Cameras

[Shelley]

I went to a Real Estate website today, one that explains marketing and other business tips. They had an article on cameras, since they basically have the same needs we do... Ive been looking for one but wanted one that can take a descent wide angle, so I wanted less than 35mm. I finally found one and am so happy, I got a Kodak P880 Digital... which goes from 24mm to 124mm, I can attach lenses if I want, an external flash, it also has manual mode so I can control everything if I want. Its part of the easyshare family of cameras so it fits in a docking station if I should chose to get one.

[slsparks]

Nice Shelly. My digital is a Cannon, but it's getting old. I need to get the new one with white balance and changable lenses. I too need wide angle for ceilings and large murals.

Sherry~

[Shelley]

I read alot of reviews before I bought it. I compared it to other brand names and none of the other ones had a camera in this style or price with that wide angle capability (the others were starting at $700 up). I didnt buy the external flash, I will see how the flash on the camera works first. Its a nice camera as far as I have read. I bought a cute little video camera last year thinking I could use 'still mode' to get pics of my work.... not... it doesnt have a flash and really doesnt take that good of photos. I tried my husbands canon digital but its so limiting and he wants to carry it with him when he travels, so I bit it and bought this one... I hope its as good as the reviews.

Now I have a whole new toy to learn about... ugh, I hate that part!!

[Kim S]

Shelley,
I saw the reviews of that camera on dpreview.com, was trying to find a wide angle..
It would be really interesting if you could take comparsion pics and post them, with your new camera and your husbands.. make sure they;re from the exact same distance from the subject.. like a small room where you can't get too far back.

And would be interesting to see an interior shot using the available light with the flash disabled.

[Shelley]

Anything would work better than my husbands camera for the wide angle! LOL but yes, I will do that... I ordered it from beachcamera.com which was actually cheaper than all the other sites (size does matter) so after I receive it I will definately give it a try

[slsparks]

I rarely use flash with digital because the image can be manipulated in graphic editing software for light/dark, contrast, and color... then I avoid hot spots in the image. Of course I do this during the day. Without the white balance feature, colors are always off with digital cameras, and is what I dislike about them.

Sherry~

[Anne]

Shelley,
What do you think of your camera now. Are you satisfied with it ? I still need to buy one. Would you recommend it? Tania has a Canon, she is very satisfied with it.
As It is a big expense, I would be happy to know what you think of it.

Anne

[KathyFakesIt]

Yah, I Love Kim's idea of comparison photos, but if that's not possible, I would love to see how it handles a powder room or small space. It's so difficult to shoot a bathroom.

Also, how does it do on shiny finishes? I always find that impossible.

Let us know as you learn OK?

[Kim S]

Anne,
cameras change so quickly, and there will be new ones introduced in the next couple months that will make price decreases in older models. So probably the 880 will go down.

There are still not a lot of this class with 28mm

Heres a link to a new one that has 28mm, I dont have it but it looks interesting and not too expensive

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Olympus/oly_sp550uz.asp
Here's a review on someones blog
http://scaredofthedark.typepad.com/blog/2007/02/olympus_sp550_r_5.html


A new feature to look for that a lot of the new cameras have, is called Image Stabilisation or IS.. the Olympus550 has it
different companies call it different things, and some claim to have it, but don't. Its amazing, I have it on the Canon G7 that I recently bought. It means you can get shots handheld that are sharp, at a couple of fstops lower than without it.
THe G7 doesn't have the wide angle, I got it because its small but has all the manual controls. I love the IS feature. I spent many hours on DPreview, and other sites forums before deciding on mine, and recommend that site for research.

[Kim S]

I posted on my blog, how to get a wide view indoors, with no flash, using stitching software.. this is an alternative to having a wide angle lens. Its a little more work, but a great feature.. I use it a lot, but am still learning

http://kimsenior.blogspot.com/2007/02/vernet-painting-panorama.html

[KathyFakesIt]

thanks Kim - great tip.

[cprende]

Since this thread is 3 years old I wanted to revisit what cameras would be good for taking your own photos.

I did something really really stupid and put my camera in the box where the sealer was for a project. Yep you guessed, the sealer spilled just a tiny bit but of course was on the camera. The sealer works better than expected now I cannot get the battery door open as it is sealed shut!

What cameras are you using?
Need something that of course:

takes good photos in poor lighting
wide angle
easy to use
not cheap but affordable

Anyone ever buy a used camera off craigslist?

If anyone has any ideas on how can I remove or soften the sealer I would appreciate that too as I wasn't planning on spending money on a camera.

[lisascenic]

By the way, there are a lot of disreputatble online camera shops.

Beware of scammers.

http://www.digicamhelp.com/buying-guide/shop-online/scam/

[chuckhorn]

For $379.00 Canon's SX20 does 28mm - 560mm (35mm film equivalent).

Still considered a "point and shoot," but you can do fully manual it you want.

12mp, shoots HD video, too.

Amazon has them for $350.00 right now.