looking for a camera

[huntergreg]

I am looking to get a digital camera. I have 500-600 to spend. What would a good camera to get for the money. I dont know to much about cameras..  This year I could have had a lot of nice shots of huge bucks but I couldn't zoom in enough to get good pics.  So its time to get a good one.

[CAMPMEAT]

How far away do you want to take pictures ? I have a little Nikon Coolpix S570 with an 8 GB card. You can take around 6-8 different color pictures, bw, normal, sepia etc. You can take movies with it and take real nice pictures. Mine was about $250 total. You can shop around and get it cheaper online. I bought mine a Staples so I paid taxes etc. on it. It pocket size so it won't get in the way.

[uplandhunter870]

im by no means a camera pro, more like a practiced novice but heres what ive learned.

if you are going to be taking long shots youll want something like a megazoom camera, i have a canon sx20is that has 20x optical zoom and a 4x digital zoom works great for the long shots

but if youre a bit closer and want more of a pocket camera i think any smaller point and shoot type will work well, i have a canon A590is that takes great pics has 4x optical and 4x digital zoom.  both cameras have all the idiot modes and the more advanced mode options including full manual

just for to show what one camera is capable of, this pic was shot about an hour ago with the sx20is at a distance of 0.5 mile at 80x zoom in snow shot mode, have not done any post processing

[huntergreg]

I want to be able to get clear pics around 200-300 yards. I have a few pocket cameras. so I am interested in a bigger one for long shots.

[CAMPMEAT]

The bigger cameras, the more you're gonna pay. I have a Nikon D60 2 lenses $1100.

[uplandhunter870]

yeah youre going to pay more for the DSLR type cameras and pay a lot more for quality lenses but if youre not wanting to invest that much i think a mega zoom will do the trick just fine, ive captured some great photos with mine especially for how new i am to the photo world.

the image quality will not be as sharp as the DLSR types, take a look at the nikon p100 (26x optical), canon sx20 (20x optical) and i know panasonic has a mega zoom but not sure what the model number is

also check out cnet.com they have pretty extensive reviews and are typically right on par

[CAMPMEAT]

I know my Coolpix takes very sharp pictures. I am very impressed with it. It's as good as my D60.

[BuckHunter23]

I'm no expert either, but I have a Cannon S90.  Think you can buy extra lenses/attachments for it as well.  Awesome digital point and shoot, with tons of manual features if you like to tinker with stuff as well.  Lots of built in modes too.  The zoom is not extraordinary, but I've got some really clear shots through the 15x digital zoom.  It also has a metal casing making it rugged and sturdy for outdoor use.  But I agree with others here, if you want to shoot super clear shots at that distance, you'll need to spend a little more to get yourself a nice DSLR setup.  Some nice starter package deals in the $800 range from Cannon and Nikon.  Then later on, after you've figured out how to use it, you can go spend the extra money on better lenses.    Good luck!