Camera Labs

Hi All

Well i've been into photography for many years and about 8 months ago brought a Kodak P880 which suited my budget at the time, Had many features i knew nothing about and gave me some good fundamental practice with aperture and iso settings.

The camera was my pride and joy for a few months until i found some nags with it which before i wouldn't of known had affected my images or motivation to take more of a certain type of image.

I found the Camera was rubbish with night shots even with a tripod and tips & hints guide next to me on night shots. i also found that the picture just took to long to take if something amazing was happening in an instant. the multiple shots (unsure what this is called) was terrible, In-fact the shots were so dark i couldn't see a thing and it did freeze the camera's software if i held on for over 5 seconds.

I generally wanted to take pictures of Landscape, Macro, Action which after the first few days i realized my camera skills or camera wasn't up to the job and i stuck to Landscape (Day only), Macro which was just breath taking to me and still is.

I never had the right camera that could take action shots without the image looking as if it was midnight and also missed a few good moments with the camera button delay (might have been the auto white balance half press button which made the delay a nightmare)

Well time has moved on and i have sold my camera with all content including my tripod and flash + SD card.

Im unsure if i want to pursue photography anymore as i haven't had a great time using the Kodak P880..

But I'm willing to give it one more go if i could take nice shots of Action and some changeable lenses which can zoom in to objects i couldn't get close too.

I don't have a budget right now but looked at the Canon EOS 400D or Nikon 40 (not x).. which in a few months i will have a budget and can adhere to a budget once i have a camera in mind.

Anybody else find this when they brought a camera? I hope you guys can shed some light into a good camera (better than the Kodak P880) and try and kick start a hobby i just didn't seem to fit into due to (either my skills or camera).

Hi Flux, welcome to the Cameralabs forums!

I could try and twist your arm into looking at a quick-reacting super-zoom like the Sony H9 - see our review here, but from your message I think you'd ultimately be disappointed.

If you're after something which responds quickly and performs well with action and low light, then you have to get a DSLR. Nothing else will compare.

Luckily while some DSLRs are undoubtedly better than others, all will perform much better than an all-in-one like your Kodak - if you're on a budget, do also have a look at the Olympus E-400 twin lens kit which is available at a great price now the E-410 is out. Check out this thread in the forum:

www.cameralabs.com/forum/viewtopic.php? ... light=e400

Gordon

It seems that Sony will announce a replacement for the A100 very soon, so you could also expect to see a drop in price on that one. And the 30D will probably also be replaced this year if you want something more pro.

It sounds like you know a lot about photography so I would say that you could try to find a cheap good used macro lens, and then buy the camera that suits that lens. I don't own a macro lens myself so perhaps someone else in here can help on that subject? Actually, I would also like to know what one should look for in a macro lens

Hi Flux,

night shot and actionphotography, that sounds perfectly like you need a camera with a large sensor, that can capture enough light to give you good photos at low light or fast shutter speeds (and/or high ISO). This in turn means today that you need a DSLR, not a compact superzoom.
As buying a DSLR in fact means investing in lenses that you keep and upgrading the body perhaps every 3-5 years, Gordons suggestion regarding the Olympus or Runes suggestion to perhaps get a body at the end of (sales) life are very good.
At the end everything depends on the budget that you'd like to invest.
Oh, and don't forget you'll want image stabilization...

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Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

Hi flux,

I would reiterate what others here have said, when I was looking (very recently!) I went and tried the compact super zooms and was ultimatly left dissapointed, my key requirement was that when I pressed the button the camera took the image, with no (or as minimal as possible lag) the compact superzooms are not like this. Though they do have a nice focal range and would save changing lenses I felt like I was compromising on too much (though you will have to compromise somewhere depending on budget).

Anyway, I got an e400, it was a very good price and feels very like my olympus film slr. My only criticism is that it lacks image stabilization, but I found that at 300mm I can hand hold fine until the light gets quite low (use a tripod then), not sure I would want to try it with a higher tele though.

The sony looked good but I ultimately decided I preferred the smaller build of the Olympus (the new lenses are very small and light yet are better quality that the cheap offerings from others.) as I'm going to be humping it around Kenya. (+I already seem to be planning on adding some more (better) lenses! so I can see how the weight, and money adds up, agg! At least my other half is impressed and will let me spend some more now..)
That said I know I will keep the lenses for a better body when the time comes.

Ultimately pick your price and see what you can get, don't forget to add up the cost of mem cards, filters, bags, screen protectors etc as well! (Play has good prices on 8Gb extreme III cards atm!) It certainly adds up.

Hope that helps,
If you have any more questions feel free
ATB Scott

Thank you all for your kind comments, I will be buying a Digital SLR in the future and possible budget of around £700..

IL be reading a few reviews on here however i don't know much about lenses and never have.. perhaps a guide to lenses on Cameralabs would help many of us?

IL read the other post and see what gets said about the Olympus, although i don't think IL go for a Sony based on one fact in my mind its not a top player for camera's.. i would tend to stick with Canon, Nikon, Olympus

Hi all


Well my budget is here and its at £750

I looked at the Nikon D80 with the 18 - 135mm kit, is this a good starter for me? whats its main rival?

Just ordered:

D80 + 18-135mm
2x 2Gb Sandisk Extreme 3 (check mymemory.co.uk for good prices)

£719.94 (Delivery Included)

Just need a good lens cloth and a good bag to go with it, any ideas? im looking for a rucksack of some sort, tamrac or lowepro i guess? I can go a little over my budget if needed

£30.00 in the kitty left! but will adjust if needed

Congrats, nice kit!
Have fun - and update your signature for future entries in the forum

_________________
Thomas (beware: Nikon-fanboy and moderator!) My Lens Reviews, My Pictures, My Photography Blog
D800+assorted lenses

Thanks

(Siggy test)

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Toolkit: iMac 20" C2D

Looking for a camera bag/rucksack have a look at the Lowepro "Slingshot" 300AW will hold a DSLR plus 4 to 5 lenses plus other stuff in pouches, it is the bag that I have a bit pricey at around £79-£99 so might be over your budget.

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Roy
EOS 350D, 40D + BG-E2N, EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM, EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM, EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM, 430 EX Speedlite




My Fotopic

I should add forum member Gregory K did a great review of the Lowe Pro 100AW for us here: http://www.cameralabs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=193

Or if you fancy a discreet shoulder bag, consider a crumpler!

http://www.cameralabs.com/blog/may06/29/

See:

Gordon

Flux, Just bought 2x 4Gb Sandisk Extreme 3 Compact Flash @ www.play.com for £37.99 each, www.mymemory.co.uk want £39.99 for the same items.

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Roy
EOS 350D, 40D + BG-E2N, EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM, EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM, EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM, 430 EX Speedlite




My Fotopic

Just bought this bag for her indoors, it's a bit small compared to the 300AW so I suppose will be OK for the ladies (said tongue in cheek)

_________________
Roy
EOS 350D, 40D + BG-E2N, EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM, EF 100mm f/2.8 Macro USM, EF 100-400 f/4.5-5.6 L IS USM, 430 EX Speedlite




My Fotopic