looking for a new digital camera

Carol Reed

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Coolidge, AZ
My ancient Olympus died.

I am looking at a Panasonic Lumix DMC 10K as a replacement. Comments?

Or other suggestions? I want as many manual controls, especially manual focus, as I can find outside of a DSLR. This Panasonic is $150. I'll spend more if I can justify it.
 
I've had a Sony 'Cyber Shot' for about a year, and like it a lot. One advantage is that it actually has a viewfinder, in addition to a large screen. The 'screen only' cameras sometimes get washed out in bright sunlight, making it hard to see what you're shooting.

The Sony is in about the same price range as your Panasonic.
 
My ancient Olympus died.

I am looking at a Panasonic Lumix DMC 10K as a replacement. Comments?

Or other suggestions? I want as many manual controls, especially manual focus, as I can find outside of a DSLR. This Panasonic is $150. I'll spend more if I can justify it.

Cannon
I love my Cannon S2IS and I think they are up to S5IS or something. One thing is the so called "Pro Summer " line of cameras have progressed so fast that what was new and cost 400.00 dollars 3-4 years ago is often still available as new old stock and the price may be down to 150 or so. These have 4-5 mega pixels and a 10-12 true optical zoom and macro as well as full manual. The down side is they are not pocket cameras. I am thinking of Cameras in the Cannon S2s1, Sony H???, Fuji S 5100, Minolta with a hot shoe and that vintage camera.

And My Cannon takes better video than My first digital camcorder that I paid 1000.00 for and never used for more than a few tapes.

I just looked and don't see a whole lot of NEW Old Stock available..
I will say that I really love my Cannon S2IS even after these years.. And the S5IS seems to be available from 360.00 or so up. I would like too find a pocket camera that focuses fast and had low shutter speed lag, but I also want to capture grandkids in action which may not be an issue with you...
Garry

Garry
 
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Carol,
I couldn't find a DMC-10K- did you mean the Lumix DMC-LZ10K? If so, it looks like a nice camera.

Of course the day after you buy it, they'll announce a 20MP version for 2/3 the price...:doh:
 
That's the one, Charlie.

Actually it has been out a while. In fact BHP lists it as discontinued, but Panasonic doesn't. As best as I can determine (and I am no expert here at all!) is the replacement to this model dropped most of the manual controls. Now to get more manual control you need to go to dslr's at mucho more dinero.

Original price was $100 or more than I can get it for now. Think I will pull the trigger on this one.
 
Looks like a good camera, but note that it doesn't have manual focus. Manual other things, but not focus, as far as I can tell.

That said, I have yet had the need to switch my DSLR to manual focus. I've always found a way to force and hold the autofocus by aiming at something the right distance, then moving to frame the shot. I suspect that unless you're doing very high-end critical work, the autofocus will do what you need and want.
 
We too are looking for a new digital camera... LOML got a new camera fro Christmas, Last we saw it, it was laying on the kitchen counter (along with all the other stuff piled there) and this weekend we wanted to take it with us on a short trip but it is no where to be found. We hbave searched the house over and yet no camera. Had to use my older one.

Sorry to step on your string but I too am lookin and looking and looking.....
 
Agreed, Vaughn. In the owner's manual, "manual" focus can be 'forced.' Also agree I may never try it. :)

Bill, there are three sites I looked at. The problem for me was to know what to look for and then what the manufacturer called what I was looking for. No conformity here, either between brands or with common sense. (mini rant.)

Ultimately, I put "digital camera with manual focus control" in Mr.Google. This feature was the most difficult to find. Several showed up, so I compared them. I started with the least expensive, and then went looking for reviews of it. dpreview and cnet review were my go-to's. But not every camera gets reviewed by either of them. dpreview even had this camera listed as discontinued. It was - for them!

Sellers also offer reviews. This camera was offered by Amazon through JR Cameras out of New York. It was there (JR) I found a big list of reviews. More importantly - to me - was the reviewer was rated amateur to professional. Too many reviews start off with, "Gee, I just got this yesterday and..."

In this review I learned that what amateurs disliked and what the pro's disliked were quite different except for one thing - recovery time between pictures. The more the camera had to do (automatic stuff) to get ready for the next picture, the batteries, and the CCD dictated that. It has a burst function, so that really renders that immaterial for me. The old Olympus was real slow, 5 seconds or more.

The other things the amateurs disliked fell into two groups - stuff the camera could do if only they had read the owner's manual (one pro pointed that out) and the amount of plastic in it's construction. Well, but they also said the camera was a good value for the money! :doh:

So then I downloaded the manual and went through it for language I could actually understand and looked at the layout. For this camera I found the index really, really, helpful. I felt that if I had a problem this manual could actually help me out! They Olympus manual needed a translator, not into English, but into common sense. :dunno:

Then finally, when was this camera born and were accessories still available? This one uses AA batteries, so that wouldn't become an issue. An AC adapter with its required DC thingy was the other accessory and it was still available and a requirement for me.

This camera then became the benchmark for the others. The same process for each of 4 others revealed what compromises I needed to decide on. Did I really "need" this function? What about this camera made the price so much more? What features did they all have in common and which were different. :dunno:

Would proprietary batteries, even if they were better, become unavailable or so expensive that I would be required to buy a new camera before I wanted to. This is a throw-away society we live in. I hate planned obsolescence! :( The battery issue was not on my original list but the Olympus used them. I have a couple of chargers and spares.

After I made the decision I ran it by my two friends. They agreed is was good bang for the buck, but what has replaced this model. Back to Mr.Google. This turned out to be more automatic features and almost no manual control. Deal breaker for me. I'll take the older one. :thumb:

So now you know more than you wanted to about how I came to this decision. :type: I do have two pro's who helped me with my list of features.

So make a list of the features you want and use Mr. Google to help winnow the choices down. Good luck. Takes time and persistence.
 
Carol, batteries and the flash cards are big issues. Most of us prefer standard but the manufacturers do like to sell their own stuff. Ergo, we often get stuck with proprietary batteries and cards. Given a choice, I'll go with standard (AA) batteries and proprietary cards. Once you buy a large capacity card there is no need to change it out. But batteries need to be available almost anywhere.
Yes, recovery time is a huge issue. But, my biggest frustration is shutter lag time. As one who used to shoot sports professionally, if I can't get the peak of action when I see it and push the button, I'm really ticked off. Currently, I'm shooting a lot of speakers at political events (can I say "political" here? :eek: ) and it takes about three shots to get one with eyes open and a gesture I want. The shot I tried to get is usually about one or two seconds gone after I hit the button.
I miss 'the shot' with wildlife also. That's a huge disappointment but I have learned to live with it.
 
Frank, what mainstream cameras these days use proprietary memory cards? :huh:

[Edited to add] Ah, I see you're likely talking about the Sony Memory Stick. I have to respectfully disagree with you on that one. I prefer (and would recommend) SD (or xD) cards. I have 4 cameras, all from different manufacturers, and all use SD cards. If the need arises, I can easily swap cards between cameras, and if I need or want to buy a new card, SD cards are more widely available, and less expensive. Electronic memory chips have a finite read/write cycle life, and eventually they can either die or suffer significant performance loss, so it is possible that one would need to be replaced.





And Carol, I hate to see you rush into this without really thinking about it and doing a bit of research. :rofl: Sounds like you've got it dialed in. Good for you and well done. :thumb:
 
I can't give you any advice on what camera... I never get to choose... I get what ever my step son doesn't want any more... he's a long haul semi truck driver and semi professional photographer and currently use a couple of Nikons a D50 and D80. I use his first cast off.. a Fuji S5200 Finepix... it's a quasi SLR... no interchangeable lens, but lots of settings... I only use it to take pictures of my turnings for posting.. otherwise I don't do much photography. My first digital was a Sony that my son gave me about 10 years ago... used the 3" floppy disc for storage.... still a good camera, but the battery is dead now and there's no recharging and I think a new battery is too expensive if I could even find one...

I agree with Frank on the batteries... my Fuji uses standard AA... I use the rechargeables mainly because the seem to last longer than the standard AA... even the lithiums... my wife's little camera is also a Fuji and she uses the lithiums in it.... she takes lots more pictures than I do because she's a member of a photo blog that her son runs.

My camera also uses the standard XD cards which are more or less universal in size...I think Ed's (My stepson) Nikons also use the XD cards... He has a 2 or 3 gig card that he uses... I'm only using a 512 mgb with a 256 mgb back up in mine, but as I said, I don't take that many pictures and always clear the card when I download.
 
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Frank, what mainstream cameras these days use proprietary memory cards? :huh:

[Edited to add] Ah, I see you're likely talking about the Sony Memory Stick. I have to respectfully disagree with you on that one. I prefer (and would recommend) SD (or xD) cards. I have 4 cameras, all from different manufacturers, and all use SD cards. If the need arises, I can easily swap cards between cameras, and if I need or want to buy a new card, SD cards are more widely available, and less expensive. Electronic memory chips have a finite read/write cycle life, and eventually they can either die or suffer significant performance loss, so it is possible that one would need to be replaced.





And Carol, I hate to see you rush into this without really thinking about it and doing a bit of research. :rofl: Sounds like you've got it dialed in. Good for you and well done. :thumb:


Love it when someone answers their own question. ;)
I don't know the whole list. Some time at DPR could probably find them. Yes, cards do go south after a while. But, it takes lots and lots of usage for that to happen. Mine is used daily (a lot for here :D ) but I do have back-ups.
 
...I don't know the whole list. Some time at DPR could probably find them...

The list is relatively short, and with the exception of the Sony Memory Stick, they tend to be interchangeable between brands. IMHO locking oneself into Sony's proprietary format is less than ideal unless you only intend to shoot with Sony equipment. ;)
 
The list is relatively short, and with the exception of the Sony Memory Stick, they tend to be interchangeable between brands. IMHO locking oneself into Sony's proprietary format is less than ideal unless you only intend to shoot with Sony equipment. ;)

Fact is, I bought this camera because of it's features and fact is it was best thing going in my price range. The proprietary chip issue was not mentioned on the box or in the ads. It came as a surprise :eek: only when I read the owners manual after the fact. This could have changed my mind on choice. My next camera is planned to be an Olympus SP 590UZ.
And, for those who may wonder why I don't go with more 'professional' equipment e.g. DLSR, the answer is simple: size and weight. My son owns a bunch of the best that Nikon has to offer, including some 'to die for' lenses, three bodies, etc. Many times it is all left at home. Reason, weight and difficulty carrying around.
I understand the limitations of my 'bridge' camera and have chosen to live with them. There are times I miss some of the features of a professional camera but I would rather get the pictures with this than not get them with the high dollar stuff sitting in a cabinet back home.
 
And, for those who may wonder why I don't go with more 'professional' equipment e.g. DLSR, the answer is simple: size and weight. My son owns a bunch of the best that Nikon has to offer, including some 'to die for' lenses, three bodies, etc. Many times it is all left at home. Reason, weight and difficulty carrying around.

Frank, I understand what you mean about weight and size... when Ed (stepson) comes home and brings in his "camera bag" he has a full on 40 lbs back pack... he uses two Nikons (D50 & D80) with all the bells and whistles and half dozen or more lens, one of which is a full 12" long x about 4" wide... he almost always has a camera hanging around his neck, even though he doesn't always carry the back pack... he offered to leave his D50 home with me on one of his trips so I could use it for my pen and peppermill photography... I used it a couple of times, but in the end I went back to the much smaller Fuji S5200.... the D50 was just too much camera for what I do.
 
I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with the shutter lag in the new camera. (Same thing for Frank when he gets his Olympus.) They sure seem to have improved over the last few years.

My first digital camera (an HP) took forever to start up, was slow to autofocus, and it had bad shutter lag times. Then I got spoiled with my DSLR, which starts, focuses and shoots very quickly in comparison. When I got my little Casio Exlim pocket camera I was sort of expecting to see long lag times again, but much to my surprise, it also starts and shoots very quickly.
 
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