[WeekendShogunWarrior]

I am thinking about getting a digital camera to start recording my rides through pictures. I have looked through some of the other threads about what people use.

CNET.com gives this camera a 7.2 out of ten (https://reviews.cnet.com/Canon_PowerShot_A300/4505-6501_7-20893244.html?tag=t51)

What do you guys think? Any other recomendations. I dont want to spend too much cuz this is a camera i will be taking on rides and i dont want to break a 500+ camera

Thanks
Sho

 

[gabe0807]

You're on the right track. To me, the Canon digital cameras are the way to go for an entry level camera right now. They're just the best bang for the buck. I own a Canon Powershot A75 and love it. It is pretty small, the pictures are great. My wife loves to use it too. It cost me $230 to my doorstep. I wanted something nice but that I wouldn't worry about breaking too much and since technology is moving too fast I didn't want to invest $800 like my brother did then have his camera be obselete in 1 year.

Some of my co-workers got some Canon PowerShot A70 cameras. They are being replaced by the A75 but the only difference is a slightly lower resolution LCD screen and a smaller memory card (which most people usually replace on either of them anyway). Those are on Yahoo shopping for under $200 now. The pictures are just as good as the A75. Anyway, I haven't used the A300 but its probably not too bad. If you can swing it though, I'd try to get an A70. They're great cameras.

Good luck!

Gabe

 

[WeekendShogunWarrior]

A75

You're on the right track. To me, the Canon digital cameras are the way to go for an entry level camera right now. They're just the best bang for the buck. I own a Canon Powershot A75 and love it. It is pretty small, the pictures are great. My wife loves to use it too. It cost me $230 to my doorstep. I wanted something nice but that I wouldn't worry about breaking too much and since technology is moving too fast I didn't want to invest $800 like my brother did then have his camera be obselete in 1 year.

Some of my co-workers got some Canon PowerShot A70 cameras. They are being replaced by the A75 but the only difference is a slightly lower resolution LCD screen and a smaller memory card (which most people usually replace on either of them anyway). Those are on Yahoo shopping for under $200 now. The pictures are just as good as the A75. Anyway, I haven't used the A300 but its probably not too bad. If you can swing it though, I'd try to get an A70. They're great cameras.

Good luck!

Gabe

CNET.com has a A70 review .. but i am assuming this is for all the A70 cameras. You refer to a A75?

Does it look like this:

Its only a little bit more money and something i could afford. Thanks for the advice

 

[Sasquatch]

CNET.com has a A70 review .. but i am assuming this is for all the A70 cameras. You refer to a A75?

Does it look like this:

Its only a little bit more money and something i could afford. Thanks for the advice

The A70 came out last April. This year, they re-released it as the A75 with some minor improvements. It's basically the same camera. i have had mine for a year and love it. It uses regular AA batteries, has full manual, as well as lotsa auto settings, and is small enough to carry everywhere. You won't regret it, unless you would rather have 4megapixels, and then you should buy the Canon A80.
Check out some pictures i took last week with my A70. Below my pics are a friend's pics, taken with a much more expensive camera. i cant tell the difference between the 2.

https://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=35243

Good Luck, and make sure you post some pics here on MTBR. Later, Sasquatch

 

[kitchenware]

I love my A70.

Here's a full res sample. sample

 

[Photo-John]

Huh?

What's CNET? Keep it in the family, brother >> PCPhotoREVIEW.com.

Here's a link to the Canon A300 reviews on my site: http://www.pcphotoreview.com/Above,3,Megapixel/Canon/PRD_143717_3098crx.aspx

There are five reviews, a link to sample images, and links to dealers. And when you use PCPhotoREVIEW.com, you're also helping Mtbr.

 

[SiberianYETI]

I have the A300 and it IS a good camera, takes quality pictures, does well with rechargable batteries, and is a pretty durable little camera. However, the biggest downfall is that I could never get good action photos because the bugger had a lot of trouble focusing on moving objects. For mountain biking this was a continual problem and got me a good beating by my buddies when I had to say "sorry, I missed your picture on that obstacle because the camera couldn't focus in time."

Instead, I recently opted for the Casio EX-S3 (runs about $250). It is tiny (I made a small pouch that attached to the front of my camelbak for quick access), takes great pictures and most importantly has a fixed focal length which means I can take a picture of anything moving without so much as a second thought by my camera. I absolutely love it.

It doesn't have an optical zoom, which some people claim is a liability, but for biking I actually prefer a camera with fewer moving parts. So, if you are going to use the camera as an all purpose role you might want to look at a different one. The EX-S3 sucks in dark conditions because of its small flash - but for daytime shooting, and especially mountain biking, I have absolutely no complaints. I never miss a shot now!

 

[CharacterZero]

new toys...

OK, first let's get it straight: THE DEFINITIVE DIGICAM SITE:
www.dpreview.com
If you don't understand what they are talking about, study it for 2 weeks. Then you will be a pro.

As for the actual camera selection, I agree with those who say Canon Powershots are the best bang for the buck. I have a SD100 and love it. the colors are great, some manual controls, and pocketable. I was suprised how small the A70s were, given their relative pricing. Look into Canons, and keep your eye on www.techbargains.com, as the best deals are sometimes coupon combos on Dell's site.

 

[pacman]

Camera for MTB

I use the Canon S1 IS, 10x optical zoom with image stabilization. Every possible feature with the optical zoom and IS being the deal closer. I'm always drastically down-sizing for posting so pixels are over rated, it would take over 12 megapixels to double the resolution, yet the zoom allows greater than that (for a smaller area) Recent sample here:

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=35152

 

[Photo-John]

Camera Technique

The trick to getting good photos with compact digital cameras is pre-focusing. You just can't rely on the AF to track or focus fast enough. But if you give yourself a little time and set up with a little care, you can get great bike photos with almost any digital camera. Prefocus where you want to capture the rider, hold down the shutter-release button to lock the focus, and pan through, pressing the button a bit before the rider reaches the spot you focused on. A little practice to get to know your camera's shutter-lag is important. But once you get it down, it's pretty easy.

 

[Nat]

The A70 came out last April. This year, they re-released it as the A75 with some minor improvements. It's basically the same camera. i have had mine for a year and love it. It uses regular AA batteries, has full manual, as well as lotsa auto settings, and is small enough to carry everywhere. You won't regret it, unless you would rather have 4megapixels, and then you should buy the Canon A80.
Check out some pictures i took last week with my A70. Below my pics are a friend's pics, taken with a much more expensive camera. i cant tell the difference between the 2.

http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=35243

Good Luck, and make sure you post some pics here on MTBR. Later, Sasquatch

I bought an A80 two days ago. I've only begun to figure out how to use it, but so far it's way cooler than my old Olympus. On fast action mode there's hardly any shutter lag. I haven't played with the video or panorama features yet.

 

[pting]

I just picked up a Canon S45 off ebay, but haven't taken that many shots with it yet. The S45s were generally out of my price range, but the S330s are right there. Only 2.1mp, but very small, very solid, and has pretty much all the features of the more expensive ones. 2.1mp is more than you'd need for posting pictures online. You may need to go to a 4mp or higher if you're into printing out your pictures.

My sister-in-law has a Canon G3 and it has nicer lenses and takes great pictures, but is too big and bulky for backpack duty.

I also considered some Sonys, but I'd have to buy memory sticks instead of using the compact flash cards I already have.

I was able to get the S45 for only $150 so I took that instead of the S330 at around $100. Do a forum search on S330 and you'll get a few threads of very nice pics.

 

[Photo-John]

Well...

I am a little biased, but I wouldn't call DPReview the definitive digital camera site. Talk to some pro photographers and see what they say about that site. Plus, as I said before, keep it in the family. You can get all the help and information you need, and get it from nicer people, on PhotographyREVIEW.com and PCPhotoREVIEW.com. Plus, when you use those sites (my sites) you're also supporting Mtbr.

 

[Photo-John]

Review?

That's a sweet camera! If you haven't already, would you please post a review for it on my site? Here's a link to that review page:

http://www.pcphotoreview.com/Above,3,Megapixel/Canon/PRD_299754_3098crx.aspx

I'm waiting for the day when all cameras have IS. It's an awesome feature. Konica Minolta is starting to include it in their high-end cameras. And they're supposed to have a digital SLR with changeable lenses coming out that uses the same image stabilization technology that's in their compacts. It has image stabilization on the sensor instead of the in the lenses. So once you buy the body, you have it all the time. That's super cool and may make Konica Minolta more important in the camera world.

 

[bioyuki]

I am a little biased, but I wouldn't call DPReview the definitive digital camera site. Talk to some pro photographers and see what they say about that site. Plus, as I said before, keep it in the family. You can get all the help and information you need, and get it from nicer people, on PhotographyREVIEW.com and PCPhotoREVIEW.com. Plus, when you use those sites (my sites) you're also supporting Mtbr.

DPReview forums aren't the best but I would consider it the definitive site where most people go for digital camera information. Phil's database, reviews and news plus the somewhat useful forums makes it the best IMO.

God I'm so torn between a new lens and a new bike LOL...this time around I think I'm gonna buy the bike first.

 

[WeekendShogunWarrior]

What's CNET? Keep it in the family, brother >> PCPhotoREVIEW.com.

Here's a link to the Canon A300 reviews on my site: http://www.pcphotoreview.com/Above,3,Megapixel/Canon/PRD_143717_3098crx.aspx

There are five reviews, a link to sample images, and links to dealers. And when you use PCPhotoREVIEW.com, you're also helping Mtbr.

Your right .. sorry forgive me .. Anyway thanks for all the advice Photo-John .. I think i have narrowed it down to the A70's .. they seem like the best bang for the buck. I have read that the A300 seem to hate batteries and suck them down quick!

So A70 it is!

A side note: Someone mentioned sonys as well, but i have like 3 CF cards that i dont want to not be able to use and the cannons use CF .. so that is my main reasoning for not buying the sonys

 

[bioyuki]

That's a sweet camera! If you haven't already, would you please post a review for it on my site? Here's a link to that review page:

http://www.pcphotoreview.com/Above,3,Megapixel/Canon/PRD_299754_3098crx.aspx

I'm waiting for the day when all cameras have IS. It's an awesome feature. Konica Minolta is starting to include it in their high-end cameras. And they're supposed to have a digital SLR with changeable lenses coming out that uses the same image stabilization technology that's in their compacts. It has image stabilization on the sensor instead of the in the lenses. So once you buy the body, you have it all the time. That's super cool and may make Konica Minolta more important in the camera world.

I used a S1 IS last week and wasn't all impressed with it mostly because of image quality. Squeezing 3.2MP onto a 1/2.7" CCD just doesn't bode well for clean images. IS wasn't bad but it still wasn't up to the standards of EF IS lenses. I do agree that IS/VR/OS/AS in the body or in a 0x TC is the future for cameras though, makes a huge difference in lowlight condiitions.

 

[PROGRE-SS]

damn decisions...

From reading here, the Canons seem to be getting a lot of praise. Because of this I've decided on either the Canon A75 or the Canon S410. Roughly being a price diff of $200 or so, which one would better suit me? This will be used for many family events as well as trail shots macro shots of bike parts etc. My wife and I also make a lot of our greeting cards and our kids invitations and I am also hoping to do some freelance graphic design too. I don't really want to base the decision on price, but more on which camera would suit my needs better. I'm no pro, heck, I'm not even an amateur photographer but with the right camera, I just might start taking more pics. Thanks for any help here.

 

[bioyuki]

From reading here, the Canons seem to be getting a lot of praise. Because of this I've decided on either the Canon A75 or the Canon S410. Roughly being a price diff of $200 or so, which one would better suit me? This will be used for many family events as well as trail shots macro shots of bike parts etc. My wife and I also make a lot of our greeting cards and our kids invitations and I am also hoping to do some freelance graphic design too. I don't really want to base the decision on price, but more on which camera would suit my needs better. I'm no pro, heck, I'm not even an amateur photographer but with the right camera, I just might start taking more pics. Thanks for any help here.

The A75 and S410 are very similar cameras (level of control, lens size and speed, AF, metering, etc.) and it comes down to paying a premium for a larger file size and a smaller physical size. If money is no issue stick with a S410...you can literally take that thing anywhere...if you're on a budget go with the A75.

EDIT: one major advantadge of the S410, you get a Lion battery...with the A75 you have to use AAs.

 

[big_slacker]

If you just want something for taking MTB shots, why not get somthing small and cheap that you won't cry about if it breaks? For this reason I bought a sony DSC U30. Not the best resolution, but it was under $100 and I don't worry about it if I have to bail off my bike either. Here are some shots taken with it:

<img height=600 width=800 src="http://home.comcast.net/~stmeans/MTB_002.jpg"</a>

<img height=600 width=800 src="http://home.comcast.net/~stmeans/morning_ride_001.jpg"</a>

<img height=600 width=800 src="http://home.comcast.net/~stmeans/morning_ride_006.jpg"</a>