The Doll Forum

I am in the market for a new camera. After starting a short discussion on another thread, I decided it would be a good idea too start a thread devoted to camera preferences. It appears to me that the camera, is almost as important on the TDF as the dolls. Therefore, Please Post your reviews and opinions of the different cameras that you have used and/or prefer to use.

camera is important but not a priority to take great shots.

if you like a professional quality, dsrl is your thing ( the entry level could be nice, like the canon rebel t3i )

i have thinking on buying a sony next 5n, but I'm happy now with a point and shoot cellular camera.

but let the pros speak.....

Well that aint an easy question. Go to a camera forum and follow a bit discussions .
There are so many possibilities. Only at the money side it can go from $100 to $10000. So like with dolls you first need to know how much you want to spend on a camera.

If dolls were reason 1 to buy a camera I would NOT have bought my Nikon but a simple cheap compact camera. Why? Because I don't take pictures enough of my dolls to make it worth. I have a Sony compact camera that works very nice but I was never really pleased with the results when I went on ski holidays so I decided to go for a better camera. I asked advice at collegues at work who where all Nikon guys who said that a D90 is great camera (if they had Canons I would have a canon as that seems to be a heated discussion haha). The great advantage of this kind of cameras is that you can change lenses. And lenses are the heart of a camera.
My first lens was a base lens 18-200 (kitlens they call it), 1 year ago I bought a micro lens 105mm (for insects but it makes also nice portraits), and lately a lowlight 50mm (for portraits and indoor). The funny thing is that I read more about lenses these days as I ever did for cameras. And I still want at least 1 lens as I plan to stop using the 18-200. My next lens will be a wide angle then maybe a tele lens.
The less funny thing is that here in Europe lenses are expensive, they easely cost more then a camera if you want good ones. Wide angle lenses for example cost +$1000.

I use my camera a lot (several times a week). Every time I go for walk or when I visit something I take my camera with me. I also take lots of pictures of insects in the garden (I feel like a hunter when I do that). I noticed that when you take a lot of pics you look different to the world and you notice things now that other people don't.

In short: best camera? doesn't exist I think unless you are a pro. And like said already in other topics best camera doesn't mean best picture.
What to buy: all depends what you want to do with your camera and how often. If only dolls. Get a cheap compact and a light box.

I am not speaking of the art of taking pictures as ppl have written thousands of books about that

Very difficult one. I always work on David Bailey's theory - that being - you don't need the best camera in the world to get the best images in the world. You will get better quality though.

I have a Pentax K200 with two lenses, 18-55 mm and 50-200 mm. I am very satisfied with it
Importent things to me is:
Manual adjustable white-balance
Timer trigger or remote control
Camera-stand

I don't buy another camera as long as the limit of my pics is myself, not the camera

Edit: The Pentax K200 has a smal display on the top of the camera-house that shows the camera settings and light-measurments. That's something really nice when take doll-pics in a small room

Joe,

You posted your question in just the right place; but did you happen to read thru any other topics here in "About Photography and Video"? There are a lot of informative camera topics already on this page. Within them are probably the answers you seek.

In my case, the past two cameras I've used have been small Kodak ones, and they are easy to use with good photo quality. But after seeing the sharper photos that Guitar Boy takes, my next camera will probably be one like his, a small inexpensive Canon model.

But on the other hand, if I'm just taking photos of Teddy Babes, extra sharpness isn't really helpful, since these dolls are already a little "fuzzy" anyway.

I recently upgraded to a Canon EOS 550D. It's a camera I recommend!

Hi Joe,

Here is a Canadian Ebay seller that has a Canon SD750 for sale - free shipping. He aslo has an SD880 which is another really good Canon point and shoot. The SD880 looks like it's in nicer condition from the pics.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Canon-PowerShot ... 27c756336b
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Canon-PowerShot ... 2a1e1e91af

CNET gave the SD750 a "very good" review and the SD880 an "excellent" review.
http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras ... 10695.html
http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras ... 14640.html

Unfortunately both are camera only sales so you would need to pick up battery, charger, mem card and USB cable. But for under $100 for the camera that might not be a bad deal. The drivers and image software can be downloaded from the Canon website.

For a bit more money, the seller also has a couple of Canon SX120s for sale which also have a very good CNET rating.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Canon-PowerShot ... 2a1df19b38
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Canon-PowerShot ... 2a1d938e33

http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras ... 65882.html

MF

No matter what the Camera you can't go wrong buying a good lens.

I was using a Canon EOS 30D and recently upgraded to the Canon 5D Mark III packaged with the Canon 24-105mm f/4L IS USM AF Lens.

In the same respect the 5D also took a better photo in low light with the lens off my 30D.

I think the Canon Rebel is an excellent DSLR camera for the price, but if you have the desire and the bucks, a camera like the 5D will give you pro looking shots in point and shoot mode...especially without the need for a flash in normal room light.

Another plus was the very first HD Video footage I shot on the 5D ended up on national TV and looked as good as the big boys. So this camera also replaces my Sony XDCAM EX Video Camera as well as my 30D when I travel. Apparently teh last two seasons of 'House' were shot on this camera.

The following was shot handheld without flash in my room at Hershey with my 5D.

Thank you! all of you who responded. This is exactly what I was wanting; lots of different opinions, all on one thread. Now I can absorb this information, and have a little intelligence when I go to the camera store. I do plan to spend some time in the camera store before I consider eBay, because I am a bit Leary of cameras on eBay, unless I can get what I want for less then $80.
I should explain the main problem with the one I already have: The camera that I am using now is a Olympus Camedia D-595 5.0 Megapixel. The main problem I am having is that it is terribly finicky, and it eats batteries. I have to change the batteries some times twice in one photo shoot. I suppose the finicky part may be something I am not doing right, but at the same time it is frustrating when you get your dolls all posed and ready, and the camera won't work. for that reason I am actually tempted to get two or three different cameras.

Joe Bin wrote:I should explain the main problem with the one I already have: The camera that I am using now is a Olympus Camedia D-595 5.0 Megapixel. The main problem I am having is that it is terribly finicky, and it eats batteries. I have to change the batteries some times twice in one photo shoot.

I had problems with my Pentax K200 in the begining, it was eating batterys. But now I have found some batterys that works:
Energizer Rechargable 2000mAh

These are extreamly good and cheap. I have taken OVER 500 pics on one charge now and the battery indicator show FULL. I am really amazed about these batterys because they are much better than ALL 2500-2700 mAh rechargeable batterys I have tested. In the digital cameras it is not the mAh you need, it is the voltage. Lower mAh batterys hold a higher voltage a longer time than higher mAh batterys.

Energizer Ultimate Lithium

These are not rechargeable but is very good. I have used them once and took OVER 1 200 pics. Now I have a package of these as back-up in my camera-bag.

If I use some standard NON-rechargable alkaline-batterys they last for about 50 pics or so(always less than 100) they can't deliver the right voltage.

This was just my experience(with my camera)

Thanks! Nightingale, I think I will try those rechargeable batteries you mentioned. So far with any battery I have tried, I am lucky to get ten pics, but the camera usually starts acting up after the first four or five.
I still plan to get a newer camera, but it would be nice to get this one working better in the mean time. It could then be my backup camera once I have upgraded.

I checked your camera.
Camedia D-595 Zoom Features:

5.0 megapixel (effective) CCD for image sizes up to 2560x1920
Compact design makes the D-595 Zoom easy to handle and carry.
3x optical zoom with 38-114mm coverage (35mm photography equivalent)
1.8-inch color LCD display with 134,000 pixels of resolution
19 shooting modes including Program Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Etc.
Olympus TruePic TURBO image processor for increased performance
320x240 resolution QuickTime movie mode with audio
Automatic Pixel Mapping checks the CCD and re-maps it for maximum performance.
Removable xD-Picture Card storage, 16MB included
Automatic Noise Reduction when using Night Scene mode.
Built-in multi mode flash
Powered by 2 AA or 1 CR-V3 type battery Auto-Connect USB for hassle-free downloads
PictBridge Compliant

Your camera sure looks good enough for dolls for me. On the other hand its odd you can take only 10 pics that sounds like a malfunction of the camera to me. So it might well be your rechargeable batteries won't help either. Not that you have to worry as rechargeable batteries are never a waste.

Joe Bin wrote:Thanks! Nightingale, I think I will try those rechargeable batteries you mentioned. So far with any battery I have tried, I am lucky to get ten pics, but the camera usually starts acting up after the first four or five.

Once I had a GPS that was like that. New batterys and it worked for about 1 min and then the battery indicator showed "low battery" and after a while i turned off. It was two AA batterys and that is 3 volts, I tested to use a "transformer" from 220 VAC(Sweden) to 3 VDC directly to the battery connections in the GPS to give it limitless 3 volt. The GPS continue to tell "low battery" and turned off.
With that test I was SURE that it was NOT the batterys that was the problem
I disassembled the GPS and found a bad conection between the battery box and the GPS-unit. I soldered the bad connection and assembled it. Now the GPS showed full battery and worked for many hours even with bad/sheap batterys.

It can be something similar with your camera. Ten pics is not much

Thanks guys! Perhaps I shouldn't give up on my old Olympus after all. I will try those things.