I have a £300 budget...

[Fat Tone]

I managed to turn a small budget for a webcam for a specific task into 'we should get a good camera for a variety of uses'.

So, recommendations please for the best possible camera for £300 that can also be used as a stills-webcam, or £300 minus the cost of a webcam if a separate one would be a better idea.

Legit uses will be photos of equipment, meetings etc. Extra-curricular uses may be as discussed in my telephoto thread

TIA

[VJ]

The combined webcam/photocamera is not really the way to go: most photocameras can't stream over USB, so you would have to resort to a video-input (with all the disadvantages that go with that).

I would suggest checking the buing guide on dpreview:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare.asp

and on imaging-resource:

http://www.imaging-resource.com/cgi-bin/m/pl.cgi?cajs

They will give you a first idea of the range where you'll find your camera.

"images of equipment", does this imply macro ?
From the use you describe, it would seem to me the shutterlag is less important (but do try to take it into the equation: having the camera make the picture 1s after you have pressed is far from convenient). For office use, it could be interesting that the camera presents itself as a removable storage device (i.e. no special software needed to transfer the pictures).


Jörg

[az]

Basic webcams are dirt cheap. No need to spend much money there. So that leaves you with 250 GBP for the other tasks (IF you can find a stills camera that can also double as a webcam, go for it, but don't compromise, just get two separate ones instead - that way, you can keep the webcam going while taking photos.)

AZ

[Fat Tone]

Thanks guys.

The webcam aspect is simply for taking lots of mugshots and being able to file them immediately. I'm already using a Creative PC-CAM 500 for this, which is perfect for the job, but I need to double up.

My F401Z can be used as a webcam, so I thought it might be a common feature.

Speed is certainly not an issue for work purposes, but if I am going to borrow it for other purposes it could be. For example I've been trying to snap a blue-tit leaving our nesting box but it's always too quick for me!

If you really think I should be spending more, please say and I'll see if the budget can be shifted around.

[az]

Oh, for pictures of people indoors (even in brightly lit rooms, though maybe offices are lit brightly enough) you would need to use the flash. Direct flash pictures look ugly and unprofessional, a cheap dumb external flash (hot-shoe or "digital" slave) bounced from the ceiling will help lots (assuming your ceilings are light-coloured and not 6m high). Those very basic units aren't expensive and should add almost no hassle to using the cam (other than making it bulkier).

Can't recommend any superzoom cams though (The Dimage Z1 would look a bit too funky and be too bulky, I assume?).

AZ

[Fat Tone]

funk and bulk are no problem here

[az]

Oh... for long-zoom pictures you really need very short shutter times (i.e. very bright light - flash is useless at the distances you need this long tele, if you don't want to triple your budget and carrying weight), or a tripod. Optical stabilization (Canon Pro1 IS, Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ10, Minolta Dimage A1/A2) does help avoid camera shake lots, but is useless if the subject is moving.

So, really long zoom (>200mm equiv.) is rather pointless unless you're willing to make a commitment to photography (at least using a bean bag to rest the camera on).

You should get a camera that does allow you to use manual controls.

As for the bird, do you mean you want to catch it the moment it's taking off? You've got no chance You COULD use a camera with a fast continous mode and a big buffer and hope, but no consumer autofocus will have locked before the bird is off (even the fastest take half a second), and even when using manual focus or prefocus on the nest, shutter lag still is .1-.2 seconds (plus your reaction time).

AZ

[Umfriend]

Yo mate, put it in your savings account. What the hell are you doing asking investment advice there and spending advice over here???

[schmosef]

Originally posted by Umfriend
Yo mate, put it in your savings account. What the hell are you doing asking investment advice there and spending advice over here???

LOL

[Fat Tone]

LOL - I'll see if the boss will give me £300 rather than buy the camera then..."Umfriend says so"

[az]

If you can buy used, the Minolta Dimage 7Hi would offer you more than you will need until you are ready to spend REALLY big bucks (>1500GBP) on a cam. More flexibility and manual controls than most any DSLR, big enough zoom (and converters available), wide angle for indoor group shots (and converter available), good macro, full auto, manual, and everything in between, one of the world's most flexible flash systems (only rivaled by Nikon's SLR flashes)... it goes on eBay for a little more than 300GBP.

For your tit pictures (hehe), it does offer one unique feature: Ultra High Speed Continous mode at seven (!) frames per second for more than 100 frames (!!) (though at reduced resolution. At full resolution it's 3fps and about 6 images.

The Dimage 7i is essentially the same camera, it's a bit slower, silver instead of black (the black one looks much better, less plasticky), lacks the studio flash contact (though this can be bought as an add-on for the hot-shoe) and doesn't offer AdobeRGB color space. This is also a definite bargain at used prices. Both cameras are still top league (only not produced anymore). I own the Dimage 7i, so can help with problems or the only real downside, the relatively sttep learning curve (though the controls are MUCH more intuitive to use than any other cam save for a DSLR when you've become accustomed to them). If you can't tell, I really like my camera.

AZ

[Fat Tone]

OK, so my budget may double...end of year and all that

I really like the look of and the reviews that the new Nikon 8700 is getting.

[az]

Really? The worst 8mp camera there is?

Well - personal taste is the most important factor, so no one's gonna stop you

(Do take a look at the Konica Minolta Dimage A1 or A2 though - it may be a bit harder to learn initially, but it will give you a lot more freedom and ease of use after a week or two than ANY non-SLR, and even some SLRs.)

EDIT: What in particular is it that you like about the 8700 and that sets it apart from the Sony F828, Canon Pro1, Olympus C8080 and Minolta Dimage A2?


AZ

[Fat Tone]

Ok, I suppose I should rephrase/clarify: My initial impressions, based on personal recommendation from a 5700 owner, a (albeit fairly brief) comparative review of most of the models you mention and one more indepth review made me feel that it would be a good choice for our budget. I liked the zoom, the positive comments about its macro ability and lense quality, and general range of features.

What do you dislike about the 8700? What makes it "the worst 8mp camera" in your opinion.

I still have an open mind...

[az]

It's not really a bad camera, it's just mediocre. It takes all the mediocrity from its competitors without having really strong points. I am sure that you would find it a good camera if it were the only one in its class - it's just that the competition is stronger.

I'll check out a few things.

AZ