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View Full Version : Looking for camera suggestions for the technologically stupid



miloandotis
03-17-2012, 10:15
I've used a simple fujifilm digital 18x zoom with macro for a long time. Doesn't take any brains to use with all the auto settings. But I am just not happy enough with it anymore. I'm looking to upgrade to something with greater zoom (x26?) but still want very close macro as well and I use the panorama (three photo) feature a lot too. Since weight is also an issue...I want to carry it on me at all times not tucked into my backpack...I figure folks here who are serious about their photography would have some good suggestions. I'd like to keep cost under $250 if that is at all possible for what I want. And I'm willing to learn how to work with simple manual settings if I have to, but if I can get all that with as much auto as possible, even better!

RWheeler
03-17-2012, 10:52
Well, just so you know, digital zoom isn't technically a zoom. All it does is take a selection of what's framed in the shot and increase its size. This doesn't scale the resolution, however, so you lose quality when you do that. It's no different than take a file of an image, selecting a part of it, and blowing that up to the size of the full image. It'll make it more unclear dots than anything. There's no CSI magic to make that super crisp and clear.

You'd be better served with optical zoom, which changes the distance between the lens and where the image is captured, which is a proper zoom. These numbers will be "lower" than the 26 you're looking for (I think 3-6 is common now in simple point and shoot cameras), but the quality is /much/ greater. And you can always crop the photo file and change the size and stuff afterwards if that's what you really want - with point and shoots being well above 10MP now, you just need to really make sure that the photo is as in focus as possible, then you can work magic afterwards.

Long story short, there's no advantage to having digital zoom in a camera - it does nothing that can't be achieved afterwards by cropping/resizing with software. In fact, if you use the digital zoom in the camera itself, you're effectively losing quality as soon as you take that picture.

Don't limit your search to cameras that have a high digital zoom. I feel like 14MP and 4x optic zoom is fairly standard now, and with those, you can get much clearer images of a "zoomed in" section of a picture than you would with a 26x+ digital zoom.

miloandotis
03-17-2012, 12:03
You'd be better served with optical zoom, which changes the distance between the lens and where the image is captured, which is a proper zoom.
I just grabbed this snipit. Thanks for the info. I am definately "tecnologically stupid" on the topic. So, yes, this is what I want, optical zoom. So, given my other must-haves with the cool panoramic options and macro (I pretty sure I refer to the right--for the super close ups of flowers, insects, butterflies etc) do you have an reccommendations? Am I looking at needing a camera where I need a few different lens depending on what I want to shoot?

ChinMusic
03-17-2012, 12:12
It is correct to ignore all stats on digital zoom and focus on optical zoom.

Feral Bill
03-17-2012, 12:36
I believe there are some very long optical zoom cameras out there. Check the various camera makers web sites. Maybe something like this. (http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1578)

miloandotis
03-17-2012, 12:47
I believe there are some very long optical zoom cameras out there. Check the various camera makers web sites. Maybe something like this. (http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1578)

Now I'm confused again. This says it's a 36x optical zoom.. <sigh> I have a lot to learn. I started searching web sites but I was also hoping there were folks who had what I was looking for that they were happy with for some solid starting points. There is sooo much out there. (and hoping for all I want PLUS lighter weight....maybe I'm hoping for too much all in one.)

ChinMusic
03-17-2012, 13:09
Now I'm confused again. This says it's a 36x optical zoom.. <sigh> I have a lot to learn. I started searching web sites but I was also hoping there were folks who had what I was looking for that they were happy with for some solid starting points. There is sooo much out there. (and hoping for all I want PLUS lighter weight....maybe I'm hoping for too much all in one.)

Have you done any searches on WhiteBlaze? There are other threads with specific models loved by posters.

RWheeler
03-17-2012, 13:41
Well that camera linked does appear to have 36x optical zoom. I'm not sure about the quality of the lens, but Olympus tends to make quality cameras. It's also $330. If that's in your budget, it looks like it'd be something great. If that's not in your budget, there are tons of other options for the features you want.

Macro shots are pretty standard on cameras now, and many with auto-adjust the settings very well for crisp shots (assuming you're not in very low-light conditions).

The one I'm using personally is a Sony DSC-W560. There's a physical switch on the outside to switch between standard photos, panoramic shots, and videos. It's priced fairly well, too.

I always recommend people go to a brick and mortar store and try their hands on a few different models. If there are any camera-specialty stores (as opposed to just electronics stores) nearby, then the staff will likely be a lot more knowledgeable and willing/excited to help you find what's right for you.

4eyedbuzzard
03-17-2012, 13:52
I'd like to keep cost under $250 if that is at all possible for what I want.


I believe there are some very long optical zoom cameras out there. Check the various camera makers web sites. Maybe something like this. (http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1578)
My daughter has a Fuji Finepix 1000s, 10 M pixel point and shoot with a 12x optical zoom that has held up well and takes great pics. It's an older model and I'm know there are even better now like the one Feral Bill posted the link to. But any optical zoom camera with beyond say 4x is going to be heavy by hiking standards due to the optics. Too heavy for hiking IMO, as most weigh in at over a 1lb and use up batteries pretty quickly. You are probably looking at $300 and up (and up) though for a 12x plus optical point and shoot. Add that as zoom goes up you have to hold a camera extremely still. Without a tripod anything beyond 12x or so is going to be very difficult to steady freehand. I've taken some pretty good pics with just a lightweight (5 oz?) 12M pixel 3x optical Sanyo that cost about $120. Taking the time to truly learn the camera and all the functions can really help. Modern electronics is great for all us non-photography savvy folks. The photos below are about 4 Mb file size (resolution is reduced by WB when uploading).

155481555015549

Feral Bill
03-17-2012, 14:12
Now I'm confused again. This says it's a 36x optical zoom.. <sigh> I have a lot to learn. I started searching web sites but I was also hoping there were folks who had what I was looking for that they were happy with for some solid starting points. There is sooo much out there. (and hoping for all I want PLUS lighter weight....maybe I'm hoping for too much all in one.) A digital camera (almost all of them now made), uses an electronic system to turn the light into a storable image. A digital zoom is a feature on many cameras that records only the center part of the picture, giving an effect like you are closer to the subject, but greatly reducing the resolution (information for the area of the picture). An optical zoom usesa lens to make the subject seem closer, with full resolution. Many people regard the digital zoom feature as useless, as you can do the same thing later on your computer if you wish.
I hope this helps.