Going away for a few days to visit family with our boys and would like some advise on point and shoot camera's.

We have an old Canon ??? camera and while it works the startup time and focus/picture being taken time is quite long and we often miss the photo we would have liked.

My last Camera was a Panasonic Lumix non DSLR camera that I bought from Flufmiester and loved it but found I didn't use it enough to warrant owning it.

I only want to spend upto £80, what do you recommend? We intend to visit a motor-racing circuit/fun fairs/zoo etc whilst away so would like something that works well with taking fast moving shots and also slightly darker photos.

It must be something that can be bought from a shop and not mail ordered

Many Thanks

Matthew

You get what you pay for, and £80 limits your options... Maybe Fujifilm Finepix JZ300? Decent zoom range (for racing/zoo).

Reviews:

http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Fujifilm_FinePix_JZ300/ (including pic samples)

http://www.testfreaks.co.uk/digital-cameras/fujifilm-finepix-jz300/

I think Swedish is right, you get what you pay for. The biggest trouble I find with my compact camera (Canon sx220) is the shutter lag. The zoom is a bit slow and the low light performance s poor too (compared to DSLR and Bridge cameras etc) . It takes really nice pictures in good lighting though and has a lot of fun features, but I found it tricky to do things as quickly as I would like. I think you need to go to Jessops for an afternoon and get them to empty their cabinet and let you fiddle with the cameras for a couple of hours

I have owned cheaper Fuji compact cameras and found them to be really decent little things

... I think you need to go to Jessops for an afternoon and get them to empty their cabinet and let you fiddle with the cameras for a couple of hours

Seconded. How the camera feels in your hands can be much more important than marginal differences in a test protocol...

I just had a look at a few cameras and Swedishskoda seems to have found a great bargain (Currys are doing them within your budget). It has a pretty long lens and 10x optical zoom (Optical zoom is better than digital zoom). I still think you will suffer from shutter lag (the time between when you think you have taken the picture and the actual moment the camera decides to take the picture), but anything short of a SLR will suffer this to some degree (the new Sony perhaps wont). I've owned 2 x Fujis and my Dad has one. They are great value fr money and the only reason I don't have one now, is I lost the first one on a bike ride and the second one got pinched :(

There are better cameras but to get a long lens( with basic IS) for your motorsport and zoo stuff, a video mode for magic moments, reasonable low light shots and still come in on budget, I think the Fuji will be hard to beat. Probably a good investment to have sitting in your glove box too.

Thank you for the advise. SWMBO and I's 1st digital camera was a fuji and seemed to be nice to use, again it suffered badly with time taken to take the picture.

Our Current Camera is a Canon PowerShot A570 ISwith x4 Optical Zoom

My previous camera which was just right was a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7, should never have sold it but rarely used it

I'm now working the 2 night shifts before we go away and wont get time to shop before we go. I'll have a look through the above links tonight and will now doubt go looking when we get to sunny Clevedon/Weston Super-Mare

Thanks Again

Matthew

Thank you for the advise. SWMBO and I's 1st digital camera was a fuji and seemed to be nice to use, again it suffered badly with time taken to take the picture.

Our Current Camera is a Canon PowerShot A570 ISwith x4 Optical Zoom

My previous camera which was just right was a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7, should never have sold it but rarely used it

I'm now working the 2 night shifts before we go away and wont get time to shop before we go. I'll have a look through the above links tonight and will now doubt go looking when we get to sunny Clevedon/Weston Super-Mare

Thanks Again

Matthew

Check out my links in post 5 if you have the time

Why can't it be bought online?

Fuji have a great refurb shop and have plenty of bridge cameras almost in your budget:

https://secure.fujifilm.co.uk/shop/consumer/digital/digital-cameras/view-all

Add this code to get it even cheaper:

P10FEB15

Edited 26 August, 201114 yr by jrw

Why can't it be bought online?

I was wanting it for going away this weekend and I couldn't guarantee it would arrive in time having said that I was supposed to have 2 days off between my last shift and going away today however I've had to work an extra 2 nights so havent got around to any shops. Will see what shops are available when we get there later this morning

After the advice given I decided that I would rather have the extra £80 to spend on the family and just use what we had.

Here are a few pics from our few days away

Cheddar Gorge Caves

Mendip Raceway

Robin Racing

HotRods

Noah's Ark Zoo

My boys in action

I know the photo's certainly aren't the best and the mendip ones are fuzzy and out of focus but for a camera thats a few years old I think it did quite well and these photo's are certainly upto going in the Photo Album.

Matthew

I like the one from Cheddar Gorge with the stalactites mirrored in the water - perfect exposure too

Is that where they put Cheddar cheese to mature?

I like the one from Cheddar Gorge with the stalactites mirrored in the water - perfect exposure too

Is that where they put Cheddar cheese to mature?

You mean this Cheese

The cheese is stored in the same Cave

Matthew

The cheese is stored in the same Cave

Well, who cares - it tastes good

Looks like you had a nice little trip to Somerset... My parents live a few miles from Mendip Raceways, and the top of Cheddar Gorge.

Time to update this.

 

I bought a point and shoot Panasonic Umix DMC-FS35 which is OK and serves it purpose as being a light easy to carry camera when cycling.

 

I've booked a camera course for myself & my dad (xmas present) but I don't have a camera worth taking on the course.  The course is a begginers course learning how to set the iso/shutter speeds/exposures etc etc for the type of shot you want.

 

I don't want to spend out on a DSLR just yet as I would like to get to grips with the basics 1st so any pointers for mid/high end half DSLR (or what ever they are called) is appreciated.  Budget upto £200.

Time to update this.

 

I bought a point and shoot Panasonic Umix DMC-FS35 which is OK and serves it purpose as being a light easy to carry camera when cycling.

 

I've booked a camera course for myself & my dad (xmas present) but I don't have a camera worth taking on the course.  The course is a begginers course learning how to set the iso/shutter speeds/exposures etc etc for the type of shot you want.

 

I don't want to spend out on a DSLR just yet as I would like to get to grips with the basics 1st so any pointers for mid/high end half DSLR (or what ever they are called) is appreciated.  Budget upto £200.

You could just about get a secondhand DSLR for your budget, hopefully with the stock 18-55mm lens. What struck me about my first DSLR when coming from a bridge type camera wasn't the picture quality (I had cheap lenses), it was the responsiveness of the DSLR that seals the deal. My thoughts used to be all about the image quality and I wanted razor sharp images all the time (still do really ) but it very quickly becomes obvious that there are a lot of other things equally important to catching a good image. Trust me, once you get a handle on what a DSLR can do and how quickly it can do it, you won't look back.

 

Pressing the shutter realise button and taking the picture pretty much in that same instant is great for kids, pets,wildlife and sport. Plus if you are taking your time to compose a shot and it doesn't appear to have worked the way you expected, you can instantly access the main controls for aperture, shutter speed, ISO, focus points (or full manual focus), the list goes on. My current camera which is getting on for a 5 year old design now, is still fantastic and can do things like track a jetski moving at around 60mph towards me and maintaining focus all the way. All I have to do is point and click the shutter release and with the highest frame rate set, I usually get some great shots.

Would be worth looking at something like the new (came out in August I think) Canon Powershot SX50HS, it gets reasonable reviews and can be bought for under £200 (just). It has full 'auto' mode for real point and shoot stuff, but also has aperture priority mode (where you set the aperture annd the camera sorts out the shutter speed), shutter priority (ie you decide the shutter speed and the camera sorts out the aperture) and full manual mode (where you set it all). It has a hefty zoom and will focus really close for close up work.

 

Also note, a handy website is camerapricebuster.co.uk for finding best prices once you've decided what to buy...

 

Oh and Canon are doing £30 cashback on that camera until January 2014 (so just watch out for dealers who show the price including the cashback...)

My dad's selling a Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ 50 10.1 mega pixel, brilliant condition with bag and memory card if you're interested....

It would be well within your budget

I just think it's a shame you don't have a DSLR to take with you on your course. It is a lot easier to understand what you are doing with a DSLR. Perhaps you could borrow one, just for the course? The same rules apply to bridge cameras, but the instant access of the DSLR will mean you can see what the lecturer is going on about in pretty much real time.

Amanda,

 

I have to agree with you there.  I spent a little time yesterday looking (onlne) at Bridge camera's & DSLR's. My dad bought a Nikon D60 body last year as a refurbished item and loves it as the 'auto' function works brilliantly.  I originally looked at the course for my dad but then found out they would include a large discout if I booked 2 places so hence now looking for a camera

 

I've managed to justify a DSLR by saying the increased shutter speeds as you mentioned would be great for moving objects ie. kids/dog and I do intend to cycle less next year and spend more time hiking now we have a dog so the camera would get some use.

 

So with that in mind & SWMBO saying it would be great to have a nice camera to take with us when we go out as a family, the hunt for a DSLR is now on.  I still don't want togo overboard as this camera will be a starter camera so would be prepared to up my budget to £300-£400.  For now I'm not worried about extra lenses/filters etc as these can be purchased once I've mastered the basics.

 

With the 'sales' coming up there is bound to be some deals coming up,so an idea on ideal starter DSLR's to look at over the festive period is greatly appreciated.

 

Matthew

Matt, have a look at my ad in the for sale section

hmm, Canon EOS 550D for around £300-£350 with lens 18-55mm &  some with warranties too or Nikon D60 for around £200 with an 18-55mm lens

Amanda,

 

I have to agree with you there.  I spent a little time yesterday looking (onlne) at Bridge camera's & DSLR's. My dad bought a Nikon D60 body last year as a refurbished item and loves it as the 'auto' function works brilliantly.  I originally looked at the course for my dad but then found out they would include a large discout if I booked 2 places so hence now looking for a camera

 

I've managed to justify a DSLR by saying the increased shutter speeds as you mentioned would be great for moving objects ie. kids/dog and I do intend to cycle less next year and spend more time hiking now we have a dog so the camera would get some use.

 

So with that in mind & SWMBO saying it would be great to have a nice camera to take with us when we go out as a family, the hunt for a DSLR is now on.  I still don't want togo overboard as this camera will be a starter camera so would be prepared to up my budget to £300-£400.  For now I'm not worried about extra lenses/filters etc as these can be purchased once I've mastered the basics.

 

With the 'sales' coming up there is bound to be some deals coming up,so an idea on ideal starter DSLR's to look at over the festive period is greatly appreciated.

 

Matthew

Great news. I am sure you wont be disappointed. You have a decent budget too I am a Canon fan to be honest, but if your Dad already has a Nikon, perhaps it might be best to go down that road as you will be able to share lenses (Nikons are just as good as Canons). One nice thing about the Starter DSLRs is they tend to be a little smaller in the hand and so are easier to travel with and a lot of women prefer the smaller grips if they don't have big hands (for a woman that is). I am sure if you look for a new camera you will research all the usual online reviews and make up a short list of your own, but if you do look at Canon, I certainly can recommend their reliability. My first starter DSLR was a 350D, probably bought 10 years old now and it's still working fine in the hands of a friends daughter

 

One other nice thing about cameras is if you upgrade you lenses to faster better quality ones, you will see an instantaneous boost in image quality, the number of 'keepers' you get and the ability to take photos in more difficult situations. Then when funds permit you can upgrade your camera. I do a lot of 'action' type pictures at the moment and get a lot of pleasure from snapping away. After I invested in a pro quality lens I get quite a lot of nice comments about my snaps, none of which I deserve for my part in the image capture, it's just the technology quietly doing it's clever thing in the background.

Thanks Amanda,

 

I spoke to my dad last night and was supprised when he told me how much he bought his camera for, I expected double what he paid.

 

Seeing the prices of the older models I'm sure I shall be going down that route rather than buying a new model.  I shall have a tinker with my dad's camera at some point over xmas & I'm going to ask around and see if any friends/family have a Canon or Fuji I can have a look & tinker with, at that point I'll have more of an idea of what I like the feel of and the accessability of the functions etc.

 

Thank you to all who have contributed.