Whether it's your first Bonnaroo or you’re a music festival veteran, we welcome you to Inforoo.
Here you'll find info about artists, rumors, camping tips, and the infamous Roo Clues. Have a look around then create an account and join in the fun. See you at Bonnaroo!!
Post by rideincircles on May 27, 2009 20:40:46 GMT -5
Got my sx1 in today, the hd video is too much for my old laptop. Pictures look good so far. stereo sound is awesome. I need to start learning the settings, at least its my 3rd canon so I am familiar. Im clueless on the raw at the moment though.
Post by strumntheguitar on May 28, 2009 0:45:09 GMT -5
I have a Canon SD450 that I've had for about 4 years or so now and I've contemplated getting a new camera since lately the battery life of the camera is about 5 pictures...
I'm not overwhelmed at the quality of pictures I've taken with this camera, but I've read a few reviews of it to see what products I could compare it to on the market today and the majority of the reviews are boasting about its excellent picture quality... I'm by no means claiming to be knowledgeable whatsoever when it comes to good photography, so this could be just me sucking at taking pictures I suppose...
I'm really liking what I've read about the A590 from Canon, and at that price it seems like an incredible deal! I'm really tired of the lithium battery that I have with my SD450, so the AA batteries seems like a big bonus to me. I think my brother might've just recently gotten this camera as a gift, although I have to verify that with him still, and he's loving it as well and took some great pictures of my graduation recently.
So, my question to all you knowledgeable camera users who may be in the know here... would this new purchase be a step backwards for me in camera quality? The SD450 costs a lot more which is throwing me off... so what's the big difference between the two other than the more compact size? Me having the larger than normal hands that I do, I don't really love the small size and wouldn't mind having a bit larger of a camera to work with anyways. So, any feedback on the noticeable differences and the pro/con would be much appreciated!
While I'm at it... does anybody know of any pretty useful and -most importantly- FREE online photography tutorials or websites that offer useful and easy to follow tips on improving photography skills/knowledge? Information on various camera settings and how they'll affect the picture taken and all that would be really nice, too. I'm quite the n00b at pictures, it appears
Post by rideincircles on May 28, 2009 3:33:37 GMT -5
The a590 would be very similar to my a710 that i have had for 2 years with less zoom. I have taken 10000 photos with it, and have alot to show for it. Any new canon camera wil blow your other one away, i am relatively certain of that. Each year they add new features.
It sounds like your battery life is really crappy. If you wanna keep your camera functioning, buy some cheap batteries from china off ebay, they should have them.
One thing for certain is that you would not be taking a step backward getting the a590 or almost any new canon. My sd790 is 10mp and blows away the detail of the a710 which was 7.1mp. The sd450 is 5.4mp which some phones are almost capable of that now. For quality I would recommend something new. The a590 has image stabilization, face recognition, the newer digic processor chip, better zoom, and more megapixels. You cant go wrong.
I just got my sx1 and it blows away my other canons on every level, but I paid for it. The newer sd models are all awesome, although most are lithium batteries. I bought an extra canon battery off ebay for $13, they arent too bad, just not easily replacable.
The decision is yours, I recommend going to bestbuy or somewhere to fart with the camera for a while. it makes your decision making easier. Also, if you wanted to throw down for a relatively badass digital get the sx10, its $400 and capable of whatever. i decided on the step up from it and have no regrets.
Also, you can get a warranty through squaretrade.com for almost any electronic device cheaper than most stores. I plan on insuring my sx1 through there.
Post by cheeky resurrection on May 28, 2009 3:53:03 GMT -5
I would definitely recommend a Cannon A series over the SD for all of the reasons above, awesome analysis, rideincircles. I own an A720 that I'm in LOVE with. It's really great for shows (distance shots) as well as everyday photography and whatnot. It's awesome for point and shoot shots but also has a lot of manual options that the SD series does not. I really couldn't tell you why the A series costs so much less than SDs other than the fact that folks love small, compact, no fuss, point and shoot... I suppose that's what is in demand so that's what costs more? I dunno, I know my brother has an SD880 and borrows my camera quite often. Here are some photos taken with mine:
And here are some tutorials/reference guides I had bookmarked:
Post by strumntheguitar on May 28, 2009 12:03:01 GMT -5
^^Wow thanks for the really awesome responses rideincircles and cheeky! Yeah, I have a $50 gift card to best buy that I've been wanting to use towards a camera but I still don't wanna drop $300 or anything on it yet, especially before Roo cause that would just about be my entire budget!
I couldn't find the A590 on the best buy website but I think I'm gonna roll out to the store today and see if they have it in stock, or else just play with their cameras in the price range I'm lookin for and see what's up.
Got my sx1 in today, the hd video is too much for my old laptop. Pictures look good so far. stereo sound is awesome. I need to start learning the settings, at least its my 3rd canon so I am familiar. Im clueless on the raw at the moment though.
You can also go to the CAnon Digital Learning Center (though I can't say for sure that there is a RAW tutorial there. I'll ask around the office).
www.usa.canon.com/dlc/controller?act=HomePageAct The video is H.264. Possibly the most processor intensive compression format of all time. Even at low bit rates, and I'm sure that it records at low bit rates, you would need an up to date computer with at least a dual core processor to play MPEG 4 files back smoothly. For editing purposes all H.264 files need to be transcoded into something less compressed.
You can PM me if you want although I think many others could benefit from public discourse.
I have a Canon SD450 that I've had for about 4 years or so now and I've contemplated getting a new camera since lately the battery life of the camera is about 5 pictures...
I'm not overwhelmed at the quality of pictures I've taken with this camera, but I've read a few reviews of it to see what products I could compare it to on the market today and the majority of the reviews are boasting about its excellent picture quality... I'm by no means claiming to be knowledgeable whatsoever when it comes to good photography, so this could be just me sucking at taking pictures I suppose...
I'm really liking what I've read about the A590 from Canon, and at that price it seems like an incredible deal! I'm really tired of the lithium battery that I have with my SD450, so the AA batteries seems like a big bonus to me. I think my brother might've just recently gotten this camera as a gift, although I have to verify that with him still, and he's loving it as well and took some great pictures of my graduation recently.
So, my question to all you knowledgeable camera users who may be in the know here... would this new purchase be a step backwards for me in camera quality? The SD450 costs a lot more which is throwing me off... so what's the big difference between the two other than the more compact size? Me having the larger than normal hands that I do, I don't really love the small size and wouldn't mind having a bit larger of a camera to work with anyways. So, any feedback on the noticeable differences and the pro/con would be much appreciated!
While I'm at it... does anybody know of any pretty useful and -most importantly- FREE online photography tutorials or websites that offer useful and easy to follow tips on improving photography skills/knowledge? Information on various camera settings and how they'll affect the picture taken and all that would be really nice, too. I'm quite the n00b at pictures, it appears
Your cheapest and easiest solution is to buy a new NB-4L battery. About $50.
The reason that your SD 450 was (it's discontinued) so much more is two fold. a.) Digital cameras cost a lot more back then. Since then the market has become over-saturated. Also technology is much less expensive now. For example, a 2 megapixel SLR was close to $10K at one point in time. My 21 + megapixel 5D mark II is $2,700. b.) The SD series is a higher end series of camera than the A series.
Which brings me to your question of qualit between the two cameras. Overall they are probably just about equal. The A 590 is newer and has newer technologies in it, but will not be manufactured to the same standards. You gain some resolution because it is newer but that doesn't necessarily mean that you will get a better picture. Teh A 590 has a CCD sensor not a CMOS which is the favored imaging sensor for still cameras. Basically each camera will have different advantages. The cost does not reflect the quality. It's like comparing an nold Apple g4 to a new souped up PC with more memory.
As far as batteries I think that AA batteries suck. Who wants to carry around the extras. I'd rather have a back up battery and a charger. Not to mention that flash photos will kill them quick.
FYI, Li Ion batteries lose their charge slowly over time unless they are completely discharged before recharging. It's not realistic to leave the camera on to drain the battery before each charge, but it would work.
Post by strumntheguitar on May 28, 2009 15:37:53 GMT -5
Well I just got back from Best Buy and played around with their cameras for probably an hour or so. I think the salesman was starting to get pissed at me because I took so long and was trying out all sorts of different cameras, even ones I wasn't interested in just to get a comparison idea and whatnot.
They didn't have the A590 that I was looking at, but one camera that I did have a lot of fun taking candid camera pictures of various customers throughout the store was the Canon SX110 IS. It was a bit more expensive than I was wanting to spend, but I had a $50 gift card and Best Buy had a 15% sale on it as well as no tax! So I decided to splurge and bought it. I haven't quite gotten to play with it all the way yet, but I'm expecting pretty awesome results from this camera.
Post by avocadolady on May 28, 2009 16:30:37 GMT -5
That looks nice, strumn!
I had a Canon SD630 until February or so, and have been in the market for a new camera since. I've been looking at the Canon PowerShot SX200 IS, because it's still compact, but it's got 12x optical zoom and image stabilization. Those are the two things I thought were lacking in the SD630.
Post by strumntheguitar on May 28, 2009 16:53:56 GMT -5
^^Yeah my old camera just wasn't cutting it anymore... I had replaced the battery in it before and within a month it was back to having a short lifespan everytime. I guess the camera was draining the battery life faster than it should even when the camera was turned off? i dunno makes no sense to me...
But I got a pretty awesome deal on this camera I believe. I got the camera, a case, and a 4GB SD card for just $230. Not bad at all I'd say!
Post by strumntheguitar on May 28, 2009 18:09:00 GMT -5
^^haha oh nooo... I just bought a camera way outta my league didn't I?? I honestly don't even know if I know how to answer that question... My plan is to take a self-crash course in photography over the next 2 weeks in prep for Roo, and then I can have an intelligent conversation with people regarding cameras and pictures.
Maybe fishingmaniac can answer that question on my behalf in the time being?
Post by strumntheguitar on May 28, 2009 18:32:56 GMT -5
^^I can tell you that not only does this camera have an Auto setting, it also has an Easy setting! I can't tell you the difference exactly at this point in time, but I can tell you that it's supposed to do all the work for you aside from actually taking the picture! It's perfect for me!
Post by strumntheguitar on May 29, 2009 1:51:35 GMT -5
After lots of playing around with my camera all day, I may have discovered the answer to your question, Sass! Do you mean the options under Night Setting mode, such as Fireworks, Beach, Snow, Foliage, Sunset, Night Scene, ISO 3200, and Aquarium? Cause if you do... then those are the options I suppose.
Post by rideincircles on May 29, 2009 1:53:08 GMT -5
I was looking into the sx200 bwfore I got the sx1. I like it, but the lack of optical zoom while recording would be a big disadvantage to me. The sx110 is also guilty of this. The sx10 is bigger than the sx200 with better zoom, but less megapixels and no 720p. I would have gotten the sx10 over the sx200 myself, but i havent seen the sx200 to mess with it. Also, size wasnt a`concern of mine.
As far as low light or night pictures goes, it will have to be 1 second shots mostly without a flash, so a tripod or setting it somewhere stable will be needed to eliminate blur. Also the ISO should be a higher number, but any canon digital will start seeing grainy pictures starting at or after ISO 400. Any picture that is 1/30 of a second or longer can start to blur with movement. 1 second shots are nearly impossible to remain completely still while taking, image stabilizers help immensely with this on new cameras. A mini tripod will help immensely if you wanna take late night farm picks.
Strum, you will definitely like your camera, that has a ton of features and will take a while to learn. Buy rechargable batteries if you dont have them. They will last a while, but the flash eats them. I bring my charger and power inverter to roo so i can recharge them if needed. Power inverters are a must if you bring electronics.
I was looking into the sx200 bwfore I got the sx1. I like it, but the lack of optical zoom while recording would be a big disadvantage to me. The sx110 is also guilty of this. The sx10 is bigger than the sx200 with better zoom, but less megapixels and no 720p. I would have gotten the sx10 over the sx200 myself, but i havent seen the sx200 to mess with it. Also, size wasnt a`concern of mine.
Thanks for the input, ride! I ended up going with the sx200 anyway - I really like the compact size, and I don't take a lot of videos so I don't think the lack of optical zoom in the video feature would bother me that much.