Shopping for a new digital camera - "minimum shutter speed"?

Question

I'm looking at these two digital cameras:

1. http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Fujifilm%20FinePix%20S5200%20Digital%20Camera:1992943172:page=details;_ylt=AuGKlXO0UOwIsXcY4RI8SxLnSHAD;_ylu=X3oDMTA5ZW01N2htBHNlYwNiZ3NpYg-- a nice model from two years ago, to be bought used from someone I know, or
2. http://shopping.yahoo.com/p:Fujifilm%20FinePix%20S700%20Digital%20Camera:1994756351:page=details which looks like the new approximate equivalent currently on the market, for close to the same price

There are a few differences between the two, obvious ones like the 7.1 megapixels on the newer model, and some differences that I don't understand because I don't know absolutely everything about digital camera specs. Specifically I'm wondering about the "minimum focusing range" and "minimum shutter speed"; there's quite a difference between the two models, it seems? Can anyone help enlighten me on what these specs mean and what a desirable range is for these numbers?

Answer 1

Go for the newer camera, which will come with a warranty.

As for the spec differences, the minimum shutter speed is how long the shutter will stay open (15 secs on the old one; 4 secs on new one), typically for use in dim light. For 99.9% of people out there, such slow speeds are never used. Realistically, most people can't get good photos below 1/30 of a second shutter speed, so 4 seconds is going to be pretty blurry, unless you use a tripod.

I'm figuring you don't do a lot of dim light/night shooting on tripods, so the minimum shutter speed difference is going to be meaningless for your purposes.

Likewise, the minimum shooting distance won't be a big deal, as most photos are taken from distances more than 2 or 3 feet away.

Bottom line: go for a brand-new model with a warranty, just in case anything goes wrong. You can't get that with a used camera from a friend. And your friend is probably overcharging you, to boot.

Answer 2

You've been given some great answers so far regarding the minimum shutter speed and minimum focus distance, so I won't try to answer those...

I will however give you my personal experience with the S5200 - because I've owned one for about 18 months or so.

It's a decent camera, and the optical zoom (10x) is great. I haven't been disappointed with the camera, and I'm still learning how to use the various features. If you do purchase the S5200 or another comparable Fuji camera, I would strongly suggest you spend an extra $50 or so and purchase a UV filter, and a circular polarizing filter - the polarizing filter definitely makes a difference in the quality of the shots.

That being said, I am currently looking to purchase a new camera - also by Fuji...the S9100. It's a 9 megapixel, with a 10.7x optical zoom. I've been reading numerous reviews of the camera, and so far pretty much everything I've read is positive...so that's my personal birthday present next spring. I'm not a professional, but I do enjoy taking good pictures. With the S9100, one of the points I look at is that I won't need to carry different lenses as I would with a DSLR camera - which will be handy because I enjoy hiking the mountains around where I live exploring, and I don't want to carry any gear that isn't necessary.

If you wanted to see any of the pics I've taken, my username on webshots is "tobaccobull", and my username on photobucket and panoramio.com is "acidman1968". Pretty much all of the pics I've taken around Tooele, Utah have been taken with the Fuji S5200.

Good luck with your choice.

Answer 3

Buy the new model.

A 2 year old digital camera is worth about 1/4th. what it sold for new. Plus, you don't know how much its been used or how its been treated.

I really don't understand how "minimum shutter speed 4 seconds" could be confusing. Its simply saying you can keep the shutter open for 4 seconds. Oh, I suppose it could have said "longest shutter speed 4 seconds".

Buy the new camera and then READ & STUDY the Owner's Manual for it BEFORE trying to use it.

Good luck and enjoy your new camera.

Answer 4

Well upon quick look they are quite comparable.

minimum focusing range is how close can you stand to the object you want to shoot with the camera still able to focus.
But of course, the two camera have macro mode so you can shoot an object very very close to your camera and still get it in focus (people usually like to shoot a flower or insect or something like that)

Minimum shutter speed has something to do with the time of exposure. Meaning how long the film (or in this case, the sensor) is being exposed to the light. The longer an exposure it is, the more light being exposed to the sensor/film and vice versa.

On the S5200, it seems to me that it is capable of doing a more flexible shoot but usually these are for advanced user and in my opinion you'll be fine with either.

Answer 5

Minimum focusing range is how close you can get to the subject and still be in focus. This will be important if you want to do "macro" (pictures of little tiny things).

Minimum shutter speed is the fastest shutter speed a camera can achieve. 1/1000 is plenty unless you photograph speeding bullets.

Hope this helps.

Answer 6

go to yahoo search
type the name of the camera followed by the word review
the review will explain all the details about the camera

Answer 7

google minimum shutter speeds top ten and they will probably come up.

Answer 8

Go to www.pcworld.com and look into their reviews for digital cameras!

Answer 9

sophisticated situation. seek on to bing and yahoo. that will may help!