[fureshi]

i'm going to be taking a vacation to italy and greece in june and would like to purchase a good camera for the trip so that i can take some decent shots. i currently have a sony T1 but it's too automatic and won't do what i want it to do sometimes. i had considered purchasing a digital SLR but i remembered how much of a hassle it was the last time i traveled with a film SLR. for this trip, i'm thinking that a decent prosumer camera would fit the bill.

i know some of you here are avid photographers here and i'm sure that you have more than one camera, like you have more than one headphone. here are some things to consider:

- price not a problem
- no film. i don't want to lug it around
- fairly portable
- must have some degree of control that a point and shoot doesn't allow for
- picture quality almost on par with SLR cameras
- won't be carrying a tripod with me

thanks in advance for any suggestions that you have!

 

[iancraig10]

I use a Fuji F11 and it works well. It has shutter and aperture priority modes as well as Auto. Speed goes from 80 asa to 1600. Very low noise at 80 and not at all that bad at 1600. It has a natural mode so you can take shots without flash (In buildings for example) plus some presets.

It is small with a big viewing screen and has 6.3 m pixels. Well worth the money imo.

Ian

 

[nabwong]

What about a canon G series. I just got a used G2 and i'm loving it. Since money is not a problem, you can get the G6 or G7.

fredandmiranda.com

photography-on-the.net

 

[bobeau]

Quote:

Originally Posted by iancraig10 I use a Fuji F11 and it works well. It has shutter and aperture priority modes as well as Auto. Speed goes from 80 asa to 1600. Very low noise at 80 and not at all that bad at 1600. It has a natural mode so you can take shots without flash (In buildings for example) plus some presets. It is small with a big viewing screen and has 6.3 m pixels. Well worth the money imo. Ian

I have one of these too. Great camera, esp. for night shots, and has a decent amount of manual control.

Not sure if the F30 is out yet but that one would definitely be worth looking into, esp. if you want to get closer to an SLR.

 

[beerguy0]

I have a Canon Pro 1 I bought two years ago, before upgrading to a 20D last fall. 8MP, great image quality (I've made 13x19 prints with no problems). I'm not sure if it's currently in production, but you can find them on the net. The lens is excellent- fantastic color and contrast. (Lens is 28-200mm equivalent). Also has macro and super-macro capability, and can accept an external flash, if needed. Image quality is just about as good as the 20D, if you shoot it at ISO 50.

Also, the Pro 1 has capability from program to full manual, so you can always have full control over your exposure, and has RAW capability for ultimate image quality.

 

[iancraig10]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobeau I have one of these too. Great camera, esp. for night shots, and has a decent amount of manual control. Not sure if the F30 is out yet but that one would definitely be worth looking into, esp. if you want to get closer to an SLR.

I also have an S7000 which is superb. A bit big for travelling though. F30 Close to coming out but the famous quoted 3200 speed hasn't been demo'd yet. (So quality may not be so good)

Ian

 

[fureshi]

thanks for all of the suggestions! keep them coming!

i've never thought about purchasing a fuji but i'll look into them more. the canon g series i've heard of before and have read some good reviews of them. how about performance of higher iso settings? does one have worse graininess than the other in iso400?

 

[beerguy0]

Check out http://www.dpreview.com/ for reviews of any digital camera. All of the smaller sensor cameras have noise issues at high ISO - it goes with the territory. The only way to get low noise at high ISO is a DSLR. Noise reduction SW helps a lot, with any of the prosumer type cameras.

For examples of the Pro 1's capabilities, check out my smugmug gallery: http://beerguy.smugmug.com/ Most of the images are from the Pro 1.

 

[kwkarth]

Have you looked at the New Sony DSC-T9? Or if size is not an issue, have you considered the Sony DSC-R1? I have the T7 and it takes wonderful pictures as long as there's descent light available. The T9 is a substantial improvement over that. I also have the R1 and its pictures are remarkably good!

This pic was taken hand held in available fluorscent light with the Sony T7

Also taken with the T7

This was taken with the R1. Notice the shadow detail.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fureshi i'm going to be taking a vacation to italy and greece in june and would like to purchase a good camera for the trip so that i can take some decent shots. i currently have a sony T1 but it's too automatic and won't do what i want it to do sometimes. i had considered purchasing a digital SLR but i remembered how much of a hassle it was the last time i traveled with a film SLR. for this trip, i'm thinking that a decent prosumer camera would fit the bill. i know some of you here are avid photographers here and i'm sure that you have more than one camera, like you have more than one headphone. here are some things to consider: - price not a problem - no film. i don't want to lug it around - fairly portable - must have some degree of control that a point and shoot doesn't allow for - picture quality almost on par with SLR cameras - won't be carrying a tripod with me thanks in advance for any suggestions that you have!

 

[Uncle Erik]

When I took a vacation this January, I picked up the Olympus SP-500UZ. I've been pretty happy with it. Picture quality is pretty good and gives you more control than the average point-and-shoot.

What really made it stand out for me was that it uses 4 AA batteries. If you kill them, no need to run around looking for an outlet. And no weirdo proprietary battery format, either. Even better, you can leave it on for hours without killing the batteries. I usually get 300-350 shots out of it before needing a new set. If you prefer to recharge, it's always possible to drop a set of 2400mAh AA rechargeables in there.

It's reasonably compact and "feels" better than the all-plastic body would suggest. There's a lot of competition out there in this segment (and a lot of good cameras) but I think this one is worth looking at.

 

[fureshi]

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwkarth Have you looked at the New Sony DSC-T9? Or if size is not an issue, have you considered the Sony DSC-R1? I have the T7 and it takes wonderful pictures as long as there's descent light available. The T9 is a substantial improvement over that. I also have the R1 and its pictures are remarkably good!

wow, great pictures and nice porsche! i never considered sonys as being good prosumer cameras but i might be proven wrong. the details in the shadows looks better than recent shots that my coworker took with his canon 350d digital rebel. low light performance seems to be much better than my T1. even in the office environment, i have problems taking good shots with it. i'll have to think about sonys again.

i wouldn't say that size isn't an issue but i would like something that's easy to carry around. i started considering the 350d as it's fairly small for a slr and for the most part, takes great pictures. shadow detail doesn't seem to be as good as the sony though.

 

[daba]

Canon 20D. I like mine.

 

[enzoferrari650]

I have the 350d (rebel xt) and I absolutely love it. It takes great quality pictures wherever you are. But if I had the money, I would want to upgrade to the 30D. Of course size isn't an issue for me. So if size is an issue and you want a dslr, i'd say go for the rebel xt. You can't go wrong.

 

[ls20]

you want slr quality pictures, in small size, with full controls? how about it does laundry for you, too?

for more quality over portability id take the Canon G6
for more portability over quality id take the Canon S80 (still full manual, flash compensation, manual white balance, ae/exp priority, bracketing, etc)

personally, for my turkey/jordan/syria/lebanon/western US mountains trip this summer im taking a tiny Canon S450 with a 1gb card. pocketability is king

 

[dj_mocok]

I think it all depends on how tolerant you are with heavy or larger equipments.
If money is not an issue, well, I think the answer is pretty obvious, get a decent DSLR with decent lens. But it will weight you down a bit ( I wouldn't mind ) but I know some people just want something small and handy.

If you are after a good quality small point and shoot type of camera, if I were you, I would consider getting the wide angle ones as well (especially for street shots - and I assume you won't need macro capability so much)

I never tried Ricoh GX8 but I think if I am in the market for P&S (small one), it will be on my list.