digital camera

[mgpuma]

I'm kind of a technophobe and I don't want to spend an arm and a leg, neither one if I can get away with it, but I want good pictures. What kind should I get if I finally break down and buy one?

[johnhens]

I use an Olympus Stylus 300 that is weather resistant and takes decent pictures as long as you are not looking to enlarge the pictures.
There are lots of options with 5-6 megapixel cameras that have 5-6X zooms that will get you into the 200mm range of the 35mm format.
There are lots of options, here is a great site to review cameras:
http://www.dpreview.com/

[fonixmunkee]

johnhens is spot on with www.dpreview.com, it's a great site to do research.

I've sworn by Olympus cameras...I've had two of the Stylus ones, because as johnhens said, they are weather-resistant and durable. I currently use a 760.

My girlfriend has had two Canon PowerShots. They work great, are inexpensive, but are heavy and take double AA batteries.

[Ingo]

Funny you ask because I'm getting ready to buy a new one too. I have a Lumix (Panasonic) FZ5, but it had a little accident some time ago and doesn't always focus well. I'm going to replace it with a Lumix FZ8 with a similar 12x zoom, but there's also the FZ18 with an 18x -- something like a 28mm to 504mm lens. These are a little bigger than a pocket camera, but are very light and easy to use, while giving you more control than the pocket ones (if you choose). In features they're comparable to the Canon S5 IS. The FZ8 is $230, the FZ18 about $100 more, from a reputable on-line store. The biggest down side is they're not the best in low light (high ISO), but I use mine mostly for nature photography so it's not a big issue to me. For carrying around it's a great compromise for me between the really little ones and a heavy/larger DSLR (which I'd really like, too)

Here are some photos taken with my FZ5. Some are with a wide angle converter lens, which gets me approx 24mm. The JPGs are reduced in size for the website, so they're not full quality. http://web.mac.com/ingonet/iWeb/IngoNet ... 02006.html

As for the accident, shortly after I got the FZ5 I took it on a trip with my 4 brothers and Dad. Before we left all 6 of us all lined up with arms over shoulders for a picture--I was holding my camera ready to hand to someone else. So my brother next to me decides we're in a chorus line, does a high kick, and sends the new camera flying 30ft in the air! The lens jammed, but was later freed by force in a camera shop, while we were on the trip. So no camera for the trip. It does work fine at wide angles and zoomed in, but has never focused well in the middle of the zoom range since.

To join the others, dpreview.com is a great resource and can provide advice as to where and where not to buy online. There are reputable stores, but many that are outright frauds.

[johnhens]

John,
I have been using the FZ20 for a few yers now. I just started using the Scandisk Ultra II cards for quicker processing, they are nice.
Tricia bought the FZ18, nicer than mine. She is still in the learning curve. I am holding out for a DSLR when I get the $$$$.

[Nick]

I got this one for Christmas. I have a Cannon Rebel with all the bells and whistles that I carry in a deck box when I paddle and on a Kuban Hitch when I hike, but I wanted something I could put on my PFD for quick shots without worrying about whether I got it wet (I burned out the body of the Cannon going around Blake Point a couple of years ago).

I like the Cannon because it is dust and waterproof and wasn't too expensive--around 200.

[samh]

The Pentax Optio line is great but I'm all about any of the Canon Powershot line. They are super lightweight, have intuitive controls, take great pictures and are durable.

I would also like to chime in about dpreview.com being THE best place to compare and research cameras. Don't even waste your time with other informational sites. Dpreview is probably better than even the manufacturers own sites.

[johnhens]

As for the accident, shortly after I got the FZ5 I took it on a trip with my 4 brothers and Dad. Before we left all 6 of us all lined up with arms over shoulders for a picture--I was holding my camera ready to hand to someone else. So my brother next to me decides we're in a chorus line, does a high kick, and sends the new camera flying 30ft in the air! The lens jammed, but was later freed by force in a camera shop, while we were on the trip. So no camera for the trip. It does work fine at wide angles and zoomed in, but has never focused well in the middle of the zoom range since.

To join the others, dpreview.com is a great resource and can provide advice as to where and where not to buy online. There are reputable stores, but many that are outright frauds.

John, your brothers sound like mine!!!!

[upnorthjeeper]

I really do recommend the Panasonic high-zoom series... I've owned a FZ18 and recently upgraded to the FZ28. In good light both cameras perform great. The FZ28 was a good improvement from the FZ18, it has better white balance control, focus control, aong some other tweaks. The FZxx are all very lightweight and allow you to go from a close-up macro shot 1cm away and then zoom all the way out to 18x (~480mm+ reach) without changing lenses! Surely a dSLR should give better results, but the weight and need to change lenses makes little to no sense for the type of active shooting that I do at this point in my life.

Even though the FZ28 addressed some of the low-light issues of the FZ18 the size of the sensor on these cameras can only give us so much to work with. I decided to add a 2nd camera to my bag as a result. The Panasonic LX3 is smaller and much better in low light, but has a very limited zoom. The limited zoom is easily made up for in the wide-angle (24mm) and lowl-light abilities of the camera. The LX3 takes care of everything that doesn't require lon/g zoom, in better quality (due to its larger sensor).

That said, if I could only bring one camera it would be the FZ28 (or FZ18) due to the versatility of having the long zoom reach available. My plan for my first IR trip is to bring both cameras that will be together in a camera bag that will be attached to my sternum strap for quick and easy access.

BTW – agreed, dpreview.com is a good website to learn about photography and different gear!