Camera freaks, get in here now. Need advice...

[Stephen]

oh and image stabilization... i dont know what extent that is available under 200 but it'll help with crispness if its not completely still

[Ryan Stewart]

For that price getting something fast (in both the P&S and literal sense) wont be likely.

Some camera makers use fast lenses (meaning large apertures and good glass) but they are pricey. The MP is more of a selling point because they push that through a microscopic lense. Its not going to gain you jack.

For true speed you need control, going to a manual focus and/or manual exposure control means the camera doesnt have to setup all of that before it takes the shot. There are a handful of cameras that do this.

Maybe check a used Sony DSC-f717 if you dont mind a little size. Its got a zeiss lens, will do all manual controls (even has a focus ring) and used you can get them for about $200.

[Stephen]

For that price getting something fast (in both the P&S and literal sense) wont be likely.

Some camera makers use fast lenses (meaning large apertures and good glass) but they are pricey. The MP is more of a selling point because they push that through a microscopic lense. Its not going to gain you jack.

For true speed you need control, going to a manual focus and/or manual exposure control means the camera doesnt have to setup all of that before it takes the shot. There are a handful of cameras that do this.

Maybe check a used Sony DSC-f717 if you dont mind a little size. Its got a zeiss lens, will do all manual controls (even has a focus ring) and used you can get them for about $200.

yeah, i cant help much price wise, i only know SLRs well, i recently got my sony a300k

[Stephen]

Also, small cameras [more specifically small sensors] with lots of megapixels tend to produce noisy images. Whether this is helping or making it more confusing i dont know, but it is good to know.

[Ryan Stewart]

when he says noisy he means bad.

That is the bain of the compacts. There is only so much you can do with a small lense. It doesnt let enough light in for the sensor to take a good picture unless it is a really sensetive sensor which means the image will be grainy/fuzzy.

That is something that cant even really be overcome by money and what little makers have been able to do has been very expensive.

[scabzzzz]

Gosh, thanks for the responses guys. I figured this thread was over.

But yeah, I pretty much knew my wants and needs were far greater than my budget. Its not that I cant spend that much on a camera, (well, lol) its that this will be a beater camera in the end I can already tell. I know it will get dropped and scratched, and it will be traveled with. If I buy a DSLR, I will break it within the month I can guarantee you.

So... in the end, should I just get a run of the mill 8.1 mp point and shoot? And save my duckies for a nice DSLR later on?

[CorvallisBMW]

If you're worried about your camera taking a beating, Check this camera out:

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1363

It's what I'll be buying when I head off for my world travels. It will be nice to know that I don't have to worry about dust/rain/water/dirt/mud/etc....

[scabzzzz]

If you're worried about your camera taking a beating, Check this camera out:

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1363

It's what I'll be buying when I head off for my world travels. It will be nice to know that I don't have to worry about dust/rain/water/dirt/mud/etc....

Wow. Amazing camera. Thanks for sharing.