Choosing a camera

[Avelorn]

Okey I finally recieved a Digital camera of my own for birthdaypresent! yey! It was a Ricoh Caplio RX. A cheap but pretty nice camera.. the problem is the picture quality. I decided that I\'ll return this camera and buy a more expensive one.

I\'ve come up with 6 different models.. that aren\'t too expensive + seem to run great in all tests. (weeeell.. I can tell you this.. reading tests for more then 10 hours over two days aren\'t healthy at all)

My question is simply.. anyone who has any experience of anyone of these models? I need a rather good macro-function (for obvious reasons).. any comments on that? (i know some Nikons have great macro... but their models have other problems) Any other suggestions?

Konica Minolta DiMAGE Z3

Sony DSC-W12

Sony cybershot DSC-P100

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ3

Canon powershot A85

Canon powershot S410 (digital ixus 430)

All help appreciated!
Thanks!!
Sven

 

[Ritual]

I\'m a Nikon user (a happy one), so I can\'t help you if you\'re not interested in those. However, I remember another thread where cameras were being discussed and some models similar to the ones you mentioned were discussed there.

Anders

 

[freakinacage]

i got a fujifilm finepix s5500 on tammy\'s recommendation and i would like to pass it on. it\'s a lovely camera that is really easy to use and produces good quality pix

 

[KatieG]

Originally posted by Avelorn
(i know some Nikons have great macro... but their models have other problems) Any other suggestions?

I am curious, what \"other problems\" do Nikons have? I\'ve had one for a while and haven\'t noticed any, is there something I should be looking for? I\'ve taken both vacation and lots of cat pictures as well as pictures of minis with mine...

--Katie G.

 

[Astonia]

I have to agree with both Ritual and KatieG here, I have a Nikon Coolpix 2100, and it\'s working perfectly both for miniature photography as well as for regular party/friends/cat () pictures.

 

[No Such Agency]

Canon Powershot cameras are teh pwn! I\'m very very happy with my new A75, and it was pretty cheap since the 85-95 range are the new hotness. Check out my gallery (link in sig) for some pics taken by it - my most recent submissions. A75 = 3.2 megapixels, A85 = 5 mp I think. I\'m also very happy with its performance as a general-use camera.

I don\'t know how it would stack up against the other models though, as I haven\'t tried them.

 

[finn17]

Nikons are superb, but....

I normally swear by Nikon, but i recently bought a camera recommended by spacemunkie and it is superb!!!

Panasonic Lumix FZ20.

I know Panasonic aren\'t known for their cameras, but this baby has a ginormous Leica zoom lens on it, around which is wrapped the Panasonic gadgetry. Although I am a real Nikon fan, I would buy my Panasonic again again as it is a steal at the price.

 

[the_alleycat]

Yeah, there was a discussion about this back in November... I got a Fuji S5000 that i\'m very happy with. I\'ve heard all sorts of good things about the Panasonic - just out of my price range. I\'ve also heard nothing but good things about Nikon [i worked for them a few years ago]

 

[Avelorn]

Problems.. hm. that was maybe a much too harsh word. The first cameras I looked into was indeed the Nikons. Just for all the recommendations. What I found out from tests and samplepictures was that there were even better cameras out there for my purposes.. especially when comparing prices. But Nikon\'s still take great pictures. =)

I too loved that Panasonic.. but it was indeed too pricey for my rather limited pocket.

Thanks for the help. I visited the store the other day went home and tested it.. and the winner is...

Sony DSC-P100

It won beacause of the great picture quality, saturation and nice macro mode. In an really compact format with a reasonable amount of manual controls. (for a point-and-shoot) It has some issues.. but in a year or so, when the prices have dropped even more.. I\'ll buy a digital SLR.. and then, the Nikon\'s are probably the hottest competitors. =)

If you know any issue concerning picture-quality or anything with this camera.. that could change my opinion. I still have a couple of days left where I can change it..

Some sources:
http://www.steves-digicams.com
http://www.megapixel.net
http://www.dcresource.com
http://www.dcviews.com
http://www.dpreview.com