HELP! I need advice on a new digital camera.

[olivetheoil]

Hi,

I just joined today and I love this community! I could not find an introductions thread so this is a general hi! for everyone! I am an amateur who would really like to improve at least her kitty photography, which brings me to my question.

I've been using an old 2 megapixel camera for my blogging needs. However, I took a photography course and realized that as crappy as I thought it was, it was in reality crappier. I mean I appreciate what it has done for me in the past but my needs have way outgrown it.

My primary subject is a very cute and plump kitty that I have trained to be my model.
This is the site : gigolokitty.blogspot.com

I thought there might be potential to do other stuff with my pictures like greeting cards, calendars, posters, and perhaps the holy grail : Being Published! Might be a pipe dream. Anyway I do expend a lot of effort in staging my shots so it would be a shame that at the end I only have a low quality medium of it.


I want to spend as much as I can afford which is about $500 before memory and warranties. The model that I had set my heart on is a Canon S80 8 megapixel digital camera.

Specs are here http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canons80/

However it has sold out at all the major chain stores. I don't want to buy it off a small store b/c I like a generous return policy and comprehensive warranty. I don't know when it will be available and I have more photo shoots schelduled. So can anyone recommend any camera models which have similiar specs? Image qulaity is paramount as well as ease. Since my subject is a cat shot at close quarters in an enclosed area, functions such as zoom, etc is not a priority.

Much Thanks,
Olivetheoil

[Photo-John]

Welcome to the site! I have a couple of kitties that I take lots of crummy pictures of

The S80 is a wonderful camera. It's basically the same as the Canon G6, without the swivel LCD, flash hotshoe, or RAW shooting option. The camera has tons of manual controls and excellent image quality. If you think it's the best camera for you, I think you should try to find one. I check the dealer links in our reviews section and there are a bunch that appear to have it in stock. Of the dealers listed, I'd choose Adorama over the rest. They've been around for a decades and are one of the top camera dealers in the world in terms of reputation, what they carry, and service. Here's a link to our Canon S80 Compare Prices page: http://www.photographyreview.com/sf-...gapixels-canon

If you want to buy locally, I think you should visit some of the smaller dealers. They generally offer better service than the big box stores like WalMart and Target. They also know they have to compete and I'd ask them to compete. Tell them what you were going to pay at whatever store you shopped, and ask them to match the deal. I think you might be surprised. And you might make a friend, too. Small, local camera shops have a lot to offer beginning photographers when it comes to photographic advice and direction. You'll get none of that from big electronics stores.

If you still want to look at other cameras, I would personally recommend higher end compacts from Casio and Olympus. My favorite compact I've used was the Casio Exilim EX-Z750. It's since been replaced by the EX-Z850, and I think there may even be a newer, 10-megapixel model. The cameras are more or less the same in terms of features, though. For more, here's a link to my Casio Exilim EX-Z750 pro review: http://www.photographyreview.com/sf-...reviewcrx.aspx

Hope that helps. Let us know if you have more questions.