Best Low Budget Digital Camera ?

[durango_60]

Pentax WPi

After losing two digitals to dirt, mud, water etc. I just bought a Pentax WPi 6.0. It is waterproof and mudproof so I think it will make it through my(or more importantly my aspiring photagrapher stuck in a 3 year old body) lifestyle a little better.

 

[paulj]

After losing two digitals to dirt, mud, water etc. I just bought a Pentax WPi 6.0.

I have an earlier water resistant Pentax, the 43wr, and have been quite happy with it. While it has the problems of a small camera that I discussed earlier, it certainly is a handy take any where camera. For a case I use a simple nylon coin pouch, and can slip camera and case in a jacket or pants pocket. I like the fact that the lens does not project out when in use.

paulj

 

[blaze one]

I am not too worried about damaging the camera , I think i will keep the old
1mp Kodak for times i think i may drop it , like when i am fishing in the rain and lean over the boat to take a pic of the fish in the water , SPLOOOSH ! , I have seen it happen , and since this old Dinasour of a camera only cost me $20 it not as bad as loosing a $300 camera .Thanks for the help .

 

[+ d]

i HIGHLY recommend the Canon Powershot s60/s70/s80 (pick your price range).

the (in my mind) absolutely vital feature of this series is a wide angle lens. i bought the S70 (before the S80 came out) because it was the most compact wide angle lens camera out there.

once you go wide, you won't go back. be careful, many of the compact/subcompact cameras actually have a less than 35mm equiv lens!

 

[blaze one]

I double check the lense on the a520 , what would be the advantages of a wide angle lense ?

 

[paulj]

A wide angle lens gives you a wider view, which is often nice when taking landscapes. Most digital cameras, especially in this point n shoot category, have a panorama mode, which helps you take a series of side by side images. Later on the computer you use a program (provided with the camera) to stich these together into a wider (or taller) image. In ways this is a substitute for a true wide angle, in some ways it is better.

With 35mm film, 'normal' lens length is 45-50 mm, which gives background to foreground proportions that you normally see. 35 mm is mild wide, 25 mm or so is wide or lower is wide.

To judge how wide a digital camera's lens is, you have to adjust the actually range (typically 5.5 - 16mm, for 3x zoom) for the sensor size. Some reviews and product manuals give you a 35mm equivalent.

The numbers I see on dpreview for the A520 are 35mm equivalent at the wide end, 140 mm at the tele end. Looking at other Canon offerings, this appears to be typical. A few get down to 28mm equivalent.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/

For a given zoom range, you are trading off the wide view against the tele view. The S80 has a 28-100mm range. Read the reviews of the S80 and A520, and look at the sample pictures, and decide for yourself which lens range best meets your needs.

paulj

 

[cshontz]

I just got my S80 over the holidays and I'm still enthralled by it. Its more megapixels than I need, but the wide angle was one of the key selling points for me. I'm excited for summer, so I can spend more time outside with it. I got it from Dell for around $420.

Although I can recommend the S80, I'm not sure that its what you're looking for, blaze. It might have more bells and whistles than you want. In any case, I just thought I'd throw it out there.

Here is a recent picture I took. Considering how close I was standing to the Avalanche, I was pleased that the wide angle lens allowed me to fit the entire vehicle within the frame.

 

[+ d]

i've found the wide angle to be the most useful in two types of situations, the first one is beautifully demonstrated above by chris' avalanche shot... when you want to get as close as possible to an object and capture it in its entirety. the other is when you want to photograph a scene or object in a confined space...i never could have photographed the reclining Buddha if it weren't for my 28mm wide angle.

kodak has a new camera with two lenses a 23mm wide! and a 39-117mm zoom...very interesting...i don't have a lot of love for kodak devices, but i like the concept.

 

[Westy]

Electronic sales...

For those interested in possibly getting a new camera, you are welcome to contact me. My friend and I run an electronics business on the side and we carry Canon's, among other brands and all the accessories, and most any other electronic product you can think of, mobile, audio, video, etc.

edit - We dont really advertise, or promote much, its just a low key side business and for the most part we've just been helping out friends and family with deals. Certain products are priced alot more competitive than others and sometimes you can find better deals online from other vendors.

E-mail me @ brian.westfall@cox.net with any inquires, just mention you are from here, and let me know what you have in mind and I will see what we have and try to help you out.

Brian

 

[BajaTaco]

kodak has a new camera with two lenses ...

That is really sweet!

Brian, thanks for extending the offer to us here at ExPo, we appreciate it!

 

[Westy]

No problem. Glad to help out fellow 4wheelers.

btw - the picture taken with the S80 is VERY impressive I must say.

 

[blaze one]

Thanks for the advice and recomendations , I just purchased a Canon A520 camera , I have not even finished reading the instruction booklet yet , and i already know i will be happy with this .
Thanks again .