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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?
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!!
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Mrs. 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.
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