Newbie help....

[Joss32]

Hi,
ive just joined with the hope that someone can help me.

I have just decided to start taking some photos and hopefully get into photography, however.
i have just bought a GE400 to get started but the shutter speed is really slow and id prefer something where i can take photos in quick succession if needs be where as with my camera it takes around 3-4 seconds for it to take the picture, save it and then return to the shooting mode.

sorry if i havent got the right termanology but hopefully you know what i mean..

any help.

thanks in advance...
Joss

 

[orb9220]

"Cons:
Does not include paper Manuel (on disc)
Lens cover comes off easily
Pictures are blurry, even with focusing they aren't the best.
Auto Scene does not detect correct scene when used.
High quality, does not produce high quality photos.
The 'best' setting does just as good as the 'fine' or 'normal' settings.
Macro does not take clear close ups.
Screen is very grainy, pictures looks dark.
Camera is very noisy.
Etc.

Overall this camera is horrible. I currently own a Samsung 10.3 megapixel with 4x zoom. I was wanting a better camera to use for my photography. The GE 400 seemed like a great camera, with a lot more than the Samsung. However, even though my Samsung is out of date as far as mp, it is a better camera. It takes so much more clearer photos that are not grainy. I have been in photography for two years now and I will be returning this camera I bought. Definitely not worth the money."

Is one reviewer that sums it up best. What are you expecting from a $120 camera? as P&S and Bridge type like this are not designed for fast frames per sec image captures. And slow to write image to card.

Solution get a better camera and not a P&S/Bridge if wanting to capture action & motion with 5-6 fps requires a dslr that is more like 4x-5x that price. As that is one of the trade-offs is time you click the image to image being written to the card is quite long on the cheapy cameras.
.

 

[Joss32]

i suppose i should have asked on here before i bought the camera if its that bad...??

i literally started taking photographs 2 days ago so im VERY new to all this..!

 

[orb9220]

Yep a bit of research before purchase is recommended. But for more serious and learning photography you will need to have a budget more like in the $300-$400 for a good used starting dslr can get you up and running.

But as you grow and learn then that cost will increase in acquiring better lenses,flash and upgrading to a even more capable body. If you are willing to save up to the $500-$700 mark. Then can put you into a system that you can grow into and will last you 2-3 years at the least and longer depending on your shooting needs & style.
.

 

[Designer]

i suppose i should have asked on here before i bought the camera if its that bad...??

i literally started taking photographs 2 days ago so im VERY new to all this..!

Don't worry for now, just continue to take pictures and learn. The first thing you must learn is to see artfully. Not every scene will be a work of art, but you need to learn composition, light, form, texture, pattern, and color, for instance. The camera you have is the one you have for now, so use it.

 

[Joss32]

I was thinking of returning it. I am currently watching a few cameras on ebay which are:

[TABLE="width: 1200"]
[TR]
[TD="class: vi-tc_0, colspan: 1"][h=1]Fujifilm FinePix S7000 6.3 MP[/h]

[TABLE="width: 1333"]
[TR]
[TD="class: vi-tc_2 vi-tc_0, colspan: 1"][h=1]Fujifilm FinePix S9600 Zoom 9.0 MP[/h]
[h=1]Konica Minolta DiMAGE A1 5.0 MP Digital SLR Camera[/h]

[TABLE="width: 1333"]
[TR]
[TD="class: vi-tc_2 vi-tc_0, colspan: 1"][h=1]Fujifilm FinePix SL240 14.0 MP[/h]
[h=1]Olympus CAMEDIA E 10 4.0 MP Digital SLR Camera - Black (Kit w/ 35-140mm Lens)[/h]

Any recommendations or advice regarding the above would be greatly appreciated.

Joss[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

 

[SCraig]

Virtually all point and shoot or "Bridge" (the camera between point and shoot and DSLR) have very slow shutter lag. Some may be better than others, I haven't used them all, but all that I have used have been about the same. If you want low shutter lag look at either a DSLR (better) or a "Mirrorless" camera (best). I've never used a mirrorless either however I've been told by someone whose abilities I respect that the shutter lag on a Nikon V1 is virtually zero.

Edit .. See post #15 and #16 below

 

[MLeeK]

I am sorry, my friend. You laid out $120 on a hunk of junk. If you are buying a camera at least buy them from a company that makes cameras. Not refrigerators and locomotives. That should have been your first clue.
At this point I would return it if at all possible.

 

[Joss32]

so what would be a decent camera to get started with for around the same kind of price... i dont really want a compact or what have you... i would prefer a bulky camera or similar size to the one i have etc..

 

[tirediron]

I am sorry, my friend. You laid out $120 on a hunk of junk. If you are buying a camera at least buy them from a company that makes cameras. Not refrigerators and locomotives. That should have been your first clue.
At this point I would return it if at all possible.

Samsung makes locomotives?

 

[SCraig]

I am sorry, my friend. You laid out $120 on a hunk of junk. If you are buying a camera at least buy them from a company that makes cameras. Not refrigerators and locomotives. That should have been your first clue.
At this point I would return it if at all possible.

Samsung makes locomotives?

... i have just bought a GE400 ...

General Electric.

 

[Haya.H]

I personally liked this as my first camera, Amazon.com: Nikon COOLPIX L120 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 21x NIKKOR Wide-Angle Optical Zoom Lens and 3-Inch LCD (Black): Electronics.

The price is a little higher but worth it.

 

[SCraig]

so what would be a decent camera to get started with for around the same kind of price... i dont really want a compact or what have you... i would prefer a bulky camera or similar size to the one i have etc..

In the $120 price range, not much. Certainly not anything new. You might run across something used in that range, but even so it is going to be an older model. New entry-level DSLR bodies with a basic lens start in the $400 range.

 

[MLeeK]

I personally liked this as my first camera, Amazon.com: Nikon COOLPIX L120 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 21x NIKKOR Wide-Angle Optical Zoom Lens and 3-Inch LCD (Black): Electronics.

The price is a little higher but worth it.

While the L120 is a nice point and shoot, it does not have manual controls. So, essentially it isn't going to give you any more control than the GE that you have. If you search out Nikon L120 you'll find a few here who have bought it thinking that because of how it LOOKS it is going to be a bridge camera and were seriously disappointed.
In your budget, there's really not much. You can look for an older bridge such as the Canon SX20 IS or the Nikon P500. I can't remember the model before the P500, but that'd be an option too.

 

[SCraig]

I personally liked this as my first camera, Amazon.com: Nikon COOLPIX L120 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 21x NIKKOR Wide-Angle Optical Zoom Lens and 3-Inch LCD (Black): Electronics.

The price is a little higher but worth it.

While the L120 is a nice point and shoot, it does not have manual controls. So, essentially it isn't going to give you any more control than the GE that you have. If you search out Nikon L120 you'll find a few here who have bought it thinking that because of how it LOOKS it is going to be a bridge camera and were seriously disappointed.
In your budget, there's really not much. You can look for an older bridge such as the Canon SX20 IS or the Nikon P500. I can't remember the model before the P500, but that'd be an option too.

Aren't they going to have the same shutter lag that he was complaining about in the original post? I'm not really up on bridges but I do have an old Sony H9 and it's the same way.