New Digital Camera

[OSUKid7]

Hey everyone. :)
I'm looking at gettign a new digital camera. Right now I have a Olympus Camedia Master - 1.3 megapixels...got it in May of 2000 I think. It's alright, but I'm ready for more. I'm interested in spending $300-$450. I'd like 4-5 megapixels so I can last another 2-4 years with this camera. The main thing I'd like is for the shutter rate to be considerably faster. I've had so many cases of taking a quick shot and not getting the picture. I'd also like to move beyond the standard 3x optical zoom.

I've looked at a few cameras, and done some reviews on CNET and other sites. I'm fairly impressed with the Nikon Coolpix 5700, and found that in my price range. My only concern with that camera is how large it is.

So what are some thoughts on that and other cameras in my price range? I'd like to hear soon because there's a $150 rebate on the 5700 through March. Thanks for your help. :)

[Andy Manea]

For any electronics I first look at amazon.com, because you have detailed product specs and reviews together. Then I look for the cheapest price online. (The way I say it that really sounds like I'm an ass, using amazon like this! :oops: )

A friend of mine purchased the Pentax Optio 550 or 555 (not sure) 5MP,5x optical zoom (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00008NE00/qid=1078777060/sr=1-5/ref=sr_1_5/002-8735313-1084062?v=glance&s=photo) two months ago. She loves the camera and I do, too. I've seen prints of her digital pictures (I mean she got them "developed" in a photo store) and there is nooooo way in the world you could tell they were taken with a digicam!! I don't make prints of my pictures very often, but it's nice to know that when you do, they come out great.
If my trustly Fuji were to die tomorrow, I probably would get that one to replace it.

Good luck! :P

I'm sure if you do a search on yahoo shopping or froogle, you could find it for a cheaper price. Or you try the pricegrabber at pocketpcthoughts (http://pocketpcthoughts.pricegrabber.com/search_gen.php?form_keyword=pentax%20optio%20550&topcat_id=15&found=2&ut=91fec3e115441ad9).

[OSUKid7]

Alright :) thanks for the quick reply. CNET has pretty good review and awesome specs, but I'll check out amazon's too. I like that the Optio 550 is a better form factor and uses SD cards (I have 2 for my iPaq 3870 now), but I've never even heard of the Pentax brand...lol maybe it's just cause I haven't searched for digital cameras much. I'll check them out. :)

[Lee Yuan Sheng]

The 5700 is one of the smaller superzoom cameras, but I don't think the AF and shutter lag is particularly fast.

The Pentax sounds like it might be suitable for you, but I have no idea on its AF speed and shutter lag.

Other fairly tiny superzoom cameras would be the Fuji S5000 and the Minolta Z1. They're 3 megapixels, but the difference between 3 and 4 is next to nothing anyway. I think the Olympus 760 is also quite small as well.

C|Net's reviews aren't very good, IMHO. You'd be better off with reviews from one of the more established sites. Just try to note the reviewer's bias and remove it from the review, hehe.

[iand]

If you're thinking of an Optio 550, be sure to try one out first to make sure the speed is ok. I have a 440 and it is a sloooow beast. Takes ok pictures, but is slow to focus, and while it focuses, the LCD image freezes, so it's very hard to track motion. Not sure if they've fixed that in the 550...

[Suhit Gupta]

Focusing is fairly normal with the 550 IMO, however, startup time is just awful. I mean, you can hit the button, and walk away for lunch :(. I have seen it to be as slow as 5-7 seconds, which is just painful.

Suhit

[OSUKid7]

darn...guess this is what makes buying a new camera so hard...thanks for all the suggestions. :)
Not sure what I'll go with now. How loarge is the Nikon 5700 really? My current camera is the typical consumer camera size, and I could live with a little larger, but I'd rather not go too much larger. The pictures of the 5700 look huge, but yslee says it's
one of the smaller superzoom cameras, but I don't think the AF and shutter lag is particularly fast.
so I dunno...my current camera takes maybe 4-5 seconds to open. I live with it but would like this to be faster if possible. The shutter speed is what I'm really concerned about though...my current camera is terrible with that, so pretty much anything is an improvement. :roll:

[Andy Manea]

Focusing is fairly normal with the 550 IMO, however, startup time is just awful. I mean, you can hit the button, and walk away for lunch :(. I have seen it to be as slow as 5-7 seconds, which is just painful.

Damn, Suhit, you're a fast eater! :mrgreen:

But seriously, I never switched the pentax on myself. For all I know, it's a beautiful little all-metal babe, that produces fantastic pictures, but try it out first, if speed is an issue.

[Gary Sheynkman]

I might be VERY biased, but you can pic up a sony f717 pretty cheap if you look around

[Suhit Gupta]

I might be VERY biased, but you can pic up a sony f717 pretty cheap if you look around
The F717 is not a bad idea at all, although OSUKid7 was already concerned about the size of the Nikon 5700, so I don't quite see how the F717 will help. :?

Suhit

[Gary Sheynkman]

I might be VERY biased, but you can pic up a sony f717 pretty cheap if you look around
The F717 is not a bad idea at all, although OSUKid7 was already concerned about the size of the Nikon 5700, so I don't quite see how the F717 will help. :?

Suhit

Well..... we both know that there is no magical device

just compare t1 pics to 717..... both 5mp...but the difference is amazing size=more quality (before you jump on me...this is just a generalization about consumer cameras)

[Andy Manea]

just compare t1 pics to 717..... both 5mp...but the difference is amazing size=more quality (before you jump on me...this is just a generalization about consumer cameras)
Oooh, I have to bite my tongue real hard to that one! :razzing:

[Gary Sheynkman]

just compare t1 pics to 717..... both 5mp...but the difference is amazing size=more quality (before you jump on me...this is just a generalization about consumer cameras)
Oooh, I have to bite my tongue real hard to that one! :razzing:

I dont get it :lol: :?

[OSUKid7]

finally got around to looking at the Sony F717. and.. :roll: I don't think it's for me. I'm 17 years old and I'd like a few manual controls, but I'm definitely not a professional photographer...I just want something better than my 4-year-old 1.3 MP Camedia Master. I like the specs of the Nikon 5700, but I don't like the size, and am not sure if I need all of the advanced features. I love the look of the Pentax Optio 550, but I'm not liking what I hear about the time it takes to focus, turn it on, etc. I'm still searching but would like to buy before the end of the month because of several rebates I've seen.

On another note, what are good stores I should go to to find good digital cameras?

[Andy Manea]

I tried out the Pentax last night, and did not think it took very long to turn it on. Maybe it was a problem with previous models? You really have to try it out yourself. I am not sure, but maybe at BestBuy you can. If you live on the US, that is.

[Suhit Gupta]

Really? :? I could have sworn it took forever to start up. Anyways, I guess it is a personal preference thing, I am an impatient kind of person ;-)

Suhit

[OSUKid7]

Hmm...I searched BestBuy.com and they didn't have the Pentax...so any other places you'd recommend? I'm in Columbus, Ohio, USA.

[Suhit Gupta]

If you have a Walmart near you, they carry Pentax. I know this only because I was at a Walmart about a month ago and they had their entire Pentax line on sale that week. ;-)

Suhit

[OSUKid7]

If you have a Walmart near you, they carry Pentax. I know this only because I was at a Walmart about a month ago and they had their entire Pentax line on sale that week. ;-)
Walmart?! lol never would have guessed they would have many digital cameras. I may call them in a week or so when I have time to go. I'm leaning towards the Pentax Optio 550 now. I like its design a little better than the 555, and I haven't found anything I'd really want on the 555 model. I still like the features of the Nikon 5700, but I'm leary of the size. Anyone have any other cameras that are between those two in size, but still have the same features?

[Andy Manea]

Really? :? I could have sworn it took forever to start up. Anyways, I guess it is a personal preference thing, I am an impatient kind of person ;-)

Suhit
Coming to think about it, my sister has a Pentax Optio.. I forgot the model number, it's a 3.? MP camera, and THAT one takes forever to start up. I completely forgot about that.

I am also very impatient, but maybe it depends on what you're used to. My Finepix is far from being an instant-on type of camera, so whatever takes around the same to start up is normal to me. The Finepix is all I have to compare to :?

[Macguy59]

Either the Sony DSC-P10 or the DSC-P92 will give you 5MP with fast performance. From power on to ready for shots is under 2 seconds and shot to shot time is about 1 second (without the flash). I am using the P92 and am happy with it so far.