Advice required for suitable camera

SiHH · 26 Feb 2007 at 13:42

Am a total novice with photography but I would like to improve my skills which are next to nothing at the moment.

My priority is being able to take some nice shots at home and out and about of my lil boy who is 3 - often difficult to take shots as he is moving around a lot.

Ideally I would like something pretty small (Ultra Compact perhaps) that would allow me to take quality shots enough for me to turn these into wall canvas pictures just to give you an idea. Battery life is also important to me.

I have no idea on any other features really but the more the merrier as I would like to start learning how to take better quality pictures when the need arises.

My budget is ideally no more than £130 although £150 is feasable.

I hope im not asking too much for my budget.

Thanks in advance.

SteveOBHave · 26 Feb 2007 at 15:55

Personally I think I'd look at a Fuji Finepix F30 or maybe a Sony DSC-W55.

edit - also maybe a Canon Ixus in the same price range - my girlfriend has an Ixus i, old now but it has done her well.

SiHH · 10 Mar 2007 at 13:11

SteveOBHave said:
Personally I think I'd look at a Fuji Finepix F30 or maybe a Sony DSC-W55.

edit - also maybe a Canon Ixus in the same price range - my girlfriend has an Ixus i, old now but it has done her well.

I went to my local NO COMPETITORS today to view both cameras and was impressed by both but have no idea which to plump for !

Help !

robertgilbert86 · 10 Mar 2007 at 15:58

I'd go IXUS. If you're thinking about blowing the pictures up a lot you should probably look into image processing to get the best out of each shot. Paint Shop Pro is a cheap option (£40 maybe) which is arguably equal to the £500 photoshop.

Adjustments you should experiment with are;
Brightness/Contrast
Levels
Curves
Saturation

SiHH · 10 Mar 2007 at 20:13

robertgilbert86 said:
I'd go IXUS. If you're thinking about blowing the pictures up a lot you should probably look into image processing to get the best out of each shot. Paint Shop Pro is a cheap option (£40 maybe) which is arguably equal to the £500 photoshop.

Adjustments you should experiment with are;
Brightness/Contrast
Levels
Curves
Saturation

Why IXUS above the other two ?

Scuzi · 10 Mar 2007 at 20:21

May I remind you all of the rule regarding competitors...

FAQ said:
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robertgilbert86 · 10 Mar 2007 at 21:55

It's small and light, fast and easy to use (at least the one I've played with). Basically just go for the most expensive IXUS you can afford.

Tomsk · 10 Mar 2007 at 22:01

I'm not upto date with the lateste compacts, but if you're taking pictures of your young son, you should check how fast the camera can focus and how long the shutter lag is.

SiHH · 12 Mar 2007 at 11:43

Well after much deliberation I have opted for the Fuji Finepix F31fd

SteveOBHave · 12 Mar 2007 at 12:10

Good call

a1ex2001 · 12 Mar 2007 at 16:13

siloleth said:
Well after much deliberation I have opted for the Fuji Finepix F31fd

Let us know how you get on and don't forget to post some pictures! I'm trying to convince my misses she wants one of these but she has fallen for the looks of the ixus!

SiHH · 12 Mar 2007 at 16:54

a1ex2001 said:
Let us know how you get on and don't forget to post some pictures! I'm trying to convince my misses she wants one of these but she has fallen for the looks of the ixus!

I certainly will - looking forward to getting it - cant wait

I was really tempted to go for the Ixus or Cybershot WDC-W55 for the looks thing but the reviews for the F30/F31 were so good that it was silly not to go for it.