Another what camera thread

[Fsurocks99]

Hi everyone, I'm going out of the country in a few weeks and am looking to buy a new ultra compact digital camera. When I come back from my trip, I would like this camera to be able to take some nice pics of my reef tank. I have been looking at the Sony Cybershot DSC-W290 and W300 and some of the waterproof Olympus cameras. I was hoping some of you could shed some light or give recommendations. Right now, I'm looking to spend $200 to $300. But, I could go a little higher. Thanks in advance.
Oh, and are the waterproof cameras really worth it?

 

[JHemdal]

I bought a Pentax Optio 10mp a few months ago to augment my D300 (when I don't want to lug that behemoth around). I got it new on Ebay for $209.

I'm happy with it, I used it to take some in-tank shots which I then sold to FAMA to go along with an article I had written. I find it really helpful for shots where I can't clean the front glass well enough for a regular outside-the-tank shot. I'm a bit leery of the water seals though, seem pretty flimsy. I soak the camera in R/O water after use rather than rinsing it under the tap, because I'm afraid that the force of the water might break the seal.

Here is a thread about the camera from earlier this year (with some sample shots taken with a different camera):

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1611190


Jay

 

[TitusvileSurfer]

Comparison

Comparison

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/com...de&cameras=sony_dscw290,sony_dscw300&show=all

Max resolution: how much you can crop on a computer screen or how larger you can print on paper. Printing involves other factors as well though, likely most influential is the distance from which you view the image. How the image physically prints (DPI) may fall second, and on and on...
This is a direct result of megapixel the. If you don't plan to crop and solely want to post images for all to see on the great site of REEF CENTRAL, if you zoom in with your lens or feet instead of the computer, beyond 7MP is bloated/wasted energy. I can print an image well over 1' long with no problem @ 10MP.

I am too drunk and tired to continue. I my cousin is passed out 1' away from me @ my feet. If you are really interestind in the who/what/where...respond with questions. My short answer is this:
The DSC-W300 offers enough advantages over the W290 to establish itself as an obvious winner. When you compare the cost...not so much. I am actually questioning the results of the links below:

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Cybersho...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1245831814&sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-Cyber-sh...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1245831847&sr=1-1

It seems like too drastic of a price to benefits ratio.
I would look into a Niiiiice Canon G10 (Reef) or Panasonic LX3, which in theory is better than the G-10 in a compelling number of non-reefing scenarios.

The G-10 and LX3 would both outperform either of these cameras in every category I can think of off the top of my head.

 

[JHemdal]

Titusville,

OMG - how funny! Giving advice while drunk - I know it happens more than people think, most people don't admit it though! I myself find that a few home brews helps my writing (but not my driving!). I think you did a pretty good job given the time of your post.

On another message board, this guy would sometimes respond to posts with amazing fits of anger and bizarre statements. Other times, he was quite rational. I began comparing the time stamp on his posts, and discovered that any post he made after around 1am EST would be done "under the influence", and that he was evidently an angry drunk.

"Friends don't let Friends post drunk".....


Jay

 

[TitusvileSurfer]

I'm sure I've made a few bizarre statements here, and fits of anger to boot! Alcohol nor any other drug contributed to it, though I could see where Doug might suspect otherwise. hahaha

 

[Fsurocks99]

Thanks so much for the info. I guess my other question is what are the features that go into taking a macro picture. Is it digital or optical zoom or both?

 

[JHemdal]

Fsurocks,

In general, digital zooms are meaningless - you can get the same effect (and have the same drawbacks) just enlarging the image with software. My Pentax has an option to turn it off - and I leave it off all of the time. Optical zoom will bring the image closer using the lens. A real macro in these point and shoots allow you to get close and then focus. The Pentax I have has an ultra-zoom setting of around 1/2" from the subject....I've never seen a camera that could get that close. The only problem is that the setting is mostly useless because the flash can't illuminate something that close, and the camera body itself often shades the subject. The Pentax also has a regular macro setting, getting about 12" from the subject that is much more useful.

Jay