Need a new camera

[corco]

My Powershot A590IS is starting to bite the bullet after 20K photos- the shutter isn't opening most of the time

Anyway, I'm looking for something new or used under $250 that will be used 99% for moving road photography. I'd like to take videos too, but that's not critical.

I'd like something that performs better when shooting into the sun or in low light situations, but I know cameras are only cameras especially on a $250 budget.

I'm looking at this- does anybody have any other recommendations?

[agentsteel53]

I'm surprised the shutter went down the shitter after only 20K cycles.

that said, my general recommendation stands: if you cannot think of a reason you need an SLR, then you don't need one.  So get whatever Canon's putting out in the $200 range - it's likely to be pretty good.

[Alps]

My Powershot has problems with zoom, and I've had the selector replaced under extended warranty. There are now pieces of something inside the lens that could theoretically show up in a photo. One of these times they'll finally cave and give me a new one.

[Alex]

My Powershot A590IS is starting to bite the bullet after 20K photos- the shutter isn't opening most of the time

I had the same exact problem with my Powershot A590. When the shutter would not open, I was able to push them open and get them to "stick". Usually when I used the A590, I would leave it on for hours, so this did the trick for a day's worth of photos.

Take the batteries out and the shutter will not auto-retract, so you can use it again without having to get the shutter doors to stay open. Doing this I was able to keep my A590 working for another nine months.

Current cameras are iffy right now. I used the A1100 for a year, but it gives soft photos and my particular camera also added a green hue. Still works fine, but the shutter button casing popped off in December. I recently purchased a DSLR but only have used it twice so far. Going to give it a solid workout over the next couple of weeks though.

[US71]

Here's a good place to start:
http://dpreview.com/

I bought my Canon S3 after looking at reviews. It was slightly better than the S4 and I found it on sale as a discontinued model.  I've had it about 4 years and have been very pleased with it.

[1995hoo]

A few years ago I gave Ms1995hoo a Sony Cybershot for Christmas. I do not remember the exact model and it's likely irrelevant as I'm sure it's been replaced with a new model, but it's an excellent little camera (and I say that as an admitted SLR snob as I use a Canon EOS 20D). It's a point-and-shoot with a very good Carl Zeiss lens, I think 10.1 megapixel. It also has the "smile shutter," which detects when the subject is smiling and automatically trips the shutter then. I was skeptical of that feature, but it really works! Very nice feature since Ms1995hoo's brother has two kids who are 8 and 5 and her nephew has three kids who are all younger than 10. You know how little kids never cooperate with you taking pictures.....

Only real downside is that you can't zoom in and out whilst shooting video–once you set the zoom and start recording, it's set until you stop recording. But that's a minor negative IMO.

[AZDude]

I agree Sony Cybershot Cameras are great!  Many are under $200. 

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Sony+-+Cyber-shot+16.2-Megapixel+Digital+Camera+-+Black/2061086.p?id=1218307908007&skuId=2061086&st=sony cybershot&cp=1&lp=1

[realjd]

that said, my general recommendation stands: if you cannot think of a reason you need an SLR, then you don't need one.  So get whatever Canon's putting out in the $200 range - it's likely to be pretty good.

This bears repeating.

I have an older PowerShot SD-750. It's the size of a deck of cards and takes great pictures still. I also have a low-end Canon DSLR. I love the DSLR, but it's just not good as a vacation-snapshot type camera. It's too bulky.

[1995hoo]

I ordered the Cyershot from B&H because they had some very good prices on packages (camera, case, extra battery, memory card...). IIRC buying the kit from them was cheaper than buying from Crutchfield or Best Buy would have been (without accounting for tax, either–Crutchfield and Best Buy have to collect it from Virginia residents, B&H do not).

[mightyace]

I had a Canon Powershot and the zoom broke after 6 months.  Then, a Kodak 8 mega pixel.  The camera still works but the battery door is shot.

I'm now using a Panasonic Lumix ZS5, 12 megapixel with 12x optical zoom and a Leica lens.  My brother has an 8 megapixel Panasonic with a Leica lens and loves it.

If you do go for a Sony, go for one with a Carl Zeiss lens.  The one downside to Sony Cameras, they use Sony's Memory Stick while nearly everyone else uses SD cards.

P.S. I got my Panasonic back in November last year for around $200 from Best Buy.

[corco]

Thanks all for the suggestions! I'll probably avoid a Sony just because I use SD cards for other things and don't want to hassle with buying new media.

Would there be any benefit to finding a lightly used DSLR to use for in-car road photography if I got a mount, or is that overkill?

[realjd]

Thanks all for the suggestions! I'll probably avoid a Sony just because I use SD cards for other things and don't want to hassle with buying new media.

Would there be any benefit to finding a lightly used DSLR to use for in-car road photography if I got a mount, or is that overkill?

The problem with DSLR is that you have to look through the viewfinder to see how the image is framed. Some will have a "live view" mode where they lock the mirror up and show what it's pointing at on the LCD but this never works well in practice. The only way a DSLR would work for road pictures is if you're a passenger, or mount the camera and trigger it repeatedly (but blindly) to get a good shot.

Also, if you get a DSLR, expect to spend a fair amount on a decent lens. A low end DSLR with a good lens will take much nicer pictures than an expensive DSLR camera body with a crap lens.

I'm not saying you shouldn't get a DSLR. I absolutely love mine. Just keep in mind the drawbacks as well as the positives.

[1995hoo]

I love my DSLR, but using it while driving is a certain way to get in a wreck.

[Truvelo]

I love my DSLR, but using it while driving is a certain way to get in a wreck.

I've been using DSLR's in the car since 2004 without any incident whatsoever. The viewfinder problem mentioned earlier does make it harder than compacts to see exactly what will be in the picture when you first use it but you soon get the hang of things.

[1995hoo]

OK, I'll amend that:

I love my DSLR, but using it while driving in the DC area is a certain way to get in a wreck.

[agentsteel53]

OK, I'll amend that:

I love my DSLR, but using it while driving in the DC area is a certain way to get in a wreck.

I have been able to handle it in Manhattan ... in a stick shift.

[mightyace]

^^^

Yes, but we all know that you're Superman^TM behind the wheel. 

[corco]

Thanks for the tips!

If I can find a criminally cheap DSLR, is it a good investment (from a photography standpoint. It's obviously a good financial investment)? I asked on another forum and it was recommended that I do this

Canon XTi w/ kit lens — $150 — I'd imagine this particular one is gone, but you can probably find the equivalent in a pawn shop somewhere for ~$200
Tripod (handle twists-to-lock) — $35 — You can probably find one for cheaper, you'd be cutting the head off of it anyways.
Suction mount ~$30 new (couldn't find one on CL) — To attach the ball head to
6' USB cable — $5 or you probably have one somewhere
Inverter — ~$30 — I don't know how you don't have one of these with all the driving you do. Get one anyways, you'll use it all the time, if even for a little fridge for long drives
So for about $300, you could make a kit (using your current laptop and something to prop it on) that would allow you to aim and click pictures one handed, with no worrying about a jittery hand blurring it up or if you have enough space left on your card. Add in a little handheld presenter (~$20 or so, or if you have a wireless mouse you can reprogram it for free) and macro software (free, I can help you set it up), and you could do it without even touching your computer.

I have a fairly steady hand though and am good at maneuvering a point n shoot in traffic- is a DSLR really that much harder?

[agentsteel53]

I have a fairly steady hand though and am good at maneuvering a point n shoot in traffic- is a DSLR really that much harder?

no, it is much easier.  the DSLR strategy is to take about 5 pictures in rapid succession - one of them is bound to come out.

[corco]

That would be so much easier than trying to time it perfectly- from a driving standpoint that is the single hardest part because the timing is the only part that is distracting- not the process of holding the camera up. Maybe I do need a DSLR. If I could fudge on the timing a bit with the DSLR that would more than make up for the added bulk

[Alps]

I'm able to take photos without looking and they come out ~99.9% of the time. In other words, I have no need to use a viewfinder or "center the image." Questions about DSLR:
1) Is a viewfinder really necessary for the photo? I.e. will the camera not focus properly unless you pet it the right way?
2) Is there any other reason that motion photos taken with DSLR would come out blurry?
3) Can the turn-on, pick-up, point-shoot maneuver be done with one hand? Or is the camera too big for that?

(I would then be concerned with matters such as time between power-on and ready-to-shoot.)

[realjd]

I'm able to take photos without looking and they come out ~99.9% of the time. In other words, I have no need to use a viewfinder or "center the image." Questions about DSLR:
1) Is a viewfinder really necessary for the photo? I.e. will the camera not focus properly unless you pet it the right way?
2) Is there any other reason that motion photos taken with DSLR would come out blurry?
3) Can the turn-on, pick-up, point-shoot maneuver be done with one hand? Or is the camera too big for that?

(I would then be concerned with matters such as time between power-on and ready-to-shoot.)

1) For road pictures, you'd probably want to set the aperture to a fairly high f-stop to get a nice, wide depth of focus. I'd probably also turn off autofocus and manually set the focus to infinite for one-handed road pictures.

2) That is due to low shutter speed values. If you don't want this, you'd want to set it to a wider aperture (lower f-stop) and maybe even turn the ISO value up (simulates changing to a faster film). The faster the shutter speed, the less motion blur.

3) Yes, you can take pictures one handed.

[DeaconG]

Seriously, if you're going to go this route, I would highly suggest either the tripod mount or the window mount with a remote release.  Even with Live View there's too much of a chance to get distracted, with possibly ugly results.

Yes, I used to shoot while driving too, until I found myself in a situation where I had to reconsider.  (Throwing around a gripped EOS 50D with 17-55 and attempting to shoot the Commodore Barry Bridge is a hair raising experience-and the last.)

Now that I own a EOS 5D Mark II I've been doing the research on window mounts for recording road trips.  We'll see how it works with my 28 1.8 prime.

[corco]

The thing is that I don't look through the viewfinder. My hand knows where it needs to go to hold the camera to snap the sign, so it's more of a reflexive motion. I'd compare it to driving a stick moreso than talking on a cell phone in terms of how "distracting" it is. If a DSLR can allow me to still do that but with superior image quality, then I'm game to shoot while driving. If I'd need to think about things and change settings beyond just a zoom lever while driving, then I'm a bit less interested and may just stick with a point and shoot.

[formulanone]

I'm another DSLR snob, and there's a lot of advantages, even if going used (because there's no new DSLRs at that price, I'm afraid). I paid $250 for a Canon 300D about 5 years ago, and it's taken roughly 30,000 photos without missing a beat. I also received the original battery charger and power cable, USB cable, and top lens cap and bottom lens cover (useful when exchanging lenses), and thankfully, a manual.

Pros:

1) Image quality is the biggie: The lens diameter and quality of optical glass is no contest. Your average point-and-shoot uses a little 10-20mm lens, and an even tinier aperture, and sometimes the lens is made of plastic. The chromatic aberrations and color distortion are quite noticeable upon closer inspection, losing fine details even when using a low ISO. Replace this with a wider diameter (usually between 52-58mm) lens with specially-coated glass and you get a much finer image. Things like glare can still occur, but causes far less image distortion.

2) The CMOS sensors are roughly the same from camera to camera, but it takes it up a notch with a DSLR; allowing for finer image quality at larger megapixels than your typical point-and-shoot. Cheaper cameras typically trade off more pixels (the big selling point) lesser quality at their largest image settings.

3) Range of creativity and control is enormous compared a point-and-shoot. There's lots of trick stuff, and also some settings that make it fully or partially automatic. So you can use it for really artistic and experimental stuff, and also just take lots of snapshots. Did I also mention motor drive...3-5 shots per second on even the cheapest DSLRs, which is nice from a moving vehicle (although it eats your battery life).

4) SLR = Single Lens Reflex. What you see is 99% of what you get from the viewfinder, while point-and-shoots (usually rangefinder eyepieces) can be more offset at close distances; although having those large viewfinders on digital cameras make this less and less the case lately.

5) Lenses are interchangeable; typically, a 20-year-old EOS lens works with any Canon DSLR, for example. Not sure about Nikon, but I imagine it's the same as they're in constant competition with each other.

6) Big grip helps when driving, they seem to be a little more ergonomic, in my opinion.

7) MAN-SIZE camera gets respect: People think you're a professional...Or a lone weirdo. Either way, if you offer to take a photo of people taking each other's snapshots, people don't think you're going to steal their $40 toy when you've got a $700 digital medallion on your chest.

Cons/Drawbacks (sort of):

1)  You're buying into a lens system, essentially. If you want more lenses, like telephotos, fisheyes, tilt-and-shifts and other gadgets like polarizers (essential for shooting pictures through a windshield on a sunny day, also good at reducing glare in many other cases like bulb exposures, glass reflections, adding contrast), filters, et cetera...you're going to sell your first-born if you're compulsive enough about the habit. Luckily, like tools and guns, there's lots of good-quality used stuff available. Unlike guns, you can practice shooting with them before you pay.

[Edit:] ... 1A) Forgot to add you're also going to want a decent gadget bag, a tripod, a back-up memory card (old ones use CF cards, newer Canons use SD cards). In the case of CF cards, you'll probably want a portable card reader, since they're approaching obsolescence (but they're still fast in terms of data writing speed).

2) Don't drop your camera, ever. In all my 20+ (D)SLR years, I've only dropped my camera once, and that's because it fell off my front seat when I had to brake stupid hard for a red light...thankfully, it still works fine. An ex-girlfriend treated my old Canon AE-1 like a hackeysack for a photo class, having seen it tossed about in the back of her car...I knew it wouldn't work out.

3) Buy a spare battery! You can't just get replacements at a gas station, so you have to keep it charged and ready. Not cheap, but you'll be glad you had it at 10am in a new place when the other one gave out. Usually, you can get 500-700 shots on a single battery charge.

4) If you get a camera bag to hold all your euipment, you're going to need a gadget bag the size of yo momma's purse. Man up and deal with your murse-ness.

Basically, once you go DSLR, you find it hard to go back to point-and-shoot, although when you have a kid or two, it's nice to have a tiny camera ready on the fly instead of a bulky DSLR, when you have tons of other stuff to carry as a parent.

Also, don't run out and buy one of these cameras the day before a big event; they can take a few weeks to really sort out the finer points and neat little gadgets each camera beholds to do things just right. Get a good illustrated book or two on how to use the camera (there's still things I discover how to perfect many years after initial ownership), and one on tips and tricks for composition, ideas, concepts, the "nuts and bolts" of a camera, and the science of light/color theory. You'll also want photo-editing software and a good image browser that doesn't suck.

It all sounds mind-boggling, but the important part is that you have fun with it, and not expect every shot to look perfect each time. You learn and learn and learn some more with each shot. Take notes, find others that are interested, and share ideas. Heck, some of my best and most interesting (in my opinion) shots were total experiments without regard to the suggestions the little microchip the camera suggests for settings...that's how you really move forward with it as a hobby.

In time, you will get that amazing shot (or more) that nobody else got with their point-and-shoots in any unusually-lit or fast-paced event. 8)