wanderer

Our film camera - an Olympus Stylus Zoom 140 just died, and we need to replace.

I don't care whether we go digital of film, but need to replace it for an upcoming trip to Rome.

We really, really, liked that camera, and would fix it (even though it costs less to buy new) except that what it is missing is a wide-angle (<28) which we really want since we seem to miss lots of architecture in Europe not having a W/A lens.

We are novices, and don't want an SLR, nor anything too bulky/heavy. We also don't want a super compact. Ideally something with Auto and many Scene modes and also some manual modes to grow into. We also want at least a 4x zoom.

We have a Canon A510 (our first digital), which is a good basic camera, but the shutter lag on it is hideous, and so not a usable camera for this trip.

We also need something capable of taking pictures in low light - after all, I don't want to miss out on pics of the Sistine Chapel and Pantheon due to a camera!

We've had a heck of a time finding the right camera. The digital world doesn't seem to have what we want. Budget is @$500 or less.

I'm willing to do another film camera, although long-term I know this is not the answer. But I can't seem to find a digital with the capabilities of our little Olympus!! Not many wide-angles out there, and most seem to have low-light issues.

I figured I'd go to the people with experience taking pics - you guys - to help me out. What do you all use for a camera, and what would your suggestions be????

moldyhotelsaregross

I'll take a look at some things online for you. I also loved my Stylus Zoom.

I would definitely say digital. I've had such fun with mine. And, if there are lighting issues, you can often edit them with software.

moldyhotelsaregross

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs.asp

This is a good starting point if you are comfortable with specs.

2Italy

Virtually ALL digital cameras have a "shutter lag" because once you press the button it focuses then exposes. To eliminate this, press the shutter button gently, hold it there, and the camera will focus, then, when depressed the rest of the way, it will take the picture like a film camera, very quickly.
I would go to a store where they have lots of cameras and browse. There are many great cameras out there, so you can look at their physical size, handle them, and even shoot pictures with many of them.
I agree with your assessment of needing a wider angle. Many look for extremely powerful telephoto lens, but I too find the need for a wider angle to take in the facades and interiors of many churches, monuments, ruins, etc.
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moldyhotelsaregross

Does anyone know if the upper end Energerizer Lithium and Titanium batteries (AA) speed up lag time? I wasn't sure if their increased life would result in faster speed.

ira

Hi W,

I've been doing some searching myself.
I definitely recommend a digital camera.

For your budget, I suggest that you look at the Canon S3IS and the Panasonic Lumix FZ30.

These are super zoom cameras (12X optical zoom) rather than wide angle, but both allow for 'stitching' to make panoramic shots.

Both Canon and Panasonic also offer 28mm cameras and wide-angle lens attachments.

Also see http://www.steves-digicams.com/ for reviews.

flycatcher06

Hi there, any of the digital SLR's would suit you. I take alot of nature photos and had the Nikon Coolpix and kept missing the shot - I now have the Nikon D70 and there is no lag at all and it is great! Cannot wait to use it in Europe this fall!

3mkids

You will need to make a choice, because you cannot get everything that you are seeking. If you want to avoid an SLR, then just about any digital point and shoot will have some lag time in the focusing. I'm taking a Nikon D-70 to Europe (the digital successor to the film N-80 I took there last time), but it is an SLR, and you said that you don't want that. Also VERY IMPORTANT: there is a 1 to 1.5 ratio between film and digital focal lengths. In English, this means that while 28 mm on a film zoom lens is wide angle, it is NOT wide angle on a digital camera, because the 28mm becomes 42mm, which is normal, not wide angle. If your priority is wide angle landscape shots, you have two choices: 1) stay with a film camera at 20mm to 28mm (20mm is best); or 2) go digital and buy the new 12.5mm lenses, which will perform like a 19mm lens. The basic drawback to No. 2 is that these new lenses are very pricey, way above your $500 budget. Your best idea might be to get a used film camera (point and shoot or SLR)with a zoom lens that goes down to 28mm. (Or get a used film SLR and a used zoom or fixed lens at focal length of less than 28mm.)Since a lot of people are going digital, you can get great buys on film cameras with included lenses on ebay.

Pausanias

Kodak makes a unique compact camera, the Easyshare V570, which has two lenses. One is a 4x zoom, the other a 23mm wide angle. 5mp. It sells for about $365 at B&H.

If you are interested in better photos though, you might want to consider one of the entry-level DSLRs such as the Canon Rebel XT or the Nikon D50. Even if you just use the point and shoot mode you generally have better lenses, a choice of lenses, larger sensor with better quality pixels, reduced start-up time and less shutter lag.

Pausanias

Re the previous post, (which is correct) that "23 mm" mentioned for the Kodak is equivalent. You will have the same perspective as a 23mm lens on a 35.

julies

In January I bought a KM A200 digital and, for the most part, have been very impressed with it. It is 28-200mm, which to me is a perfect range. I too wanted a wide angle and limited my search to cameras that have this. I found out that there are very few with the wide angle because the market is driven by consumers who think a long telephoto is the main need. The camera is smaller that a DSLR but larger than a pocket camera; I can drop it in my purse quite easily. I spent TONS of time searching for a camera and finally decided on this model. Check out www.dpreview.com and www.neocamera.com for lots of further information that may help you out. Most of the dpreview posters are extremely techincal and into the actual mechanics and specs of cameras. Luminous landscapes is another site that has reviews and comments more based on how a camera handles and can create pictures. As far as the low light issues, I do find this a tad frustrating after using a film camera. However, it is primarily when I want to take a picture of a fast-moving object in low light that this becomes a problem. For architecture this shouldn't be an issue.

luvtotravel

I'd like to recommend the Canon Powershot G6. I was also concerned about lag time, but it's pretty good on this camera. Also, there is a manual mode and you can add lenses. It's small enough to fit in a purse, yet substantial. It's not exactly a point-and-shoot, yet it's not an SLR. The 7.1 megapixels gives me plenty of detail for cropping. Colors are great.

I don't know much about wide angle, but there is a lever to bring things close. Also a macro and super macro mode. Camera will shoot in RAW format.

The battery life is incredible. I can shoot for two full days without needing to recharge. The battery charger is dual voltage, so all I need to take with me is the adapter.

When the camera came out it was around $700 retail, but I think it can be purchased now for around $450.

Gardyloo

I'm compelled to chime in with three (total number owned, one left in a NYC taxi cab - ) Panasonic Lumix FZ series cameras. Leica lenses beyond belief; 12x zoom, auto stabilization. The 35mm equivalent of the lens would be 35mm-400mm, so wide to super-long; 6mp. VERY minimal shutter/memory lag, lots of controls, very compact without being too small to handle. Here's a typical review: http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/fz7.html

Took it around the world last year; will take it back to Africa in a couple months.

gard

Hi

www.dpreview.com is the place to start. They have some amazing reviews. If I were to buy a compact camera I would probably go for a Canon IXUS camera. But there is also an Olympus camera called mju 720 that looks good. It is waterproof down to 3 meters and I guess that could be a good feature if you like the water. I use a Canon Powershot S1 IS. It is great to have a 10x zoom but the camera is a bit bulky. Good luck with the camera buying. I have posted a trip report with pictures and links from Rome on my homepage http://gardkarlsen.com/rome_italy.htm Maybe you can find some useful information there.

Regards
Gard
Stavanger, Norway

GSteed

Novices, key word. Suggest, Kodak. Kodak is designing and building cameras that are 'simple' to use. Low prices at 'Sam's', a bit higher at, Wal-Mart. I was able to try different models at a Wal-Mart. Kodak battery and memory card have been reliable. Recharger is easy to use. Tranfer to computer and storage is easy and sure.

Gretchen

Look at the camera Ira is suggesting. After someone mentioned it, I looked at its "stuff" and it is excellent with a GREAT lens.
Don't be so concerned with wide angle. With digitals you can take a 360* panoramic picture if you want and "stitch" it together when printing. You can take great wide angle that way, better than with a single lens. Most digitals already have a wider angle lens than most film 28mm cameras.
I personally love my Canon S1 (3.2MP) with 10X zoom. and I strongly disagree with those that say zoom isn't important.
Long lag times have largely been remedied, BUT the higher the MPs the more lag time. The suggestion to compose, depress the shutter partially (which you needed to do for autofocus SLRs anyway) and then depress fully really helps.
One thing about more MPs that does overcome a lower OPTICAL zoom (pay NO attention to digital zoom) is that when cropping and printing you can get a longer effective zoom image.
Look on Amazon for good prices. My Canon is available for $250 now. It has many features which are user friendly--iconic controls on top of camera (movie, aperture priority, manual, low light, tc.) and a rotatable LCD monitor so I can take a picture over my head or of someone sitting next to me.
The 5MP Canon of the same type is under $400 usually.

JoyceL

An excellent source of camera reviews is http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html .
I found this site invaluable when researching my camera purchase.

I also recently switched from using an Olympus Sylus to a digital camera. I had the same requirements you have: easy-to-use, many scene modes, small, dual-voltage (so I can easily recharge in Europe), lightweight, etc.

After much research, I finally bought the Olympus Camedia D-595. It has 5 megapixels, 38-114 zoom, weighs 5.3 ounces, relatively fast recycle time, with battery options: you can use either AA or rechargeable lithium.
batteries. There are also many scene modes, and the option of doing a lot of things manually. Regarding shutter lag, the reviews I read say it has a 1 second photo-to-photo lag, and a 4 second boot lag.

The cost of this camera was $180 when I bought it a year ago. It may cost even less now.

Thus far, I've been happy with this camera. There are disavantages compared to the Stylus, but also advantages. But this would be true when comparing any digital camera to a film camera.

julies

Wanderer--

I just re-read your post. You have almost exactly the same requirements I had when looking for a digital. To me wide angle really does matter because you can get about 15-20% more into a shot when composing vs. a camera that has a 35 wide range. Take a good look at the camera I ended up buying, KM A200. I too was looking for a camera with the availability of using pre-set modes and the possibility of having lots of manual options to grow into.

Here are some pictures taken with the camera that other users posted when I requested low light church interiors using this camera (scroll down as the 1st few don't work).

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/re...ssage=16789973

Gretchen

You are making the assumption that digital lenses and film camera lenses are the same.

Digital compact cameras are fitted with lenses with short focal lengths to create 35mm equivalent field of views on their small sensor surfaces. Typically the sensor diagonal is 4 times smaller than the diameter of 35mm film. A 7mm lens fitted on such a camera will have the same field of view of a 7mm x 4 or 28mm lens on a 35mm film camera. Just like the digital lenses for digital SLRs, these lenses are designed to generate image circles to cover the smaller sensor. This allows these lenses to be much smaller and cheaper to manufacture. Because of the very small focal lengths used, the depth of field is much larger (1) than digital SLRs or 35mm film cameras with the same field of view.

Robespierre

Some manufacturers of digital SLRs allow for the use of lenses from film cameras, and some don't.

Where can I find a discussion of the whys and wherefores of this dichotomy?