Camera question.....

[perplexed ponder]

All you photo buffs, which camera do you prefer and why?

I just got a new Olympus stylus 1010 (not waterproof, 7X zoom). It takes awesome macro and super macro photos. I am having trouble with action, like hummingbirds. I have tried every mode. i think the shutter speed is just not capable of being fast enough in this camera. I like it's very slim design, slips in a pocket with ease. I have 14 days to decide if I am keeping it. Do you have to advance to a DSLR to get the kind of shutter speeds and lose that annoying delay when shooting?

[Joyce]

My D200 recently died, in the process of replacing it because Nikon USA said it would be too costly to repair,
probably with a D300 which is an awesome professional camera. 

BUT...for everyday snapshot use...I love my daughters little Nikon CoolPix ($120) and I love my little Olympus. (manager special at RadioShack for $69)
Both tiny cameras, easy to pop in your purse, take GREAT shots. All pix I posted since about a month ago were taken with the little cameras.

[perplexed ponder]

Joyce, are the D series cameras the DSLR's?
Do you know which olympus you have?
I'll post some shots later that I take with the new one I got.
My Mom has been wanting to get me one since my cousin was here this summer. He bought one from a NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC photographer he knows, so you KNOW it was an awesome (and expensive) camera. I keep telling her that I don't need a camera with all that. We are going on a big family vacation in Nov, so she got me this one early so i could try it out (and give her camera back to her! haha!) I didn't want to drag a camera bag and extra lenses around, but Imay like to get something like that later on,  strictly for when I am out for the purpose of shooting. I've always been interested in photography and had a SLR way back before digital.

[perplexed ponder]

o.k. I think I got a better shot of hummingbird. I changed the compression to fine and the MP's to 10, still a little blurry, but much better. I shot on action mode, zoomed from about 12 feet away. I think if i get closer it will be better.

[perplexed ponder]

Here's a shot of sweetpeas with dew on them shot in super macro

[Joyce]

Greats shots, yes, the Ds are SLRs. 
I had it for 3+ years and never used all the features. 
I have an Olympus FE-210: 7.1 megapixels. 
GREAT little pocketbook camera.

The D200 is big and heavy, cumbersome.
But I love(d) it!

[fredinva]

Kathy,
The shutter speed on your camera should stop a hummingbird wing in motion. (It's 1/2000 sec)
"flapping their wings 15–80 times per second (depending on the species)" , thus 1/100 sec should do the trick.
OR, you can try using the flash, even during daylight.

Yes, the delay from pressing the shutter to actual shot is sometimes annoying. Then you have to wait for it to process before it displays.

Just keep clicking,  film is C H E A P !!!!!   

fred
(Canon man since the 60's, Nikon Coolpix 950 in late 90's,  back to Canon (G9) - macro focuses down to 1 cm.   

 

[cc]

Try using a higher ISO and a smaller number of F-stop, that will give you a much faster speed for action shots.

[Desertponder]

I have a Fuji Finepix S800. I seriously dislike this camera. I just got it in January but I'm not happy with it and will be getting something different in the future. I have always had Fuji cameras over the years, even when I was in school I had Fujis for journalism and photography. I used to shoot weddings years ago with a Fuji. Their film cameras are good but I don't like their digitals. The flashes are too powerful, they don't focus well and have trouble focusing and the color isn't the greatest or very accurate. The manual ability of this camera is a joke. I bought it partly for that reason but its not at all flexible enough. Photos are either overexposed or underexposed no matter what settings I use.
I can't trust it to focus properly. It looks focused in the viewfinder but then is out of focus in the final shot.

I plan on looking at Canons next time around. I've been quite impressed with pictures many post here using the Canons.

[marla]

Kathy those are great pictures.   I have an Olympus  camedia 540, I picked it up at work on major clearance ($20) about 4 yrs ago figured it was smaller then what I had and might come in handy, it has the slowest shutter or I just don't use it right.  I also have a Fuji S3000, and it takes great high light pics but is horrible in lowlight and agree the flash is to harsh, so I try not to use the flash.   I'd love to get a Cannon digital SLR, but need to save some bucks, I miss my Canon ae1 I had for years till my son took it duck hunting and waterloged it in the bottom of the boat.

[perplexed ponder]

CC, this is just a little pocket camera. can't set the F stops. I am thinking, to get the cool nature shots I like to do, I will have to invest in a DSLR at some point (not in the budget at the moment).

I took it to a nature preserve yesterday and got more frustration. Birds, 20 ft away came out BLURRY. This will be good for shooting vacation snapshots and the kids, stuff like that, but artsy photos will need a different camera.

The macro is incredible though!

This last bird, I believe is a Vireo. Anyone know for sure? I had never seen it before.