I’m thinking of getting a first camera but I really don’t know what I should get or what I should know about cameras.
I plan to use it to for very pedestrian stuff like pets and sightseeing. It would be nice if it can take good pictures of landscapes.
Optical image stabilization would be appreciated because I tend to shake when holding a camera. Being able to take pictures of moving objects would be quite nice.
Being able to take pictures in low light conditions would add a lot of flexibility.
A camera small and light enough that I can easily carry would ensure that I have it on me often.
I don’t want to deal with proprietary batteries and memory.
I’m not spending more than 200$ on Ebay.
Anything else a newbie should know about cameras?
You probably will need to get a camera with proprietary batteries. Some larger cameras still use AAs but very few good ones. I you want small you’ll need to get LiIon. Don’t worry, the proprietary LiIon batteries are really better than the NiMH for most applications. There are some basic cameras, like the Canon A2000 that isn’t bad and use AAs but I prefer the SD-series. Is size a really big factor? How small are you willing to go?
Your needs aren’t very difficult to meet, except for the low light performance. That’s going to be hard to get at your price range. You’ll have to make do with pushing the ISO and deal with some noise.
You plan on buying on eBay so you’re getting used. How old are you willing to go? Some of the semi-recent Canons are nice, the SD-series 9xx or 1300/1400. What are you seeing on eBay in your area?
The problem is there is rarely an apples to apples comparison. Cameras that use AAs usually ship with alkalines, you need to buy NiMH (and get the low discharge versions) and a charger. Cameras that use LiIon batteries come with one and the charger. Unless you use your camera all day you won’t need a backup battery. I use my cameras a lot so I have several backup LiIon batteries, but I also carry 2 extra sets (4 each) of AAs for my other camera.
Find the camera you like and buy it, the battery choice is really not a big deal IMO. So, what are you seeing on eBay in your price range?
I just went on a three-week trip with a Canon PowerShot SX230HS 12 MP Digital Camera that I bought for $220 on Amazon. Although it does use a proprietary battery, the battery lasted for a really long time (although mostly I wasn’t using the flash). It’s very easy to use; it has presets for portraits, landscape and other common types of photos. I was happy with the pictures it took.
Of the cameras you linked to, the A4000 is a brand new model. You can buy it at a reputable online seller like B&H for the exact same price. That’s the type of camera I would recommend although the small sensor and high MP count means it’s not going to be very good at low light, but that’s pretty much the case for all cameras in this price range. The A3400 is the same camera with a shorter telephoto lens for a bit less money.
The SX130 was a big improvement over the previous model (the SX120) and the big zoom is very handy outdoors but again, not ideal in low light. It’s also noticeably larger than the A4000 which may or may not be an issue. Can you go to a camera store and hold a few models in your hands? That is important as I have found small differences in camera size can make a huge difference in whether you carry the camera with you.
The A800 and A1200 are basic P&S models. You could buy the current models new from B&H for $10 more if you are looking for basic functionality, but paying an extra $40-50 will get you a much better camera. Neither has optical image stabilization. The A1200 has an optical viewfinder which I really love but are as rare as hen’s teeth these days.
I would also look at the Panasonic and Nikon models in that price range. I still prefer Canon in that range, but they make some pretty good models that you might find for a steal.
You can buy its replacement, the FH6, new from B&H for less money once you count in shipping. It has a better zoom range, 24mm vs 28mm at wide angle. You can also look at the FH8 for $20 more which has a better LCD screen. These are good choices too.
I wouldn’t restrict myself to eBay. You can get fine deals at reputable retailers like B&H who will stand behind their products for just a tiny amount more with full warranties, brand new equipment, and great customer service.
You mention “24mm vs 28mm at wide angle”, what does this refer to? Is it the size of the sensor? More is better, right? Yeah, I really don’t know much about photography.
Also, I see that shutter speed is mentioned. Is there a big difference between 1/1600 and 1/2000? Is it mainly useful for shooting falling water?
Minimum shutter speed also seems to vary from 1 to 60 seconds. Is that only used to make pictures to look at when high?
Thanks again for your help.
This refers to the zoom. So a 28 mm is more zoomed in than a 24 mm lens. Having a wider angle is very helpful for indoor shoots, and IMHO is much more important than being able to zoom in a lot. Due to the form factor, you have little hope of effectively using a P&S at a high zoom level.
As said, the zoom range of the camera (24mm - 120mm for the FH6) represents the focal range of the lens. The smaller number is wide angle, the larger number is telephoto. In general, roughly 50mm is equivalent to the naked eye; what we consider neutral zoom. When you set the focal length to be greater than 50 you are zooming in or moving closer to the subject. When you set the focal length to be less than 50 you are zooming out or moving away from the subject.
Telephoto is great for framing your shot, getting closer to your subject when it’s physically impossible/inconvenient, or getting a shot without your subject knowing you are taking the photo. Wide angle allows you to capture more of your subject, especially indoors where you can’t always step back far enough.
Small differences at the wide angle end (such as 24mm vs 28mm) make a bigger difference than a similar difference (115mm vs 120 in this case) at the telephoto end. You won’t notice the difference at full zoom, but you will at full wide angle.
When cameras report their zoom range as a multiplier (4x for example) that represents the maximum focal length divided by the minimum focal length. A camera with a lens that goes from 35mm to 105mm and one that goes from 24mm to 72mm are both 3x zooms, but I would prefer the latter one as it’s much more useful to me.
Still love my ancient anvil of a 35mm Minolta for the great pictures I get from it, but my current take everywhere camera is a less than $100 Samsung digital I got just walking into a big box store and picking the one on sale. More megapixels than the very first $400 digital camera I bought, plus a rechargable battery that lasts and lasts. I haven’t had good luck with digital cameras lasting very long and the extended warranty I bought with my first one was worthless. The old Minolta is 40 years old and still works; I’m happy to have gotten 18 months out of my current digital camera and it’s perfect for the casual pictures I take. I even manage to get some pretty nice ones from it, in amongst the dozens of totally deletable ones.
The ELPH 300 is a very nice camera and a good choice or you, but with shipping costs on eBay you can get it for the same price from B&H. Unless you are buying used I don’t think there is much benefit to buying on eBay.
