Because my old compact digital Sony just got very broken, I'm now trying to find the best new one that suits us....

We use it as I'm sure most of you guys do for action shots and distance shots of dogs and children!  Video recording is a must and the main bugbear with the last camera was delay and missing out on great shots particularly of when at shows or working the dogs and of the children and dogs together.  I don't know how much we need to spend and have no idea how good a camera we need really!  I have a website for the dogs that I put many photos on so it's got to be  half decent one!

I was looking at Panasonic TZ7 but I don't know whether to just go the whole hog and get an SLR?  Any advice from doggy folk?!

Thank you!

I just use a little canon ixus best little camera I have evern owned, I have taken some absolutley gorgeous pictures of our dogs with it..think it only cost me around £150 worth every penny. Easy to use too.

I have a Canon Powershot G6 and also a Nikon D60 (DSLR).

The Canon Powershot was purchased when I managed to break my Nikon D90, and I was so disappointed that I ended up buying a Nikon D60. An expensive mistake. Yes the Canon has the ability to record video clips, but is very slow compared to the D60.

I am a real point and shoot photographer who wants the camera to do all the work for me. I expect the photo to be taken the instant I press the button and then it be ready instantly to take another shot. With the Canon, there is a marked delay when you click to take the photograph, in my case I really notice this with ear carriage, as I can work hard to get my girl to prick her ears forwards, and then when I look at the image, her ears are flicked back. I am sure this is because she hears the click, and flicks her ears back. It is so annoying as even though it is probably only a split second, it is enough to spoil the photo. There is none of this with the Nikon, it hard not to take a good shot and in the time it has taken me to release the button, the camera is ready for another shot. The continuous shooting on the Nikon is brilliant, and even I can manage good results. All in all I love my D60, the only down side being that it is too big to slip in a pocket, but having said that it is a very comfy camera to hold and not at all heavy for the size of the body. The most difficult thing to learn on this camera is how to switch it on, it really is a great camera for someone who simply wants a point and click camera.

Another big plus is that the lenses for the D60 have inbuilt image stabilisation, and that has been a great asset. We do not even need a tripod when using my big lens (I think it is 70 - 210 or something like that).

Hope all this makes sense and helps.

I have both a compact and a SLR. The SLR rarely comes out as its so bulky, with its carry case etc. Even without case its a danger with me that i would fall over and break it..

I feel i should really look to sell the SLR as i really don't like carrying it around with me. They are great if you are looking to get right into photography and don't mind lumbering it around with you.

As for which is the best buy for either a compact or DSLR i'll leave that up to the others as they change so very quickly as in whats on the market.

I use a Canon 5D, Canon 400D and a Canon G9

I have the Canon EOS400D, and have just purchased a Canon IXUS 200IS fab little camera, cost £249

I have the Panasonic TZ6 and have taken numerous pictures of Rambo without any problems. There are a lot of settings on it and the auto mode works great for doggy & children pictures. We also used it in America and didn't miss any shots of the moving parades!

we use canon 400D

Thank you for your replies.  I'm feeling totally baffled by it all to be honest and after taking a look at F-I-Law's DSLR, I'm even more thrown!   It wa great but big and bulky and I don't think I'm ready for interchangeable lenses yet!  So narrowing it down to compact digitals and forgetting DSLRS until I'm older and wiser, any more highly recs?  The Canon Isus and Pannie TZ range seem to be popular??

Thank you and further help needed and appreciated very much.

edited to add, should i spend upto £200 on a little digital compact or just get a cheaper one and splash out on a posh dslr when i'm ready for it?

We have just bought DS a Fujifilm Finepix S1500.  It works like a DSLR, but is easier to use and vastly cheaper    It has 10 megapixels. Fuji are one of the few camera manufacturers to make sensors. 

review here
http://www.whatdigitalcamera.com/equipment/reviews/compactcameras/27123/1/fujifilm-finepix-s1500-review.html

specs here
[url=]http://www.fuji.co.uk/consumer/digital/digital-cameras/d-slr-long-zoom/finepix-s1500/View
[/url]

OH uses an S5800 which is brilliant for dog photos - one taken by DS with this camera is in the Bedlington Booth at DD in Crufts

http://fujifilm.co.uk/consumer/digital/digital-cameras/d-slr-long-zoom/finepix-s5800/Features

Plenty of change from £200 too

> We have just bought DS a Fujifilm Finepix S1500.  It works like a DSLR, but is easier to use and vastly cheaper

I have a Finepix S8000fd. Allthough it's part of the 'big zoom' range I am taken with the super-macro facitlity, so much so you can find me in the summer crawling around the garden looking for bugs to take a close-up of, LOL.

This is why we bought DS his own - his dad never got to see his camera LOL  

DS uses the camera for - bug hunting, dog photographs, short stop-motion animations - the list is endless

After months of reading reviews on digital cameras, I brought a Panasonic lumix dmc-tz3 seemed to have everything and great reviews and under £200 it was for my holiday to Canada last year. I asked my brother for advice on which to buy and months later in the end found one told him what I'd got and he has the very same camera how mad is that!

Saying that he knows how to use his properly unlike me lol

To Goldiemad...This makes complete sense to me , I use a Canon ixus and have exactly the same problem in that I see what I think is the perfect shot , press the button only to find the picture I have got is completely ruined by ears going back or even worse , dog running off in the opposite direction..lol. I thought it was because I am a rubbish photographer never realised it was a camera "fault". I'm going to take a look at the Nikon D60 as I love taking pics of my dogs!

I also use a Fujipix s8000fd - it is a good half way house between compact digital and an SLR. I find it has a good enough range/features to take actions shots etc without being too big to carry or requiring lens changes.

So far not felt the need to borrow dads D-SLR !!

K

I have a Canon D-SLR, love it and wouldn't do without it.  Yep, it's big and bulky but the photo's are just sooo much better.  Doesn't have video on it and couldn't afford the one that does now!

Hi Sedona, I am sure if you purchased a D60 you would be delighted. To me even a rubbish photographer (like me) can get decent shots with this camera. Having said that, I know a lot of people are big Canon EOS fans, so it might be worth comparing the two.

Thank you to everybody for all your replies... I've been looking at even more reviews and comparisons on the cameras you've suggested and it's getter harder as I keep finding more choices!  I think as much as I can appreciate DSLR's, they're not for me right now as I want a video option aswell as not being confident when it comes to interchangeable lenses (mind boggles)...

Does anyone have any experience of Canon G60?  Pansonic FZ38?  Both classed as superzooms and pretty pricey but maybe good option for us...  I read review of Canon G60 that their shutter delay times weren't good (i.e. missing those pricked ear shots)... I've found this comparison table - http://www.cameras.co.uk/html/shutter-lag-comparisons.cfm .

The panasonics get good reviews and there is a seller on ebay that has both TZ7's and FZ38's aswell as many others but they appear to be US versions/imports, the advantage with that seems to be, they are exempt from EU video law or something which means cameras manufactured in the EU with vid recording longer than 15 minutes have to be sold as camcorders whereas the US version is excatly the same but has 90 minute video instead of 15 (useful for shows!).

Ebay ones here - could someone more in the know thake a look at see if there are any obvious compatibility probs for use in UK? - FS3 (TZ7) http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-PANASONIC-LUMIX-DMC-ZS3-TZ7-DIGITAL-CAMERA-8GB_W0QQitemZ300383694480QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CamerasPhoto_DigitalCameras_DigitalCameras_JN?hash=item45f0436e90

and http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-PANASONIC-LUMIX-DMC-FZ35-FZ38-DIGITAL-CAMERA-8GB_W0QQitemZ380194237524QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_CamerasPhoto_DigitalCameras_DigitalCameras_JN?hash=item588557ac54

Both are from same seller who also has the Canon Powershots...

Thank you so much guys,

Wd. be a bit wary re. the ones on e-bay, mainly as most likely you won't be able to have a guarantee etc, if anything went wrong.  I'm a Canon fan myself but also have quite a cheap Panasonic camera which video's, not brilliantly but you get the basics and the photo's aren't bad.

Have a look at this forum - www.avforums.com - they have a digital photography section and there are lots of people on there who will give really good advice.

I use a Canon 20D DSLR - about to upgrade to a Canon 40D - and have taken some great pics without much effort.  Only prob is you are looking at about £500 for camera and then about the same to get a couple of decent lenses.

Anna J

Just found this thread. I'm a photographer so had to reply

For taking pictures of dogs and children etc, an SLR would be best as it does away with shutter lag.
All the leading brands of cameras are good, so the best thing to do is, go to a good camera shop and try some out, see how they feel in your hands, how easy the menus are to use, how portable they feel etc. With the more expensive names it's best to wait for a new model to come out, then buy the old model as you will get more camera for your money

Are bridging cameras as sensible an option as they sound?

>Are bridging cameras as sensible an option as they sound?

I've been wandering this too. I have a hankering for a DSLR, alongside an inkling that I'd only use it as a large and expensive point & shoot. I'd like something that's a bit quicker to take shots really.

M.

Looks quite good.[url=]www.yophotographer.com/page.php?t=10533[/url]

Bridging cameras aren't a bad idea, they're smaller and lighter, but you'd still get the shutter lag. Although I think the Canon G9/G10 seems better than most in this respect.
It also depends how creative you like to be too.

If you have an interest in photography you may find you outgrow a bridge camera pretty soon, but on the other hand, if you find an SLR too cumbersome, you may find you can't be bothered to lug it about.

We have just bought in the last few months a canon 500d still learning how to use it lol. We went for this one as we didnt want to have to upgrade again and it should last us for years. It was a lot of money but but worth every penny espically if you have children or pets and need a fast camera. This camera also has the video function and hdmi

This is a great forum too

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/