Another chosing camera thread.

[Mit321]

I'm going to India next week so need to chose quite quickly. Complete photography beginner and am looking for a camera which is good at point and click photos. My range is up to about £100-120 but can stretch a bit, seems to me as if there are so many I can probably get what I want for around that price?

I've seen the:
Canon PowerShot SX120 mentioned here before which I can find for about £130, but not sure if this would be "too advanced" for a first camera?

Also looking for one which is "reasonably" sturdy as it will be quite dusty and wet as its coming up to monsoon season over there!

Any advice much appreciated.

[chris-p]

Hi Mit, welcome to the forum

Firstly, you won't get "too advanced". Every compact on the market has fully automatic point and shoot modes so don't worry about that.

The SX120 is a pretty good camera for the money. It's around £160 on most sites so £130 is a pretty good price. There are a couple of other cameras that might be worth looking at (although it really depends on what exactly you think is most important...)

Firstly, (and this is above your budget) is the Fuji F80 EXR which is £160. If you can stretch to this camera, it's the best direct competition for the Canon. It's got a 10x zoom and comes in red, black or silver.

The only camera to beat the Canon on spec is another Fuji, the S1600. It looks pretty big and scarey but it has all the auto point and shoot modes you could want along with a 15x zoom (pretty huge for the money) and a decent wide angle end for landscape shots. It's fairly chunky though so if size is important this might not be the right camera.

Next is a general all-rounder. The Panasonic DMC FS-11 is £130 and has a 5x zoom. It's a good sensible all round camera which doesn't really match the spec of the Canon, but thats mainly because you've found a good price for the Canon...

Finally, you mentioned sturdy. This is a tricky one as, generally speaking, the more you spend on a camera, the tougher they get. However, there are such things as "rugged" cameras. There are 2 that are just about in your price range.

They are the Fuji XP10 (5x zoom, waterproof to 3m, dustproof, shockproof etc, £120) and the Olympus mju Tough 3000 (3.6x zoom and similar ruggedness as the Fuji - £145).

This is quite a lot of information to take in so I'll offer some personal opinion as well... The Canon SX120 normally retails for about £160 and is a good all rounder. If the retailer you've found that's selling it for £130 is a reputable one then it's a pretty good deal which you will struggle to beat. Being plastic it's not going to be very very strong but it's going to weather better than the shiny fake metal bodies you get on some compacts. The only other camera here I like enough to spend my money on would be the Fuji F80 EXR but it's quite a way out of your price range.

[Mit321]

I found it here, with next day postage its £142:
http://www.expansys.com/d.aspx?i=195785

Its also availble at places like Ebuyer for around £150 (with postage) but I think that first place is reputable?

Would you still recommend it at £140 over anything else in that price range? Also i've heard its "reasonably" big? How big is that because my trip to India is a backpacking kindof trip where space is important but as long as its not that much bigger than the standard camera shouldn't be a problem.

What kind of case would you recommend?

Thanks

[Mit321]

Also just to add confusion I have just seen on ebay the SX200 which I guess is the version up?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CANON-PowerSho...item439ba2d0a4

Obviously this is more expensive but it seems like the seller is throwing in a 8GB card as well which is worth about £10-15?
But I have also found the original SX120 for £130 including postage and a 4gb card:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CANON-PowerSho...item5888755eed

I'm guessing for the price the SX120 is a better price? The only thing that worries me is that it uses AA batterys rather than a battery pack like the SX200?

[chris-p]

I've never used Expansys but looking them up on a review site, of the 15 reviews on the first page, 13 reviews say avoid or stay away... most people suggest that the stock is in the US and the "in stock" boxes on the UK site relate to US stock which is actually not availble in the UK. Links here and here). I've bought from Ebuyer before (my first SLR in fact) and never had a problem.

Size-wise, the SX120 is (officially) 111x71x45mm. To put that into context, the Fuji F80 EXR (which is a more traditional compact size and shape) is 99x59x28mm. It's probably worth drawing that out (as it's almost meaningless any other way). The SX120 isn't huge really, it's just a bit bigger than most "compacts"...

WRT to bags, it's personal preference. The 3 most well known bag manfacturers are Kata, Crunpler and Lowepro. All 3 are good (I like Kata and Crumpler the most - Kata are generally regarded as the toughest, Crumpler as the most stylish). I would probably go for something like the Kata DP 415. It's tough and well sealed - a real bonus in dusty areas. Morris Photo have one for about £14 (link).

Would I still recommend it over anything else for £140? Probably - there still isn't much else with the same spec. Just remember that you're going to end up shelling for a camera, bag and a memory card (at the very least). Say £140 for the camera, £15 for the case and a tenner for a 4GB SDHC card and thats £165... It's still a pretty good deal - just be aware that you need more than the camera and case!

[Mit321]

Originally Posted by chris-p

I've never used Expansys but looking them up on a review site, of the 15 reviews on the first page, 13 reviews say avoid or stay away... most people suggest that the stock is in the US and the "in stock" boxes on the UK site relate to US stock which is actually not availble in the UK. Links here and here). I've bought from Ebuyer before (my first SLR in fact) and never had a problem.

Size-wise, the SX120 is (officially) 111x71x45mm. To put that into context, the Fuji F80 EXR (which is a more traditional compact size and shape) is 99x59x28mm. It's probably worth drawing that out (as it's almost meaningless any other way). The SX120 isn't huge really, it's just a bit bigger than most "compacts"...

WRT to bags, it's personal preference. The 3 most well known bag manfacturers are Kata, Crunpler and Lowepro. All 3 are good (I like Kata and Crumpler the most - Kata are generally regarded as the toughest, Crumpler as the most stylish). I would probably go for something like the Kata DP 415. It's tough and well sealed - a real bonus in dusty areas. Morris Photo have one for about £14 (link).

Would I still recommend it over anything else for £140? Probably - there still isn't much else with the same spec. Just remember that you're going to end up shelling for a camera, bag and a memory card (at the very least). Say £140 for the camera, £15 for the case and a tenner for a 4GB SDHC card and thats £165... It's still a pretty good deal - just be aware that you need more than the camera and case!

Ah ok well it seems like I found it cheaper here anyway:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/CANON-PowerSho...item5888755eed


So now only £130 with Camera and 4GB Memory Card. Add a case for £15 and thats £145 overall for everything? Good deal? Also will 4GB be enough for 3weeks or should I get another memory card too? Battery wise as well should I buy a load of cheap AA batterys as then I don't have to worry about finding somewhere to charge them in India? Also sorry to keep asking questions but will the Kata DP-415 Digital Pouch defintley fit this camera? I just can't seem to find it saying any specific model's on the site.

[chris-p]

You must have caught me in mid reply!

There are a couple of things to watch our for here. Firstly, with eBay and cameras - if they're UK stock then maybe. If they come from Hong Kong, China etc I would avoid them. SLR lenses have a worldwide warranty, cameras and SLR camera bodies don't. They're region specific.
This looks like a UK seller which means you should be OK on that front.

The other thing to take into consideration is that these are refurbished cameras. The electronics industry doesn't have a standard definition for what "refurbished" means. Only you can make that call. It might be worth looking into what sort of warranty these cameras have, just in case.

It's a good price for the SX200 though. The SX200 belongs to a range of compact "superzooms" which are excellent cameras but normally out of your price range.

If it was me (and I could afford it) I'd have the SX200 - I genuinely would. It's better specified, smaller and better built than the SX120. It's more money though, and you'd still need a case.

Originally Posted by Mit321

So now only £130 with Camera and 4GB Memory Card. Add a case for £15 and thats £145 overall for everything? Good deal? Also will 4GB be enough for 3weeks or should I get another memory card too? Battery wise as well should I buy a load of cheap AA batterys as then I don't have to worry about finding somewhere to charge them in India? Also sorry to keep asking questions but will the Kata DP-415 Digital Pouch defintley fit this camera? I just can't seem to find it saying any specific model's on the site.

Yes, that's a good deal. I picked the DP-415 based on the bag chooser on the Kata site (I told it I wanted cases that would fit the SX120 IS specifically) so it should fit.
A 4GB card should hold about 1,000 photos from a 12MP camera. That's an estimate as each photo will be different. Cards are cheap though, you can pick them up from less than £5 at places like 7 Day Shop.

[Mit321]

Originally Posted by chris-p

You must have caught me in mid reply!

There are a couple of things to watch our for here. Firstly, with eBay and cameras - if they're UK stock then maybe. If they come from Hong Kong, China etc I would avoid them. SLR lenses have a worldwide warranty, cameras and SLR camera bodies don't. They're region specific.
This looks like a UK seller which means you should be OK on that front.

The other thing to take into consideration is that these are refurbished cameras. The electronics industry doesn't have a standard definition for what "refurbished" means. Only you can make that call. It might be worth looking into what sort of warranty these cameras have, just in case.

It's a good price for the SX200 though. The SX200 belongs to a range of compact "superzooms" which are excellent cameras but normally out of your price range.

If it was me (and I could afford it) I'd have the SX200 - I genuinely would. It's better specified, smaller and better built than the SX120. It's more money though, and you'd still need a case.



Yes, that's a good deal. I picked the DP-415 based on the bag chooser on the Kata site (I told it I wanted cases that would fit the SX120 IS specifically) so it should fit.
A 4GB card should hold about 1,000 photos from a 12MP camera. That's an estimate as each photo will be different. Cards are cheap though, you can pick them up from less than £5 at places like 7 Day Shop.

It has a 3month Warrenty and claims its "Factory Refurbished to New". I'm really not sure what to do now as the SX200 is a better camera yet the cheapest I can get it is for £170 without case.

Also the SX200 is " REFURBISHED TO NEW BY CANON. BRAND NEW CONDITION.".

In relation to batterys as well might the SX120 be better as I can just take some AA's with me and not worry about having to charge it? Though the SX200 is more "pocket-freindly"

Please help me decide I'm so bad with things like this.

Plus just to add to this massive indescion if I were to chose the more expensive option maybe go for:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/PANASONIC-LUMI...item43a0348535

instead as is £10 cheaper than the SX200 and are quite identical in features/reviews?

[Mit321]

From reviews I've read I think I'm going to go for the Panasonic as it comes off "slightly" better. Going to be ordering soon as they can deliver tommorow if I order before 2.30. What do you think? Also would you go with Kata again for the bag for a panasonic? Should I go with the same one or as the panasonic is smaller go with a smaller one?

Thanks

[chris-p]

Sorry for the delay getting back to you, I've been busy (I'm at work you see!)

In the travel zoom area, Panasonic started the game and they still rule the roost. If you'd popped up here with a budget of £200-£250 I would have pointed you straight in the direction of the latest version of the TZ7 (the TZ10).
Of all the cameras so far, it's the only one I actually would want to own myself.

Bag wise, Kata are good. You won't need such a large bag. You might be best off taking your camera (when you get it) to a camera shop and just trying to fit it into a load of different cases. That way you can be sure it'll fit.