Digital camera for night shots

ollyk

type "Canon Powershot S3 IS review" into google and look for places like Steves Digicams, DP review and dc resorce etc... read them all cos they offer slightly differing opinions occasionally. here's is the conclusion of Steves to get you started - a quick read suggests this camera might be suitable but please try before buy!
Personally I don't like the Sony H1/2 but have to admit the piccies they produce are very vibrant!

Sarahjovi

My Sister in Law has an Olympus Camera, its quite a small one. It was a [mju:]-mini DIGITAL . but it had a setting for Fireworks on it which was excellent, I took similar pics with my camera (of fireworks) and they came out blurred, hers were very sharpe.

Sarah

itgirlinuk

ollyk wrote:

type "Canon Powershot S3 IS review" into google and look for places like Steves Digicams, DP review and dc resorce etc... read them all cos they offer slightly differing opinions occasionally.

I have read the dpreview's review on the camera. Thanks for the other sites. Will look through them. But I am not able to find someone who has actually used the camera and tell me their experience.

If you all had to pick between a Sony and a Canon, which would you pick?

ollyk

itgirlinuk wrote:

I have read the dpreview's review on the camera. Thanks for the other sites. Will look through them. But I am not able to find someone who has actually used the camera and tell me their experience.

If you all had to pick between a Sony and a Canon, which would you pick?

In the 'pro' world of photography some people go with Canon, and others with Nikon. Neither can nescesarily tell you one camera is better than the other, but they will tell you what they don't like about the other 'brand'.
I guess instincts would go with Canon but that doesn't mean a Sony will perform any less in certain fields...
Use Steves digicams and look at the example photos between a h2 and S3 to compare quality.
Then, go to your local Jessops and tell them exactly what you are after, and maybe suggest you have looked at brand x and ask if there is anything more suitable out there....
You must NOT generally go off other peoples advice if you are at all serious about photography! You MUST be very happy with your purchase

Little_John

Ive just viewed this post and thought I would pass on some information
Blured shots are due to a few things
fast moving subjects or long shutter speeds. If somthing is moving fast to capture a clear smooth image you need a quick shutter speed, setting the camera in auto wont cut it. so buy a camera with more advances functions that allow the manual setting of the shutter. leaving a camera in auto will normally addjust the shutter speed to allow enough light in the lense as a result the photo is blured.
Problems of manual setting the shutter, the exposure wont right, either over exposed or under exposed to light or too dark depending on the amount of light getting in the lense. you can set the apature of the lense to wide open to allow as much light in as possible to try and reduce the shutter speed but it can be difficult to get the setting correct early on so you need to practice using the camera in different low light senarios

Im not gonna tell you which camera to buy, the more lense exposed at the front the more light can get in so it should perform better in low light levels, most compact cameras may have 1cm diameter of glass others have 4 or 5cm.

I think you need to be looking at the DSLR cameras to get decent shots at night. they have better sensors more options regarding lenses, have higher iso settings you can normally addjust all the setting manually or use the auto mode. I wish I had bought a DSLR a few years ago, I bought a £400 camera and for the same money I could have bought the canon EOS 350d

itgirlinuk

I have finally chosen the Canon - the Canon Powershot S3. I will be trying the night shots soon. Fingers crossed, it should be good (probably not as good as a DSLR).

Thanks everyone for helping. Very much appreciated

ollyk

itgirlinuk wrote:

I have finally chosen the Canon - the Canon Powershot S3. I will be trying the night shots soon. Fingers crossed, it should be good (probably not as good as a DSLR).

Thanks everyone for helping. Very much appreciated

Well, as long as you are happy that is all that is important I will look forward to seeing the night shots - but don't be dissapointed if they don't turn out how you want them at first!

BTW, I am afraid it definately won't be as good as a DSLR, but that is the way the cookie crumbles!