What digital camera would you recommend?

Question

I'm an architecture student and looking to purchase a camera after christmas...hopefully in the sales!
I don't know much about cameras.. but for the type of work I need to use it for, I know i need at least 6million mega pixels, and good optical and digital zoom, and also would like it to have a rechargable lithium battery...can't be doing with buying batterys every 5 minutes! looking to spend around £100-£200?? Any suggestions??

Answer 1

For the price-point you set, you have ALOT of options, even a few closeout DLSRs. Some things to consider is the TYPE of usage. For instance, studio or professional/portrait work will be well suited to a Digital SLR type with tripod setup. You can find the lower end DSLR's in the price to set, like the DSC-H5 from Sony.

That will be a poor choice for documenting architecture you see whilst travelling or in the field. For that you probably want a better 'shirt-pocket' type. Sony, Casio, Canon all have the 5+ Megapixel cameras today at that price. I suggest something with a VERY large LCD screen if you plan to document field work since the quality/composition can be instantly examined on a larger screen before you leave the site. Take a look at the specs on something like the Casio Exlim 770, Canon SD800 or the Sony DSC-T10. Battery life on these NEWER compact Point-and-shoots is great. It is the kind of camera I am talking about.

Lastly, NIGHT or low-light pictures will be HORRIBLE for ANY camera in the pricerange you spec'd. If you need low-light photography as a main goal, use an ANALOG file camera and Digital film scanner.

Answer 2

the Nikon D50 digital SLR is a good buy. It comes with a standard zoom lense and rechargable battery. All of the nikon n50 35mm lenses will fit on to it. The lense that comes with it is a 28-80mm lense so it is a good middle ground between a zoom and wide angle. There are many other lenses that you can purchase later as you need more equipment. For architecture a shift lense will be needed for tall buildings because with a standard lense you will get the effect that the building is falling back. This lense will allow you to hold the camera straight and take the picture with the building looking like you were elevated when you took it. It is an expensive lense, but beneficial to your work. The nikon d 50 runs about $1500. not sure what that is in £. Hope i helped. I just got the nikon d50 and am learning about it. I also have a cannon elf and it is great. It is pocket size with a large lcd monitor for onsite viewing. What ever camera you choose you should check out the "ultimate field guide to photography" by national geographic. I am reading it right now and it even has tips on how to choose a camera. It also tells you about point and shoots and how to use them properly for what you need them for. It is a very informative resource. good luck, i know how confusing it can be to choose new technology.

Answer 3

Ten years, that's a tough one, and it does depend on how much you shoot. A pro who might shoot 5000 images every month in some godforsaken place will wear out the mechanicals of a camera quite rapidly, in under 3 years. If it's hard use that you're subject your camera to, then you need to get a tank of a camera Nikon D3/3S/3X and Canon 1DmkIV and 1DsMkIII would be the type of camera you want. You'll need a weather sealed lens to go with it. Even then it's not going to be indestructible. If you're really willing to splash then a Leica M9 system may also be an option, the Leica is a more spartan camera which means less to go wrong. If you're going to use it in extreme conditions, then you have to look at pure mechanical cameras, and shooting film, maybe a Leica M3, which has no electronics to break. If you're going to baby your camera, and only take it out when the sun is shining, and the weather is warm then I'd imagine the current Canon 550D (or any other entry level SLR) and kit lens would probably do the job. Of course it goes without saying that between the 550D and the 1D there are a lot of cameras that can stand up to varying amount of abuse, so it really depends on how you want to use the camera.

Answer 4

Canon and Nikon put out the best digital cameras. They take the best pictures. Sony and other cameras tend to take "flat" discolored pictures. You can hardly tell until you compare the picture to a Canon or Nikon photo. Canon puts out a lot of affordable cameras too. My camera I got last year from Canon is compact, has a rechargable lithium, and is over 7 megapixels all for under $350. But they come much cheaper than that. My dad just got a Canon digital for $150 with shipping. Research the Canon! Awesome digital camera line! A four mega pixel will blow up a picture to poster size. Unless you are creating billboard ads, you won't need more than a 5 or 6 megapixel. Don't let the mega pixels fool you into thinking the higher the #, the better the picture! The higher the #, the more space on your memory card the pictures will take up, and more space on your PC!

Answer 5

If you are an architecture student and are concerned about distortion, please also buy some software to fix camera distortion. Even in the higher priced cameras - way over your budget - you will have some distortion to correct in most pictures. I suggest Photoshop Elements 5.0, as they have a single screen to correct camera distortion. It lets you control barrel and pincushion distortion and perspective errors in both horizontal and vertical planes.

For instance, go to this site and look things over. http://www.cityofbridgeton.com/EconDev/city/citysights.htm - I am NOT the first 5 photos, but I am #6 thru #13. All of my pictures except #6 and 9 have had quite a bit of parallax correction because you just can't stand on a perch to photograph a building from dead center. I left some in #7 or it would have just looked weird because I was on the ground and down a hill when I took the picture. The panoramic view is half a city block, stitched together from multiple images, so there's no point in trying to correct that too much. Anyhow, you get my point. If you spend £200 or less on a camera, you WILL have to deal with distortion, so get the proper software to deal with it.

Photoshop Elements 5.0 works for me. It is a tremendously powerful program and it only sells for $99.00. You can get it at http://www.adobe.com or any of the usual places you buy software. If you already have "real" Photoshop then............ nevermind........... :-)

Answer 6

Kodak, HP,or Sony. But the thing to look for is the highest resolution. I have a 4 megapixel now and want a 6 or 8 megapixel. Resolution is the most important thing.

Answer 7

I own a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H2. It has 6 Megapixels, 12X optical, image stabilizer, battery life is great and bottom line it takes great shots.Comes with battery charger.

Answer 8

Canon digital cameras are really hot right now.

Answer 9

the casio exilim cameras are really good. they take really good pictures and there really small. i have the exilim Z60 and its only about half an inch thin. its 6MP and it was only about $220 at walmart.