Best Camera

[user 8909]

Any favorites out there or has everyone gone to digital?

Though I have a Casio Exilim 7.2 I still have a need(want) for a small 35mm. I had a Olympus Stylus that I liked a lot but it finally gave up the ghost and I was thinking about another one.

The use for this one would definitely be for the tankbag.

 

[Scab]

I am a fan of Canon, however, I would strongly suggest digital. Film developing is becoming a dying art. My local camera shop even sold his developing equipment for scrap! The local Wal-Mart will still do it, but they have little-trained young-en's doing the developing with an automated machine. Mistakes and scratched negatives are common. Around here, if you want some reasonable assurance of quality, the camera guy will ship the film out of state.

Also, digital is getting better and better everyday. The newer photo printers have inks that are getting close to rivaling the lifespan of a photograph.

That being said, your local camera shop prolly has some killer deals on used SLR's.

 

[Ari Rankum]

I am a fan of Canon, however, I would strongly suggest digital. Film developing is becoming a dying art. My local camera shop even sold his developing equipment for scrap! The local Wal-Mart will still do it, but they have little-trained young-en's doing the developing with an automated machine. Mistakes and scratched negatives are common. Around here, if you want some reasonable assurance of quality, the camera guy will ship the film out of state.Also, digital is getting better and better everyday. The newer photo printers have inks that are getting close to rivaling the lifespan of a photograph.

That being said, your local camera shop prolly has some killer deals on used SLR's.

Or you could get the best of both worlds, with a digital SLR. I bought a Canon EOS Rebel XTi recently. I like it a lot. It takes any high quality lenses you may have, and has really nice mechanics and shutter response.

I took a bunch of pictures with it today at the motorcycle show. We'll see how it did, shortly....

 

[Old Michael]

Digital, you must.

A really great resource > https://www.dpreview.com/

Forum member camera56 is a really good resource as well, AND he rides a cool motorcycle. PM him with your questions.

 

[Scab]

I bought a Canon EOS Rebel XTi recently.

Me too! It just came in Friday!

I had a EOS 10D that I was using for work. I requested a new body, but they wouldn't spring for a pro model but they did order me the XTi.

 

[user 8909]

Any favorites out there or has everyone gone to digital?
Though [SIZE=14pt]I have a Casio Exilim 7.2 [/SIZE]I still have a need(want) for a small 35mm. I had a Olympus Stylus that I liked a lot but it finally gave up the ghost and I was thinking about another one.

The use for this one would definitely be for the tankbag.

:glare:

 

[wfooshee]

I have a digital point-and-shoot I take on my rides. I have a nice film SLR outfit that I use for "events," but as stated previously, quality processing no longer exists. Everyone's gone to the cheap 1-hour auto-lab machines, and they "fix" everything during processing.

Having it done by someone who knows what they're doing costs enough to pay for a digital outfit in just a few rolls of film.

Editing in-camera is a real benefit. When the picture takes, you see it. If it's no good, delete it and try again.

Problem with point-and-shoots, film or digital, is they take too damn long to "think" when you press the button. Never, ever, ever, try an airshow with a point-and-shoot. Just don't ask.

For shots of your ride, they're fine. Get a nice digital compact for 2 or 3 hunnert bucks.

If you've got room, and a good protective camera bag, take an SLR instead. Just a more satisfying experience, the versatility of changing the glass, multiple frames per second shooting bursts, and sometimes, especially Nikon, your old stuff fits it. My Nikon film lenses will fit the digital SLRs, but they won't auto-focus. Who cares? I don't use auto-focus on an SLR anyway!

 

[FatNakedGuy]

I purchased one of these recently and REALLY like the quality images it creates.

https://www.dpreview.com/news/0708/07082005canong9.asp

 

[ponyfool]

I have a FujiFilm digital point and shoot 7MP and a Canon Rebel XTi digital SLR with a standard and telephoto lens. With these two cameras, I have all I need.

When we take really nice pictures with the Canon, we upload them to Costco and have excellent quality 8x10's, with the ability to go near poster size too. It is amazing, but big. That's where the FujiFilm camera comes into play. Still great photos, but limited options.

 

[kulwen]

I have a Canon G5 camera and love it. However, I don't use it nearly as much as I used to. A year or so back I purchased underwater camera for the wife that was designed to work on the surface and underwater in a housing. Lately this is all I use.

We both use the camera without the housing and get some great pictures. When I am on the bike I use the water proof housing to keep rain, bugs, and such away from it. My G5 had a flip out LCD view finder which was hard to open while riding, but if I left it open all the time I was worried I would scratch it while in the tank bag. With the DC600 I don't have that problem. I also enjoy the fact the buttons are nice and big when in the housing. I do not have cruise control on my bike so I must use my left have to snap a photo while riding. It is very easy for me to snap a picture with my gloves on with the housing. With my G5 I could reach the button with my hand, but it covered the LCD so I could not see what I was taking a picture of.

https://www.digitalshoptom.info/pic/sealifeDC600.jpg

https://www.sealife-cameras.com/cameras/dc600.html

https://www.amazon.com/Sealife-Megapi.....;/dp/B000KZWXQ4

Most scuba shops will have these is stock if you want to look at it.

 

[evilmedic13]

This is my primary now

with this as my secondary now, wifes primary

I carried #2 in my tankbag w/o a problem many times, can't wait to take #1 on my trips this year, wish I would've drought it w/ me on my october trip,but carry-on space was limited to a p&s.

P&S are nice, but I'm too used to the flexibility of the slr/dslr now. I've been using them (film/digital slr's) since 2001 and have a lens collection w/ everything short of microscopes or telescopes. The telescope is next for astrophotography, just gotta get the pennies in the bank.

 

[evilmedic13]

I have a digital point-and-shoot I take on my rides. I have a nice film SLR outfit that I use for "events," but as stated previously, quality processing no longer exists. Everyone's gone to the cheap 1-hour auto-lab machines, and they "fix" everything during processing.
Having it done by someone who knows what they're doing costs enough to pay for a digital outfit in just a few rolls of film.

Editing in-camera is a real benefit. When the picture takes, you see it. If it's no good, delete it and try again.

Problem with point-and-shoots, film or digital, is they take too damn long to "think" when you press the button. Never, ever, ever, try an airshow with a point-and-shoot. Just don't ask.

For shots of your ride, they're fine. Get a nice digital compact for 2 or 3 hunnert bucks.

If you've got room, and a good protective camera bag, take an SLR instead. Just a more satisfying experience, the versatility of changing the glass, multiple frames per second shooting bursts, and sometimes, especially Nikon, your old stuff fits it. My Nikon film lenses will fit the digital SLRs, but they won't auto-focus. Who cares? I don't use auto-focus on an SLR anyway!

Couldn't have said it better myself. Sony and Minolta stuff are the same too, sony took over minolta and left the a-frame alone, so old minolta lenses fit the new sonys. Not to mention 3rd party glass from companies like Tamron,Sigma and Tokina are cheaper and just as good(if you're not a pro) for what you want to achieve, most of the time.

 

[camera56]

Here's a quote from a review of the Canon G9, which is a nifty piece of hardware but . . .

It's the biggest irony of the compact digital camera market: since the cameras all use very similar sensors (often the exact same sensor) and many even share the same lens assembly, the price difference between the entry-level models and range-toppers such as the G9 simply isn't reflected in a commensurate difference in output quality. And it doesn't matter how much you are prepared to spend; you can't buy your way out of the 'compact camera problem' - a small, noisy sensor is a small noisy sensor no matter what kind of tank you build around it or how many 'professional' features you build into the body.
With that in mind, a compact camera is pretty much a compact camera. Read some reviews on www.dpreview.com and don't stress yourself too much. Any of the major brands are just fine. Just pick one with a good review and one you like for whatever reason that pleases you.

But others on this thread are right. If you want to make better than good images, you're going to need a bigger camera, if for no other reason than to get into a better class of sensors.

Film? Unless you're keen on black and white or have specific reasons for shooting in a larger format, I'm hard pressed to see the case for film for the average shooter. Digital has won that game.

 

[stormrider]

I am a huge Nikon fan but when I decided on a P&S I ended up buying a Canon A570 IS

I still use my Nikon when I want to carry my gear but to throw in the tank bag I am very happy with the Canon

 

[Ari Rankum]

Problem with point-and-shoots, film or digital, is they take too damn long to "think" when you press the button. Never, ever, ever, try an airshow with a point-and-shoot. Just don't ask.

This is the primary reason I broke down and bought a digital SLR. I was so tired of missing shots due to unpredictable lag between button press and picture capture.

 

[Ari Rankum]

I purchased one of these recently and REALLY like the quality images it creates.
https://www.dpreview.com/news/0708/07082005canong9.asp

I've owned the PowerShot G2 since 2003. I really like it, too. Just a couple of weeks ago it completely wigged out - won't shoot anymore. I'm thinking that trying to get it debugged and fixed would cost more than it's worth. So, I think it's time for a "Mystery Box" eBay auction. Heh.

 

[Checkswrecks]

Gee, which helmet is best?

Within price bands, they all give pretty much the same quality pix.

Reliability-wise, the Sony line has some of the best features and ergonomics going. However, from the reliability standpoint, the group I work in bought about a dozen Sonys and killed all but two within just a couple of years. Guys we work with daily kept plugging along with their Canons, Konicas, Nikons, Panasonics, etc. Guess what we won't buy any more of.

Past that, find one that has features you will live with and which won't aggravate you every time you use it. For example, cables get left behind or lost, so does the camera have an XD card but your laptop only have an SD slot? Can you live without a viewfinder if you shoot a lot of outdoor photos? Personally, I wanted something basic and have a metal-body Canon digital Elph that's been beat for years and it just keeps going.

 

[frayne]

Bought a Canon G9 before Christmas and really like it. Also have a five year old Nikon Coolpix 885 which takes decent pictures too. Digital SLRs are just too big these days for my purposes. Many good cameras out there and really hard to go wrong with a good brand name.

 

[SockMonkey]

Digital, you must.A really great resource > https://www.dpreview.com/

Forum member camera56 is a really good resource as well, AND he rides a cool motorcycle. PM him with your questions.

Gunny + Woof DPReview is a great information source. One thing you will quickly discover in the forums however is that dog-piling and flaming are de rigeur. Camera owners (like motorcyclists) are, well, quite passionate. :glare:

Bought a Canon G9 before Christmas and really like it. Also have a five year old Nikon Coolpix 885 which takes decent pictures too. Digital SLRs are just too big these days for my purposes. Many good cameras out there and really hard to go wrong with a good brand name.

Gunny + Woof The Canon G7 and G9 are excellent pro-sumer P&S cameras. I have a G7 which is my "bike" camera. I also have a Canon 20D DSLR that I use for landscape and macro work, but - including multiple lenses, is too heavy (and ultimately incovenient) to pack on the bike, IMHO.