Miss Cupcake, Philadelphia
Age and Occupation: 27, Graphic Designer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Construction Project Manager
Engagement Date: February 10, 2007
Wedding Date: September, 2008
Blogging Since: December 7, 2007
Venue: The Desmond Hotel in Malvern, PA
About Me: Mr. Cupcake and I hit it off at a Halloween party and immediately began a long-distance relationship. After two years, he moved to my neck of the woods, and a year and a half after that, he proposed at the “place we fell in love.” I am a true perfectionist who enjoys designing and creating more work for myself, so wedding planning is my perfect outlet. Mr. Cupcake and I are both old souls, and we hope to weave that aspect of our personalities into our wedding day.
Wanted: A New Camera That Doesn’t Suck
February 20th, 2008 @ 1:40 pm by Miss Cupcake
I don’t know what it is about me and cameras; I buy a new one every few years that I research and research and research about, but after a little while of thinking it’s the latest and greatest piece of photography equipment, I start finding flaw after flaw after flaw.
My biggest issue lately is a common gripe with digital cameras: the delay. I love digital, but I am a big fan of candid shots, so there is nothing more annoying than missing a great moment because my camera needed to “think” for a few seconds first. I also yearn to be able to take decent close-ups without them being a blur-fest. Maybe it’s my newfound blogger status that has put me over the edge, but it drives me insane when I can’t get a single good shot of a project I’ve created that I want to show the world!
The honeymoon is now only about 7 months away, and although we haven’t booked a trip yet, I know that wherever we go I’m going to want some fabulous pictures to come home with! I don’t want to regret missing any great shots just because my camera didn’t have the chops. I’d love to get a new camera now so I have some time to mess around with it and get to know it a little better while being able to better document the wedding planning process.
I don’t even know where to begin with researching, now that there is just so much out there to choose from. I’d like something somewhat compact that I can fit into a purse, and speed, zoom and clarity are my next big priorities. Can anyone out there in the hive recommend a great camera that has met your standards, and may just meet mine?
45 Responses to “Wanted: A New Camera That Doesn’t Suck”
Try the Panasonic Lumix series. They have amazing Leica lenses, are totally cheap, i’ve had mine for a couple of years now and I am still in love with it and have recommended it to many of my friends and coworkers
Whichever kind you buy make sure you bring an extra memory card on your honeymoon. On our HM the memory card in our camera became corrupted about halfway through our trip. We were really bummed out about that and the pictures from the disposable camera we bought after that are sort of crappy. You can’t go wrong if you have a functioning camera!
The response speed on a camera has a lot to do with the memory that you use. You have to read up on the specs of the memory card. Most cameras, when you use their built-in memory, are very very fast, but when you put in your own non-OEM memory card, it becomes slow as a slug. This article is pretty helpful: http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6451_7-6296352-1.html
But definitely be sure to check out the specs of your memory card before you buy it!
Miss Cupcake, don’t have a suggestion on a camera yet as I am still doing the research but to take quicker shots make sure you format the memory card with your camera and have a fast memory card. For example, SanDisk makes a 10M/s Ultra II 2G card.
Good luck with your purchase.
Canon PowerShot SD 1000
http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-SD1000-Digital-Optical/dp/B000NK8L6W
I’m a pro shooter and this is what I carry around as my P&S camera
I love my canons, so of course I would recommend that!
But above all else, get one with a metal body! It’s very nice to have a metal body when traveling so that the camera can stand up to a bit more.
Also as a tip
To eliminate shutter lag (the delay that you are referring to), try to shoot available light with high ISO (400-800) setting. The camera nowadays are so good up to this point that the noise (that grainy look) is mostly absent unless you blow it up big. The delay is mostly due to the flash charging up or recycling. By shooting available light you eliminate that factor.
i have to second rodney. both my bf and sister have the canon sd1000 and LOVE it. i’m still terribly attached to my sd600 as well.
I TOTALLY agree on the Canon PowerShot SD Elph. I have one that is five years old and I still love it. It’s really small, fast, and takes beautiful pictures, plus is user friendly. It also came in a cool bronze color with a matching case! You won’t be sorry if you purchase one of these!
If your main concern is the delay check out the digital SLRs. they have come down in price significantly over the last few years and the delay is equivalent to that of a 35mm SLR. You can also get great Macro (or is it Micro) lenses for close up shots. When you buy the lenses (if you buy an SLR) be sure that they are reated for the digital camera. The 35mm film SLR lenses often will work with the digital but they do not focus as well.
It’s a few yrs old, but my Canon PowerShot SD550 is still great. It’s fast so I don’t miss shots, and the macro setting (for those close-up shots) is easy to access - one button.
One thing I’d like for my next camera is anti-shake technology because I hate using flash so many of my non-daylight photos come out blurry.
Another thing you might like to consider is what media slots your laptop has. We take a LOT of pictures when on vacation, so I download them to my laptop every night. My camera uses SD cards, and my laptop has an SD card reader slot so I don’t have to bring any extra cables or card reader peripherals with me.
If you don’t want the delay - I highly recommend the Canon Rebel. They’re expensive but amazing.
Oooh, good topic. The shutter delay on our Powershot drives me bonkers. And I actually got better image results from my old Elph, too.
I just finally took the plunge and ordered a new camera - a Leice D-Lux 10 pix with optical stabilizer. I’m dying to see how it fares, and will let you know. All signs point to it being an amazing instrument - great reviews, it’s a LEICA, it has the features I want. We’ll see.
my FI is a huge techie… so as soon as you mention anything related he goes on and on and on!
at the moment, i’m using the canon powershot 700 IS… i’m told the IS is very important because that means image stabilization so you have less blurry pictures
the second thing is you want a high-speed memory card
other than that, you have to play around and get to know the various settings!
good luck!
I have a new Sony Cybershot that I love. It’s much faster than my old Olympus Stylus. It also comes in “noir” which is actually a dark purple which I like cuz I can tell mine from everyone else’s. 
I’m a big fan of the Canon PowerShot series as well. Ours is an SD800 IS, the speed is fantastic.
Sony DSCH7 Cybershot, I think that they are around $300, and the picture quality is fantastic!!!
for christmas, i got the Canon PowerShot SD 870 IS. it’s awesome. and they have this amazing image-stabilizer where even if you’re SHAKING, the picture is completely clear.
Almost any of the small digital cameras is going to have a significant shutter lag, although some of the software is getting better (such that the lag is getting smaller). Tberry is right, if the shutter lag is going to bug you the best bet is a digital SLR. These cameras operate just as a film SLR would - the software speed matches the mechanical shutter operation, so it will feel just like shooting film. However, the digital SLRs are as big as a regular SLR (they use the same lenses) so you can’t stick one in your shirt pocket. They are coming down hugely in price, although interestingly enough the Canons are also decreasing in picture size/resolution as well. I think they figured out that most people really just want to take nice shapshots, and its hard to email 12.8 megapixels.
We just bought ourselves a Canon G9- call it an early wedding present! My FI is very into amateur photography, but isn’t will to put the $$ or time into learning a SLR. The G9 fit what he wanted the camera to do, and it still fits in my purse/ his pockets. Making it much easier to carry around than a big clunker.
I like it in the fact it has an auto button for me! I’m a terrible photog, but I swear my snapshots have never been better!!
I want to second the panasonic lumix series. The color is amazing on that tiny thing. We took it on our trip to Italy and got GREAT results.
http://www.dpreview.com is where I go to check out in depth reviews of cameras.
I have to second Married in Sept07–bring a backup memory card. We used up a memory card with a ton of pics and videos and still had 3-4 days left of the HM. we got lucky in the fact that there was a Costco on Maui, so we were able to buy another card, but I would have rather brought my spare 1 GB card than spend $80 on a 4GB card.
For a pocket/digicam: Canon Powershot Elph series, hands down. I carry the SD400 everywhere with me, daily. (which is a bit old by now but is still doing a decent job of meeting my candid needs–hasn’t broken at all…)
I bought the SD 1000, which Rodney suggested, for work. And it’s fine–I actually don’t think it’s the optimal Elph version (I’d sacrifice the larger screen for more substantial buttons/controls). But really it seems like almost any Elph is a solid bet.
One place to look for reviews: http://www.steves-digicams.com/
And for good deals (but watch out for the International vs. US versions buys!): http://www.bhphotovideo.com/
As for delay, make sure to get a camera that has a “continuous shooting” mode, the symbol usually looks like a series of layered rectangles. As long as you have a large enough memory card, then you can just hold down the button now & again, and choose the best candids later!
I just got in a big discussion about this with friends. If you’re going the SLR route, the only way to go is a Canon. But if you want a small point-and-shoot style digital camera, I’ve heard Fuji is, by far, the best in terms of not having that long lag. I love my Canon but I was thinking of updating it, and all my photographer friends have stated that Fuji takes the quickest pictures in succession.
my number one pick is the Nikon D80 (I believe they even have a D40 now that is a bit smaller). It is known for being the best as far as eliminating digital delay. The trade off is that it is a bigger camera, but the pics make it totally worth the investment.
I finally had it with my little point and shoot, so I stepped it up to something that could take indoor pics, but wasn’t going to be a brick to haul around. And fancy that, I have a whole review of the other cameras I looked at too.
I have a Panasonic Luminex with a 10x zoom - it snaps pics SO fast and I don’t know how I managed without the zoom before. I’m known amongst my friends for always having my camera, but once I got this one, they never worried about getting their own pics cause mine always turn out so well!!!
I had a sony cybershot before and it snapped pics fast and wrote to the card quickly, but it sucked overall.
I found this website to be extremely helpful. Your friends may love their camera, but it might not be what you’re looking for, so here you can get ALL of the details, and sort through according to your personal needs.
Love my Canon SD900. A few of the reviews online were a bit worrysome - but they must have gotten flukes! I’ve had nothing but the best with my cam - it takes fantastic shots, is teeny enough for my purse, and has all these extra features/special effects I never knew I “needed.” Now I do.
I love love love my Sony Cybershot. Mine is almost three years old, and still beautiful. I just bought the DSC W80 for my FI… it’s small, comes in a few cute colors, super fast, and I love how the new menu is very user friendly - everything is easily and practically explained. it was really affordable as well - under $200. i had an olympus before my cybershot, and wasn’t such a fan of it.
whatever you do, check out dcresource.com. they review pretty much any digital camera, and show example pictures, etc. it’s a great website.
I second what TBerry said. I have the Cancon Rebel XTI and am totally in love with it. Once you have a camera like that you will never want a little digital point & shoot camera again.
my pick is the Canon SD 700IS it is incredible…the IS does it for me…and the quality of the Canon ROCKS.
I got a Canon PowerShot SD750 for christmas and I love it! I used it to take pictures when we went to Sea World in January and got amazing pictures!
It sounds like you’re ready for a DSLR.
I have the Nikon D40x and it’s great! I know some people who have the Cannon Digital Rebel XTi and that’s pretty good too, though I prefer Nikon.
I’ve been using http://consumerreports.org to get ratings for just about everything. Each camera has the good and some the bad, so it depends on what you consider essential. They give you the details on everything (including the lag time) so you can make the best buy. Good luck!
That’s the one I bought for myself too, Mrs. Radish! I love it and I found myself prefering Nikon after looking at the Canon.
I am in love with my Canon powershot SD 630. I take all my product shots with it here: http://www.prismera.com
And all my personal photo shots on my blog, and also if you see the videos on the right side on the blog, all of those are taken with the camera too! It’s a little guy and I carry it everywhere. It is the best $270 I’ve ever ever spent.
Sony DSC-H9..love it love it love it
i like my canon SD800, but it does have a bit of lag when i’m trying to take fast pix!!!
I’m also a canon powershot fan! I got mine for Christmas 06, and loved it so much that I got both my guy and my mom powershot SD1000s for Christmas! Canon is about to come out with a new powershot next month (I don’t remember the name), so you should definitely check that out if you’re willing to wait.
I got a Canon A540 a while ago, but I really wanted a DSLR and didn’t think I could justify the price. I should’ve gone ahead and got it, though; DSLRs are so great. I’ve been eyeing the Nikon D40 - it’s on the cheaper end of SLRs with less extra features so it’s more user-friendly for beginners, but it also takes better pictures than your average point-and-shoot digital. The Canon Digital Rebel is also a good buy; same type of thing as the D40.
(of course, I’m still trying to sell my A540, which is a pretty good camera…if anyone wants that… )
Panasonic Lumix with Leica lens for point and shoot. Excellent camera, quick, easy, great contrast, ideal for a handbag.
But if you’re in for real, then you should go for an SLR The Canon EOS 400D / Digital Rebel XTi is great for when you start, and it’s cheap at the moment as Canon is releasing the EOS 450 / Digital rebel XSi very soon!
I am in live with my Nikon D40. I was marketed to by the Nikon Picture Town commercial.
I’m not sure if you’re going with an SLR or a point-and-shoot type of camera. For the p&s I would go with a canon or sony cybershot. I recently purchased a panasonic and the color quality isn’t as impressive as the others. For the dSLR I recommend the Nikon D40 or the Canon XTi. I took my honeymoon photos with the Nikon D40 and almost all the photos came out pretty clear.
[…] and cameras are always hot topics around here. And Miss Cupcake blogged a few weeks back about her search for a new non-sucky soul-capturing […]
