So I'd like some suggestions

colacola part legend, part devil... all manBalls deep Icrontian
edited November 2011 in Lifestyle
I'm looking into getting a camera, and I'd like some advice on what to get. I'd be looking at something fairly portable, for use mostly outside.

Comments

  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited November 2011
    Budget? Any brand preference? By "use outside," are you intimating that you want a weatherproof camera, or just that you don't need something like macro mode?

    Any other ideas what you're looking for, or things you think you'd like?
  • colacola part legend, part devil... all man Balls deep Icrontian
    edited November 2011
    Preferably 50-150$, weatherproof would be nice. I don't really know much about cameras at this point so I was hoping you guys could give me some ideas.
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited November 2011
    BH Photo/Video has a pretty good filter set for searches kind of like these. This, for instance, is all of the cameras from $0 to $150 that are waterproof. Play with the filters there and check those out.

    Probably the best thing in that range (even though it's not waterproof) are things in the Lumix line from Panasonic, like this guy.

    Also, Brian can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think we have an affiliate setup with BH... but we do with Adorama (and that's the affiliate link), so if you find a camera you like at BH and it's roughly equivalent in price, I'm sure Brian would appreciate the affiliate purchase. :)
  • Straight_ManStraight_Man Geeky, in my own way Naples, FL Icrontian
    edited November 2011
    Snarkasm wrote:

    Also, Brian can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think we have an affiliate setup with BH... but we do with Adorama (and that's the affiliate link), so if you find a camera you like at BH and it's roughly equivalent in price, I'm sure Brian would appreciate the affiliate purchase. :)

    Here is a Lumix at Adorama for $122.51 that is also a 16.1 MP camera but is just a 4X zoom. It uses SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Cards, but has 70 MB. Snarkasm can comment, he knows more about this than I do.

    Link: http://www.adorama.com/IPCDMCFH5GL.html

    John.
  • Mt_GoatMt_Goat Head Cheezy Knob Pflugerville (north of Austin) Icrontian
    edited November 2011
    Here is another for a few dollars more with twice as much optical zoom.

    http://www.adorama.com/IPCDMCFH27SL.html
  • Straight_ManStraight_Man Geeky, in my own way Naples, FL Icrontian
    edited November 2011
    Mt_Goat wrote:
    Here is another for a few dollars more with twice as much optical zoom.

    http://www.adorama.com/IPCDMCFH27SL.html

    Good find Mt_Goat: Leica lense(Mt_Goat's link) is better then DC lense (my link)also. The 8X zoom will get outside pics of farther away things looking closer and in more detail somewhat (the 16.1 MP detail will help if you were to blow up pictures with the camera I linked to picture and the one Mt_Goat linked to will need less blowing up of picture for detail in a photo editing program like Paint Shop Pro Photo X4 or X5). Also, Cola, please don't forget there is shipping and tax and a memory module needed on top of raw camera price for either camera.

    John.
  • shwaipshwaip bluffin' with my muffin Icrontian
    edited November 2011
    Lens brand at that camera level doesn't really matter. Additionally, megapixels don't really matter. As long at it's above 8 MP, it should be completely fine. (note that 1080p is only 2MP)
  • Straight_ManStraight_Man Geeky, in my own way Naples, FL Icrontian
    edited November 2011
    shwaip wrote:
    Lens brand at that camera level doesn't really matter. Additionally, megapixels don't really matter. As long at it's above 8 MP, it should be completely fine. (note that 1080p is only 2MP)

    Lense Brand: DC can distort more than Leica. The MP in a camera, for inside, or closeups outside, yes it is not material. For outside, more detail allows for blowing up and cropping to size a picture taken of further away objects. That camera beats out a 12.1 MP I got from Circuit City.

    For seeing on a screen 2 MP is plenty good, most screens are 72 DPI equivalent. For PRINTING at 1200x1200 or greater DPI (and my Epson Workforce 30($69.00 from Epson about a year ago-- closeout, VERY Fast) prints photos at 2400x2400 IIRC) you need much more density of photo, or the print will blur. That is where higher MP comes into play, higher DPI results for printing as far as the printer is concerned.

    NOT picking on Shwaip, the printing part is what I learned from getting blurry photos from my first electronic camera, a 4 MP Canon. Printing at 5x7 photo size worked, full letter page size did NOT, quite blurry. That was with a C84 in photo mode(greater than 2400x2400 equivalent).

    John.
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    edited November 2011
    Good suggestions, guys.
  • shwaipshwaip bluffin' with my muffin Icrontian
    edited November 2011
    1) Both cameras have leica glass.
    2) Leica glass has a reputation for being good because they make extremely high end rangefinders (and the lenses for them). The lenses for these cameras cost thousands of dollars. In a ~$150 camera, it's not going to matter what the glass is. You're going to be far more hampered by the sensor size than whatever glass is in there.
    3) Yes, megapixels are useful. Yes, you can crop to 'zoom' the picture. After you get to a certain point it will look shitty.

    4) You're printing point and shoot pictures that you've cropped on cheap consumer printers. You get what you pay for.

    5) As usual, you're going into a huge amount of detail about potentially irrelevant things. We don't even know if cola wants to print anything - maybe he just wants to upload things to facebook and r/gonewild.
  • colacola part legend, part devil... all man Balls deep Icrontian
    edited November 2011
    Thanks for the suggestions guys, I looked through the links you gave me, and the Lumix that Snark linked me seems like it's right down my alley. I'm not inerested in printing at the moment, and I guess I should have mentioned that a camera with low light capabilities was also something I'd be looking for.
  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    edited November 2011
    I think cola would have several awkward PMs (his GW throwaway would be ponyluver4lyfe) concerning the cleanliness of his dorm room.
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