Point & Shoot cam with good macro results for 13-17k

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Panchu

Broken In
Hey guys, Im looking forward to buying a good cam with good macro photography options.
My budget is 13-17k. Please suggest some brands and models. Can I get a DSLR for that budget?
 

krishnandu.sarkar

Simply a DIGITian
Staff member
Though I dont have much idea about cam's but Panasonic FX35 is one of the most VFM and gr8 cam in that range. Check it out *www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/FZ35/FZ35A.HTM
 

Lucifer

Reviewerus Prolificus
The FZ35 is much costlier. You should be able to sneak in an ultra zoom, although how well these high-zoom models perform at macro shooting is another story.

Check the S5IS, an older model from Canon.
 

sam9s

The High 5 Flyer
Hey guys, Im looking forward to buying a good cam with good macro photography options.
My budget is 13-17k. Please suggest some brands and models. Can I get a DSLR for that budget?

The BEST trust me for a 17K budget you can get is Sony H20.........I hav ben using H10 (discountinued now) and the snaps are amazing, far superior than canons/Samsungs for the same price range.......Nikon however is in another class at together...................also SLRs dont even come close to that price range, the cheapest SLR starts around 30K, so forget about SLRsss

Few h20 specifications

Gross Pixels Approx. 12.4 Mega Pixels
Effective Pixels Approx. 10.1 Mega Pixels
Processor BIONZ
Sensor Type 1/2.3 Super HAD CCD
Optical Zoom 10x
Precision Digital Zoom Approx. 20x
Smart Zoom 5M: Approx.14.0x, 3M: Approx. 17.0x, VGA: Approx. 57.0x, 16:9: Approx. 19.0x
Optical Zoom During Movie Recording Yes
Lens Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar
 

Lucifer

Reviewerus Prolificus
^He's talking about a point-n-shoot. We're not talking about dSLRs at all. Nikon's PnS cameras are very ordinary.

A compact camera will not give you the wealth of settings that a pseudo dSLR like the SX10is, S5is and their ilk will give. You need to try various cameras yourself, for you are the best judge of what you need. Others can only advise based on what they've used/have. I suggest visits to Croma, Reliance Digital and other electronics shops.
 

sam9s

The High 5 Flyer
^He's talking about a point-n-shoot. We're not talking about dSLRs at all. Nikon's PnS cameras are very ordinary.

A compact camera will not give you the wealth of settings that a pseudo dSLR like the SX10is, S5is and their ilk will give. You need to try various cameras yourself, for you are the best judge of what you need. Others can only advise based on what they've used/have. I suggest visits to Croma, Reliance Digital and other electronics shops.


lol....who said H20 is an DSLR, you can'nt get an SLR for 17K (I think I mentioned that), H20 is more or less a point and shoot but even PnS have otions and settings. H20 leads in PnS and optimising that point n shoot.
 
OP
Panchu

Panchu

Broken In
Hey thank you guys. :) I'm looking at the H20. Looks real interesting.

If I was to go pro, wot wud u guys suggest, DSLRs I mean.

Canon or Nikon?

Thoughts on the Nikon D90?

Suggestions plz.
 

sam9s

The High 5 Flyer
Hey thank you guys. :) I'm looking at the H20. Looks real interesting.

If I was to go pro, wot wud u guys suggest, DSLRs I mean.

Canon or Nikon?

Thoughts on the Nikon D90?

Suggestions plz.

Pro!! mmmm you have the knowldge about photography, interesting......yes SLR is the way to go then, D90 is an awsome camera and dont even think anything except Nikon, no camera comes even close to Nikon in high end cameras.
But D90 would be an overkill for a starter (I presume you are one) try getting a D40 if its still available, its the cheapest SLR out there, else D60.
 

cosmos

Broken In
Point 1 --- Dude...I read thru the thread n c dat u want a gud macro mode camera in compact mode!! Dat is little difficult bt nywaz the Sony H20 mentioned by sam9s is a nice camera within an affordable budget. It provides the decent zoom of 10x but take note that this camera lacks true wide angle coverage and slow flash recharge. But if you are a beginner then i think you can skip these out. But to get a good macro angle pic u need a DSLR with good Macro lens which brings me to point 2

Point 2--- About DSLR, it will cost a hole in the pocket buddy if you get the D90 here in india and seeing ur already mentioned budget it will cost you 4 times or more. Nywaz the D90 is very very good or may i say great camera but u hav 2 use ur true imaginative skills to get the best out of it. Its around 75k here in India with the kit lens. IF that's too much for you then u can go for D5000 or D3000. The D5000 has the D90, 11 point sensor but it comes at a much cheaper rate around 45k with standard kit lens. The D3000 is also good but doesnt have video mode. That will cost you around 29k.

Remember one point, before getting any camera go and have a quick try out of the camera in the market. Get a feel and grip in your hands. This really will help strengthen your decision. N ya DSLR and P&S cameras are in complete different genre, so think carefully before investing. Don't get pulled by the megapixels fight and the size of the camera. Take that fits yours budget and more important your hands because you are the one who should feel comfortable with it.

I myself own a D5000 with a wide variety of lenses. I'm a Nikon fan so I wont be able to answer much on Canon. About Nikon, i would be glad to help you with any doubts.

Cheers,
Cosmos
 

cyberjunkie

Journeyman
If you're willing to risk going with second hand dSLRs, look carefully for a Nikon D40/D40X/D60. You should be able to find one for well under 20k. New Sony A200s used to sell for around 22k. I'm not particularly fond of the user interface and build quality though.
 

sam9s

The High 5 Flyer
Point 1 --- Dude...I read thru the thread n c dat u want a gud macro mode camera in compact mode!! Dat is little difficult bt nywaz the Sony H20 mentioned by sam9s is a nice camera within an affordable budget. It provides the decent zoom of 10x but take note that this camera lacks true wide angle coverage and slow flash recharge. But if you are a beginner then i think you can skip these out. But to get a good macro angle pic u need a DSLR with good Macro lens which brings me to point 2

Point 2--- About DSLR, it will cost a hole in the pocket buddy if you get the D90 here in india and seeing ur already mentioned budget it will cost you 4 times or more. Nywaz the D90 is very very good or may i say great camera but u hav 2 use ur true imaginative skills to get the best out of it. Its around 75k here in India with the kit lens. IF that's too much for you then u can go for D5000 or D3000. The D5000 has the D90, 11 point sensor but it comes at a much cheaper rate around 45k with standard kit lens. The D3000 is also good but doesnt have video mode. That will cost you around 29k.

Good points.......and thanks for bringing out the prices as well, as I was not very sure about the current prices....

To the OP as I said start with D30 as Cosmos pointed you can get it for 29K and thats the cheapest for a decent SLR.
 

acewin

Point Blanc
cameras like H20 are called prosumers. and considering canon are the best will be wrong nikon and sony or samsung are equally good.
If you want pay less Kodak and Fujifilm are also very good.

Lenses coming in any of today's camera is much much (IMO atleast 10x better than what we found 2 years back), so check how old is product's launch.

Refer this site for making a choice *compareindia.in.com/products/digital-cameras/
my reco nikon S640.
I really go with what cosmons said, this is one tough job, IMO anyone saying this or that is best will be wrong.
I am forgetting few important points which could have been quiet helpful for making choices. I remember two points in-built memory of camera and second battery used, which type is better I am forgetting so cannot comment, but IMO ones which have mobile phone like battery are better ( cant say whether it is Li Ion or NiMH ones), and third point which I just remembered having pict-bridge port in cameras is a plus.

another model which I found good is Samsung - WB550 and Nikon - COOLPIX L100
 

cosmos

Broken In
I am forgetting few important points which could have been quiet helpful for making choices. I remember two points in-built memory of camera and second battery used, which type is better I am forgetting so cannot comment, but IMO ones which have mobile phone like battery are better ( cant say whether it is Li Ion or NiMH ones), and third point which I just remembered having pict-bridge port in cameras is a plus.

another model which I found good is Samsung - WB550 and Nikon - COOLPIX L100

Nikon Coolpix L100 is a good camera but doesnt have any any mode changes switch except the shutter button. Picture quality wise, sony H20 is better and also a program and a kind of manual mode. About the Samsung model i dont have much idea. So i still say go 4 Sony one if u are looking for P&S at ur budget.

About the other points mentioned by acewin, i will just differentiate between P&S and DSLR's :

For P&S u will get some kind of inbuilt memory.
DSLR doesn't have any inbuilt memory

Not all P&S use SDHC (High transfer rate cards) for faster and continuous shots.
DSLR's use SDHC cards. Hence u can take advantage of the Burst mode here.

Battery...Hmmm...This is a very difficult field to put my thoughts. Actually, rechargeable pencil batteries are good for some because they are easily available everywhere.

Among Li-on and NiMH batteries go for anything that has NiMH because they don't detoriate with repeated charging. But these batteries need charging and sometimes creates problems with DSLR's when you go on a day trip. U simply cant search 4 camera charging point there. There the pencil cell or rechargeables are great which you can find in any local retail store. Nywaz choice of batteries depends on u i.e. where and what you are shooting. I carry two NiMh batteries for that reason!

Cheers,
Cosmos
 
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sujoyp

Grand Master
I had compared nikon d3000 and sony H20 pics and found that the pics r somewhat similar...
Canon 1000D is much better:p

check dpreview for reviews *www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond3000/

for prices u can check *www.gadgetsguru.in

but all r in 22-30k range
 

sam9s

The High 5 Flyer
I had compared nikon d3000 and sony H20 pics and found that the pics r somewhat similar...
Canon 1000D is much better:p

check dpreview for reviews *www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond3000/

for prices u can check *www.gadgetsguru.in

but all r in 22-30k range

You are comparing an SLR with a PnS H20....not fair, can you provide the link where you compared the pitcures..........there might be situations where the snaps looks similar but there is a vast real time difference......change the lighting conditions, or shoot a rapid moving body and camera shows its actual 'guts'.....
 

acewin

Point Blanc
h20 is a prosumer camera, unlike D3000 and 1000D

I am home and checked it is Li-ion battery which I am talking about pencil cell are good and certainly can be easily found, but charging is not a problem for any of the two types. Li-ion(not normal lithium batteries which cannot be charged certainly) runs longer than than any of the batteries and yeah I have been talking all along about P & S cameras. SLRs would cost more than 25K

ok checked sony H20 specs and price it is really good priced around 17-18K.
Panasonic FZ35, panasonic prosumers with optical zoom in this series certainly are considered the best but price is about 18-20K, around which nikon P90 is also available.
nikon S640 which I suggested is somewhere around 12-13K and is a very nice compact camera.

coming to SLR, check the prices of D5000 and D60 to, D60 will come out to be a better buy IMO it is somewhere 31K
you can check the prices of these from here *www.newtechnology.co.in/nikon-d3000-pricespecs-of-nikon-d3000-digital-slr-camera/ or *compareindia.in.com/products/digital-cameras/

---------- Post added at 09:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:56 PM ----------

well actually you can compare because H20 is a prosumer which are nearest to SLR. and when pricing matters they easily win over SLR.
 

cosmos

Broken In
I had compared nikon d3000 and sony H20 pics and found that the pics r somewhat similar...
Canon 1000D is much better:p

You are comparing an SLR with a PnS H20....not fair, can you provide the link where you compared the pitcures..........there might be situations where the snaps looks similar but there is a vast real time difference......change the lighting conditions, or shoot a rapid moving body and camera shows its actual 'guts'.....

h20 is a prosumer camera, unlike D3000 and 1000D

well actually you can compare because H20 is a prosumer which are nearest to SLR. and when pricing matters they easily win over SLR.

Common guyz, this thread is not for discussing about P&S or DSLR winning the game. I'm a photographer and i know exactly what a point & shoot can't do while a SLR can do but this is not the right place for such discussion. :)

Nywaz Panchu considering your budget of 13-17k, H20 is good. If you raise ur budget a little higher, Canon SX20IS or FZ38 are much better cameras to grab. Then comes the Canon 1000D(try this 1st in shop, it doesn't fit people with big hands properly), then Nikon D3000 and the list goes on and so does the MRP.

Hence it's upto your decision to draw a limit till what you can stretch your final budget and what the camera type should be!

Cheers,
Cosmos
 

sam9s

The High 5 Flyer
[/COLOR]well actually you can compare because H20 is a prosumer which are nearest to SLR. and when pricing matters they easily win over SLR.

Well I dont know how, I have H20 and I have extensively used Nikon D30 and the low light shots D30 gives is in no comparision to even room light shots given by H20..........
 

acewin

Point Blanc
well if you feel so I really cant come up with anything to compare them,
prosumers are just a solution for people who want something near to SLR but not completely ready for handling complexities of it.

And their images should certainly should be similar.
SLRs power is in changing lenses and not simply images.
If you say H20 has image results like them certainly then the maker achieved the objective of giving a quality product.

I second cosmos for the finaly verdict, get H20 if you get it within your limits but if you incerease you budget FZ38/FZ35 or SX20I or P90.

@cosmos even D3000 price varies with the lens package supplied. D60 coming with 18-55 mm is a better package than D3000 IMO, except I do not know(cannot check) if it is available in the market.

---------- Post added at 08:41 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:30 AM ----------

BTW I came across this
Fujifilm FinePix S200EXR

priced around 27-28K it can also be a viable option if considering SLR under 30k.

I am right now reading its review. IMO Fujitsu & Kodak products are real good(price performance is real good) except people opt more of canon/nikon.
 

cosmos

Broken In
SLRs power is in changing lenses and not simply images.
If you say H20 has image results like them certainly then the maker achieved the objective of giving a quality product.

DSLR power is obviously in attaching a new lens for each occasion but it also has a great no. of settings which can make even a normal bean bag look like a royal seat.

@cosmos even D3000 price varies with the lens package supplied. D60 coming with 18-55 mm is a better package than D3000 IMO, except I do not know(cannot check) if it is available in the market.

Don't remember whether the D3000 comes with a kit lens, got to check on that. Nywaz if it does it must be d standard 18-55mm lens because that the Nikon's standard kit lens.

----------

BTW I came across this
Fujifilm FinePix S200EXR

priced around 27-28K it can also be a viable option if considering SLR under 30k.

I am right now reading its review. IMO Fujitsu & Kodak products are real good(price performance is real good) except people opt more of canon/nikon.

Fujitsu and Kodak are good SLR's but the problem lies with the availability and quality of lenses that you get for them. People opt for Nikon or Canon because they make better build quality and long lasting lenses.

N ya alwayz remember if u are getting a DSLR, then the body of the camera is temporary but the Lens are permanent. U can alwayz sell off the body to get a new one but the lens, it is better if you reuse them until they are broken or damaged because they sometimes cost you more than the body. So choose very carefully before going 4 a particular brand in a SLR if you are thinking in joining that club.:p



@off topic : Does anyone here own a telephoto lens here for Nikon brand. If yes, then can you provide me the details or how the lens is performing. I'm going on a safari trip and really need a telephoto lens ry8 nw :)


Cheers,
Cosmos
 
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