New Here/ Questions

[psusocr]

hello all,

i was wondering if someone could help me out.

im looking for a camera with great response, or in other words if there is a moving object( i.e a dog running) i would like to be able to point and shoot at the image and capture it in motion without blur and with good quality, this is important to me

the other thing im VERY into is Macro shooting. so i want a camera that can take an AWESOME macro shot

with that said i was looking at these following cameras, does anyone have any input on which one is the best for what im looking to do? or can someone reccomend a camera of this style for me to try out?


Canon Powershot 8.0 A630
Fugi Finepix 5.1 MP S5200
Kodak Easyshar 6.1 or 8.0 MP Z710
Panasonic 6.0MP DMC-FZ7S
Sony Cybershot 6.0 DSC-H2


Thanks Alot!!

[SMcEvoy]

I haven't used any of those, but my brother-in-law has a an early Fuji S5000 and it takes fantastic shots. I also have a VERY cheap Fuji Finepix point & shoot and it really can take good shots too. Canons also get good reviews.

Best start reading reviews. There's lots out there but DPReview http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/
and Byte has it's own review section too. http://www.bytephoto.com/modules.php...camera-reviews

[RTaylor]

There is no camera out there that will take 100% perfect action shots just by pointing and shooting

For good results you need to know the correct shutter speed to use to freeze the action. You also have to be able to focus on the subject quick enough and shoot before the subject becomes out of the range of focus.
Its something that takes practice which is the great thing about digital, you can keep shooting cause its free

Whatever camera you choose, go find a local sports event with some action to practice at whats the best shutter speed and Fstop before you go to that all important shoot that you absolutely want to get good shots.
Practice first on things that dont matter

[psusocr]

thanks guys

can you tell me what shutter speeds i am lookign for in a good camera/?

thanks

[SMcEvoy]

If you're looking to do action you want something that has speed capabilities of 1/400 or higher. The bigger the bottom number, the faster it's able to capture. It would also be good if the camera has variable ISO settings. If it's auto, sometimes it will punch it up to 800 which can make your shots look grainy especially in low light conditions. If you can keep it at 200, the picture quality isn't compromised.

Here's a little tutorial on speed that might help a bit. It's got other tips in it too.

http://www.shortcourses.com/using/ca...20and%20Motion

[bytethis]

Welcome to Byte psusocr.

Hope we see some images from you soon.

I don't currently use a point an d shoot, although started digitally with a Canon 3.2mp auto and a Nikon 3200 auto and Nikon 5400 manual. Each gave good results in their own right.

Ultimately, from your list of cams there, I'd figure probably any or all of those cams would be up to the task of producing good results with the subjects you are looing to shoot, both action (or sports)and macro, but they would not deliver that result without the shooter's assistance.

Both Suzan and Ruth are right on the money, in that it's not a camera that creates the final image, it's the person behind the cam. The camera is just a tool. Expanding on that, in order to shoot, say, a dog running, and capture it sharp, with no blur and with good detail, you'll need a fast shutter speed and good light, so in the absence of that good light the camera can't 'make' that happen, so you'd need a cam that has manual features so that you can make the most of any lighting situation. The faster shutter speed you shoot at, the less light the lens lets onto the sensor. ISO as Suzan's mentioned is important, possibly as important as onboard flash is, because it can boost the sensitivity of the cam in lower light situations, the trade off being a grainy or noisy image.

So in order to answer your shutter speed question, I'd suggest that almost any digital camera on the market would deliver a great range of suitable speeds (exept for maybe mobile camera phones) Most shooters would rarely need faster than say 1/2500th of a second, unless they were shooting F1 cars, so for shooting a dog (with no blur), you might need maybe 1/1000th, but it's all down to available light and good shooting (and thinking) from the photographer, utilising flash and ISO features may assist with that.

The cameras you've listed could all shoot a good macro image also.

Compact or 'point and shoot' digitals these days are all very capable, but are ultimately a compromise on a DSLR, and as a result, they have teeny lenses (which let much less light in)and often small zooms. Their shutter speeds and apertures also would limited in their range and be less effective than those of a DSLR. That's also why, by the way, that a higher megapixel count in a 'point and shoot' is not always much of an advantage over one with smaller mp. if you only have teeny lenses and limited features, then you're not going to be able to maximise the benefits of a bigger mp count, even if you had a 20 mp sensor.

Probably the Canon would be my pick of your bunch there.

[psusocr]

thanks alot for all the suggestions i learned alot already!
how can i post some pictures? it tells me i cant use my photserver to post them( somethign about 15 posts) and i need a "clickable" imagie

[bytethis]

Ok, soon as you've successfully become a Byte member, you're given a 25mb account to post your images into, to share or move across into the photo contest or photo challenge contests.

To upload an image to Byte you can upload from several pages on the site, but you can head to your user Control panel ('USER CP' top right corner of any page) You're not restricted in image size, but around 800 x 600 or thereabouts is recommended. You'll find a section called 'Gallery' and from here you can upload into your own gallery, and ultimately from there move images across into the competitions, should you wish) The CP sections is where any private messages would be sent and can be retrieved from.

You won't need to access or use a separate server to upload.

Pop by the Photo Contest pages to have a look at what's posted each week, and I encourage you to participate with constructive comment and critique for other Byte member's submitted images. Once you've done this 15 times or more, you'll find you have access to to voting permissions for the images that make the top 6 in the Weekly Photo Contest.

You can enter two images in both the monthly challenge (look for the theme) and also into the weekly comp.

The idea is to be constructive in your thoughts and comments and it's not mandatory to rate as such. The more you do this, the more you'll find folks warm to you and your images and will comment on yours in return.

Good luck!