on the hunt
Before we have another kid, we really need a new camera. I loved my Canon Powershot that my sweet friends bought me at a time in my life when I needed serious cheering up. And I used that Canon, oh, did I use it. So often, in fact, that it has seen the floor one too many times. I dropped it a few times. It happens. But with enough squeezing and love, I'd get it working again. It really looks beat up. And it got to the point where it was like, sorry, dudes, can't muster myself together again.
Shortly thereafter, in a moment of rashness, we bought our Canon camcorder. We wanted it before E's surgery. And I'm really glad we got it. I've been taking pictures on the memory card of the camcorder for several months, and frankly, it's a camcorder, it's not a great picture-taker. And it's driving me crazy.
So, one of the things Daddy said we could do with our mongo tax return is get a new camera.
I was looking at this site that Andy recommended. And I think what I'm in the market for is a small, compact, throw-in-your-purse camera that takes totally awesome pictures. I think I would LOVE to learn explore more possibilities by splurging on an SLR (especially since my main subject is my active kid). But I don't think that's realistic for me...wiggly kids and all. I think what I want is a camera that I can throw in my purse and have constantly handy. And Canons take awesome pictures.
There's the Canon PowerShot SD750. It gets rave reviews, and has a sweet 3" LCD screen on the back. Ken Rockwell's review began with the phrase, "The Canon SD750 is built like a tank." That means a lot to me. The two things that concern me, though, are no image stabilization (and I do use my zoom) and you have to remove the battery to charge it (which, I imagine, can add up some wear and tear). And it's under $200 on Amazon.
Then there's the Canon PowerShot SD1000. I don't see the same gushing love for this one as the previous one, but still very, very positive reviews. And it has image stabilizer and a 2.5" LCD screen. Trying to figure out the battery situation, the same? Also a good price.
Aaugh. I don't really know how to read all the reviews. And then I start hitting on nicer and nicer cameras trying to find the Perfect Camera. But as one site said, you can take great pics on any camera. It's also about me and my pic taking abilities. And I can be content with a solid, workhorse camera. I just want it to last more than a couple of years, you know? Is that realistic for a digital camera?
Thoughts, oh digital masses? Is an SLR really worth it?
Comments
I desperately want a digital SLR as well (the photo quality is amazing), but considering that I don't even know how to *really* work my current camera, I'm taking my time before splurging. I adore my Canon Powershot S1 IS. The image stabilization is a must-have, IMO, and the 10 zoom is incredible. So far this camera takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Don't let megapixels sway you; you can do a lot with very little as far as that's concerned. The only big negative to my Canon is lowlight shots--it totally stinks with a flash.
Happy hunting!
Posted by: RT | March 3, 2008 11:30 AM
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J - I know next-to-nothing about cameras, but... I recently got a Kodak EasyShare C813. The screen looks to be about 2" square. It has the image stabilization thing. (The dial on the top easily switches from regular to close-up to stabilizing, to a short video clip, I think about 15 seconds.) It will take about 11 pictures on its own memory, even without any card. It runs on 2 double-A batteries. It has a zoom button too. It's been great so far. Everybody seems to talk well of the Canons, and I guess they must be better (?), but this one was under $150, as I recall, at Walmart.
Posted by: mary kathryn | March 3, 2008 04:26 PM
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J,
I did two months' worth of research before getting ours, last year. I ended up getting this oneand LOVE IT! Highly recommend it. I keep it on "kids and pets" because it snaps the picture faster... which, as you can imagine, is necessary in my house.
Posted by: Moriah (Please Pass the Salt) | March 3, 2008 05:52 PM
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We have a Canon S70 or s80, can't remember and it's been great to us the last 3 years. Recently, we had to bring it for a tune-up but it looks like we will get another couple of years out of it. Did you know that Canon has a program for point-and-shoot camera trade-in? Your old camera can be traded in for a newer version of what you have. You only pay the difference in the cost between your old camera and the new one. It's worth checking into to see if you can save a bit of money and still get a great camera.
Posted by: Keri | March 4, 2008 12:04 AM
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Before Dennis buys anything, we look at Consumer Report about it. He recently bought me a new camera after doing research there. They have charts for everything so you can compare all cameras similar to what you are looking for. It seems to simplify things!
Posted by: sperlonga | March 4, 2008 10:24 AM