Digital SLR cameras?

[guyute]

This will be my first year attending Jazz Fest nd I can't wait. I didn't see an official policy on cameras. I was hoping to bring my DSLR, so definitely bigger than a point and shoot. Anyone know is it's OK to bring those in?

thanks

[bluesgirl]

As long as it's a still camera, they shouldn't have a problem with it. My camera takes those little "movies" and I didn't have a problem bringing it in.

[chrisjoseph]

ok to bring in cameras, just not obvious video cameras.

[SkyeDragon]

Took in my Canon SLR digital. The guy at the gate just said "cool", but then I had a couple of other lenses in with it as well.

[guyute]

Perfect! Thanks :)

[Orleansnj]

Hey gang,

Just so happens i am about to adveture into the digital camera world and am looking for a good basic camera that takes nice shots, is fairly easy to operate and is somewhat budget friendly. I have done some on-line research and note that the Kodak C743 is about 150.00 has 7 megapixels and works kinda like a point and shoot.

I'm looking for any and all feedback, advice etc. before I shell out any money. Don't mind spending a little more - but I'd like to understand from someone with some experience why I would want to do that and what the difference would be in outcome.

thanks.

[guyute]

I'm not familiar with that particular model. dpreview is one of the best camera review sites out there. You should check out the following review for this model to see if it meets your needs. Enjoy!

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Kodak/kodak_c743.asp

[Orleansnj]

I'm not familiar with that particular model. dpreview is one of the best camera review sites out there. You should check out the following review for this model to see if it meets your needs. Enjoy!

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Kodak/kodak_c743.asp

I am on the right track - that's where I did my research and I fell into it just by accident...but they have a LOT of stuff on there...

[guyute]

Here are 2 other reviews by Ken Rockwell (loved by some, hated by others) on some different point and shoot cameras

http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/compacts/a550.htm

http://www.kenrockwell.com/canon/compacts/a460.htm

[LaTiDa]

Hey gang,

Just so happens i am about to adveture into the digital camera world and am looking for a good basic camera that takes nice shots, is fairly easy to operate and is somewhat budget friendly. I have done some on-line research and note that the Kodak C743 is about 150.00 has 7 megapixels and works kinda like a point and shoot.

I'm looking for any and all feedback, advice etc. before I shell out any money. Don't mind spending a little more - but I'd like to understand from someone with some experience why I would want to do that and what the difference would be in outcome.

thanks.


I always convine my friends to go with the Cannon Powershot series especially with the rotating viewfinder. I've have two generation of Powershots and they both are easy to use and produce great pictures I also have a Canon Rebel SLR that I take to JazzFest also but still ending up using the powershot because of that great viewfinder.

Go for at least a 5mp so you can crop for some great close ups even if you can't get that close up for real... they have bigger but to start with that should be fine. The newer ones use AAA batteries which go fast but not as fast as someother brands. I bought recharagables and they have worked out great. Also invest in at least a 1-2 GB memory card... believe me it's worth it (especially at JF).


As for quality of pictures, once at JazzFest a guy asked me why I picked the model I had at that time as he had the same one and was curious. I just mentioned the great reviews while he explained that he asked camera companys to send him pictures taken by their cameras showing the color yellow. Apparently yellow is the hardest to duplicate (who new). Anyway he picked powershot because it had the best yellow, go figure.

[pokerchick66]

I have a Sony DSC-W5 Cybershot and I love mine. Have you tried Ebay? :)

[Dr. A.]

i just recently purchased a nikon D50, with a couple of extra lenses. so far.....great. not sure if i want to take it to a dusty fairgrounds, but leaning toward doing it one day, anyway.

[saturn]

I have a Canon Powershot G6 and I love it a lot. A bit more expensive though than the entry-level models.

http://www.medialider.pl/sklep/produkt/55/l_ml_produkt_1_powershot-g6.jpg

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canong6/

My first digital (that has just recently died) was a Powershot S300 and it was also great. Its equivalent in new models would be something like the Powershot SD 600

http://reviews.cnet.com/Canon_PowerShot_SD600/4505-6501_7-31740583.html

[swag]

I have the S330, and do NOT recommend it. Most of the time, I can get good pix from it, but two situations when it struggles. First, at full 3x optical zoom (say, from the middle of Acura) most shots come out blurry. Likewise without flash under colored lights (say, shooting a nightclub stage). In other words, it's a great camera for everything except taking pictures of the band.

I'm hoping to replace it before Fest, something with a bigger zoom and image stabilization.

[Orleansnj]

Yeah - I was using the site mentioned above and I am partial to Cannon - I have a really nice Cannon regular camera - but didn't want to be loaded down with the bulk. I love taking pictures and have had digital camera envy for quite some time. I'm thinking Cannon with at least 7 megapixels since the market price is really affordable.

Thanks for your info- that was really helpful - didn't know about the yellow thing either !!

[Amy Winette]

I've always had kodaks and love them. Jeff just got a fancy new camera, but all his previous fantastic shots were taken on the kodak.

[LaTiDa]

Yeah - I was using the site mentioned above and I am partial to Cannon - I have a really nice Cannon regular camera - but didn't want to be loaded down with the bulk. I love taking pictures and have had digital camera envy for quite some time. I'm thinking Cannon with at least 7 megapixels since the market price is really affordable.

Thanks for your info- that was really helpful - didn't know about the yellow thing either !!

OrleansNJ Check out the Cannon Powershot A620

[Orleansnj]

Okay digital camera gang - couple of additional questions.

1. Do most of you have an extra battery for your camera? (extra rechargeable).

2. Is a 2GB memory card sufficient for most digital cameras? (I'm really clueless here and can't figure out how to approximate how many pics (at different resolutions- know that much) are likely to fit on that type of card. I'm good at math - but just don't know how to put this new info together - am looking for a basic round number - doesn't need to be too fancy.

Swag - thanks a million times over for your info - it gave me new things to think about - including image stabilization.

Y'all are rawk stars

[saturn]

Okay digital camera gang - couple of additional questions.

1. Do most of you have an extra battery for your camera? (extra rechargeable).

2. Is a 2GB memory card sufficient for most digital cameras?



1. Yes, I absolutely carry an extra battery for mine. I have not needed it often for my G6, but I often did with my previous camera.

2. I have a 512 MB card in my camera (which is a 7.1 megapixel) and it holds many hundreds of photos. I take lots and lots of photos and have never filled it up. However, I am selective about the quality of pics, so I delete any that are fuzzy or poorly composed. I do carry a backup card, in the unlikely event I filled the current one up.

[Carolina Beadhead]

Okay digital camera gang - couple of additional questions.

1. Do most of you have an extra battery for your camera? (extra rechargeable).

2. Is a 2GB memory card sufficient for most digital cameras? (I'm really clueless here and can't figure out how to approximate how many pics (at different resolutions- know that much) are likely to fit on that type of card. I'm good at math - but just don't know how to put this new info together - am looking for a basic round number - doesn't need to be too fancy.

Swag - thanks a million times over for your info - it gave me new things to think about - including image stabilization.

Y'all are rawk stars

Maybe this'll help:

http://www.card-media.co.uk/memory+info.htm?page=vp2160b

Oh, and yes, I always carry extra batteries. There's nothing worse that running out of juice in the middle of something cool.

[Orleansnj]

Maybe this'll help:

http://www.card-media.co.uk/memory+info.htm?page=vp2160b

Oh, and yes, I always carry extra batteries. There's nothing worse that running out of juice in the middle of something cool.

Absolutely fantastic resource - super thanks.

I also dug out my copy of consumer reports from November and it is proving to be an invaluable additional resource.

thank y'all for everything. I'll keep you posted on what I finally decide. I think I'll buy in the next week or so ....that way I can practice with the camera and get used to its features etc. before the Fest....

[saturn]

Maybe this'll help:

http://www.card-media.co.uk/memory+info.htm?page=vp2160b

Oh, and yes, I always carry extra batteries. There's nothing worse that running out of juice in the middle of something cool.


According to that chart, my card should only hold 68 pictures -- and I have lots more than that on it with space left.

I rarely take photos in high resolution though, since I publish most online or print 4X6 size. I only set to high-res if I plan to print off 8X10s or larger.

[rosetree]

...not to confuse you anymore here, but I have to put a word in for my camera..Nikon Coolpix S10.
It has a 10x zoom, 6MP, and a swivel head. It fits in your pocket, if you don't wear your pants too tight:eek: and takes regular AA batteries. I love the fact that you don't have to worry about recharging. To get a 10x zoom in such a small package is great also. The swivel head lets you raise the camera overhead and take pictures above everyone else...a great feature in Jazz Fest crowds! You can also swivel it around and take pictures of yourself while looking in the viewfinder...
I've said my piece...look at it here......
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q98/rosetreeglass/camera.jpg
http://www.nikondigital.com/main.html

[Orleansnj]

After reading consumer reports and dpreview and everyone's comments I was looking at the coolpix S10 as well as the Cannon Powershot SD800 IS. About $100.00 more than the powershot A620 that was recommended (and is a great value) but seems to have a tremendous jump in features.

My last stop will be a phone call to a friend of mine who is a professional photog.....I'll ask her what will really make a difference for me - since she knows me well, as well as the camera world.

Talk to you all later - off to read and maybe go window shopping.

[Carolina Beadhead]

According to that chart, my card should only hold 68 pictures -- and I have lots more than that on it with space left.

I rarely take photos in high resolution though, since I publish most online or print 4X6 size. I only set to high-res if I plan to print off 8X10s or larger.

I think the chart indicates that it's the number of hi-res pics.

I always shoot hi-res. I never know when one will screamed to be enlarged - or cropped down - and there's nothing worse than having a great pic... in low-res.

[saturn]

Another thought re: amount of memory needed. If you plan to shoot video with the camera, that will chew up the memory fairly quickly.

I don't shoot much video and only for a couple of minutes at a time so I don't have a lot of problem, but it is a consideration.

[swag]

...not to confuse you anymore here, but I have to put a word in for my camera..Nikon Coolpix S10.
It has a 10x zoom, 6MP, and a swivel head. It fits in your pocket, if you don't wear your pants too tight:eek: and takes regular AA batteries. I love the fact that you don't have to worry about recharging. To get a 10x zoom in such a small package is great also. The swivel head lets you raise the camera overhead and take pictures above everyone else...a great feature in Jazz Fest crowds! You can also swivel it around and take pictures of yourself while looking in the viewfinder...
I've said my piece...look at it here......
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q98/rosetreeglass/camera.jpg
http://www.nikondigital.com/main.html

I was actually reading up on that one this morning. The size, zoom, and price seem hard to beat.

Is the image stabilization good enough for those middle-of-the-crowd, full-zoom, over the head, slightly buzzed Jazzfest shots to not blur?

I also see it doesn't have an optical viewfinder. Is the view screen lit enough to see in the bright afternoon sun?

[chrisjoseph]

I would always choose a camera with a viewfinder....those screens are hard to see in broad daylight.

[rosetree]

I was actually reading up on that one this morning. The size, zoom, and price seem hard to beat.

Is the image stabilization good enough for those middle-of-the-crowd, full-zoom, over the head, slightly buzzed Jazzfest shots to not blur?

I also see it doesn't have an optical viewfinder. Is the view screen lit enough to see in the bright afternoon sun?
Swag: Your question about the screen is a good one. I have not had a lot of problems with that, if there is glare, you can tilt the screen and position the camera differently.
as for the other question, here is a shot from JF last year about 15-20 rows back, not zoomed in all the way....
http://i134.photobucket.com/albums/q98/rosetreeglass/DSCN0165.jpg

[NeenAtlanta]

I think the chart indicates that it's the number of hi-res pics.

I always shoot hi-res. I never know when one will screamed to be enlarged - or cropped down - and there's nothing worse than having a great pic... in low-res.

Me too - I bought two good sized memory disks so I can take everything at hi-res. And I take tons of pics, hoping a good one will pop up somewhere in the mix.

[breambob]

The best pics I took at JF were with a Nikon FM2 (all manual control). Three lenses, 28mmm 50mm and a nice fast 70-120 zoom. Many hundreds of great shots over the years.
Did the AE1s and clones, and other Nikons. Last was a Nikon N series, got real tired of lugging that around.
I got some nice lenses so a Nikon digital SLR is attractive to me, but.
I got a Pentax Optio at 6mp and am trying it out. So far a great little pocket snapshot taker. It will be fully tested before JF. But the dam thang has like 20 different modes. I'm still looking for a digital model with SLR, and can do full manual (shutter, aperature and focus).

Well, here it is, but I don't have the $$$$:

http://www.leica-camera.us/photography/m_system/m8/

[SkyeDragon]

Since you already own a Canon SLR, you might want to look at their digital SLR bodies that will accept your Canon lenses. Thus you are ahead of the game in being able to use lenses you have and not having to pay again for optics.
Another issue a lot of folks ignore is simply how the camera fits your hands. The little bitty ones look way cool but can be difficult to hold steady for a lot of folks.

[saturn]

I think the chart indicates that it's the number of hi-res pics.

I always shoot hi-res. I never know when one will screamed to be enlarged - or cropped down - and there's nothing worse than having a great pic... in low-res.

I am really puzzled by the numbers on that chart. I just set my camera (7 megapix) to highest resolution and superfine and it still gives me over 160 pictures on a 526 MB card.

[chrisjoseph]

I think it also has to do with how the shots are compressed on the card, and what mode you are shooting in (if your camera has "RAW," for example, each shot takes up more space). Then again, I could be completely full of *hit on this. :) I don't really know.