Tips on buying a camera?

Question

I'm going on a trip in a week and I need a really good camera to capture everything, from street performances to architecture and people. My budget is under $300. Recently, I found a really good camera - the Panasonic Lumix and that's almost $300, but that's almost the same price as a SLR camera. Which one is better? (I'm looking for one that has a good anti-blur mode / fast shutter speed, and movie mode (I don't if SLR cameras provide those). Can somebody please tell me the pros and cons of the 2?

Answer 1

Ok DSLRs are only made to take pictures, which means that the picture taking experience is really good. they usually allow you to change lenses, so you can zoom in much closer. but they are much more expensive than little digital cameras. for going on a trip, i recommend you get a little digital camera, they can do video, and pictures, and it's more automatic, Canon does a really good job at making picture taking easy, they have a lot of travel modes, by that I mean portrait mode, beach mode, fireworks mode, night portrait mode, landscape mode, etc. way more than you need. and the picture quality is by far the best the is compared to other brands. Casio has cameras that has practically a mode for anything, even paper copies! but going through the menu's to chose the mode you need take too long, and by the time you find it, the moment is gone. and the quality is not that great. but the prize may be a lot better. now the main difference between  a DSLR and a little camera is the shutter lag ( how fast the camera takes the picture after you press the button.) but that is usually a big factor when taking sports. So if looking for a little digital camera, check what modes they have, and at least 6MP is all you need. good luck finding one, and have fun taking pictures at your trip!

PS. DSLRs are bulky! little cameras fit in your pocket!!! nice for traveling!

Answer 2

If you get a Digital SLR like the Nikon D40, that sells for around $470-499 with an 18-55mm lens, you will be happier with the results of the pictures that you will get but it will not have a movie mode. This will be higher thatn your $300 budget.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond40...

For your budget, you will have to get a Canon, Nikon or Sony Point and shoot. Here are some recomendations from CNET:

http://reviews.cnet.com/best-10megapixel...

The Canon 790 IS has a shutter speed of 1/500, so it could stop some blur action.

I prefer to get an SLR like the NIkon D40 myself:

http://www.kenrockwell.com/nikon/d40.htm

Answer 3

The all time winner bargain compact digital camera is the Canon 7.1 megapixel PowerShot SD1000 [not the IS] 7.1 with an added 2- gig memory card which when set in the manual mode for "Vivid" colors and videos at 30 fps in 320 dpi format provides killer images and videos. It currently sells for $160 at Sears:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605...

Good luck!

Answer 4

An SLR is better because it can take different kinds of lens.And I don't think you're going to find a good digital SLR for $300 ! The cameras you're talking about are called "point and shoots". This means the camera does all the work. DSLR's are high priced. A serious camera isn't going to have a movie mode.

I prefer 35mm myself.