cheap Digi-camera

DatabaseError

several years ago i bought an olympus 5mp camera, it was a fairly expensive, at the time, point and click camera, with good reviews and it's served us well.
As it's probably time to get a better one, being a tight git I'd rather spend next to nothing on ebay for something 2nd hand.

So, any suggestions on what should now be a bargain..for a novice? digi-SLRs for a tenner etc...

ManAtHome

Why do you think it's time to get a 'better one' - up-market (at the time) Olympus P&C/P&Ss generally had good lenses, and 5 mpix with a decent lens will easily print up to A4.

Or are you not really a tight git and just want a blast of gadgeagoogoo?

DatabaseError

^ kinda both. The camera does take some great pictures, most of which get reduced in quality/filesize and posted online, an example below. As we are now taking more pictures than ever, we're beginning to notice the lack of zoom, 3x optical just wasn't enough to "get close" to the heron that taunted us yesterday by flying 100 yds each time we got close, so that's a main reason for the upgrade...if it's possible for a song. We have no need for 10Mp etc.., and aren't foolish enough to think we do




^ Hardcastle Crags.

penrhyn

I have had a Lumix TZ3 for a few years and am very pleased with the results x10 optical zoom, if I was replacing I don't think I'd go much farther than the TZ10.

ukcarper

penrhyn wrote: »

I have had a Lumix TZ3 for a few years and am very pleased with the results x10 optical zoom, if I was replacing I don't think I'd go much farther than the TZ10.

I've just bought the TZ8 and if you just want a still camera it's great. I had an Olympus c770 with 10x zoom the camera produced good results although chromatic aberration could be a problem. But to be honest most of the time the 10x zoom wasn’t that much use as you need good light to be able to hold a camera steady enough to get sharp results at that magnification the anti shake in the TZ8 helps a bit.

AirCooledHeaven

I wouldn't be too focussed (no pun intended) on the optical zoom, you may find you get compromises in other areas. I have a 10x zoom canon, it's impossible to avoid camera shake without a tripod at anything over 8x and the image stabiliser is not a perfect solution. I also find I get barrel distortion with close up shots. A lens can't be all things imho.

BillScarab

Like Penrhyn I have a TZ3 and if it broke the first camera I would lok at would be whatever the latest TZ is. They're excellent cameras with great optical zooms and plenty of features.

I fyou wnat second hand there are plenty of TZs on ebay.