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Post by ironhold on Oct 30, 2017 4:32:12 GMT
As I was heading home on Friday, someone stopped short in front of me and so I had to brake hard in order to avoid an accident. This sent my camera bag flying. I initially figured that my camera was fine because I saw no overt signs of damage, but I now realize that it's no longer working properly. Every time I go to take a photo, the camera simply cycles between the setting options.
I went ahead and e-mailed the manufacturer, but given how old it is (at least a decade, going by the date stamp everything's been set to) it's possible that it may be beyond repair.
Given this, what would you recommend as an inexpensive but serviceable camera? So long as it's user-friendly, reasonably durable, and can take video, it'll be what I need.
Thanks.
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Post by silverdragon on Oct 30, 2017 7:00:35 GMT
What budget do you have?.
This matters, otherwise, here is some generic things you may want to consider?.
Look for "Bridge" type camera's.
These are the new low end DSLR types, and not as expensive as you think.
Otherwise, it all depends on your budget.
Stick to names you can trust, dont go for "Own brand" from box stores, and try to aim for one that knows just a little more about photography than you do...
The camera that is.
If you buy something with more settings than you would normally use, they are there for when you learn.
What to look for.
What size memory, and dont think in Gig here, think in actual photographs.
1,000 is "About enough" when it comes to shots in high definition. so look for the number of shots in RAW TIFF or High definition, not Jpeg low quality, if the "blurb" on the camera doesnt make that distinction, presume the worst.
Anything more than that and your going to have problems with access speeds when reading and writing to memory.
So thats abouut time to start thinking carrying more than one card, not getting a bigger card.
Bigger cards are more to loose when they go wrong...
And SD cards fail all the time.
Rather choose speed of writing to SD card over size of card.
Look for "Burst" shooting figures, on continuous shot, you should be able to get more than say 8 frames at 4 per second in the buffer when doing DSLR on RAW or High definition.
Obviously, Video should be continuous.
And whilst your there, look for how long the battery lasts....
And how fast it recharges.
How easy to get replacement batteries.
Will you get a deal if you get a spare batt with the camera.
"IS", Image stabilisation, yes get that. If you can turn it off, when you have stable shots, even better.
Look for the size of the sensor, you want the biggest size you can get.
Do NOT look at digital zoom.
You want optical zoom with interchangeable lens rather than digital zoom.
Digital zoom is only the camera doing enlargements the same way as your computer can zoom in, and you loose definition of image doing that, so get the optical zoom one.
Maker Bloody Sure that the connection for Tripods is "standard".
Check how much the extra's are, like Flash unit and lenses.
Do not believe the flash you get with the camera is any good...
The pop-up one on my own Canon is rather useless, its there for emergency when you didnt take your external flash, not to be relied upon, and I wish I could find the setting that warns me its about to pop up, because that automatic deployment annoys me.
Also check what type of card it takes.
If its "CF" or compact flash, yes its a serious camers.
Otherwise, SD, or Micro-SD are "standard", and can be bought almost anywhere.
Try to keep away from internal memory only...
Even if you have the leads to connect to a computer, when the camera is "full", the ease of carrying a spare card and swapping out is the thing you will find you need.
Also to consider.
How much do you use it?.
DSLR, The total number of shutter cycles its guaranteed for is important.
The shutter on an average DSLR can only go for about 100,000 cycles before it needs serious servicing..
Some more, some less, dependant on entry level cost and expected use.
Needless to say, the bigger Canon and Nikon have much much much more cycles.
But if you buy a point-and-push low entry level DSLR [to be used on full automatic], dont expect it to last much more than say 100,000 shots...
And yes they do have a shelf life.
What you want, the most expensive sensor you can buy.
After that, you pays your money you takes your choice what electronics are attached to it.
But more expensive serious camera's are all about the quality of that sensor.
Hope this brief set of considerations can be of some help.
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Post by silverdragon on Oct 30, 2017 7:07:53 GMT
Second Hand Camera?.. ... if you know what to look for, when buying a DSLR, you can get to settings and find out just how many cycles the shutter has done. Do NOT buy a second hand camera off a professional photog... without considering... what is the limit of cycles for that model of camera, and has that photog seen his own total and is expecting to hit that limit pretty soon?. They can be replaced and serviced, at between £100 to £500 a time dependant on where you go who you know and what camera you got, but, if it costs £500 to replace the shutter and you pay £400 for the camera, is it worth it?.. what is the price of a new one?. Here is a pretty good laymans terms info sheet on the subject of you want further reading. www.instantfundas.com/2012/12/what-is-shutter-life-expectancy-of-dslr.htmlIf, However, you get a camera that has had that done, get the guarantee with the camera, go back to the firm that did the replacement, and verify that it has been done. Trust no one.?.. who me?.. I dont even trust myself at times?..   |
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Post by GTCGreg on Oct 30, 2017 13:43:47 GMT
As I was heading home on Friday, someone stopped short in front of me and so I had to brake hard in order to avoid an accident. This sent my camera bag flying. I initially figured that my camera was fine because I saw no overt signs of damage, but I now realize that it's no longer working properly. Every time I go to take a photo, the camera simply cycles between the setting options. I went ahead and e-mailed the manufacturer, but given how old it is (at least a decade, going by the date stamp everything's been set to) it's possible that it may be beyond repair. Given this, what would you recommend as an inexpensive but serviceable camera? So long as it's user-friendly, reasonably durable, and can take video, it'll be what I need. Thanks. Take a look at Panasonic. They are the new Cannon. |
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Post by the light works on Oct 30, 2017 14:33:51 GMT
the biggest question is whether you want DSLR or PHD. (Push Here, Dummy) the next question is, do you want the best money can buy, or is there a point of "good enough" the third question is do you want a rechargeable battery system or a disposable battery system. there is no doubt a DSLR can do more than a PHD. however, there are things a PHD can do that a DSLR can't. like fit in your pocket. optimally, of course, you would have both, and a modern cell phone can double as a PHD camera. best of the best or good enough? that is up to you, but consider that for me, a 10 year old set of entry level cameras is good enough. as I see it, the battery debate boils down to these two philosophies: disposable battery people like that when they get the camera out and it has dead batteries, they can pick up a pack at the store. rechargeable battery people like that they can keep the battery charged, and it won't go dead from sitting, switched off. as far as brand, if you already have glass to fit a brand, it makes sense to be loyal to that brand. for me, the camera I use most is my canon digital elph. it fits in my pocket, but still has a modest optical zoom capability and takes acceptable video. - the newer generations are undoubtedly more advanced. shop.usa.canon.com/shop/en/catalog/powershot-elph-190-is-black |
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Post by wvengineer on Oct 30, 2017 14:38:54 GMT
What type of camera are you looking at? What sort of video resolution? DSLR? Hybrid(mirror-less DSLR)? Superzoom? Basic Point & Shoot? If all you want is something usable that takes video, then you can get a basic point & Shoot for $50 and under. Heck, I got my kids digital cameras for $25. It shoots 5MP stills and 480P video. My kids have actually gotten some good shots with it. www.walmart.com/ip/Bell-Howell-Blue-Fun-Flix-DC5-Kid-s-Digital-Camera-with-5-Megapixels-and-UPG-D5323-D5923-Super-Heavy-Duty-Battery-Value-Box-AAA-50-Pack/48237532#read-moreThere are a number of good point and shoot setups for under $150. Sony, Panasonic, and Olympus do good ones. For a hybrid or superzoom, go Cannon. Avoid Cannon for new DSLRs. they have been putting their development money into the the software side of things to the expense of the hardware. Their camera have a lot of nifty software functions (wifi connectivity, built in instagram & facebook functionality, etc), but their newer DSLRs are quite a bit behind Nikon for their actual hardware abilities, especially for the money. For DSLR, go Nikon. |
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Post by ironhold on Oct 30, 2017 14:52:00 GMT
The one I'm looking to replace is a Samsung S730.
7.2 megapixels, 2 AA batteries (which was actually a good thing since I could swap out batteries on the go instead of having to wait to recharge), et cetra.
I literally got it at a charity rummage sale. Spent more on the memory card than the camera itself.
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Post by the light works on Oct 30, 2017 15:09:22 GMT
The one I'm looking to replace is a Samsung S730. 7.2 megapixels, 2 AA batteries (which was actually a good thing since I could swap out batteries on the go instead of having to wait to recharge), et cetra. I literally got it at a charity rummage sale. Spent more on the memory card than the camera itself. like I said about batteries, I prefer the rechargeable, since I can recharge in advance and then I don't have to worry about finding out my battery is dead. disposable battery camera process: get out camera, change batteries, take pictures. rechargeable battery camera: get out camera, take pictures, recharge battery. but if you are looking for similar, you should get acceptable results from most of the reputable brands, so you can look for a good deal. for me, I would look for SD card memory, because it is easiest to transfer pictures by sticking the card in my computer. (which is good because the new computer won't use a cable to transfer from the camera) |
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Post by ironhold on Oct 30, 2017 18:53:35 GMT
Tech support got back to me, and they recommended a troubleshoot that *seems* to be working.
But I'm still keeping my eye out for newer units just in case.
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Post by the light works on Oct 30, 2017 18:56:08 GMT
Tech support got back to me, and they recommended a troubleshoot that *seems* to be working. But I'm still keeping my eye out for newer units just in case. working is good, especially if it costs nothing. |
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Post by wvengineer on Oct 31, 2017 1:45:49 GMT
The one I'm looking to replace is a Samsung S730. 7.2 megapixels, 2 AA batteries (which was actually a good thing since I could swap out batteries on the go instead of having to wait to recharge), et cetra. I literally got it at a charity rummage sale. Spent more on the memory card than the camera itself. Trouble I have with AA batteries is that alkaline batteries don' tend to last long in a camera. It's worse when you use a flash regularly. I found my self going though AA's pretty quickly. A rechargeable purpose built camera battery lasts a lot longer between recharges compared to alkalines. |
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Post by GTCGreg on Oct 31, 2017 2:06:18 GMT
My first digital camera (a Cannon)ran off 4 AA batteries and it burned through them in about 50 shots. And that was without the flash. I think it was the display that sucked all the power.
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Post by the light works on Oct 31, 2017 4:00:51 GMT
My first digital camera (a Cannon)ran off 4 AA batteries and it burned through them in about 50 shots. And that was without the flash. I think it was the display that sucked all the power. to compare, I bought my cameras for yellowstone, and I was taking a hundred stills a day with the DSLR and 2 megs of video with the elph. I charged my batteries every night whether they needed it or not. |
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Post by ponytail61 on Oct 31, 2017 5:02:27 GMT
I use rechargeables but keep a few alkalines in the case...just in case.
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Post by silverdragon on Oct 31, 2017 7:16:10 GMT
I carry two batteries.
The cover you get with them for out of camera, clips on, and lips in pace either way round, and has a channel underneath to see the battery casing. if you clip it one way it shows a blue bar, the other way shows grey.... charged is blue, grey is discharged.
The can last up to two years with no great loss of power, this I know from loosing one during a camera bag change, and finding it two years later?.
I can rattle off a full 4gig of shots on one battery. Thats a good days use.
Did you all know that the cheep point-and-push camera's that take "AA" can work on rechargeable batteries?.
My wife uses a camera designed on that, she doesnt want a complicated camera.
She carries two sets of batteries, one in the camera, one charged in the case, along with a spare memory card.
Its easy enough to put the batteries on charge when you get home with the camera after using it..
And mine are Li-Ion, so dont mind partial charging either.
The wifes are cheep 1,000 charge rechargeable, in that the 1,000 is dependable charges, after that, they tend to loose ability to keep charged.
Canon make point-and-push, so do Nikon, and as mentioned, Panasonic, and there is a brand "Agfa" that used to make film.
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