[Recovered Thread: 78465]

[Netman]

I am looking for a new Camera for my wife. She loves her pictures so I am looking for a decent camera. Last year I got her the Coolpix 5200 but she doesnt like it. I was looking at the Olympus SP350 but read some not so good reviews on it. My wife only looks for a few things in the camers. First she wants good clean, clear pictures. Right now she gets a lot a blurry pics. Next is a decent battery life. THe SP 350 looks like it eats up the battery.

I am looking at a camera in the $300-$400 range.



Thanks,

Frank

[rinniethehun]

What ever you do, don't blow this one, buddy! (LOL)

Take a look at the Fuji F10...it has a high ISO (1600) which will permit faster shutter speeds for less blur. It will take 500 shots per battery charge (CIPA STD).

Good luck - if she doesn't like this one, I never made this post.

the Hun

[Netman]

LOL

I forgot to add one other Big item. The time it takes to write a pic to the card. The Coolpix is a little slow between pics and i know she wishes it was faster.

[rinniethehun]

The time it takes for a camera to write to the card is difficult to quantify, since there are other factors involved, such as processing and moving the data, the size of the file, and the size of the camera buffer, if any. I think your concern is shot to shot, or cycle time(?). That would be how soon you can take the next pic - this may be slower or faster than the time to write to card, but it is a more practical time from a user standpoint. There are other times to consider...let's say your wife has her camera with her (it is turned off and in a case), and she sees something she wants to take a picture of...how long will it take the camera to be ready to take a picture from the time she presses the 'on' button (startup time)? If the subject is a tree, it doesn't really matter. If the subject is a bird in the tree, it may fly away before the camera is ready. She prefocuses by pressing the shutter release halfway down, then presses it all the way down...there is a delay between the time of the pressing of the shutter release and the actual capture of the image (shutter lag). Then, of course, the time between one shot and the next (cycle time). Let's compare two cameras...hers and the F10...

Startup Time Lag Time (prefocus) Cycle Time (maximum res - Fine)

5200 3.9 sec 0.20 sec 2.1 sec
F10 1.0 sec <0.05 sec 1.7 sec

Times for both will slow dramatically when you use the flash, due to flash unit recycle times. Are there faster cameras? Slower cameras? Yes to both questions. Using your criteria, I still say the F10 is a pretty good bet, but we never had this conversation, and I was never here.

the Hun

[mtclimber]

Rinnie has pointed out the key issues quite well. Congratulations, Rinnie. And I agree that the Fuji F-10 seems to addressmost of the requirements in this case. The F-10 is a great and very capable digital camera. However there might still be a few other issues that need to be checked out.

1. Budget - both the mentioned Olympus Sp-350 and the Fuji F-10 are selling on the internet for less than $(US) 300. Does that seem to be the right spot?

2. Optical Zoom- Both cameras mentioned have 3X optical zoom. Does she want more zoom?

3. Low light Shooting Requirements. Does your wife shoot many photos at night, in low light environments, or need flash distances ghreater than 15 feet?

4. Because photo sharpness and clarity are stated issues, I would think that the ideal camera should focus rapidly and perhaps have a focus assist lamp??

5. Will your wife be doing a lot of cropping or making very large prints such as 11" X 14" or 16" X 20"?

6. Is camera size an issue for your wife?

Using answers to the above, we can make more specific recommendations. At this point in time it seems like the Fuji F-10 is a good fit. But if we expand the requirements via these questions, we might be able to get an even better fit.

MT

[Netman]

Thanks guys.

1. I would like to be in the $300-$400 range. I would be willing to go a little higher if its worth it. I want to get her the right camera this time. She had a Olympus D550 before and liked it for the most part but wanted something a little smaller.


2. Not sure if more zoom is necessary.


3. She takes most of the pictures inside usually in lower light. The pictures are mostly of our kids.


4. That sounds right.


5. I think the largest pictures she prints are 5x7 but would like to be able to possibly print larger pics if we find some we really like.


6. She smaller camera. She did tell me that the Coolpix 5200 she has is a little too small.


Also sometimes I get hung up on brands. I am not too familar with Fuji cameras. My wife said the other day she wants a Olympus because of the first one she owned was that brand. Thats why I was looking at them first. I started to look at the 8000 but then saw the SP350. Then I read Steves review on the camera.

[mtclimber]

Netman-

Unfortunately, there is no point and shoot digital camera in the Olympus line right now, excepting the 8mp C-8080 which gets really good reviews. The C-8080 is larger and somewhat out of your budget range.

It still seems like the Fuji F-10 is the best fit for your requirements.

MT

[Netman]

Thanks.

What if I increase my budget to the $500 range? Will I get more camera for the money? I would rather spend a little extra now if its worth it in the long run.

Maybe the Fuji E900?

Thanks for all the help.

[mtclimber]

Netman-

The Fuji E-900 sells for $(US) 362.00 at www.buydig.comand it reviewed here:

http://reviews.designtechnica.com/re...main16588.html

The Canon A-620 or the Fuji E-900 would be good choices if you want to spend a bit more. Both have 4X optical zoom and the Canon A-620 sells for $319.95 at

http://www.digitalfotoclub.com/sc/sh...ate=12_30_2005

MT

[Netman]

Thanks again.

It seems that those would be the 2 better choices. I will start to research them.

Do you have any type of input on either?