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clymber
Dec 11, 2002, 5:26 PM
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Registered: Feb 8, 2002
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Im looking for a digital camera under $500. what are some good ones and do you know of a good website to get one from
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boz84
Dec 11, 2002, 6:28 PM
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I have a Olympus Camedia C-2020Z. It is a vey nice camera even at 2.1MP.
My friend has the same one, and I used it to take the pics ive put up on this site. Take a look at my photos to check them out.
We got this camera a few years ago, and at the time it was top of the line and costed around 1k bucks. But now you can easily find it for under 500.
It has 3x optical zoom and 2.5x digital tele zoom. Nice features such as:
Video clips (no sound, but they come in handy)
SmartMedia card format (a 32MB card which will hold 60 High Quality pics you can pick up for 10 bucks now )
Manual Focus, Shutter Speed, Aperture
Easy to use
Big Bright Screen in back.
Artistic modes: B&W, Sepia, Black Board, White Board
For the price it is a really nice camera and can take fairly nice shots.
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thrillseeker05
Dec 11, 2002, 7:09 PM
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Registered: Aug 14, 2002
Posts: 612
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get the canon G3
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maldaly
Dec 11, 2002, 7:53 PM
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Registered: Oct 31, 2002
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I've got a Nikon Coolpix 900. Killer camera but a bit big. Lots of nice cameras under 500 now. I'm looking for a smaller one and like the Canon Powershot 330 & 230. One is about $300 and one about $350. Both are small and burly feeling. There's also a Minolta that's about the size of a deck of cards. Here's what to look for:
1) Be sure there is a lens-type view finder. The LCD is great and you'll use it a lot, but they DO NOT WORK IN THE SUN.
2) Don't be mis-led by digital zoom. All that does is crop the image you have at max optical zoom so you loose resolution.
3) Can you use it with one hand? Waaaay important when you're climbing.
4) Is there manual override for the exposure? A decent climbing camera must have +/- 2 EV override. The engineers who design the light meters have never been climbing and don't have a clue how contrasty climbing situations are.
5) I guess you don't need to worry about ease of changing film, but battery life will be important. Ask pointed questions about this.
6) I love the swivel ability of the LCD part of my Nikon. Makes it easy to hold the camera over my head or around a corner to snap pictures. The Coolpix 4500 has this. So do the 2500 and 3500. Don't know much about these cameras, though.
7) Go to http://www.dpreview.com/ and do your homework. It's an awesome site with tons of good info. I wish there was a climbing gear site this good;-)
If you have to choose between telephoto and wide-angle, choose wide angle every time. Best I've seen without an add-on lens is the Coolpix 5000 at 28 mm. I'll buy the first wide-angle digital camera that comes out with a 20mm - 85mm zoom.
Good luck.
Mal
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jen_c
Dec 11, 2002, 7:58 PM
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Registered: Oct 18, 2002
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Once you decide on one, try using www.shopper.com to find the best price.
And I second www.dpreview.com - great site.
I have a Canon PowerShot G1 and so far it's been great for me (I'm wanting the G3 though!!!)
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phlyfisher
Dec 12, 2002, 6:41 PM
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Registered: Apr 17, 2002
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I have the Minolta Dimage. It is about the size of a deck of cards, so it easy to take with while climbing. It has a 2x zoom. It takes good pictures. It has no available add ons. It takes 35 sec mpegs with sound. With the 120 mb card you can take like 12 movies or 80-100 pictures. The size is what makes it nice.
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boz84
Dec 12, 2002, 10:51 PM
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Registered: Sep 7, 2002
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I would like to point out that the Olympus Camedia C-2020Z has add-on lenses/converters.
I have a 1.45X Tele converter that my uncle had when He had a similar camera, but which broke, so he gave me it.
I don't know what else you can get for it, but its a cool to have the added versatility.
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waggas
Dec 12, 2002, 11:02 PM
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Registered: Dec 2, 2002
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I can recommend the Sony DSC-P7 and DSC-P71, they should be under US$500. Both 3.2MP cameras, nice and light with good zooms and stuff. Go the smaller of the two if you can, as it's got a metal case and sound on the video clips (oh joy!)
Both take GREAT photos. The larger can take AA batteries (NiMH) which is great for battery life.
Oh, and those small Minolta's are great idea, if nothing else for the periscope style zoom. No external moving parts, so one less thing for chalk to jam up.
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downshift
Dec 13, 2002, 3:34 AM
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Registered: Aug 1, 2001
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I have a Nikon Coolpix 775 and it's a great camera. I have a Sony at work but its a pile of garbage that's been in for warrenty work many time. I originally had a Olympus Camedia but had major battery life problems so it got returned and I bought the Nikon and I haven't looke back since.
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quickclips
Dec 13, 2002, 3:58 AM
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Registered: Mar 18, 2002
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I've got the Cannon A40. I like it, good size, 2 megs, 3 optical 3.5 digital, video w/ sound. interchangable lenses and under 400.
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smithclimber
Dec 29, 2002, 9:45 PM
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Registered: Feb 15, 2002
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Take a close look at the Sony DSC-S75 (3.2 megapixels and around $400) and the Sony DSC-S85 (4.0 megapixels and around $500).
I have an S75. I've got nothing but good things to say about it. 3x optical zoom, 2x digital zoom ( I never use the digital zoom, it diminishes resolution), it's threaded (you can add on wide angle/telephoto lens if you like), easy functions to navigate through, has a viewfinder in addition to the LCD, can shoot clip motion and MPEG movies (MPEG movies have sound and do not have time limitations like other cameras. You can MPEG until your Memory Stick is full), you can view everything via a "slideshow" feature and you can hook it up to a television VERY easily too. I hook mine up to the TV in my van while roadtripping and show people the slideshow. Lastly, and one of the most important criteria when I bought one, it has OUTSTANDING battery life due to the fact that it uses a rechargable NiMH battery pack (that charges IN the camera as opposed to having to BUY a seperate charger for an ADDITIONAL $50) that is similar to a camcorder battery. The battery lasts a very long time, even if you choose to use the LCD and zooms alot (which ordinarily greatly diminish the battery life).
The only minor thing (not to me, however) is you may feel like the S75 or S85 are bigger than your liking (they are not huge).
If that's the case, take a look at Sony's P-7 (3.2mp) or P-9 (4.0mp). The P-7/P-9 has all the features (and prices) of the S75/S85, with the exception of being able to shoot in Manual, Shutter Priority, and Aperature Priority Modes (you still get ClipMotion and MPEG capabilities!). The P-7/P-9 also is not threaded for add on lenses, doesn't have a "shoe" for an additional larger flash, but they are almost half the size of the S75/S85.
4 months ago, when I bought mine, the prices were S75 and P-7 = $500, S85 and P-9 = $600.
As you can see the prices have dropped by about $100 on all 4 of these cameras in a 6 month period.
Good luck w/ your search.
Hope that's of some help.
Cheers, Wes
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