Smokin-Reefer Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Hi, I'm planning on getting a new digi cam for xmas, or out of my own pocket, I'm looking for a decent camera around the $200 price range. I saw a sony one at walmart 2-something megapixels? I want to use it to take everyday pics and pictures of my tanks. Anyone have any experience with cameras in that price range? thanks for your input Daniel Link to comment
onthefly Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 tagging along..........Mr. and Mrs. Fly are in the market as well. Tired of my washed out pics..... Link to comment
blk_g20 Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 the canon A60 is a good one for about that price, i saw some macro shots and it looked very good. the canon A300 is a little bit more money i think but that takes great photo too. i bought a canon digital elf S200 about 1.5 years ago. its nice and compact but doesn't take good macro shots. google "digital camera review" and you'll find a bunch of review sites. Link to comment
deacon hemp Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 go with nikon's......coolpix 990,995,4300,ect. they are really good for macros and they are easy to use! JMO tho. Link to comment
bmxer Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Aiptek dv3100. macro shots are nice, and does video. 3megapixles and only 109 i think check out the site. www.aiptek.com ohh and if you order from their site it's cheaper than other sites and stores. Link to comment
dickie52 Posted November 20, 2003 Share Posted November 20, 2003 Just get what....... jdsabin1 http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...&highlight=pics or Gilman......... http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...&threadid=16877 or Acoustic..... http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...&highlight=pics Use...you can't go wrong...... Link to comment
Dingo Posted November 21, 2003 Share Posted November 21, 2003 I vote for the coolpix series also. The problem is that they all cost more than $200. My recommendation is that you use a 3 megapixel camera. 4 is really not much benefit unless you intend to crop your photos alot, and 2 will disappoint you when you go to print the pictures. I know that you can find some Kodak models for around $250 to 300 dollars. Beyond Megapixel ratings, make sure that your camera has a Macro mode, which will allow you to take extreme closeups. Manual white balance will allow you to take nice colored photos under the blue lights that we use. A timer for photos is very useful. When you photograph your tank, you can't use a flash, which means that your exposure will be long. If your camera moves at all, you will have a blurry photo. I set my camera on a tripod, set the timer, push the button and move away so that the camera is absolutely still. Link to comment
onthefly Posted November 21, 2003 Share Posted November 21, 2003 Good info Dingo! I'm looking at the Coolpix 3100.....18 month free financing at Best Buy!!! Link to comment
SeaMountain Posted November 21, 2003 Share Posted November 21, 2003 I use flash on my Sony Mavica FD-71. But turn the LCD brightness screen setting down real low to compensate. I've been considering a coolpix to replace it though. Better technology than the first Sony. Link to comment
Dingo Posted November 21, 2003 Share Posted November 21, 2003 Thanks Fly! I use a Coolpix 990 which was top of the line a few years ago. I love it, but they don't make that one anymore. I'm no pro like Acoustic, but here are some of mine with the above method: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/showthread...&threadid=18702 The disadvantages that I've always run into when using a flash are inconsistent brightness of the end photo, poor color rendition, and reflections on the glass. It becomes a PITA to tweak it in so that you get a good photo. Sounds like you had to do a good bit of fiddling to make yours work well, Sea. Link to comment
Aquariareview Posted November 21, 2003 Share Posted November 21, 2003 The Olympus low cost Camera is a great aqua- cam these Pics were shot on a 2 megapix Olympus D230 ($185 online) The Macro Mode workes well as you can see. Link to comment
tylernt Posted November 21, 2003 Share Posted November 21, 2003 I got a Minolta DiMAGE E223 for like $120 online. 2 megapixel, macro mode. It eats batteries like candy (get rechargables!) but other than that I like it well enough for a $120 camera. Here's one of my better macros. I left it raw which makes it rather big, hence the zipfile. Link to comment
Smokin-Reefer Posted November 21, 2003 Author Share Posted November 21, 2003 Geez, Thanks for all the responses, I will check out the review sites, and the cameras you guys suggested. What camera do jsabin, gil etc, use? I agree, there camera rocks. Btw, if it matters, It's going to be used with my apple Ti powerbook g4. They will all work with mac? Link to comment
tylernt Posted November 21, 2003 Share Posted November 21, 2003 If you get a camera that uses cards like CF, MMC, SD, or (gag) SmartMedia or (double gag) Memory Stick, you can get a USB or PCMCIA card reader to get the pics onto your Mac. Saves batteries too. Link to comment
deacon hemp Posted November 21, 2003 Share Posted November 21, 2003 if i were you id look into a used nikon 990 on ebay or something they are great cameras for a decent deal! 3.35 megapixels great macro mode......to 2 cm's Link to comment
SeaMountain Posted November 21, 2003 Share Posted November 21, 2003 It is a PITA dingo. Depending upon how much natural light is in teh room I end up filling a 3.5" disk with pics. A disk holds approx 12 pics. The Sony Mavica makes two files when in the 'email' mode. One large and a separate duplicate file for the smaller email image. In regular mode it will snap 24-30 pics though. I'll look into the 990, but am leaning towards a higher end coolpix series or even the Canon. This was taken with flash in macro... With the brightness turned so low I had to adjust it up to see the zoo to focus decently, then turn it back way down! LOL Link to comment
onthefly Posted November 21, 2003 Share Posted November 21, 2003 Well, I think I'm going with the Nikon Coolpix 3100....all the reviews were excellent......Figure I'll get 2x 64Mb cards, the rechargable batteries, and a tripod.....in one swoop! My wife want to convert most of "her" pictures to prints eventually, thus the 3.1Mp......otherwise, I would have just gone with the 2100. Link to comment
Angel Posted November 21, 2003 Share Posted November 21, 2003 Well, I happened to luck out and win a digi this past week. It is a SiPix SC 3300 3.3 MP. I haven't gotten used to it yet, but it was the best price, free! I do not know to much about it and haven't seen it recommended here, so hmmmm. The photos are nice and clear, but eat the batteries like candy. Good luck with your choice. Angel Link to comment
FlyGTI Posted November 21, 2003 Share Posted November 21, 2003 I own a Sony DSC V1 5.0 megapixel camera, and I like it alot. Lots of features that I haven't been able to play with yet. Someday when I have some time I'll figure out how to use the thing. I think for the $250 range, anyone looking for a great value and great performance ought to look for either a closeout or a used Canon Powershot S30. They're supposedly retailing now for about $275-300, but I'm guessing that since Canon doesn't make them anymore, they'll be discounting them to get rid of the backstock. These things are top notch. Check DPReview.com and read their ratings, as well as their user reviews. If there was ever a flaw in the camera, these users would find it and probably exploit it to the hilt. None to speak of, though. Might be worth your while. www.dpreview.com is a great site for this type of information. Enjoy. Later. Link to comment
Dingo Posted November 21, 2003 Share Posted November 21, 2003 Nice pic, Sea. 5 megapixel! That's like a gig per shot or something! /*geek drool*/ Nice choice, Fly. Now you have to go out and buy a nice photo printer and about $500 in paper and ink for the 1000 photos your wife will want to print. Link to comment
Grub Posted November 24, 2003 Share Posted November 24, 2003 PC World does great digital camera reviews. My wife and I are going to buy a digital camera for Christmas. Think we are going with the Nikon Coolpix 3100. Anyone know how it does with nano reef pics? http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,a...d,112474,00.asp http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,a...d,111400,00.asp Link to comment
caja Posted November 24, 2003 Share Posted November 24, 2003 Olympus Stylus 300 Digital with a tripod and remote control for the timer. Nice clear shots. Link to comment
brahm Posted November 24, 2003 Share Posted November 24, 2003 10D Nikkon Don't be Scared! Link to comment
Grub Posted November 24, 2003 Share Posted November 24, 2003 So, is the Nikon Coolpix good enough for tank shots? Link to comment
yOyOYoo Posted November 25, 2003 Share Posted November 25, 2003 check out www.dpreview.com www.imaging-resource.com Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.