~£250 - Camera for different situations

Hi All,

I'm hoping for some advice from the knowledgeable photographers that I know are on this forum. Basically I need a camera for a few different projects and I'm lost in a sea of digital cameras not having a clue what would be best for me.

I run a few different websites across a range of markets and I find that whenever I need an image to go with an article, I either have to trawl the free image sites (which never seem to have what I need) or attempt to borrow a camera from friends/family for a day or two. I was given an old Fuji digital camera about 6 months ago but it's not the best (3MP max I think) and it keeps switching itself off no matter how many times I replace the batteries, so I've had enough of it and want to buy something up to date and decent.

So ideally I need a camera to do the following:

1) I'd like something that is relatively portable/durable that I can stick in my backpack and take out with me when I'm on my bike or in the car. I always see good pictures when I'm riding around but never have a decent camera with me. It doesn't need to be super thin/light, just not gigantic.

2) I play in a band so it would be nice if the camera performed well in low(ish) light conditions. I would give the camera to a friend to take pictures at a gig while I'm playing so it should have a point and click setting.

3) As I said, I run some websites and when I'm reviewing something, I'd like to be able to take decent product shots. I often find that the pictures are too dark so I guess I need something with a decent flash (perhaps a separate flash unit?) or a powerful room light. At the moment I have to wait for a sunny day to get the light levels up enough to take an even half decent shot with my current camera. This is probably the most important problem to solve as it can be very frustrating.

My dad has an all singing all dancing digital SLR (it's a Nikon top end one that cost about £1k so pretty decent) but I can't really borrow that indefinitely and I don't want to stick that in my rucksack because it's got a rather large lens on it.

My budget is ~£250 (up to £300 if there is that one magic camera that suits my needs) and that would need to include memory cards if possible. Camera bags and tripods I will buy as I need them. I don't know a massive amount about camera techniques but I pick stuff like this up fairly quickly (I know there is a LOT to learn, but that's half the fun) so would like something that allows me to tailor the shots to the situation.

I've been doing some research and I've seen the Fuji S9600 that looks really good, but I'm worried that it's just going to be too much camera for my needs. Is it something that I can start off with point and click and progress into some deeper theory when I feel like increasing my technical knowledge, or it suited to someone who already has some working knowledge. I really want something that takes good shots in low light conditions as that is where most of my current photos fall down.

So, I don't know what you would suggest, but I'm open to some suggestions.

I'm feeling my way into photography at the moment, but I wanted to comment because I bought the S9600 for exactly the reasons you describe in you last paragraph. I've very recently taken both sunset and sunrise photographs which you're welcome to go through if you like. They're on my flickr album - just click on the link in my sig. Personally, I love my S9600, and I'm learning a lot about photography from it. I won't be sticking with it forever, as I do want to get dedicated prime lenses for telephoto and macro work. However, I think it does me just fine, and the DP Review seems pretty positive as well (note S9100 is the same as S9600). There's a range of accessories for it, and it will take anything that screws into a 58mm thread, so you're at least sorted for a wide range of filters.

Like I say, I don't know how it would stand up to commercial use, but it's compact (I have a LowePro Nova A3 bag for it and several accessories) and has been cost effective for me to learn on, without risking money (and wondering whether I'd keep up an interest) on a full dSLR. As always, YMMV.

Thanks for the comments RuggerBugger. I don't think the commercial use issue is too much of a worry because I simply want something that is better than my current camera (which is awful btw).

I don't take 100's of shots, but when I do need to take some, I don't want to be struggling with the equipment as well as getting the right shots etc. I looked at the portable cameras and whilst they're very good (my mum has a very good Canon), I would rather pay for quality than style/portability.

It just seems like the S9600 (or similar) is going to be slightly better than compacts at taking high quality shots when I do need to do some "serious" shots as opposed to just taking some pictures of my dog etc. I don't know if you have any other suggestions of alternative cameras, but any advice is great appreciated.

Canon Power Shot G7 might do the trick Canon PowerShot G7 Review: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review

G9: Canon PowerShot G9 Review: 1. Introduction: Digital Photography Review

If you want something small there the new fuji F100fd

Fuji always produce well balanced vibrant colours and work very well indoors without
flash compared to others. This one has 5x optical zoom and a wide angle lens.

Fujfilm launches F100fd 'utimate' compact: Digital Photography Review

Its not out yet but it should be in a couple of months its ￥44,800, under £225 so it
will be about £250-270

Hopefully they will do a proper review soon

I don't necessarily need something super small, I just need something good that has a point and click setting while I'm learning, but also allows me to get a bit more in depth in the future when I'm taking product shots for my websites. I've done a quick bit of reading over night and I'll probably build myself a little DIY booth for taking product shots. It won't be pretty but should work better than the stuff I do at the moment.

Size isn't too much of an issue, I just didn't want to be lugging a massive bag around with me as that is what my dad has to do with his Nikon. I'm quite happy to sacrifice size for features/quality. I presume the compacts allow you the freedom to fiddle around with settings the way something like the S9600 does? That's my one major worry with the compacts, I don't want to be stuck with a load of simple presets when I want to experiment with settings to get some slightly more "arty" shots.

Normally compacts like the Fuji one dont allow you to select shutter or aperture
priority. Other than that I am not sure what other manual features there are bar
having access to RAW output.

The forum on dpreiview is very useful and they could tell you what models will suit
you best.

20D's are going for around 250-330atm

Thanks Kumagoro and Bobster, I've been scouting around some photography forums today and there seems to be a couple of trains of thought. Some people say that the bridge cameras (i.e. Fuji S9600) are a great deal for what you get. Basically an excellent starting point for someone who doesn't want to spend £350+ on a "proper" DSLR.

However, the other side are saying that you might as well spend the extra ~£200 because at least that way you can buy some good lenses and just have to upgrade the body in the future.

I suspect that a "bridge" camera is actually the best bet for me because I don't think that I will be venturing into buying expensive lenses and the other stuff that goes with it. My dad has an expensive Nikon (must ask him exactly what next time I see him) which I might borrow for a day or two and see if that's the kind of thing that I need. I certainly won't be buying the same model, but it will probably give a good indication of whether I even need a bridge model.

Thanks for the help guys.

Actually, I see that there's a big photographic show going on over the next few days in the USA and I'm going to wait for some more details to emerge on the new announcements. It looks like Fuji and everyone else has, or is going to announce their new ranges so waiting a few weeks could save me some money or get me a better camera.

Just thought I'd update this thread for anyone in the future who is in the same situation. I ended up getting a Nikon D40x as after some discount vouchers my brother was able to get, and a cashback deal from Nikon I have paid £310 all in.

I was considering waiting for the D60, but quite frankly, I would be paying £470 for a camera with not much more in the way of features and I can put the money saved towards a 55-200 or even an 18-200.

I don't regret for a second going DSLR as the quality is fantastic and by buying an entry level model, there are plenty of hints and help built into the camera to help me get started. I'm still getting to grips with the camera and the sun seems to disappear every time I step out of the door, but I'm enjoying it so far.

switch it to M and don't look back :)

Haha, I have been, but I've also been taking some shots with the presets and various priority modes. I'm still learning and I have found that my M photos leave a lot to be desired ;) Of course this is my first "proper" camera so I don't expect to have mastered everything in 4 days :)