What to Recommend?

[SCguy]

My friend is looking to buy a camera. This is the guidelines he has set for it:

1. Under $200
2. Small, slim enough to fit in a pocket
3. He wants a camera with optical IS and optical zoom > 3x.
4. He wants it to be available in different colors.

He like taking pictures, mostly people and pics of his RC airplane. (hence the zoom and IS)

He is looking at the Olympus FE-340. Decent camera?

Suggestions please.

RD

 

[sburatorul]

My friend is looking to buy a camera. This is the guidelines he has set for it:

1. Under $200
2. Small, slim enough to fit in a pocket
3. He wants a camera with optical IS and optical zoom > 3x.
4. He wants it to be available in different colors.

He like taking pictures, mostly people and pics of his RC airplane. (hence the zoom and IS)

He is looking at the Olympus FE-340. Decent camera?

Suggestions please.

RD

the IS won't help him much in shooting action shots of an RC plane. for under 200$ i would suggest looking for something with a greater reach. just an example is the fuji s5700 with 10x zoom(35mm eq 380mm) and only7 mpx compared to this one with 8. Optical IS is good but i never had it, not on the p&s i used to own nor on my d60 lens and i don't miss it and neither will he when shooting the RC plane.

 

[TamiyaGuy]

I would certainly back up the Fuji S5700. It's a really nice little camera, and will do you fine until he/she decides to get a DSLR (trust me, it's a mind-blowing leap in performance). It's also very cheap, which never hurts .

Also, just a couple of tips for shooting RCs:

Screw the ISO. I regularly use ISO 800 or even 1,600 to get as fast a shutter speed as possible. Even then, sometimes it's not fast enough. Also, take LOTS of photos. It's just law that half your photos won't come out well (well, more than half for me ). Best of luck!

 

[Bifurcator]

This is the guidelines he has set for it:

1. Under $200
2. Small, slim enough to fit in a pocket
3. He wants a camera with optical IS and optical zoom > 3x.
4. He wants it to be available in different colors.

Too bad for No. 2. There are some great used bridge cameras for around $200. But I can't think of any worthy P&Ss for that.

 

[sburatorul]

I would certainly back up the Fuji S5700. It's a really nice little camera, and will do you fine until he/she decides to get a DSLR (trust me, it's a mind-blowing leap in performance). It's also very cheap, which never hurts .

Also, just a couple of tips for shooting RCs:

Screw the ISO. I regularly use ISO 800 or even 1,600 to get as fast a shutter speed as possible. Even then, sometimes it's not fast enough. Also, take LOTS of photos. It's just law that half your photos won't come out well (well, more than half for me ). Best of luck!

i sure did ok with it until i got this little beast d60. not the best iso performance but better than those pocket size 3x zoom p&s

 

[SCguy]

I agree the S5700 is a decent camera, I own one. It's nice, and with rechargable AA's it has an awesome battery life. Its a nice camera except for the high ISO noise and the prevalent chromatic aberration.


RD

 

[sburatorul]

I agree the S5700 is a decent camera, I own one. It's nice, and with rechargable AA's it has an awesome battery life. Its a nice camera except for the high ISO noise and the prevalent chromatic aberration.


RD

true but what more can you ask for for under 200 usd? each camera has its weaknesses and strengths. so this one has a big reach and acceptable iso performance for its price... i doubt the one the one you mentioned has a very good iso performance or no CA.

those where the reasons that made me go slr. but it cost me more than 200 usd