Camera Opinions :)

[chica94]

Hey all
So i am new here, and i would consider myself a beginner photographer, although i do have a love for it. Anywho, im in the market for a new camera, and have narrowed it down to
Kodak Easy Share Max Z990
KODAK EasyShare Max Z990 CMOS Sensor 12.0 MP Digital Camera with 30x Optical Zoom and 1080p HD Video Capture : Camera, Photo & Video | Dell Canada
Olympus SZ-10
OLYMPUS CORPORATION SZ-10 14MP Camera with Super-Slim 28mm Wide-Angle 18x Optical Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD - Black : Camera, Photo & Video | Dell Canada
Fujifilm Finepix S3400
FUJIFILM FinePix S3400 14MP Camera with 28x Wide Angle 24mm Optical Zoom Lens and 3-Inch LCD : Camera, Photo & Video | Dell Canada
Canon Powershot SX230HS
Canon PowerShot SX230HS 12.1MP Digital Camera - Black : Ultra Zoom - Best Buy Canada

or
Pentax X90
Newegg.ca - Recertified: PENTAX X90 Black 12.1 MP 2.7" 230K LCD 26X Optical Zoom 26mm Wide Angle Digital Bridge Camera




I take pictures of
-horses (mostly horses)
- landscapes/waterscapes
-sunsets/sunrises/clouds
- people
- animals
- up close stuff
-myself
-plants

I need one that can
-take really good action pictures even in difficult situations (or the best at taking them in these situations, such as low light, weather(storm clouds, or bright sunlight). I take a load of pictures of horses and at horse shows, so this is the most important thing.
- Take reasonably good pictures in low light situations (preferably good at this)
- Fast shutter speed (you dont want to get the landing of a horse jumping, you want the perfect shot!)
- has to have a continuous picture thing (like... you hold down the shutter and it takes continuous shots until you let go)


So yes, out of the ones above, which suits my needs the best?

thank you all in advance, and if you are interested in seeing some of my photography, i shall post a thread about it soon






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[Big Mike]

Welcome aboard.

I would suggest that you forget all those cameras and look for a DSLR camera instead.

- Fast shutter speed (you dont want to get the landing of a horse jumping, you want the perfect shot!)

FYI, that is a 'shutter lag' issue, not shutter speed. Most 'point & shoot' cameras have a very noticeable shutter lag and most DSLR cameras don't.

 

[MLeeK]

Bridge cameras are extremely useful little tools. You can shoot in manual and control the image, you don't have to invest THOUSANDS of dollars to get a zoom lens of any quality, plus you don't have to have a half dozen lenses to cover the range you are needing. That's a pretty hot little package if you aren't intending to go professional or anything with it. Definitely worth the $ for any hobby.

If you truly want a bridge camera I'd steer clear of Kodak. They aren't producing the quality they were back in the day by any means these days. They are also "not" filing bankruptcy, but have retained a bankruptcy lawyer... That's a little shaky as far as I am concerned and the warranty?
Olympus is already there and I'd expect to see Olympus cameras go the way of the Edsel soon.
Fuji is great, but there is a noticeable shutter lag on their bridge cameras.

My two top choices currently for the bridge cameras is the SX40 HS from Canon or the Nikon P500. The Canon G12 is probably even better in terms of DSLR shooters looking for a compact with everything included, but doesn't have the mega zoom that the other two do.

 

[TCD photography]

Bridge cameras are extremely useful little tools. You can shoot in manual and control the image, you don't have to invest THOUSANDS of dollars to get a zoom lens of any quality, plus you don't have to have a half dozen lenses to cover the range you are needing. That's a pretty hot little package if you aren't intending to go professional or anything with it. Definitely worth the $ for any hobby.

If you truly want a bridge camera I'd steer clear of Kodak. They aren't producing the quality they were back in the day by any means these days. They are also "not" filing bankruptcy, but have retained a bankruptcy lawyer... That's a little shaky as far as I am concerned and the warranty?
Olympus is already there and I'd expect to see Olympus cameras go the way of the Edsel soon.
Fuji is great, but there is a noticeable shutter lag on their bridge cameras.

My two top choices currently for the bridge cameras is the SX40 HS from Canon or the Nikon P500. The Canon G12 is probably even better in terms of DSLR shooters looking for a compact with everything included, but doesn't have the mega zoom that the other two do.

+1. Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[dawn]

I don't know about the others but I just bought a Kodak z990. Nifty little camera, but I haven't played with it enough to really know. I was going to take it out today but it was so ugly out.

 

[viola]

I highly recommend the Nikon P500. I just bought it a few days ago and couldn't be more impressed. It's truly like a DSLR without all the clunkiness & baggage. The 36x zoom is incredible, and the wide end takes in a lot. And most importantly, it has great image quality.