Need Advice/Expertise On Digital Camera Purchase

[ChrisnPhoto]

Hey everyone. I am looking to pick up a digital camera here in the near future. First I'll just give you a synopsis of what I plan on using it for etc., then I'll follow with a format that is more uniform to give you more focused details.

Ok, so I have been wanting a digital camera for some time now because I like having pictures for memories, stories, etc. I am very much a quality buyer of electronics since they generally consist of healthy costs to begin with (meaning not into cheaping my way out of products just to get them). When I take pictures I take them very precisely and in many different shots / angles. No I am not a professional and not aspiring to be one, but am still about taking very good shots and realize the importance to myself of being precise in shooting to get good results. I will be using it a lot in general as I do enjoy having alot of pictures.

**MOST IMPORTANTLY**

I will be leaving to travel the world some time in the next few years, and so this is where the expertise that I need becomes more important and acute. I need the camera that will best support my needs in this venture as I will be taking an emaculent amount of pictures as I travel around all ends of the globe. This would include everything: outdoor nature pictures, pictures of people, natural sites, art, etc. etc. It is very important to me that I bring back with me an amazing archive of pictures with good quality (but just so we are clear, I am travelling the world because I want to, not travelling LITERALLY just to take pictures for me or someone else - it will just be an important part to me). Again I'm not a professional or looking to be one, so i'm not stating I need perfect pictures, but the focus is to definitely have them at a strong level of quality.

Defining whether to go mega zoom high quality Point & Shoot or SLR is something I have trouble finding the information on in good enough detail as well. I realize there is a pretty big split between the two of them though based on quality and certain features etc.


Ok! All of that being said, here is a relative set of information from me as per a more detailed format.

BUDGET

As I've stated above, I'm more of a quality buyer when it comes to electronics - especially an item like this where its use will be huge as I travel worldwide for my personal picture archives. Also though, I am not trying to pick up some $4,000.00 proffesional camera either. It seems I a budgeting mor towards $500 - $750, but if really necessary I may need to stretch it to $1,000. Even less would be great and I see this year going into next as am incredible time for retail deals as they are hurting pretty bad. Don't hold back on what you think I should know though just because I didn't hit a certain price level!

SIZE

At home and in general life this is not really an issue for me at all. Where this could become an issue is travel. Then again, the travel will be leisure, so it will not be interactive situations where camera size will hinder me so much as probably ease of carrying and travelling with it on me. I haven't really handled a great deal of variant sizes in cameras so I can't really say I'd know what would do well for the big trip.

FEATURES

I understand megapixels are not everything, in fact but a margin of the detail of these cameras. That being said, I'm sure I'm still looking for a healthy number there - something along the lines of 8-10mp. The optical zoom would need to be good so that I can capture strong detail of such an important trip. Image quality is very important to me. Not sure how I could explain to rate that on a scale from 1-10 but i'll just say again that while I don't need professional equipment going into the thousands of dollars, I a still a quality guy who wants some awesome pictures.

GENERAL USAGE

As I've said before, I will use my camera on a general basis as I see opportunities for its usage. More importantly it will need to a strong, quality camera ideal for my world travel trip. At the current time I do not have big intentions of doing big prints, but it is possible that I may do some big prints at some point in the future.

MISCALLANEOUS

I do not hate or like particular brands persay. I just remind you that I am a focus to quality products instead of scrumming for what seems affordable. I have written down about 5 of each of the Point & Shoot and the SLR models from my period of research, but still my expertise I know only goes so far compared to others who have been into this stuff for a while. So I am curious to see what I can find out without listing the ones I've researched thus far. Having the feature of taking actual video footage like a video camera is something I wouldn't mind having as a side thought.


Ok, well that pretty much covers what I can think of for now. I appreciate anyone who takes the time to read this post and offers me advice. While I am very analytical and detailed, this is still a complicated process with a ton of different variables (buying the HDTV in my house took me forever too heh). I look forward to your advice / expertise, and be sure to let me know if you need more information.

Thank you!


Chris

P.S. You may email me at PhotographyResearch@Yahoo.com with any help as well.

[ChrisnPhoto]

*bump* No thoughts at all from anyone!?!?

[brmill26]

You have a big tradeoff decision to make. Since you will be traveling, the size of your kit is premium. That favors a big zoom P&S. They're quite competent and can cover everything from ultra wide to super tele with only so much as the press of a button. However, the quality will never touch that of an SLR, the battery life is poor, and they're not great in low light. Enlargements beyond 8x10 are iffy.

An SLR will give you premium quality (I've printed at 20x30" from my XTi) at the trade off of size and convenience. If you really want tip top quality, you'll need interchangeable lenses. However, since your usage is unique, I would probably recommend using an 18-200mm zoom that Nikon and Canon both have. I know Canon's is stabilized, which is invaluable. That one lens would cover almost anything you'd need. For a perfect setup I'd add a wide angle like Tokina's 11-16 F/2.8 lens. That setup would cover everything you'd need.

Budget wise, an SLR body plus 18-200 lens is going to run about $1200. Add in the ultra wide and it's about $1700. And that's without memory cards or an extra battery. I assume you'll have a laptop with you or some other way of storing the photos along the way; if not, add in either a bunch more memory cards or the cost of a storage device.

[Loupey]

First of all, excellent write-up on where you are coming from and your requirements.

I think your question is difficult to answer because many of your requirements are at opposite ends of the spectrum. If a camera fit every condition, it would be an instant best seller (small size, low cost, high image quality, low-light capable, strong construction, video capability, etc). But, unfortunately, there is no perfect camera and I think you will need to make some sacrifices.

Compact cameras (non-SLR) can take some amazing images, but I think they are best used outdoors or in bright environments. So if you do go that route (based on price and size constraints), I'd advise getting one with a hot shoe and buying a flash with bounce and swivel capabilities (like a Canon G10 with a 430/580 flash).

Personally, for such travels, I'd sacrifice size and price for image quality. Who knows, these might be your once-in-a-lifetime images right? Perhaps a small Olympus SLR with a couple lenses.

[Sushigaijin]

I generally agree with loupey, even to the point where I would sacrifice some portability for quality.

I also second his suggestion of Canon G10/hotshoe flash, or Olympus E420 with two kit lenses (14-42 and 40-150) and maybe a 50mmf/2 macro. That covers (in 35mm equivalent) 28-300mm in good quality glass. Not GREAT quality glass, but a head and shoulders over what you'll get in any other DSLR system. And you can pack that out in a hip-pack sized bag - I usually roll with the camera strapped around my body, lens attached, with the 50f/2 in my coat pocket.

[ChrisnPhoto]

Wow! A huge thanks to brmill26, Loupey, and Sushigaijin for all of the awesome and very helpful information!

brmill26: I will definitely look into your recommendations and double check what the necessary budgeting for this project may be.

Loupey: I could not agree with you more about sacraficing for the quality of the images. This is perhaps a once in a lifetime adventure, so why not bring home some beautiful pictures!?


Sushigaijin: Heh, alot of these abbreviations and lense/equipment references are still over my head though I get the general idea of what you are saying. Will definitely look into your recommendations as well.



If you guys have anything else that you can think of that would help me then be sure to hit me up with another post or two !!

Any other expertise / advice from others as will - definitely still seeking all I can get, so help me out!


Thank you


Chris

[EOSThree]

You also might have a look at the new Panasonic G1. It's a new concept marrying the EVF(electronic view finder) and an interchangeable lens design. They call it an SLR(single lens reflex)but it's unlike all other SLRs out there. Panasonic eliminated the mirror and everything associated with it in favor of a live sensor and EVF.

This along with the 4:3rds sensor(2x crop) which is a little smaller than the APS-C sensor(1.5x, 1.6x crop)used in a lot of DSLRs, makes for the smallest DSLR made. It's nearly the size of a lot of the super zoom compact cameras out there.

I see the future in this design, it eliminates the need for all the extra mechanics for the mirror, still uses a decent size sensor(2x crop vs about 7x crop for a point and shoot), and makes for a very small design.

Right now there are only 2 lenses designed for this camera(micro 4:3s), but it also has an adapter allowing it to use many Panasonic and Olympus 4:3s lenses.

I couldn't find a review on this site. But I did find two reviews on this little camera.

DPreview

DCRP review

[SmartWombat]

The G1 is not in stock in the UK yet, even the official Panasonic web shop.
I was thinking of it as my next pocket camera - I have large pockets !

I tried it at the RIS show, and it has promise.
The only issue I found was the blanking of the EVF display after the first shot in burst mode.

I'm not sure how it compares to the smaller Pentax and Olympus DSLR cameras, because both of those also feel small and light. I'd want to get hold of all 3 and compare them - a good camera shop will help you make your mind up there.