Need some advice before buying a digital camera

[RandomLee]

Hello folks,

I'm in the market for a digital camera and would like some advise as I'm not really too clued up on them.

I will mainly be using the camera for snowboarding, bmx and some general scenery stuff.

My main requirements are as follows:

-the ability to take good moving / action shots
-the ability to take video clips
-the ability to take sequence shots (not a must, but would be a bonus)
-takes good photos in bad light (snowobarding can be in very bright or very flat light)
-supports a common type of memory card (mmc, sd, cf etc)

The main problem I've had with digital cameras in the past is that they're very slow to react to the button press when taking a moving shot. I'm not sure if this was down to me, the camera or bad settings however.

A friend who is into filming and editing bmx videos, and also general photography has suggested a DSLR might be what I'm after so I've been looking at the Nikon D50 DSRL which I have seen in John Lewis for around £380 with lens. From what I have read it seems like an awesome camera and would be good for action shots and can do sequences too. I also see there's a D40 out now as well but I havent had the chance to read up on it yet so I dont know how it woulod compare with the D50 in terms of price or features. I do worry that cameras like these might be more advanced than I need though, and I dont want to buy a camera that I wont fully appreciate the use of. Saying that, having a decent camera will definately encourage me to get into photography.

Also, apart from the D50 being a bit more money than I would like to spend (I'm looking to spend around £250 ideally) my only real problem with it is the size. I think it would be far too big and bulky to carry when snowboarding as I dont generally ride with a backpack on. I would much prefer something I can carry in my jacket pocket. As such I have been looking at smaller cameras like the Canon Ixus 850 IS / 900 Ti, Canon Power Shot (various models), Panasonic Lumix (various models) and Fuji Finepix (various models). I think I like the Ixus 850 IS / 900 Ti the most and they seem to get good reviews but would they be good for what I want to use it for? If not are there any other cameras that I should consider?

As you can no doubt tell, I'm a total noob at all things camera and photography related so any advice would be very much appreciated.

Many thanks,

Lee

 

[jonnypb]

Hello folks,

My main requirements are as follows:

-the ability to take good moving / action shots
-the ability to take video clips
-the ability to take sequence shots (not a must, but would be a bonus)
-takes good photos in bad light (snowobarding can be in very bright or very flat light)
-supports a common type of memory card (mmc, sd, cf etc)

A DSLR won't let you take video clips so depending on how important that is to you you're looking at a p&s

A DSLR would meet all of your other requirements though! If you can get to jessops in Cardiff this weekend they're selling the Canon 350D for £199 thats a hell of a bargin

 

[Inactive]

Aberdeen to Cardiff?

A bit of a stretch?

 

[RandomLee]

Cheers for the info bubble.

That is a cracking deal on the 350D! There's no way I can get to Cardiff though

To be honest I'm going off the idea of a DSLR due to the size of them and the need to carry lens etc. Not ideal for snowboarding. I may still look into getting one in the future but I think for now I would be better off getting a decent point and shoot as video is quite important too.

I've been looking on various review sites over lunch time and am really starting to sway towards the Ixus 850 IS or 900 Ti. Both seem ideally sized and within my budget with very similar specs. It just seems to be a case of choosing the 850's IS or the 900's extra pixels.

I would still like alternative suggestions if anyone can think of something better suited to my needs. Or if indeed the Canons I mentioned would be suitable. As I said, I will mostly be taking moving shots.

One more thing, do Jessops on the highstreet price match against internet sellers? I obviosuly want the best deal possible but would much prefer to buy from a highstreet store. If not I think I will go with Amazon for any potential purchase as I get money off vouchers due to having an Amazon credit card.

Thanks again

Lee