so im looking for a digital camera. i like how canons work so it will probably be a canon. 

probably want 300-500 dollars or so.  at least 8 megapixels. good zoom, up to like 10x
slr or high range point and shoot. (probably point and shoot)

lots of features and manual control.  

are there any good cameras that you would reccomend?

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jamey pyles

Jamey, go for the dSLR. I'm an Olympus guy, but if I were buying a Canon dSLR or prosumer camera in that range, I'd definitely go for the dSLR -- you can get this very nice setup for under $500, including CF card, so that's just a great deal. Skip the super-long zoom for now, and go for a camera that you can really work with.

Tom

At that price you definitely wanna lean towards the Rebel, Jamey.  The other one I'd recommend is the Canon S5.  It'll run around $450 or so, is smaller, has a 12x stabalized zoom, but the images won't be nearly as sharp and you can't shoot in raw if you ever want to graduate to that level.  A decent 70-300mm lens for the Rebel (which functions like a 112-480mm lens) only costs about $130, so maybe a future birthday or xmas present?

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Bryan Swan
http://www.waterfallsnorthwest.com

Hi Jamie,

I have the Canon Rebel Splintercat & Sorefeet are talking about and I love it. I have an 18-200mm zoom lense on it which is kinda pricey. I had to replace the old one that came with the camera because it got broken when I fell on a steep downhill rocky trail. Also fractured my shoulder, but I was more upset about the lense. Demented, I know. Anyway, if you go with the DSLR, be sure to buy a UV filter to protect the lense.

Good luck and have fun with whatever you decide to buy.

Happy Shooting
Peace......Patty

I've got the Canon A650IS, with 12.1 mp, a 6x zoom, and a wide range of features. It's not going to give you what a dslr will, but it's more compact and still pretty nice.  I'm hardly an expert, and I'm trying to figure out how to get sharper pictures without a tripod (if possible) but here are some pictures I've taken with it recently.

I have the Canon A710IS. It takes nice pictures and has a lot of features, not all of which I have figured out how to use. I love the 6x zoom (about as much as you want without a tripod) and the macro feature--the last is great for wildflower shots. It has a viewfinder, which is a good thing because in bright sunlight the LED screen is useless. I've found the same to be true with many other cameras, which is why I insisted on a viewfinder, something that's getting hard to find. It eats batteries amazingly fast--several times I've completely used a fresh set of batteries in less than a day, which doesn't bode well for an 8-day backpack I'm planning this summer. The instruction manual states specifically not to use lithium batteries with it, so that is not an option. I need to do some more work with the instruction manual to find out how to turn the LED screen off to save power for multi-day backpacks.

As you've probably gathered, while I enjoy using this camera and really like the pictures, I am not 100% happy with it, especially the battery issue. Unless you don't mind carrying pounds of extra batteries, consider a camera that uses small lithium batteries.

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May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view.--E.Abbey

Hi Jamey,

    What I would recommend is this.  At this point, DO NOT spend the money on a DSLR.  I haven't even gotten one yet, and yet I can easily get pro-quality pics from less expensive gear.  What I always tell people is that its not about the camera...its about the photographer.  All you really need is a camera that you can operate on a fully Manual setting, and for outdoor photography, one that can accomodate a circular polarizer filter.  If I were you, I'd try out the Fuji 5700, and invest in a circular polarizing filter for it.  If you check out my recent pics from Eagle creek last week, I used that camera for all of them.

   I also use Kodak cameras, which I actually prefer, but the Fuji is highly durable, and a tremendous camera to learn on, and with it you will be able to get pro-shots.  It costs a little under $200.  And I wouldn't worry about using RAW just yet.  Wait 1 year and I almost guarantee that you will be able to get a 12 megapixel DSLR for the price of an 8 megapixel DSLR if you bought it today.  That's what I'm waiting for.  At that time you can get into RAW.  RAW does not have a lot of advantages at this point, and right now each company has its own version which will probably be out-dated or all consolodated into a generic standard format soon.  What you should do is have your JPEGs converted to TIFF files though, for a format that will be around a long time, and does not lose detail when saved to a cd or dvd.

    Hope this helps.  Just remember this - you can give a $100 camera to a photographer who knows what they're doing, and get images more incredible and spectacular that a $5,000 camera would produce in the hands of a less talented photographer.  You're pictures will always be about you, not your equipment when it comes to photography.

-Zach

Jamey, here's a link for the camera I'd reccomend http://www.fotoconnection.com/p71486-fuji-finepix-s5700-71-mp-digital-camera-10x-optical-zoom.html  And here's a photo I got with this camera just last week. http://portlandhikers.org/forums/storage/8/29444/blue%20skies%20over%20Table.jpg

thanks everyone for the replies and reccomendations.  i dont know how long it will be til i get it, but will be before 2009.  the digital rebel one looks great, but i do like zoom, so ill have to consider that.  yesterday i tried out an s3is that my friend has. i liked the manual control but it seemed to only have up to f/8 for the aperturture. i dont know why, cause you definately need more than that. i was looking at the s5is for me, but i dont know...

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jamey pyles

Where's a good place to buy locally and cheap?

hello jerry,

I would try costco they have great deals on mid range camera's.  If you dont have a card I would try a place in NW portland called pro photo supply.  I have bought a lot of stuff from them and have not had a problem.  There web site is: www.prophotosuply.com
The reason I say them is they have used gear, and have good prices on them.
Also craigslist is a great place.
Let me know what you think.

pyles_94:

so im looking for a digital camera. i like how canons work so it will probably be a canon. 

probably want 300-500 dollars or so.  at least 8 megapixels. good zoom, up to like 10x
slr or high range point and shoot. (probably point and shoot)

lots of features and manual control.  

are there any good cameras that you would reccomend?

If you want good pic. I would buy the DSLR thats all I use.  I use a 18-200 lens and that has been plenty big.  If you get a point and shoot make sure the optical zoom is 10x, the digital zoom cuts out megapixels .  Also you want a larger sensor in the camera so it can "see" more stuff.  With that said its still our choice. Good luck on finding your camera.

so does any body know anything bad about the s5is? does anyone have this one?

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jamey pyles

Hey jamey,

I have looked and that is a great camera.  It would be great for packing it weighs about a pound.
Heres a link on it:

http://www.digitalreview.ca/content/Canon-powershot-s5-is-digital-camera.shtml

Check it out.  Very independet review site tells you if stuff sucks.

Craig

I looked for a camera for a couple of years And finally got a Cannon Powershot S5 IS.

12X optical zoom 8.0 MP.

I have not learned how to use it totally yet but I know one thing about it. It takes amazingly sharp pictures/video. I got a new memory card from Costco and now it holds over 3000 pics at the highest resolution. I am not a camera buff by any means but I was shocked at the detail in my pictures. I took a picture of a snowy branch 30' off my back porch and when I enlarged it I could see the minute detail of the moss and the individual snow flakes on the branch, with no distortion.

I would have liked to get the Rebel but due to budgetary constraints I got the S5 and have not found a reason to regret it. $399

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Everybodys got somthing to hide......Except for me and my monkey!