Best digital camera under 5-6k? Plz Suggest

R

Hiii guys....I want to purchase a digital camera under the budget of 5-6k, can extend some more if needed. I want really gud picture quality, and some optical zoom. I will use it for both indoor and outdoor, but mostly outdoors. I also want video recording of good and acceptable quality, to record my guitar sessions :smile:

But after all the first requirement is superb picture quality, nothing else matters more.
Plz suggest guys.....thanks a lot.

look at these

PowerShot A495 - Digital Cameras - Canon India

review

Canon PowerShot A495 Digital Camera - Preview - The Imaging Resource!

Nikon India Private Limited

review

Nikon COOLPIX L22 budget point-and-shoot camera review: design, controls, lens, stabilisation, screen, menus, drive modes | Cameralabs

you can't go much wrong with any of these cams .

R

thanks friend.
I thought 5-6k would be enough, but now I feel its not.
can I get any better if I extend the budget to 7-8k, or more, if possible.
I want really crisp and detailed pictures, with sharp and detailed edges, especially while taking landscape and distant pictures. Mostly I see smudgy edges in these camera pics, which I really do not want.

Please suggest whats best in your opinion friends.......in terms of overall quality, color and sharpness of these images.

Always go for Nikon if you want good screenshots with your cam...

R

So should I go for higher models of Nikon?
Also, in what price range can I get a camera that delivers superb landscape pictures, with every object details and no blurry edges. Sorry mates, but I've no prior experience in buying cameras, so I've to consult a lot. In short, I want a really gud camera guys, under the price of 10000-11000 (Extended my budget

).

I have good experience with couple of Nikon cams and also if you will go to any shop and will ask for good cam they will suggest Nikon, in budget of 10k you can buy a good cam of same company but you need to do some search for available cams now

@10-11k u will get canon SX110IS and probably nikon L110

L110 is known for being Auto. i.e. if u don't wanna know much details and just shoot, then it will do.
SX110IS is a good , but a little old model, it has manual as well as auto, and very compact as well.

P

I'm keen on photography, but I haven't had time to keep up with what's on the market for the past one year or so. However, if you want crisp sharp pictures, no other brand beats Panasonic. They have the best lenses. And they keep coming out with innovative features. By "innovative" I mean things that are useful and not just marketing gimmicks.

The one weakness of Panasonic is a level of noise that's a bit higher than with other brands. This may or may not be a drawback depending on your shooting habits. The noise is not significant in outdoor shots, but may sometimes be quite noticeable in low light shots.

pimpom said:
I'm keen on photography, but I haven't had time to keep up with what's on the market for the past one year or so. However, if you want crisp sharp pictures, no other brand beats Panasonic. They have the best lenses. And they keep coming out with innovative features. By "innovative" I mean things that are useful and not just marketing gimmicks.

The one weakness of Panasonic is a level of noise that's a bit higher than with other brands. This may or may not be a drawback depending on your shooting habits. The noise is not significant in outdoor shots, but may sometimes be quite noticeable in low light shots.

what pannycam u use? :mrgreen:

i know panny FZ-35 is one of the top notch camera out there in market for a while now. and they are gonna roll out 24x fz-40 & fz-100 this august in the international market.
but idk when they will be available here.

P

icebags said:
what pannycam u use?

i know panny FZ-35 is one of the top notch camera out there in market for a while now. and they are gonna roll out 24x fz-40 & fz-100 this august in the international market.
but idk when they will be available here.

ATM I use an FZ-30. I've had an FZ-5, FZ-20, FZ-7, TZ1 plus others by Canon, Kodak, Fuji and Nikon. I've never owned a DSLR so far, but I've used various DSLR models by Canon and Nikon.

Am saving up for a Pana GH1 or whichever model is current in that series when I've saved enough. Its 10x kit lens beats the pants off the widely popular Nikon 18-200mm lens in comparative in-depth tests.

Have you visited the long-running photography thread in the 'Discussions' section? I used to post there regularly, but haven't had the time for several months now. The thread was made a sticky during my long absence. You can see some of my shots with the Pannys there.

pimpom said:
Am saving up for a Pana GH1 or whichever model is current in that series when I've saved enough. Its 10x kit lens beats the pants off the widely popular Nikon 18-200mm lens in comparative in-depth tests.

Thats an uber expensive cam @$1100, idk if it sells here in india or at what price it sells.
But @ that pricei would probably consider a good semi pro DSLR, capable of tsking low noise @1600ISO ..

P

icebags said:
Thats an uber expensive cam @$1100, idk if it sells here in india or at what price it sells.
But @ that pricei would probably consider a good semi pro DSLR, capable of tsking low noise @1600ISO ..

Yes. it's expensive. But according to exhaustive tests by serious review sites:
1. It's no more expensive than a good entry-level DSLR fitted with a good long-zoom lens.
2. The kit lens is by far the best of any long zoom. Leaves the famous Nikkor 18-200mm eating its dust.
3. With its micro-4/3 sensor, noise level is as good as in an entry-level DSLR.
4. When first released, it had the best HD movie mode of any digital camera. Other brands have improved since then, but few have equalled it and none has surpassed it.
5. Panasonic has always had the best image stabilization.
6. Its auto-focus is faster and better than most entry-level DSLRs.
7. No DSLR even comes close to its live view function.
8. It has superb LCD and EVF resolutions.

True, mid- to high-end DSLRs have better noise performance. But they don't have all the qualities I've listed above, and they are much more expensive, especially when fitted with a set of lenses that cover the range and quality of the GH1's kit lens.

Now, what upgrades will they put into a GH2..........?

Nicely explained, I know Panny has been the pathfinder in the world of camera with many new features and quality and hope they live up to all those bold statements.

Its the noise part that bugs me, they should do some good works in this field. Much visible noise at ISO 400 and above practically handicaps the photo taker @ very high shutter speeds in low light conditions.
:razz:

1 more thing, these micro four thirds use different set of lenses and dslrs, i.e. not compatible with ant of the dslr lenses?

I am currently considering a good bridge cam, its now between panny FZ-35 (wanted to check FZ-40 donno when it will be released here) and fujicam HS10.

In decently lit outdoors landscape FZ-35 shots blow mind whereas HS-10 seems fairing little better in lower light condition and in portrait/ macro condition and also has some more features.

pimpom said:
Now, what upgrades will they put into a GH2..........?

A lil googling finds it will be a shutter less camera. :-o

guys suggest some digital cameras for me too. below 5-6k. don't suggest one but say 5-6. so its easier for me to make the decision which to go for (also availability). no need for some HiFi features that maybe never used. just a basic one. build quality should be better.

P

icebags said:
1 more thing, these micro four thirds use different set of lenses and dslrs, i.e. not compatible with ant of the dslr lenses?

That's correct. But there are adapters that let you use a standard DSLR lens on a micro four-thirds camera.

In any case, Panasonic has a set of lenses for the micro 4/3 format. The number of choices is limited compared to that for a DSLR, but the available ones are excellent. Speaking for myself, it's unlikely that I'll need additional lenses.

Sam.Shab said:
guys suggest some digital cameras for me too. below 5-6k. don't suggest one but say 5-6. so its easier for me to make the decision which to go for (also availability). no need for some HiFi features that maybe never used. just a basic one. build quality should be better.

At that range there is practically nothing to choose from, except the brand name. Here is what u get :

Nikon : Full auto
Ex: L22

Canon : Some manual & auto.
Ex: A495 (no image stabilizer), A3000, A3100, IXUS 105

Sony : Compact size
Ex: donno

Kodak : Auto, cheaper and my friend has one without optical zoom. He posts some nice fotos in orkut.

As the user of an entry level digital cam made by canon, i will recommend canon anyday (A3100 is good). The pics are excellent in nice daylight conditions. But due to this auto feature u have to use flash in night shots to make good images.
None of these cams have any kind of viewfinders and cheaper ones (L22,A495) seems to support AA batteries.

pimpom said:
That's correct. But there are adapters that let you use a standard DSLR lens on a micro four-thirds camera.

In any case, Panasonic has a set of lenses for the micro 4/3 format. The number of choices is limited compared to that for a DSLR, but the available ones are excellent. Speaking for myself, it's unlikely that I'll need additional lenses.

Yah i checked that too, however at that price its wayy out of my budget. But i am sure u r really gonna enjoy this cam.

I am currently check the photography thread u gave me.... its good to read.

icebags said:
At that range there is practically nothing to choose from, except the brand name. Here is what u get :

Nikon : Full auto
Ex: L22

Canon : Some manual & auto.
Ex: A495 (no image stabilizer), A3000, A3100, IXUS 105

Sony : Compact size
Ex: donno

Kodak : Auto, cheaper and my friend has one without optical zoom. He posts some nice fotos in orkut.

As the user of an entry level digital cam made by canon, i will recommend canon anyday (A3100 is good). The pics are excellent in nice daylight conditions. But due to this auto feature u have to use flash in night shots to make good images.
None of these cams have any kind of viewfinders and cheaper ones (L22,A495) seems to support AA batteries.

thanks for the input. will check locally & also about the features & reliability (build quality in net). thanks again but no Panasonic available in that range?

at that range, it would be better if you could grab a sony. I find the picture quality of the sony good enough for the price. Look up compareindia.com for model numbers and approximate market prices. shortlist a few models. Check online reviews before making a final decision. But let me tell you, there's not much you get from a camera in this price range especially if you consider low light photography. But daylight photo quality has improved a lot on these cameras in the past few years.

@Rishabh_sharma1990
correct your signature, I couldn't help but notice and couldn't ignore it. Here is the correct spelling:
कर्मण्यवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन

yes will look up there. hope price are accurate.

@icebags, the Canon model, A3000 & A3100 are good ones but way too costly at ~10k. i was asking for a 6k or below 6k model.

compareindia.com only lists the product and gives their market prices, you cannot buy from there. So prices are more or less accurate as it doesn't involve any discount or shipping cost or anything which online stores tend to include. just like fonearena.com which only lists phones and their prices. Sometimes, you even find the market price to be higher than what is given in compareindia or fonearena, but that is rare and even in those cases the difference is low.

@Sam.Shab
According to compareindia.com and jjmehta price, the best price should be ~6.4-6.7 for A3000 model. you should check some local shops if they sell at that price. However, A495 is a very good model (i have an A430 model) if you do daylight shooting and indoors with flash. The picture quality of these cameras of cannon can make sony or others at this range look dull and grainy. :razz:

(sorry Cool Buddy, but i checked.)

Ans there are some Panasonic models ~6k :
FS4 -> Has no IS.
F2/F3 -> Has no IS either, but has some kind of anti blur software solution built in.

You should expect some anti-noise image processing with these cameras, that may make pics look a bit soft; But good enough for regular photo printing or orkuting.

Cannon A430 can make very sharp 1600x1200 sills, i expect these do the same too.

If u don't wanna the 4x use zoom much, u don't need IS in daylight/flash conditions.

ok i now end up on 2 models: Canon A495 or A3000 IS. according to Canon India website the former one will cost ~6300 while the latter ~7000. now the thing is, the price is MRP. how much will be street price on both the models? appx values? i more leaned towards the A3000 IS. optical image stabilizer & Lithium ion battery will give better charge, if not at least keep the weight a bit low. last thing i'll check is their build quality.

I dont have any idea what the street price is, but expect it to be ~500 less than MRP.

A3000 is obviously better than A495, but Lithium battery is a drawback. The equipped battery is probably 740mAh @ 3.6V, which is much lower capacity than 3xNiMH of 2700mAh (3.6V). It totally depends on ur usage though, if u really need those much at one go, u may keep another battery of same or better capacity as backup.

Good luck. Post some images in photography thread when you get it.

icebags said:
I dont have any idea what the street price is, but expect it to be ~500 less than MRP.

A3000 is obviously better than A495, but Lithium battery is a drawback. The equipped battery is probably 740mAh @ 3.6V, which is much lower capacity than 3xNiMH of 2700mAh (3.6V). It totally depends on ur usage though, if u really need those much at one go, u may keep another battery of same or better capacity as backup.

Good luck. Post some images in photography thread when you get it.

than its great. @ 6.5k, it'll be a great buy for me.

yes, if the price is low for Original Canon battery (which i doubt i'll find), will get a spare one. i think the default battery enough. purchase going to be on September. just i did the research 1 month early. will surely post some pics once i get it.

icebags said:
A495 is a very good model (i have an A430 model) if you do daylight shooting and indoors with flash. The picture quality of these cameras of cannon can make sony or others at this range look dull and grainy. (sorry Cool Buddy, but i checked.)

What with my experience with canon powershot A460 :sad:

I got it 3 years back, after reading digit's review which had given a best buy to Canon powershot A450, I thought if 450 was good, 460 has to be good. But turned out both cameras had slightly different lenses and there was too much noise in the pics taken from 460. I read some online reviews and found that digit had correctly given best buy to 450 as it was a very good camera, but 460 was not so. From that day, I don't trust canon for the budget buyer.

H

Yes..the a495 will be a great choice i think..me too doing research to buy a camera in the low price range, soon...

some things id like to tell...

a3000 is a great camera..but with lot of research ive foudn the great defect..it can record videos only for a max of 100 seconds continuously..this might be or might not be a problem for people depending on their use..

then..for checking the price and also buying cameras ..there is no site better than eBay India - Online Shopping Mall: Free Auctions, Shop/Buy/Sell Mobiles, Cameras, Apparel, Computers, Bollywood Clothes & Indian Products ...check all the prices there..they are the cheapest..

and..other good cameras are a3100 and ixus 95.. but some sites claim a495 to have better picture quality than a3100is...also it is Rs.2000 more than a495...another camera is ixus 95..it is a wonderful camera...but costs in at 9k with 4gb card...

and with a495...the aa batteries can make flash recharge times a bit long..but high power NiMH batteries should improve their perfomance..

and the prices:: when buying fro mebay you have to check a few listings of the same product so that you can get the cheapest price including shipping..(different sellers have different prices)..

the cheapest i found were::

a495 + 4gb card + pouch -- 5700
a3000+ 4gb card + pouch -- 6495
a3100+ 4gb card + pouch -- 6999
ixus 95+ 2gb card+ pouch -- 8600
(you can request the seller for 4gb card for around rs.200 extra)

A

@sam and rishabh, check the package options available as hari pointed out, all these compact model seems same to me, good light gives good results in photo.
and it does not necessarily means than more pixel means better photos taken. Many a time I feel like these pixels are like gimmicks LOL.

difference between 10MP & 12MP is almost negligible. just manufacturers add more features to high MP cams.

just read, to get difference in quality, one will require double the current MP. but this don't apply to low MP camera (spell mobile camera or the cheap 2-3k HomeShop 18 cameras).

BTW, do these 4Gb cards come bundle with the retail pack? or its given as a addon with these cameras exclusively on Ebay?

BTW, how much does descent pair of NiMH battery cost? if i choose the Canon A495, an extra pair will give me some headroom.

H

Here is a golden chance for you...buy a495 from EBAY..you can get the a495+4gb card+nimh batteries+charger and choose the colour of the camera ...all for Rs.4850!!....and if you have any voucher...get further off!!.... buy from seller jjmehta..