Camera shoppers read this!

[blulegend]

Make sure you receive all the standard included accessories.

Make sure you receive a valid warranty in the country you reside.

Make sure you research the cost of accessories if you order them along with the camera.

!!!- Make sure you check http://www.resellerratings.com before ordering. -!!!

Some sellers, mostly located in NY (Brooklyn), will strip the package of all accessories and send you only the camera.

Sometimes your order will not be shipped until you order 300% marked up accessories like batteries and memory.

Sometimes you will receive a camera with no warranty.

If buying on eBay be very careful of buyers who never sell anything and all of a sudden post an expensive camera (check the feedback for this). Also be careful of sellers who want a wire transfer. Look out for sellers who have recently changed their location (look at past recent auctions for that seller in the feedback).

IF THE PRICE IS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS. I can't stress this enough. I've heard many stories on photography forums like www.dpreview.com.

[PaintGuru]

This is why you take those "too good to be true" prices and try to get them price matched at places more trustworthy .

[wetworx101]

I bought mine from a friend who works at pcmall.com. They dont list the best prices, but if you call them up and ask...they can do much better. Call them up, ask for Tom Sheldon at the milwaukee location, and tell him ebola sent you...HOOK-UP!

[nick18tjetta]

Paintguru, what website did you use to pricematch with at staples and and what point in the online buying process do you get the pricematch? thanks

Nick

[Anemone]

Okay, the whole Nikon "Coolpix" complex has me confused. I had just about figured that the 990 or 995 was the camera to have, and they changed numbers on me. If I'm not willing to spend the mega-big bucks for the 5700, how do some of the others stack up? How about the 3100?

Kevin

[wetworx101]

Ahhh, little one, you have made a wise choice. The coolpix rock. I have the 5700 and the 4500. The 5700 cost just over $1000 at pcmall.com, and the 4500 just had $200 in rebates, so it is only about $400 right now. The 4500 is the best camera for reef photography I have used. It has a lower zoom, and one less megapixel than the 5700, but that is a minor trade off and enables it to capture more light (hence higher shutter speeds in lower lighting), and have the best macro in the digicam world of 2cm!!! And it really works. Ather notes I have noiticed about the 5700 and the 4500 (replacement for the 995), they can focus through glass!! I can take pics all day, and unlike most other cameras, never need to use the manual focus for my aquariums. The 4300 is a solid performer as well, specing out to be alot like the 4500, but lacking some key features, like a flash connection, some nice manual controls, etc. And right now the 4500 is so cheap on rebate that the 4300, IMO, does not make alot of sense, although it is a remarkable camera as well. Some say the coolpix line is slow when taking pictures. This is partly true. When using the auto-everything mode, it needs to calibrate about 12 different things for a good picture, but if you lock these functions out (turn off flash, lock the exposure, etc.) it can take pictures like a machine gun. I lock the focus on mine for low light action shots at macro range, and this keeps the camera very fast.

[sspargur]

I personally own the Sony F717 and I wouldn't have another over it. Incredible photo quality.

[wetworx101]

I think the 717 is a great package. The sony cameras, even without nightshot on, have great low-light pickup. They can take photos at lower light with higher shutter speeds than many other cameras. The 717 has a couple disadvantages. One is the memory stick, nuf said on that...if you dont know dont ask, the format sucks and I wish it would go the way of betamax. The only other major drawback of this camera is its focus system. It uses a sonar to focus. That means it is useless for aquariums unless always manual. I have also heard of some software problems with this camera as well. Digicams seem to come from 2 major groups. The classic camera mfg's that are venturing into the electronics arena, and the traditional electronics mfg's that are expanding into camera mfg with digicams. With the first, you get more camera, less gizmo and tech...more or less a camera with a digital sensor instead of film. The second, you get less camera, more electronics. The sony, being part of the second group with others like hp& panasonic, has more electronic than camera. Some people have noticed the control software for this camera to have certain quirks that restrict it's manual adjustments to suit it's electronics. For this reason I prefer cameras from traditional mfgs like cannon, nikon, olympus, and such. Although, if I had to pick one camera from the electronics group, it would be the 717, as despite these few quirks, it is a kickass camera. Hey, even my nikons have quirks... And the picture quality is top notch on the 717 to boot,

[sspargur]

There are a couple of focus options on the Sony F717, I believe. I know for a fact that it shoots out a laser grid and focuses on that. I haven't had any issues with the focus on the Sony F717 with my aquarium, although I just started taking pics with it.

You're definitely right on a few drawbacks though, as is with any product. I have owned several Digicams over the years, and nothing even comes close to the 717.

Here are some samples taken with the 717 with a +4 macro lense:









Input appreciated!

[wetworx101]

I am wondering, does the 717 still use the vario-sonar system, or has it been changed? For the pics you took, did you use autofocus or manual? BTW, that Live-Rock is the best i have seen. What kind/where did you get it??

[sspargur]

The pictures were taken on full auto-focus. I'm pretty sure it's a variable focus system.

The rock is from tampabaysaltwater.com, incredible rock with TONS of life.

[Cmrolvr]

SSPARGUR - Wow, those are fantastic shots....the clarity!!!!

I notice hardly anyone has mentioned the Olympus C-4000 Zoom. I waited a very long time to put out the money for a ditigal camera. My girlfriend bought a Nikon CoolPix 990 a while back and has been kind enough to let me use it. That helped a lot - it told me what my minimum requirements would be, e.g. super macro, autofocus, high quality, etc.

I am a COMPLETE photography IDIOT!!! I stopped using normal 35 mm cameras because I couldn't get any good photos. I once took 65 bad photos in a row - if you can believe that.

Anyway, it came down to the Nikon and the Olympus (the C-4000 Zoom and the C5050 which is very expensive) - mostly because of the super macro ability. My youngest son is graduating soon and when I saw him in his tux I knew I had to get a camera so out I rushed.

The lady in the store was wonderful and I ended up bringing home the Olympus C-4000 Zoom. I am SOOO pleased. The majority of my shots are turning out beautifully - remember, I am a camera IDIOT so the camera has to do all of the work for me.

Never, even with the digital camcorder, have I ever been able to properly capture my Regal Tang. Guess what? The Olympus does. I have captured crystal clear shots of my fish zooming across the tank. This is mind boggling to me.

We have been playing with the camera since I bought it three days ago and are still using the one-time-only-use batteries that came with it. I have rechargeable batteries ready to go and the camera will get the full test on Friday (Grad Celebration Day).

All I can say is that I am really happy.

Cost: Cdn$617.
Battery recharger + 4 rechargeable batteries: Cdn$59
128 Mb Smart Media card: Cdn$69.00
Dazzle Smart Card Reader: Cdn$29.95

I have yet to purchase the AC adapter and will do so soon.

BTW, the Olympus C-5050 here in Canada runs just under Cdn$1,200 and that would have really hurt. So, I am very relieved the camera I bought is performing superbly.

A really good thing for camera idiots? Being able to see the photo immediately and erasing it. )

Ann

[sspargur]

Thanks for the comment!

I'm photo illiterate as well, the camera is what does the work.

Let's see some of YOUR photos!

[Cmrolvr]

GLADLY! But first, I'll have to figure out how to do this because the file sizes are rather large. I'll give it a try....

Ann

P.S. Do they have to be tank shots? )

[Benthic Explorer]

Looking for a good combination digital camera that has high resolution and works well both underwater(with a case maybe) and above water for close up shots of specimens in my tank. Any suggestions?

[gregr]

for the underwater stuff check out this site:
http://www.wetpixel.com/
for the above water stuff there are many cameras that fit the bill- your best bet is to figure a price range and then research the cameras in that range to decide which one is best for you.
greg

[Benthic Explorer]

Thanks for the link Greg.

[SlavicSavage]

I use a Fujifilm Finepix 52 Pro, Its a great camera, great image quality and great features. My only problem with it is the battery life is a bit short however it takes double a's and is long enough that you can just change batteries and keep an extra set on you for if you might run out of juice.

[picture the reef]

Take a look at what Canon offers. They have a new line of dive housings that fit five or six of their new digitals cameras. The housings retail for less than $200 and if you have priced true dive housings you know this is cheap. Their digital price range for the cameras is between 350 and 600 dollars. These housings are rated to 100 feet but I know they will go to at least 130 with no problem.

[Scuba_Dave]

Just a thought & question. I purchased the Sony Mavica CD300 a couple years ago - 3.2mp. This takes the mini CDroms - fits alot of pictures. Picked up a 2nd battery for it & bought 50 CDRW's online for $85. You can fit 1000 640x480 on a single CD. I take 3 CD's on vaca & I'm all set. Pixels have increased to 5 since then. Anyone else have a Digital CD camera?

[DiscoToo]

.....deciding what camera to purchase, I narrowed it down to the 717 and the Olympus C-750. I chose the the C-750. For its intended use, its plenty of camera for me. My previous experience with cameras led me towards both brands. At FFE I began using the Olympus 2500 and then later moved over to a Sony DSC-85. Both had their positive and negative issues at least for me. But if I had to choose between the two I would stick with the 85.

If your deciding on a camera, I wanted to share my experience (so far) with the C-750. Its a camera that is definitely worth looking at before making a final decision. Just wanted to share this with you. Once I spend more time with the camera, I'll get some shots up from my tank. Thanks for the information on this thread, it helped me a ton while shopping around.

Ron

[Frankslapperinni]

I was also looking at a olympus 750, but I read that they do bad in low light and have no stableiser for the zoom, is this a big deal?
besides taking pictures of my fish with it, I wanted to know if it would be a good all around (and outside) the house camera. one thing I read was that it had a "purpleing effect" where the pictures will somtimes have a apparent purple tint, have you notticed anything like this?

[gregr]

hi-
check out the specs on http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/spec...oly_c750uz.asp
the stabilization feature you mention is not something you find on point and shoot cameras generally- so i wouldn't worry about that.
regarding low light- i assume that person was referring to the minimum aperture of f3.7 when you're zoomed all the way in. to me that doesn't sound horrible though because the lens is so long- 380mm.
the camera seems to have lots of good features however i have no experience with it-- on paper it looks good but i highly recommend reading the owners-opinions listed there on dpreview. seriously- the camera almost sounds too good to be true with that 380mm.
greg

[DiscoToo]

Frankslapperinni,

The camera is still very new to me; however I have not come across the problems you mentioned. Low light is actually surprising, in this image here, all I had to go off of was the campfire.

http://www.expeditionexchange.com/pi...3/P1010059.jpg

Yes it’s a bit grainy, but keep in mind the focus point was the fire and the only thing I could see in the viewfinder was the fire.

Here a couple images showing the zoom

Standard

http://www.expeditionexchange.com/pi...3/P1010039.jpg

Full zoom / no digital zoom all optical

http://www.expeditionexchange.com/pi...3/P1010040.jpg

Here is the zoom working while I am chasing the image, not too bad for my first time using the camera

http://www.expeditionexchange.com/pi...3/P1010042.jpg

Also keep in mind the images have been reduced in size to avoid extensive download times.

Here is an example of the camera at its best for me, full zoom and a pretty still "sand creature"

http://www.expeditionexchange.com/pi...3/P1010064.jpg

Have not seen any purple effect yet, but I will mention it if I do. So far images from my tank are ok, my hand is a little shaky and I am still trying to figure out the sweet spot of the camera under the lighting conditions. All in all, I have nothing negative to say about it.



Greg

Let’s get together sometime soon, I can meet you at marks or any of the other stores in the Sherman oaks area, you can play with the 750 and possibly offer a professional point of view on it. Shoot me a PM and I'll send you my phone number.

Ron

[Frankslapperinni]

doesn't look grainy to me, but maybe I'm just not used to digital cameras, all of the pictures I saw looked very clear.