Prosumer Camera or DSLR or Camcorder?

Question

i have a keen interest in photgraphy. I own a point and shoot camera but it has it limitations. I want to take photgraphy to the next level. and im looking for a camera with high zoom capabilties. Will i get good stills with a camcorder since they have high zoom features. or if you suggest a camera it should have high zoom. and i have a 500$ budget. thanks!

Answer 1

I was surprised nobody suggested a Canon S3IS or a Sony DSC H5. Both of these would give you a 12x zoom (approx 35-400mm equivalent in 35mm), allows front attachment of lenses (meaning you can use a 2x or a .45x to increase the tele end or go more wider. You can also select ISO between 100 & 400 and do full manual adjustments in most of the cases, which is a necessity when you go beyond 150mm (35mm equivalnet) zoom. Both have image stabilisation, meaning it can help you get rid of shakes in high zooms. And both costs less than $500. Personally, I would suggest the Canon as their noise reduction technology is known to be a shade better than that of Sony.

You can also try out the Nikon D50 also (would be about $550), but that comes only with a 18-55mm lens (x 1.5 would be the 35 mm equivalent) so your dream of high zoom, with IS, will translate into a burn your wallet and pocket and even the bank lockers.

Answer 2

I agree that what you are probably looking for is a DSLR. You are very limited with a budget of $500 but it you could go a little higher, either a Nikon D50 with a Nikon 28-200mm Zoom lens would be the ticket. Cost would be around $800 or 900.

The Canon Rebel digital is also an excellent choice and a few hundred dollars lower. What you get with a DSLR is the ability to change lens for specific uses. I have several Nikons and use about four lens - a couple of zooms, a 105mm Macro lens (for 1to1 close up shots), and a 300mm for really reaching out there.

The trade offs between a digital camcorder are:
With a camcorder you can get motion and decent pictures but not show stoppers or files that would allow large blowups.
With a DSLR you can get the best quality photos but no motion to speak of. Some do have limited motion capabilities.

Bottom line is that you have to decide what you really want - the best quality still shots or motion. By the way, a really good digicam is going to cost $1,000.

Norm

Answer 3

What you want is a dSLR. The problem is, for $500 you'll have a very hard time finding anything. Never mind loads of zoom. And you can forget about Image Stabilization. Frankly, $1000 would be a more realistic budget for a dSLR setup.
Even so, you could look into the following models on eBay - in order of preference:
Nikon D70 or D70s
Canon 350D, a.k.a. digital Rebel XT
Nikon D50
Canon 300D, a.k.a. digital Rebel
Pentax K110D
Olympus E500
For all of these, you'd want a used Sigma or Tamron 18-200mm lens. Just make sure you get one with the lens mount for the right camera brand.
Your budget is more in line with a prosumer model. The bad news is that many of the limitations of inexpensive point & shoots are still there with the prosumers. You'll get a decent 10x or 12x zoom lens with Image Stabilization, and perhaps a little less shutter lag, but prosumers are still poor in low light situations, and due to the EVF they're still outright terrible for action shots.
Finally, camcorders *can* take stills but they can't touch a prosumer, never mind a dSLR camera.

Answer 4

Prosumer Long Zooms vs dSLR
pics at the long end of the zoom haldheld with little or no camera shake· And ... small for a 4 MP camera· The CCD is more for a camcorder than for ...www.photographytalk.net/viewtopic-19945.html
Should you get a prosumer digicam or go for a DSLR? - Engadget
Yeah, yeah, I know -- why use a camera for what a camcorder is best able to do? ... you get a prosumer digicam or go for a DSLR? Posted Oct 17th 2005 ...engadget.com/.../17/should-you-get-a-prosumer-digicam-or-go-for-a-dslr
Should you get a prosumer digicam or go for a DSLR? - Engadget
Yeah, yeah, I know -- why use a camera for what a camcorder is best able to do? ... you get a prosumer digicam or go for a DSLR? Posted Oct 17th 2005 ...digitalcameras.engadget.com/2005/10/17/should-you-get-a-prosumer-digicam-or-go-for-a-dslr...
Digital Cameras Photo Video Camera DV Shop Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Apple Dealer DV Shop supply digital video audio tokina photography equipment in ... shoot docs, indies or weddings, are a professional, prosumer, or serious amateur, ...www.dvshop.ca
Canon XM-2 - Review : Digital Photo : Digital video cameras - CNET Asia
... offers in a fixed-lens prosumer camera, it also helps produce superb color fidelity. ... you'd ask of a prosumer camcorder is here--automatic and manual ...asia.cnet.com/reviews/digitalcameras/0,39001468,39012300p,00.htm

Answer 5

I'd strongly suggest you look on eBay for a REFURBISHED Nikon D50 and a refurb Nikkor AF-S 18-70 f/3.5-4.5G ED DX lens. You can add a 5 or 7 year warranty, if you like, but that adds to the cost. This pair will cost you maybe $600-650, if you shop well. You'll need a memory card, too, but you can get a 1 GB Sandisk Ultra II on eBay for about $30-35.

If your $500 is carved in stone, I like OMG's answer and Panacea's answer. Isn't it amazing how much those two guys look like each other? They could be brothers.

Answer 6

For a $500 budget you can not get a serious SLR. That is not a bad thing. you will get cameras whose zoom may be effectively about the equivalence of a 300mm zoom on a slr. If you expand your budget to say $800 or $900 you can get to SLRs. however, if you want a couple of lenses, you need to be prepared to spend another $150 to $800!

Answer 7

You want an ultrazoom camera....probably the Sony DSC-H5:

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/sony/dsc_h5-review/