The site has top picks in each price range. There are 20 receommended cameras in total. Of those 60% are either Panasonic or Canon. Is that dominant? The other 40% is split betweem Nikon, Olympus, Sony & Pentax.Originally Posted by RockRobster
I'm outa here!!!
His disclaimer says it all. It's only cameras he's reviewed. Me thinks he gets more demo's to review from Canon and Panasonic than he does Nikon and the others....Nikon is the world's leader in digital camera sales, as far as I can tell...
In 2005, what manufacturer led in digital camera sales???
Kodak.
My how times change.....
"Enjoy Every Sandwich"-Warren Zevon
Kodak hasn't made a decent camera while I have been alive.. I'm in my thirties.. just cause they sell from name recognition.. Kodak may be the worst brand out there.. nothing wrong with nikon, but hard to believe they are on top in the usa.. maybe globally
Ya your probably right. Nikon only sent 3 cameras, all of which made the best list.
I was a Nikon fan until I picked up my Panasonic after reading a recommendation on here. At the end of the day you still need to understand your cameras settings as well as have a steady hand to get crisp pics. Lighting is critical as well.
A steady hand is no longer that important. Optical Image Stabilization(OIS) has solved that problem. Even pro-shooters have now gone with OIS lenses when a mono or tripod is impractical. My experience is that any shutter speed slower than 1/60th sec. really does require a tripod and standard lens for best results. OIS has its limitations, but for hand-held action shooting, nothing can beat it. Obviously, action shooting requires a shutter speed WELL above 1/60th.....
Lighting is very important, especially back lighting. Processing engines have come a long way in this area, but still have difficulty with very low light and no flash.
If you aren't an advanced amateur or pro-shooter, most of the features on top-end cameras will require much study and practice to master, and frankly are not worth the $$$ to a novice or amateur shooter. IMHO novice and amateur shooters are wasting their money on a P/S that costs more than $300. And are truly wasting their money on a SLR that costs more than $500. It takes literally thousands and thousands of shots to learn how to effectively implement the most advanced features on high-end SLR's. That said, a photography course at your local CC or Uni is really a must if you plan on delving into photography as a hobby. And, as advanced as cameras have become, it still takes years to become a pro-shooter. YMMV.
"Enjoy Every Sandwich"-Warren Zevon
Show me a camera that takes solid pics with good image stabilization and I'll run out today and buy it. As far as I know one does not exist in the $300 and under range with point and shoots. So a stable hand is indeed important until you prove otherwise.
Booger - This camera takes solid pics with good image stabilization
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Cyber-Sho...pr_product_top
16.1 Megapixel and only $199 used - $129 refurbished.
It has an Optical SteadyShot image stabilization which uses a built-in gyro sensor to detect camera shake and automatically shifts the lens to help prevent blur without sacrificing image quality.- I've had it for a few months and every shot comes out clear for me.
See Cnet review here:
http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-came...-34471843.html
Granted, this camera is not without it's issues, The battery power doesn't last as long as I'd like it to and the screen function layout is not the way I would necessarily set it up, but it's a great camera for the price it takes amazing low light pictures and HD video footage.
I'm sure there are better point & shoot cameras out there by Canon, Nikon, Panasonic & Lumix that cost more
But I'm really very happy with this one.
Carpe Diem
Both cameras I linked to in a prior post in this thread have OIS, both are less than $300(the Sony is less than $200 but you only get the minimally acceptable 5x optical zoom), both get great reviews, and both have excellent results in daylight with OIS engaged. OIS was expensive 4 or 5 years ago, but not now. You can even get OIS DSLR lenses for less than $300 now. I don't know what cameras you have demo'd in the last two years, but I am fairly certain they were not these two cameras. You may want to head out to your nearest BestBuy and try out this year's model cameras....esp. when a manufacturer has a rep onsite for DemoDay....sometimes the rep can throw in some cool schwag when you buy a camera...like floatie straps for a waterproof camera, padded pouches and even a free memory card!
OIS has its limitations, as I stated earlier. Even $1000 OIS DSLR lenses won't take acceptable photos at 1/60th and below and many OIS lenses and cameras are fooled when used with a tripod. So, your argument may be correct, in a very limited manner that is mostly irrelevant to the topic of reasonably priced P/S cameras for the novice/amateur shooter.
"Enjoy Every Sandwich"-Warren Zevon
The purpose of this thread was for recommendations, and I am guilty of having strayed from this purpose. The two cameras I linked to are great and I recommend them.
If you want a camera that literally has EVERYTHING on it, go with the Olympus TG-810. Tamminator got me one as a gift and it rocks. It is slightly over $300, but is simply incredible for the money. I've never seen a manometer that will withstand a 6 foot drop on concrete, let alone have one built into my camera. Same with GPS. Never seen one that will withstand a 6 foot drop, let alone be waterproof to 1ATM(33 feet!!!!), and this one IS IN MY CAMERA. Holy schmoly. It has not one but TWO image stabilization systems, one opto/mechanical and the other digital. If there is a feature you desire and it isn't on this camera, I can't imagine what it is!!
http://www.dpreview.com/news/2011/3/2/olytg810
"Enjoy Every Sandwich"-Warren Zevon
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