I HATE my camera....

[TinysMom]

GREAT......

I get this email from one of my district managers - about a job that is due next Wednesday...

REMINDER** A picture of the Sony Digital Photo Frame Display must be attached to the end of your call report for the job to be complete.

 

[missyscove]

Ask them to provide you with a camera

In terms of where to get a new one, go to Walmart and handle some of their cameras, get to know what you like and don't like, and then go online and see where you can get the best deal for whatever camera you do decide on.

Read other reviews online too, it really does help.

 

[TinysMom]

I DID IT!!! I went and bought a camera.

Now to those who think I'm crazy - I understand. But you have to understand that I not only use my camera for bunnies - but for work (on a fairly regular basis) - and my camera was not being dependable (for bunnies at least).

I do have 30 days to return the camera if I don't like it - right now I haven't even taken it out of the box....its still sitting here while I debate about going any further.

But here goes....I went to the website Stan suggested - read about the cameras - printed up some of the pages - and went to Walmart to actually handle some cameras.

I started out looking at Canon - but after I talked to an employee there I was willing to consider other options. In the past I've had a Kodak EasyShare and a Nikon. To be honest with you - as much as I have a love/hate relationship with my Nikon....its hard to think of replacing it. I may go ahead and get a new battery in the next few days anyway (along with keeping this one charged) and see if it makes a difference. I don't know though - I suspect something may be wrong with it -.....

Anyway - I didn't buy my first choice camera.....although they had it in stock. I really liked one of the Canon larger models (I forget now exactly what it was). It was $50 cheaper than the one I got....BUT.....it used AA batteries. Sorry - been there - done that - been down that road before and I hated it. It seemed like I'd be in the middle of something and the batteries were always dying or close to dying - even if I'd recharged them recently. One of the reasons I liked it was that it had IS (Image Stabilization??)....but I also liked the way it felt in my hand (good and solid) and I don't know...I guess it felt a lot like my Nikon when I held it. I even sorta liked the controls. But the AA batteries...nope.

One of the things I considered then was.....the fact that I'm going to be carrying this camera into stores with me when I work. I wanted something small enough to put into my pocket of my pants or skirt....and really - that first choice would be klunky (like my Nikon).

So I wound up going with .....

a Canon...

PowerShot SD1100 IS (Digital ELPH???)

If Stan and y'all think I made a bad choice - I can take it back and get something else.

The only reason I didn't get the Canon SD750....is that it didn't have the image stabilization and I figured I could use all the help I could get.

I liked the blue display model - but they only had it in silver. It is 8.0 megapixels, a 3X zoom lens if I understand right - and I forget what else I should share about it...

Thoughts? Did I do good? Bad?

I don't dare open it till I hear some comments....

 

[TinysMom]

I forgot to add two things....well...three things.

While this may seem like an impulse purchase - we've been waiting for Art to get his pay for the 72 hours of vacation he didn't take last year. I had been considering getting a new camera with part of this money for well over a month - since my old one started acting up. The camera was about 15% of his check (before taxes)....so while it weren't cheap....at least we still have money left.

Secondly - I bought a card reader (I had no idea what you meant Stan in your IM to me when I asked you about this) - for those who don't know - my USB cord won't work anymore - its like the camera doesn't know its attached to a computer...

and

I bought a 2 year extended warranty on the camera too - this time I'm gonna save the paperwork...

 

[mouse_chalk]

It seems like a great camera to me! I did a little Googling of it and found only good reviews! It looks nice too.... Over here, that style of Canon is called the Ixus range, and they're really nice, solidly built cameras. As the link that Stan gave you said, everything Canon make is great! IS is great too, one of my lenses has it, and with the lens being so heavy, I don't think I'd get anything decent out of the lens without it having IS...

3x Optical zoom isn't as good as some of the other compacts out there right now, but then I doubt you'd want much more than that for just normal pictures, of bunnies, and work stuff? Only if you were shooting stuff that's quite far away...

I say open the box and start snapping

 

[mouse_chalk]

TinysMom wrote:

Secondly - I bought a card reader (I had no idea what you meant Stan in your IM to me when I asked you about this) - for those who don't know - my USB cord won't work anymore - its like the camera doesn't know its attached to a computer...

Your new camera should work with the USB cable- as you'll get a new USB cable in the box, but a card reader is soooo useful. My camera requires a charge in the battery for it to work via USB, which can be a pain if the battery has died- you have to charge it before you can upload pictures, but a card reader means you can just slot the card in and away you go!

 

[TinysMom]

Well - the problem with the USB cable for the Nikon is that the USB cable got damaged - so Art got a new "universal" type one for cameras - doesn't work with all of them - obviously - as the USB connections were too big for the Nikon.

I'm reading more about this camera on the net and considering it compared to my Nikon.....and wondering if I jumped the gun and should've just bought a new battery for the Nikon and the card reader....which actually doesn't look that hard to use.

But in reading reviews (now) of the Nikon - I see where others hav had issues with the delay in the flash or ability to use the camera...its hard to explain.

I hate decisions - I always seem to make the wrong one. I'm not a gal who likes to "upgrade" a lot and change what I'm using.

I may go ahead and take some pics with this one and also with the Nikon (with a fully charged battery - have Robin take some and I take some at the same time) - and then see which ones look best...

I don't know.

ARG!!!!

 

[JadeIcing]

I have an easy share. Never an issues. Battery or anything. I don't know maybe I have luck. I have taken 300-400 pictures and video at a time. Never had the batteries die. I can go days with the same charge.

 

[missyscove]

I was going to suggest a card reader too.
I have a built in one in my laptop as well as an additional one that reads other kinds of cards and it's a lifesaver.

 

[Little Bay Poo]

From a glance, it looks like your Canon Powershot will probably be very similar to my Sony Cybershot. If it is, I think you will like it. Even though I complain about my camera, it is very functional for its price and size. I'm just spoiled after seeing Pebbles pictures and desperately wanting to reproduce the Nikon D200 results with my cheap compact camera

Some things I have noticed about my compact camera (yours may not have the same issues, but I'll write them anyways)

• there is virtually no zoom, it may as well not be there
• when you turn up the ISO setting, pictures get VERY grainy
• when you turn flash off, it is very difficult to get pictures unless your subject stays perfectly still
• red eye seems to be exaggerated with the compact camera

Things I like about my compact camera

• It's the size of a deck of cards, so easily transportable in a purse, pocket, etc. Since it's so small you can take all your pictures with one hand.
• My battery life is pretty good, unless I keep it on video mode for a long time
• Videos look great if the setting is turned up to high quality and you get a 2 gigabyte memory card to hold the larger file sizes
• Very simple to use, as most of the settings are automatically done for you. There is very little manual adjustments to make on my camera

Mine came with a USB plug, and transferring the files is a breeze...but I've also used card readers and those are nice too. I'm not sure how similar our cameras are, so some of this stuff I wrote might not apply to the Canon Powershot. Anyhow, I think you will find it very easy to use and if you're not looking for fancy photography quality pictures, you will like it

 

[AngelnSnuffy]

[*]when you turn flash off, it is very difficult to get pictures unless your subject stays perfectly still


Too True! I have a Nikon Coolpix 6, love it, hate it. When I set it on no flash, every dang pic I take is "Blurry", ugh! That's what I hate about this camera. Stan, any suggestions on that? Thank you sweetie.

 

[TinysMom]

Here are some pics (edited only by cropping) from tonight with Gracie's babies.

I have mixed feelings about the new camera - but I'm too tired to post them here. I have 30 days to return it - I think I'm going to charge the batteries on both cameras and then have Robin and I take pictures at the same time - partly to see which camera is ready for another picture first (speed test) and to compare quality.

With this new one - it is too easy to screw up the settings...I'm not fond of the controls...

Anyway - when Gracie's babies started getting out of their pen - mama and babies were moved to a "backup" cage - they're moving back to a NIC pen this weekend....so scuse the rust on the cage but I had to find something to use quickly ....

For some reason - these next pictures remind me of a trio of girls all gathered around the same mic to sing a song....

 

[TinysMom]

For comparison - here are some of Isenstar I took tonight also....

 

[Pet_Bunny]

Little Bay Poo wrote:

From a glance, it looks like your Canon Powershot will probably be very similar to my Sony Cybershot.

Some things I have noticed about my compact camera (yours may not have the same issues, but I'll write them anyways)

• there is virtually no zoom, it may as well not be there
• when you turn up the ISO setting, pictures get VERY grainy
• when you turn flash off, it is very difficult to get pictures unless your subject stays perfectly still
• red eye seems to be exaggerated with the compact camera

I'm glad Little Bay Poo posted. The Sony DSC-W50 is similar to the smaller PowerShot SD1100. With all compact point and shoots, they are convenient and simple to use. However, in my hands they are too tiny for me and would take more effort from me to get a good picture. Because they are so small, the sensor size is also small, making the picture harder to get good quality out of them. You have to have a good photo situation to get a good picture. For example, you need bright lights (outside),and a reasonablystill subject. Peg, the "IS" only prevents camera shake to keep the picture sharp, but if the subject moves, you can still get blurry pictures. IS would be good for low light situations of something that doesn't move. With the smaller cameras you are limited with what you can do.

Avoidthe flashon the compact cameras if you can. They sit too close to the lens and give you red eyes all the time. There islittlerange for the flash either. You only waste batteries if you use the red eye reduction on rabbits.

The Canon pictures appear to be soft. Can you send an uncropped picture to me inaPM so I can see what the camera is doing?

 

[Pet_Bunny]

AngelnSnuffy wrote:

[*]When I set it on no flash, every dang pic I take is "Blurry", ugh! That's what I hate about this camera. Stan, any suggestions on that?

I noticed your pictures are sharper with the flash, but you get the terrible red eyes.
[*]I have one tip, one suggestion, and one question for you.

Tip. When you take a picture, press the release button half way and hold itbriefly before it takes a picture. This will give the camera time to focus properly and get the right settings. Some cameras have a green dot that comes on to show you it is ready to take the picture.

Suggestion. On your camera, set the flash mode to "Anytime Flash" and see if your pictures improve. This feature will flash for all your pictures, but I want to know if it will flash as brightly as it was in Auto mode.

Question. I am not sure what your "gain control" is all about. On your pictures with high gain up, the picture seems washed out and grainy. Is there any way for you to turn it off?

 

[TinysMom]

I've decided to go ahead and take the camera back....I just don't like it.

What I do like - is the large screen that I can see the pictures on. I love that.

But everytime I go to use the camera - I'm afraid of bumping the button and changing the settings.

The more I use this camera - the more I like my Nikon.....I just am tired of not being able to get pictures because of the delay....

The problem is - I like what I read about Canon cameras. I'm looking at and thinking about the Canon PowerShot A650IS......

I don't know - I hate making decisions like this.

What makes it hard is that our Walmart is more expensive than other Walmarts (honest - the cameras are priced ABOVE the retail price for some of them if I read the websites correctly).

But I know I'm taking this one back this weekend.....maybe I should just order a new battery for my Nikon and use it....

 

[Pet_Bunny]

TinysMom wrote:

I've decided to go ahead and take the camera back....I just don't like it.
I'm looking at and thinking about the Canon PowerShot A650IS......

I think you will be much happier with the PS A650IS.
It is the same size LCD screen as the SD1100IS, but the 650 screen can flip out.
Only difference is that the picture on the screen is not as sharp and bright, but it is still better than most other point and shoots.

I went out to the store this morningand looked at the 1100. I couldn't believe how small it was. :shock: With so much features and technology crammed into a tiny thing,I stillprefer larger cameras with something thatI can hold on to.

On the 650, you need 4 AA batteries, but that is OK, because it is better than other cameras that only use 2 AA batteries. If you get2 sets of rechargeable batteries, then you should have enough power for your shooting. On my camera (Nikon D300), it uses 8 AA batteries and I can shoot 1000's of pictures and never change batteries for weeks and weeks. If I need charging, I just pop them into a 1 hour charger.

Other members have this type and similar cameras astheA650 model and they have real nice pictures. Look at Mybabybunnies pictures (PS A710IS an older model).

 

[mouse_chalk]

I have the Powershot A640, a slightly earlier model, with less megapixels and less of an optical zoom, and it's brilliant!

It's really nice to hold as it sort of feels more like a camera should, if you know what I mean? You can get a much better grip on it than you can with these credit card sized cameras about now...

It takes great pictures too.... If you want samples, look at my Blog and all the pictures up until early june were taken with my A640, and they come out really well. The one or 2 that are blurry etc were probably due to a fast moving bunny! The batteries do really last for ever and ever too. I have a rechargable set, but I only need to charge them every month or so maybe, with regular use? It's a bit bigger than the Canon you have just purchased I think (only going by pictures of your Canon on the internet) but not too much bigger, mostly only the grip on the side makes it stick out a bit more, but in my opinion, that's a good thing!

 

[TinysMom]

Stan,

I think the question comes down to - do you think tha the Canon will do better for me than the Nikon does - or would I be better to just get a new battery for the Nikon and see if that makes enough of a difference?

I wish I could learn to use my Nikon better (and that it didn't have the delay between pictures) because I have to say I like the way it feels in my hands and if I leave the settings alone...I think it does well. I'm wondering if I should try to figure out how to turn off the flash though as I always use it with a flash indoors - should I not?

So much to learn.....when I looked at cameras I found myself wishing you were right there at the store to explain the models, etc.

I will be so glad to take this one back - I've taken maybe 40 pictures and it just is so NOT me....

 

[SnowyShiloh]

Aww I love my camera, it's a Fuji Finepix F11. The only problem is that for some reason the batteries won't charge! It's one of those cameras that you actually have to plug into the wall to charge... First things first, I don't think it's anything wrong with the electrical socket because I charge my cell phone there all the time. Perhaps it's a problem with the charger (which I just got in February), or the little battery inside the camera itself needs to be replaced? How to go about figuring out which one has the problem... I just hope it's not the camera itself!

Peg, I'm glad you returned the camera if you weren't sure you loved it! When I got this camera, I bought it and another at the same time because I couldn't make up my mind. I tested them both out for a week, then returned the other. Good luck finding one you like a lot!! If it helps, I think my camera takes very pretty pictures considering what it is.