Help needed for digicam buyout

[acewin]

Hey guys,
I am in search of camera sub 20K or with near by price range.
Besides I am also ready to spend a little heavy buck upto 40K for a Digital SLR camera.

I searched up Sony and Canon sites. But I do not have any field experience of cameras. And I do not believe that the more expensive the buy would be the better it would be.

The camera should have good video capture, and rest is general good features.
In comparision to cameras what about camcorders or handycams. are they able to capture good still pics.

 

[gopz]

Go in for Nikon D40X - Around 35k (make sure they dont sell you a D40 which is cheaper by 10k...ask for D40X)

 

[pimpom]

There is no camera model or brand which is best for everyone. The choice depends on your needs and budget. In general -

Panasonic has the best lenses, the best image stabilisers, and very good combinations of features and build quality. But the noise is higher than average, and is sometimes objectionable, especially in low light.
Fuji has the lowest noise and pleasing pictures, but only average lens quality.
Sony, Kodak and Olympus cameras are not bad, but do not excel in any particular area either.
Canon has perhaps the best movie mode and good overall performance. Their lenses and image stabilisation are good, but not quite as good as Panasonic.
Nikon are on about the same level as Canon.

The above statements are my own conclucions from using different models from all these brands and from careful studies of in-depth reviews. But they are general overall statements.

There are other factors such as zoom range, battery type, memory type, size, weight, cost and above all, the kind of photography you want to do and how seriously you want to get involved in photography. Tell us a bit more about the kind of picture taking you want to do, and we can narrow down the choices.

Regarding still pictures with camcorders : they are of roughly the same quality as mobile phone cameras. The reverse is true of movie mode in still cameras : don't expect the same quality you get with a camcorder.

 

[acewin]

thanks for the overall info pimpom.
It was helpful to make me a decide.
I shorted on these models Panasonic - LUMIX DMC-FZ50, Sony - DSC-H9, Canon - PowerShot G9, Canon - PowerShot S5 IS

@gopz, thanks for suggesting Nikon D40X, I liked the specs and its an SLR, I was previously thinking there wont be any good entry level SLR by nikon, there high end SLRs are superb, but do not have much in entry level so it was good to check it. I was earlier check canon A350D which is in same price range but found D40X better rated. So it is a nice suggestion

Besides I checked cnet review and compareindia.com for ratings.
And I was overawed by the reviews for Panasonic FZ50, and as pimpom said much of my findings were the same. My friend has got Canon G7 so he had recommended me and suggested about G9 the next level which is already there and in my price range.

Did not like much of the Sony, they are priced more for there features that is what I would say. Also my friend who has got canon G7 suggested me that most of the sony cameras are too complex to handle. I have cleared out SLR cameras check the panasonic, because with normal jpegs it also gives RAW and has powerful zoom (that is what we look for when upgrade into a SLR the ability to change up with lenses.).

Now as I have marked down these models I am hoping people can give more suggestions for me to make my mind clear. But I would really say I am awed by Panasonic FZ50 and Canon G9

 

[winzip]

Go for Canon Powershot S5 IS. It is 8MP and has 12x zoom (its a great feature) and 2 yrs warranty. Also it has a good user review.....
*www.circuitcity.com/ccd/ExpandedModule.do?oid=184551&callingModule=9#custRatings

Looks is very good, though a bit heavy.

 

[pimpom]

Here's some pictures I took of the moon using different cameras. Unfortunately, I have not taken one yet with a Canon or a Nikon.

*s48.photobucket.com/albums/f223/keimah/?action=view&current=Moon-differentcameras.jpg

One thing : there's a big difference in the sizes of the moon in the composite picture here. That's because the Kodak and the Fuji are of lower resolution (4 MP each) and they have shorter focal lengths. What you should judge is the picture quality.

Also, the pictures were taken at different times under different atmospheric conditions. So use the pictures only as a rough guide.

 

[gopz]

Get the Nikon D40X if you can afford it.

Else get the Canon S5 IS. Both are great cams in their segments.

 

[pimpom]

The Nikon D40X and its Canon counterpart are very good entry-level SLR cameras. But the 18-55 mm kit lenses are nothing special. If you want a better lens, that will incur another major expense.

If a wide zoom range is important to you - for taking pictures of near and far objects without changing lenses - the Nikon Nikkor 18-200mm lens is very good - almost as good as a Panasonic-Leica lens. But it costs more than the camera itself. An 18-200 mm lens by Tamron or Sigma is cheaper (less than 20k), but they are not as good as the Nikkor.

 

[confused!!]

^^thanks a lot ..I am inclining towards the Canon S5 IS

Sorry instead of my thread i posted on this thread..

 

[toofan]

Just close your eyes and go for Nicon D40x without any doughts.
As you are looking for a entry leve DSLR so nothing is better then D40x.
As pimple said about the lenses remind you that you r having a budget of 40 thousand. So in 40 thousand D40x is the best choice. Canon s5 is is no where around nicon.
There is another model from Canon I think it is EOS40D. check its price.

Actually I was also lookin for a digital camera but my budget it not so high, so i did the search work in google. and review sites.

Nicon D40x has good results even in higher ISO settings.

I think it will cost you around 27-29 thousands.(price form digit magazine)