I want to buy my sister a camera for her birthday. I want something that looks expensive but isn't - around $150ish. I have had a look at a few Fuji cameras as they seem to be quite a good price. The problem is I know nothing about cameras and I really need some help.
I have been looking at an online store called Citiwide Online at Fuji S1800 for $139, S2500/S2550 for $153 and S2800 for $155 plus postage. I am keen to read people opinions on the cameras, price and that store.
Thanks
Cheap but nice camera
chloden on 11/05/2011 - 20:04
Comments
Thanks for that. Do you have an opinion on the Fuji cameras or do you know another brand that is better value?
Why just Fujifilm cameras? Other good mfrs to look at are Canon, Nikon and Panasonic. Once you have the model you like, then do price comparisons between shops.
Will your sister be comfortable using a camera with prosumer (advanced) features? If she just wants point and shoot maybe something simpler might be more appropriate. Don't get carried away by features or looks; think of how the camera will be used and what features would be most useful to her. E.g. image stabilisation, long zoom, good lens, etc., which are important to her?
Something like a Canon Ixus 105 would be good. Girls like small and cute, but quality of shots (especially under dim lighting) is really important. Low light quality and focusing speed are probably my main criteria for a digital camera, because otherwise they are all pretty much the same (unless compared by a reviewer place that can do everything side by side).
I bought a Panasonic Lumix (sorry not sure of model number, will edit my post when I find the no.) 12mp with HD movie recording, and have been really happy with it. It looks really good too (looks expensive), mine is black, but I think it somes in different colors. Bought it for $99 from Harvey Norman (pricematched Big Lee's promo at the time). Very cheap for the time I bought it (4 months ago), so maybe the price has gone down a tiny bit or roughly the same now. The thing is you/she will have to use a high speed/class SD card, which cost more than normal SDs, I bought mine from MSY for around $18 (8gb). HTH
The model number is DMC F3
The thing with buying grey imports is the warranty though. I bought my camera from citiwide online over a year ago, and had no problems with them, and I vaguely remember they had some door to door delivery service for warranties (don't quote me). The other thing is that you'll be waiting a couple of weeks between repairs, whereas if you bought it here, it could be a lot shorter.
You should also make sure you try out the cameras you are interested in, in an actual store, to make sure they're usable, take the pictures you want etc. Also check out reviews on sites like dpreview.com
I have owned a fuji s series camera and they are good if you need the very long zoom. Mine got stolen and I replaced it with a panasonic fz35, which is similar but betterand more expensive. To get to the point though, I don't know of any girls that wouldbuy a prosumer camera. Cute colorful point and shoot is generally what they're after. My gf has the panasonic lumix fh20, which has great wide angle and 8x zoomfor a good price. It sees more use than my fz except when we're sight seeing overseas.
Yep, absolutely. The smallest, simplest camera will generally get the most use. The main thing I reckon is the ability to get "up and running" quickly, and the ability to focus really fast… nothing worse than waiting for the camera to get it's act together and missing a shot!
We have an old Sony that I use for eBay photos. Beautiful lens and image quality from only a 5MP, but it's almost useless as a "point and shoot" because it cannot focus quickly. Worse… it WILL take a shot even if not focussed. When my GF uses it, all she gets is blurred shots, because she just presses the button to take a shot, rather than waiting while holding it 1/2 down.
The main difference I find with cameras is that speed of focus issue, especially in low light conditions. I have a Panasonic cheapy that literally cannot focus AT ALL inside the house under normal night time lighting. Nothing beat my old Canon Ixus 700 but unfortunately it's got a lens issue.
I have been looking at the Samsung PL210 slim digital camera, HUGE 10x optical zoom (+wide angle lens), 14MP, Dual Image Stabilization (optial+digital to remove wobble/fuzzy pics), Face Recognition, 720p HD video (H.264 efficient compression -longer films using smaller memory), microSD card storage, Li-Ion battery with USB charging via camera.
Anyone else have thoughts on this camera? I think there is a lot of bang-for-buck here but have yet to try out the camera.Best prices I could find (using google shopping):
http://www.camerastore.com.au/Samsung+PL210+Black_6891_detai… $179 + $16 shipping
http://www.techbuy.com.au/p/169474/index.asp $184.65 + $X shipping
http://www.ryda.com.au/Samsung-PL210-Digital-Camera-p/pl210b… $188.85 + $14.65 shipping AU wideReview:
http://www.steves-digicams.com/camera-reviews/samsung/pl210/… Good but not perfect with noise at low light and slightly fuzzy edges at full image size, slightly slow.Official site:
http://www.samsung.com/au/consumer/camera-camcorder/digital-…Thankyou for all your info, it looks like a nice camera. :)
Thanks for all your advice, will let you know what I end up with.
I think the Fuji S1800/S2500/S2550/S2800 are all big-ass cameras and while they are quite good (I would consider them for myself because they have good specs for very little money), they are not the kind of camera my wife would be happy using because of the big-knob of a lense. Unfortunately my wife is likely to use the camera more than me which makes me have to buy a camera that she would be happy with.
I think llama hit the nail on the head with "The smallest, simplest camera will generally get the most use".
We have a range of cameras to choose from. The iPhones get used the most BY FAR, and probably next best is an old 3mp Vivitar cheapy (officially my 7yo son's camera).
The main reason is that the old vivitar doesn't drain the (AA) batteries…. you pick it up and it always starts and will take a few shots no matter how long it's been sitting there. The Sony and Panasonic are always flat, they must have a high standby current! Plus the Vivitar is simple, there are no confusing buttons etc, it just "works".
OH - and if you want "decent" battery performance, forget AA batteries. I use a Canon 970is at work that sits in my drawer for months, yet is always ready to go without needing a charge. Even with Eneloop AAs you won't get that good power retention…. plus AAs are bigger and heavier. I realise others will disagree, but when buying new cameras I always choose Lithium
Yup, our slim Lumix fits in our pocket and uses Lithium battery (which only takes 1.5-2 hours for a full charge). Very simple :)
I bought a camera from citiwide about 5 months back. Service is good, delivery is quite good too. I recieved my camera in a perfect retail box, australian power plug etc.. (Something round 2 weeks I think) As long as you know there all grey imports and warranty may not apply in Australia plus they may have asian power inputs, also alow a bit of time for delivery (at least a month. Other than that I have had nothing but a smooth journey with that store.