Cameras

[Sapphire]

Well I have to say I haven't had a camera since I was about ten and our Sony H7 is great - if I can take great photos even of corals and fish etc in the tank then anyone can!!! The only thing is I have to turn off the music/sound effects coz it's hard to sneak up on people to take photos when that goes off!

[Ianab]

The only thing is I have to turn off the music/sound effects coz it's hard to sneak up on people to take photos when that goes off!

Yeah.. those annoying chimes when it starts up :roll: I think you can turn the other beeps and blips off.

But with the 15x zoom and image stabiliser you dont have to sneak up, just take closeup shots for 20m away 8)

Ian

[Caryl]

All the cameras mentioned are good. The things you MUST have are;

optical viewfinder. Not all have one

Use AA batteries, not a propriatory lithium ion one

Zoom at the wide angle zoom of its range needs to go to the equivalent 28mm. Most don't go that wide, it's a very useful setting for taking pics inside small room.

When you buy extra memory cards, don't buy the cheapest as they are too slow. Spend a little more on a good quality fast card as it will reduce the frustration of waiting between shots.

Don't be swayed by the software that comes with the camera as most of it is rubbish.

We sell cameras and like the Canon for quality and range but the others are good. Panasonic have a good range at good prices at the moment (but we don't sell them). Grant had a Fuji (until I drowned it) and replaced it with a Canon. I have a Sony.

Fuji are probably best for low light performance (eg photographing fish). If poosible check it our first. Some cameras have difficulty focussing in low light conditions or you can't find what you are aiming at in the viewfinder.

[Rozski]

wow Caryl, you say to avoid AA batteries?

I would never get a camera that takes normal batteries. Mum just bought one this year (an Olympus) and it chews through them sooooo fast, whereas the lithium ion battery in my digi olympus lasts for yonks. Not to mention the fact that even if they do start to fail, it only costs $20 or under to get a new battery. Much cheaper than buying AAs all year

[Ira]

What batteries are you using? Just plain old alkalines, of course it's going to chew through them. Alkalines only have a capacity of about 700mah at the current drain from a digital camera. Get good quality AA NIMHs though and they'll be good for around 2300ish MAH. So almost 4x as much.

[Caryl]

Yeah, what Ira said :lol:

[Rozski]

NIMHs? never heard of them. How much do they cost?? and where can mum get them from?

If they last for a year and cost $20, they are still the same value as a normal lithium ion... too late for mum now tho, she has her camera lol (was a fly buys buy anywa, but still)

[Wok]

I have a Canon A630 and it is great. uses 4x AA batteries (rechargeable ones ) and they last for quite a while... however for some reason they don't hold their charge too well when I am NOT using the camera

Good thing about using AA batteries, is that no matter where you may be in the world you can still buy AA batteries. can't say the same thing about getting propietary batteries charged or bought :roll:

[Caryl]

NIMH are normal high capacity batteries, rechargeable, in the same sizes as standard batteries such as AA size. You can buy them from any battery retailer - Dick Smith, Jaycar, Warehouse, camera shops etc.

[Ira]

however for some reason they don't hold their charge too well when I am NOT using the camera

Normal NIMHs, like most rechargable batteries do self discharge. Normally around 5-10% per week. There are eneloop nimhs that are low self discharge, more around 1% per week.

Nicads self discharge a bit less than standard nimhs, but have somewhere around 1/4 the capacity of nimhs.

Lithium based rechargables have self discharges around 1% per month.

I think the ultimate batteries would be A123, a lithium type battery. Practically indestructable, you can recharge them in about 6 minutes using 3-4 of them in series with a length of wire and a car battery. But they're not AA sized.

I don't think it's a huge problem what type of batteries the camera uses. You can buy a couple extra proprietary lithium batteries. Most major ones you can buy cheap chinese knockoffs that are mostly just as good as the brand name ones but heaps cheaper. Take the charger with you if you're going on a trip and you can charge them up anywhere you can find a wall socket.

[Wok]

thanks for that IRA... didn't know that.

Thought there was something wrong with my batteries :oops:

NOW I KNOW!!!

[Rozski]

Thanks for that Caryl. I'll let write that down and give it to mum for when her latest set runs out. She was going to buy rechargables and a charger when they did but ill recommend those first