Camera lovers unite!

LE having just bought a new Canon inspired me.
It is soon time for a new camera.

I was looking at the new Olympus E3.

Any thoughts?

What's your dream camera? Which will be your next?

there's a camera thread in the saloon photo album with lots of helpful info.

I was looking at the new Olympus E3.

Any thoughts?

I've also been looking at the E3 and the much cheaper E510, but I'd say
the Pentax K10D beats both. It has many of the E3 features, bright
viewfinder, weatherproofing etc. at a price similar to E510.

E3 is new; it may become a lot more attractive if the price drops.

I'm looking at this web site - (impressive site):
http://www.pentax-k10d.jp/english/

When I started using a camera somewhat seriously, it was
1975 and Pentax was kind of a 'b' grade in the 35mm arena.

It seems that now they have some very nice offerings.

I'll see if I can find someone carrying the K10D because 'feel'
is so important. I've had a couple of Sony's that I was very happy with.
Now I have a Fujifilm 9500s which is great for all around, but makes
me crave a true SLR with a nice feel and better performance.

I've been drooling over pro-style cameras for so long but will never buy myself one mainly because it will always stay at home! I've always been a point and shoot type of person! Most cameras now offer more than enough MP for your average home user so the only reason i'd upgrade would be to get a better zoom.

and I finally got a lead on a point-and-shoot with acceptable zoom: The Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ series... all the point and shoot goodness with a lovely 10x optical zoom... oh yeah!!! that might turn out to be my next B-day gift to myself





Here is the dp review: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/PanasonicTZ3/

Nice camera, Nolefan.  Almost the same as my Sony.  I have an SLR in Canada and have left it there because it is too heavy, especially with all lenses and filters that I have an use with the camera.  Out of Canada, I want more instant photos, yet decent photos, without the weight.  Using a "great" camera requires careful attention to setting up shots, lighting, decisions on whether to use a wide-angle, a telephoto, lens filters, etc. 

Still, when back home and the itch strikes, I will likely by a digital SLR (a canon most likely hoping my other lenses work out with it).

which Sony is that, Eagle? big optical zoom on it?

There's some good advice about cameras for travellers at:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Travel_photography

http://photo.net/ is a very good site, lots of information on everything from choosing equipment to how to take better photos with any equipment.

Get a camera you feel comfortable with. Hold it and feel for the important bits.. Buy it if it does all you want it to. The eye behind it is the most important bit!!

which Sony is that, Eagle? big optical zoom on it?

A DSC H-5 with a 12X optical zoom and 7.2 megapixels.  A very nice camera indeed for a point and shoot.  Of course it is already obsolete as the H-7 and H-9 have already replaced it. 

LOL!  I have a friend in Canada with a Nikon SLR digital (VERY expensive) who still takes crap photos.

I have an Olympus optical camera that I loved until I bought my digitals. Then I bought the Canons - a Powershot 45 that had an OK zoom for what I wanted at the time, then my Pro1 that had the better zoom, more mgs etc, and now of course my nice new baby.

The Pro1 or it's current replacement would be a good option for the high end point and shoot. Nice zoom, high mgs, not too heavy, settings you can play with.

What do I want now? More lens of course!! More filters.

This is an expensive game!!

But I have been really happy with the 3 Canons and when fixing is required in China - my favourite camera shop has a repair section as well.  So it hasn't been incredibly difficult.  When necessary they will send to HK for repairs. (I am tough on my cameras!) But the Canons have taken a lot from me and still kept shooting.

Since China is such an interesting place and full of surprises for me - even after so many years - I often wish I had a 'instant but decent' camera like Eagle is suggesting. That Lumix looks nice, Nolefan. And I like the good zoom because I often want to get in close without being in somebody's face. I often think I wish I had a 'point and shoot' hanging around my neck so I can just grab it when I see a photo-worthy situation. Does anyone do that? When I was 15, I had my Vivitar around my neck all the time (an early geek). Perhaps it caused some neck problems....
LE, I bet you bought the OM1 when it came out. A real ground breaker.
Some of these Sony's are really sexy, too.

http://www.ricoh.com/r_dc/caplio/r7/

here's the specs on my brand new baby, very new,released in September of this year.
it's one of the thinnest on the market and I love it.

Wow, I like the looks and specs on the Caplio R7.

Do you think the brand is very important?
I'm wondering if features are most important since
there are SO MANY manufacturers that make great cameras.

Kind of destroys the concept of brand loyalty - unless you
are used to a specific style or menu system. New menus like
new software can be a pain to learn. And once you learn one,
it becomes obsolete.