic. Link to comment
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