Hello all

[Jazzer The Cat]

My name is Eric and known as Jazzer The Cat on all other forums, so figured I would keep the trend going :idea: . Figured this is the place to start as I have about as limited knowledge of cameras/photography as anyone here.

I currently own a Casio EX Z-1000 camera and is really quite stellar I have found the images to be somewhat dark as it does not seem to capture light very well. I am not big on picture taking, but would like to get a nice shot of outdoors and some places the g/f and I go on weekenders. I am also hoping to find one that has very good quality video so that I may mount it on my car for autoX racing.


Anyway, just wanted to drop in and say hello. I will be doing lots of searching so as to hopefully limit the questions you have all seen 1000 times

Looking forward to meeting some of you and learning along the way

Jazzer

[Frog]

Welcome to the forums, Eric.

[Jazzer The Cat]

Thanks frog

My eyes have turned purple over the last couple days looking at different cameras and trying to figure out what will be best for my needs. I will start a thread in the "For the love of God, I only wanted a new camera and going insane"... section

Jazzer

[Liz]

My name is Eric and known as Jazzer The Cat on all other forums, so figured I would keep the trend going :idea: . Figured this is the place to start as I have about as limited knowledge of cameras/photography as anyone here.

I currently own a Casio EX Z-1000 camera and is really quite stellar I have found the images to be somewhat dark as it does not seem to capture light very well. I am not big on picture taking, but would like to get a nice shot of outdoors and some places the g/f and I go on weekenders. I am also hoping to find one that has very good quality video so that I may mount it on my car for autoX racing.


Anyway, just wanted to drop in and say hello. I will be doing lots of searching so as to hopefully limit the questions you have all seen 1000 times

Looking forward to meeting some of you and learning along the way

Jazzer

Welcome Eric! You've come to the right place - and you're right, there are LOTS of cameras out there so what you need to do is post more information so people can help you narrow down the search. I would suggest that you also post your question in the digital camera forum below as you should get more responses. I would also suggest including more information such as your budget, will you be using the camera more for video vs still photography, what other types of subjects do you like to shoot. What cameras have you looked at and/or are considering so far.

I have the Canon G9 and have seen some decent videos that others have done, but I haven't gotten into video yet. The ones I've seen look pretty good. I've also seen some Panasonic video which really look good.

One thing that you might want to look at - does the camera allow you to zoom while taking the video? Also, some cameras have better sound quality, etc. At any rate, here is the link to the digital camera forum below.

http://forums.photographyreview.com/...splay.php?f=27

Liz

[Jazzer The Cat]

Thanks Liz :thumbsup:

Exactly the input I am looking to find. I have a couple cameras in mind so far and just don't know ANYTHING about the lingo, so am cramming

I have a budget in mind and will try to find a couple more comparisons so I can list them and get some input as to which will best fit my needs. I like the idea of zooming while shooting video. Just the other day, I was doing just that and the image got completely flat and lost all detail. I am sure someone knows exactly how to describe this and hopefully which camera would do a better job of this action.

Nice pics will be good, but I think that video is probably a bit higher on the list, so maybe I should look at a video recorder and live with the camera I already have for pics alone. Although, I am not overly impressed with the pics I get, so maybe a descent one that does both well is available.

I will do a bit more research and post this weekeend with some better detail of my needs and see what y'all can suggest.

Eric

[JamesV]

As stated, Welcome to the forum....

I might also suggest that once you get a list of cameras that you like the specs on to actually go out and see how they feel to you. That might bring the list down even further and it can even add some that you didn't even consider. This is good as a camera that you don't like the fit in your hands is a camera that doesn't get used.

James

[Jazzer The Cat]

Hey, James you just gave me :idea: (thanks! )

I will head over to the local photo-shop place (Wolf Camera, I think) and see if I can rent one for a weekend. I will need to see what they have and ask for a recommendation based on my needs.

So far, I have only 5 posts and am practically Ansel Adams

Jazzer.... rippin' up the photo world with some mad knowledge

[Liz]

Eric,

The Canon p&s cameras do fairly well with video. I found these clips you can check out from the Canon SX10 - it's more expensive and these aren't the "best" videos as the photographer is inexperienced. However, other Canon p&s cameras are cheaper and the videos pretty good. I just don't know which models. You might check Canon and Panasonic and Sony models. Sorry I can't be of more help.

The clip "Corrales Parade" is pretty good. You can zoom with the SX10 while taking the video - be sure to check the zoom feature on the camera.

http://www.vimeo.com/2366812

Good luck.
Liz

[Liz]

Eric,

I just received a gmail ad from Amazon - until now I had forgotten about the "Flip" camcorders. They are mini camcorders as you will see - price is cheap. I saw a video of a wedding done with one of the cheaper Flips - and shot by a 12 y/o girl. It didn't look too bad - quality about the same as a p&s video, maybe a bit better than some. It's very small - and at this price you would be able to get a decent still p&s and a camcorder. If you click into Amazon link here there are a few Flip models at different prices - and if you check further you would probably find a video sample clip or two. Not sure of quality you're looking for......I think the Flips have more minutes than some of the still camera videos......about 60 minutes a clip.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_p_...refix=flip+cam

Liz

[Jazzer The Cat]

Whoo hoo..... more good info

I have really narrowed my search down as the SX10, and the like, look REALLY nice, but think it will be too heavy to mount onto my windshield for autoX events

Not sure if you are familiar, but are high-speed obstical course of orange pylon cones and weave in/out/around as fast as possible and VERY aggressive braking/acceleration while turning. This will be hard on a camera mount with a bulky camera, so think I need to stay with the small frame one similar to my current Casio Exilim EX-Z1000.

Everyone has been soo welcoming/helpful thus far and really appreciate the help. I REALLY need to start a thread now, so I don't clog up the "introduction" section with tech info and I will do so tomorrow morning.

Again, thank you for your help soo far and hope you can all continue with good input on my upcoming thread.

Eric

PS. Here is an action pic from last weekends event

[Jazzer The Cat]

OK, I finally posted a new thread

Looking for nice camera with quality video please