Comments on: An Easy Guide To Buying Consumer Cameras

By: John Buck

John Buck — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 18:43:38 +0000

Red-eye is more prevalent in fair-skinned, blondes in dim light, but can occur in just about anyone in the right condition. About dual flash: one great thing about compact flash cameras vs DSLRs is the handy “Night Portrait” scene mode. It works perfectly in pitch black scenes where you want to light the subject but also expose the background light, such as a lit castle.
It has never failed me and I cannot reproduce this easily with my Canon 5D Mark II.

By: Cheap Cameras

Cheap Cameras — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 08:35:24 +0000

I own a Nikon D70 and it’s great having it around. Though it’s a bit bulky, the quality of the pictures I took make worth lugging it around.

By: Denis

Denis — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 14:47:48 +0000

I think I must take issue with some of your comments which will not be of use to novices. Red eye reduction features (i.e. pre flash) cause more of a problem than they solve often when the preflash operates the subject turns away an you get a picture of the side of the head. Turn it off and use any simple image editing software.
Zoom is only useful if it is optical you can digitally zoom an image with the same image enhancement software. On camera digital zoom just reduces the number of pixels available.
Storage how are images stored what format are the cards easily available.
Movies what kind of movies does the camera shoot 15fps vga movies are always a big let down when you watch them on a larger screen.

By: PicturePerfect

PicturePerfect — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 12:46:51 +0000

Snapshooter! If your looking for something simple and It’s easy enough for the whole family to use..

By: Paul Perano

Paul Perano — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:28:09 +0000

I will confess that I am not that knowledgeable with the Nikon range. However I would advise you work out how much you can afford and spend it !
You maybe able to get a ‘good deal’ and save $600 of your budget, BUT you are likely to be kicking yourself in 6 months for not spending that $600.
I have heard that some of the entry level twin lens kits for Nikon and Canon are not that good a deal as they sound. The qualities of the lenses are apparently dubious – made for that market.

So back at the buy what you can afford … Some stores will cut you a deal on a camera body and a lens so ask. It sounds like you may need a wide angle to moderate zoom, (16mm – 70mm or something like that, perhaps even wider) to get you started. Talk to your dealer and explain you frustration and what you like to do. They should be able to help you get the body and lens you need to start. You can invest in better lenses later after you have tucked away enough $ and have a better idea of what you need.
Don’t be scared to ask about third party lenses like Sigma. They do have good quality lenses and can be a little less expensive as they don’t have ‘NIKON’ splattered all over them.

Good luck and good shooting.
Paul

By: Nicholas Crummy

Nicholas Crummy — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 11:16:49 +0000

i travel the world a lot with my job and see some amazing sights. i am always taking pictures of Scenery, magnificant views and sunsets. all these i can do with my current camera the Nikon coolpix P5100 but get annoyed with the fact that i cant do any wide angle shots for my landscape shots. i am joining lots of pics together at the moment using panorama maker software but i would prefer to see hwat im taking in a wide angle pic whil talking it.
Should i get a SLR camera for this? if so which model would you suggest? i am going to stick with Nikon as i am familiar with their cameras and have always used them.

By: Nikon DSLR Camera User

Nikon DSLR Camera User — Fri, 15 May 2009 07:25:10 +0000

Agreed with your last point “consumer camera handy for casual trips”. I have a d40 DSLR and find it a troublesome to carry it every now and then, have to find me one consumer camera as a substitute for a short trip I guess..

By: Paul

Paul — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 23:33:32 +0000

I am frequently asked, “What sort of camera should I buy?”

I normally surprise them by asking, “What do you like to shoot ?”

This normal results in a blank look as they are not sure what they want to shoot.
So my advice is – find out about local night classes and take what ever camera you have along to a beginner’s class. If you don’t have one, then borrow one from a friend.
Once you know more about the basics of photography and get a better idea of what you want to shoot you can make more informed decisions on what camera to buy.

If Joe Bloggs wants to shoot his child’s birthday parties and the odd BBQ he will be a fool to spend $1000+ on a Digital SLR when q $300 point and shoot will be better.
If Joe wants to shoot wind surfers, close-ups of his favourite football player scoring, the smile on a spider’s face – then spend the big dollars for the SLR and lens/lenses

Decide how much you can afford to spend, and then spend it! If you budget is $600 then spend $600. Buying a $150 camera because it’s on special and you saved $450 is usually a foolish buy. You are likely to become annoyed with in a few months and be buying another one.

By: MB

MB — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 13:19:09 +0000

How is the Canon SX100IS for starters?

By: Shivanand Sharma

Shivanand Sharma — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:41:00 +0000

I’ve also see this. Happens in some of the low end cameras.

The way it works is that the camera fires a focused light on the person (subject) which contracts the iris. The camera then takes the actual shot and there is little or no reflection from the iris thus less red eye effect. Again it’s the strength of the pre-flash light that plays the role. The low end cameras may not have that powerful a pre-flash.

By: Richard

Richard — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:33:42 +0000

Redeye reduction is a gimmick. It just does not work. Turn off the flash and use natural lighting – or room lighting. If you have to use the flash and you get redeye there are tools to remove it in computer photo programs. Don’t fall for the gimmick.