I need a new camera. I know, I know. I just received the above camera for Christmas a year and a half ago. And it frustrates me to no end. The auto settings are fine outside in the daylight. Once I move indoors or encounter lower light, it gets ugly. I can't manipulate the manual settings to improve things and I don't have any patience left to figure it out.
I was an Olympus girl. I loved my prior point and shoot Olympus but it was the size of a DSLR. Too bulky for me to cart around. I wanted something slim and compact that would provide the easy high quality of shots without a second thought that I was used to. I also wanted an extensive zoom ability. So the Olympus Stylus seemed to fit the bill.
Not so much. Indoor/low light shots are always grainy - even just inside during the day. Everyone else's photos from the same circumstances come out fine. My prior camera's shots in these settings came out fine. Not the Stylus. The auto setting washes everything out with overpowering flash. Manual settings make things a different hue and very grainy. As I said, I have read through the manual and tried different settings but rarely do I get the result I want. I don't want to manually interpret and set anything.
The focus is also a problem. Half pressing the button makes things looks perfect and then it won't hold long enough to take the shot. It comes out blurry. The extreme zoom isn't worthwhile because it just makes the quality fuzzy. What looks promising on the display screen turns out horrible on the computer screen, without any magnification of the image. Or even worse, I have the perfect shot, and when I press the button, nothing happens. It just decides not to work sporadically, regardless of battery life.
I have gotten some really great photos out of it - but the percentage is too low. I need higher consistency. As much as I wish that all my photo taking opportunities were outside on a beautifully clear sunny day, that just isn't the case. So before I go out and get yet another camera to attempt to solve my photo frustrations, please tell me:
Sony Cyber-shot? Canon PowerShot? Nikon Coolpix? Kodak Easyshare? Panasonic Lumix? Fugifilm FinePix? Something different? **Point & Shoot model input only please.**
9 comments:
I have a Sony Cyber Shot, and it is good enough for me. The shots are not 100% good, at least not lately. I'm not sure what is going on. Occasionally blurry. But overall, inside and out, it is a good camera. I'd rate it maybe a 7 out of 10?
Canon Powershot which, like your Olympus, can be wonderful outside, but inside? Not so much. Things become blurry (think it's more me than the camera, to be honest) and the light is terrible. It has given me some terrific shots, but I like Mr. L-S's newer version. It has automatic image stabilization. Nothing blurs. Awesome!
I got a new camera for Christmas - a Canon PowerShot SX130. I did a ton of research before I put it on my list. I am not totally proficient with it yet. I'm going through the guide very slowly and trying different things. It's probably more camera than I need but it's been fun to play with. So far I'm very happy with it.
I've always been pleased with Canon. I bought my first digital camera in October 2004 after a lot of online research, a Canon powershot. Indoor and outdoor pictures were great, with or without flash. It eventually died at a Phillies game, of all places, and I threw it into a trash can right there at the ball park. After extensive research again, I chose the one I use now, a Canon A2100. Got it in May 2009. The quality of the pictures are great, even with the extended 24x zoom lens (if I can keep the camera perfectly still at that length). Video is great too.
I like how compact and easy it is to carry and use. The controls are simple. It has a manual setting, but I'm an all auto guy.
The main thing I don't like about it is that you can only zoom in so far. That's where I miss having a standard 35mm digital camera with interchangeable lenses.
I love my Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15. It has a Leica lens--the only brand that does. It's great on indoor pics as well as outdoor, and I don't seem to have too much trouble with the flash over-exposure. I've found that if you're using flash indoors, it works best if you stand farther away and zoom in a little. But I do try to use the flash as little as possible, preferring natural lighting.
I've taken some pretty amazing pics with it.
I forgot the liking least part...there is nothing I don't like about this camera! It takes great macro shots, too. And I love that it has a rechargeable battery pack and a charge lasts a long time.
We go through way too many cameras here. Th flash always stops working for whatever reason. It's like something in the house drains them of power! So, no recommendations, just like seeing everyone else's opinion.
I have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28. I find it a good middle ground..you can go manual, or all the way to fully auto. Has a very good, very big zoom. The closeup is ok, not great,but better if you use the optional close up lens.
Stop by my blog (it's Wordless Wednesday!) to see some of my photos with it..95% are taken with this camera.
Hi Molly! I have a Cannon G11, and while just a bit larger than most that have been recommended, I LOVE it because it still fits in a pretty small pocketbook, but it has tons and ton of really cool features that I think you would find fun. It's my second camera in the "G" series, and I am totally happy with it.
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