[cherrybomber]

Hi guys!

i need help getting a new digital camera that i can take on my rides. Nothing like sharing the passion

I love my Pentax S4 because of its size, but my outdoor pictures are all tinged in gray if i dont use a flash. i dont think the lens is up to par for decent outdoor photography... ive come to learn that megapixel doesnt mean anything if your lense can take a good pic in the first place.

i need a camera that:

fits into a comm pocket for a cambelbak or any other pouch that straps right onto a backpack strap. so i can do a quick draw while on on the bike.

rugged dependable, lcd screen that wont scratch too easily. (waterfproof would be nice!)

works off an SD card

has a kick butt lens.... better than an optio s4.

im based out of asia so even european or asian only models shouldnt be a problem for me to find.

was thinking of the canon ixus700 but ive heard reviews of the screen cracking (?)

 

[climber]

Just went through this...

... recently. I really want a digital SLR, as I've shot for years with Nikon (F3HP and N90s), but didn't have the money. I also decided I wanted a pocket size camera with manual control and little shutter lag. Ended up with a Casio EX-Z750. It's got good and bad points. Some people have had lens issues or cracked LCDs. It doesn't have a RAW mode. It is handy, quick, and small. I've posted a few pictures at http://www.pbase.com/rluening. Some could still use a little processing... I'm still learning this digital workflow business.

/rl

 

[zon]

Heres a couple of recomendations.
The HP R817 is an excellent camera and it sports a Pentax 5X optical zoom lens. This camera delivers excellent pictures and is very compact. A review of it can be found here.
Another great camera with a much bigger lens clocking in at 12X with image stabilization is the Panasonic DMC-FZ5. Awsome camera but not as compact as the R817 however, I have had no problems having it with me on rides. There is a good review of it here.

Whatever you do dont underestimate the importance of a decent zoom. In my opinion anything less than 5X for outdoor use is a disapoinment. And dont rely on digital zoom. It just crops the center of the image and blows it up, usually resulting in images of lower quality.

Here are a couple of posts with pix taken with the FZ5

Downieville Pix

Hawaii Pix

 

[Jessep]

I've had two canons (s410 and s2something, whatever ixus models those are)they both take great outdoor pictures with good color most of the time. The ixus 700 uses the new digic II processor, so it takes pictures with less lag than mine, making it better for biking. Mine works well, but I'm the only one of my friends that can take good pictures, as I am used to the lag and stuff..

My dream camera is a canon s80 though... A fair amount larger than the ixus700, but a better lense with more zoom, and a bunch of cool options. Pictures seem to come out better when you have such a large lense and CCD and stuff. But of course the trade off is size and heft...

I'm not sure how durable the 700 is, but I've wrecked with mine in my pocket with no problems. If your worried, you can get one of these:

https://www.pelican.com/cases/4bo_1020.html

I have a habit of rambling, so:
Canon: I've seen pictures of bikeing from several
DIGIC II: fast, good for action sports
700: better than s40

some unedited pictures from my brother and I (should be full resolution too)

S230
https://image09.webshots.com/9/0/94/85/122709485qCyGHi_fs.jpg
SD300
https://image08.webshots.com/8/0/67/36/127406736tltyJm_fs.jpg
S40 or 50 (I don't remember, whatever takes pictures at this resolution)
https://image48.webshots.com/49/0/95/85/376909585YBsKko_fs.jpg
S410
https://image32.webshots.com/32/5/12/30/277451230yeFmPd_fs.jpg

 

[mtbbrian]

No Matter What...

Another thing you can do is check www.photographyreview.com for reviews that usually contain other information on these cameras.
Good Luck!
Brian

 

[cardozo]

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonicfx9/

 

[cherrybomber]

Thanks guys!

Now im thoroughly confused Lol!

im going to look through all the recos and do some sleuthing.

further recomendations are always welcome.

thanks again!

 

[Photo-John]

Casio Exilim EX-Z750

I've had the opportunity to use or at least play with a lot of compact digitals this year. My favorite pocket-sized camera is the Casio Exilim EX-Z750. It's got all kinds of controls, including full manual exposure, it's very quick compared to most compact digitals, the 7-megapixel sensor is great, and it really fits in a pocket. Here's a link to my review and sample images: Casio Exilim EX-Z750 >>

And here's a link to all of our digital camera pro reviews: http://www.photographyreview.com/proreviewscrx.aspx

Right now I'm playing with the Olympus Stylus 800 Digital. So far it's very nice. I did some mountain bike stuff with it this weekend and it worked very well. I'd recommend it to you except that it uses xD memort cards. I still like the Casio better, and it uses SD cards.

Hope that helps!

 

[Photo-John]

Another Thought

I gave you a recommendation already. But I think it might be worthwhile for you to post a sample photo so I can see what the problem is. Sometimes what people think is a camera problem is actually just a settings or photo setup issue. For what it's worth, people usually like Canon and Sony for right out of the camera image quality. I think Canon's in-camera processing is the best.

 

[Wzl]

Not what you asked for...

...but I really dig my Cannon digital Rebel XT. I bought an after market lens (18-200mm) to go with it which makes it considerably bigger and heavier but the picture quality was worth it. My buddy has one with the stock lens and his is quite light weight and he straps it to the outside of his pack. He commented that his stock lens took inferior pictures but they still seem to be pretty good to me, but I am no expert. I carry a huge pack, a Peak Bagger from CamelBak, so that I can carry all sorts of stuff including armor and burritos, and throwing in a digital SLR and a tripod was no big deal. Best thing about the Rebel XT is the 3 frame/second shooting which allows me to catch many more action shots at the right time than I was getting with the typical long lag time camera I was using before. 3 fps is not a huge number but the camera can buffer up to 14 frames at full resolution (8 MP) so chances are that you get the shot you were after.

If you find you have a grand or so to spend then this choice would at least be worth considering. Of course by the time you throw in a GB card, a nice lens or two, a carrying case, and a copy of Photoshop, you will be upwards of 2k in no time.

 

[Photo-John]

Digital SLRs

Digital SLRs are great. But they aren't interchangeable with pocket-sized point-and-shoot digitals. Plus, it's probably better to start with a compact. When people really start to hit the limits of the compact camera, then it's time to look at a digital SLR. That said, I ride with mine pretty often. It's heavy and bulky, but you can't beat the quality.

 

[BobL]

How About Sub-compacts?

Digital SLRs are great. But they aren't interchangeable with pocket-sized point-and-shoot digitals. Plus, it's probably better to start with a compact. When people really start to hit the limits of the compact camera, then it's time to look at a digital SLR. That said, I ride with mine pretty often. It's heavy and bulky, but you can't beat the quality.

I would agree about the SLR, but for those of us mere mortals, a quality point and shoot is what we need. Te sub-compact catgory seems to fit the bill in size, but most only go to 3x optical zoom. But for ease of use and shear portability, they can't be beat.

Here are the ones I'm currently looking at: Canon SD550 Elph, Panasonic Lumix9, Kodak V550
All have high quality lenses, very small, and fast. I'm leaning towards the Lumix 9 for size, speed and ease of use (glove friendly controls, Leica lens, comes w/ 256 SD card, black rubber coating on metal body) but it's the priciest of the above.
Any suggestions?