Digital Cameras: Your Recommendations

I spent all of today in London taking photos of an exhibition I will be using as a case study for my thesis. I got home, uploaded the pics and discovered, much to my frustration, that they are, almost without exception, useless; out of focus and just too blurry to use as illustrative material (or even just as 'memory-joggers' - they're *that* bad!). I've never got on with this camera (an Olympus Camedia C-310 Zoom), and now it's i) getting on for three and half years old; and ii) patently useless for research, I'm thinking about purchasing a new one. Afterall, I guess that's what the AHRC had in mind for their cash when they awarded me my research grant, rather than the shameful reality of me frittering it all away at Primark and on buying vintage knitting patterns off eBay. *beseeches the AHRC for forgiveness*

While I do fancy myself as an amateur photographer (landscapes, monuments, trees (I'm obsessed with knobbly trunks at the mo'), my main priority has to be getting decent (and sharp) photos in museums and galleries. And, as I am a poor PhD student, value for money is another important consideration. To these ends, dear readers, I would (and I bet others would be too) very grateful to receive your recommendations for/experiences of using digital cameras. Over to you guys!

Comments

Jeremy said…
We bought a Canon SX100 IS recently. This is a compact but of the supercharged variety i.e. it has a lot of the control that you'll find in a modest DSLR, and decent lenses (of decent size, to let in enough light). One day an SLR would be great, but we wanted something simple and small enough for a (coat) pocket, yet with the ability to override the automatic settings (and this can do fully manual mode if you like).
Turns out it's exclusive to PC World (well, Dixons Group), which (despite it being from a good manufacturer) would usually be enough to put me off. However we tried it out against some Fujis and Nikons (IIRC) for comparison and plumped for it ultimately on the basis of its relatively reasonable size, clear menus and controls, and decent flash. Oh, and the price was good. For memory cards, just don't buy one at PCW! Amazon will save you much cash.
The Attic said…
Thanks for the advice Jeremy. Looks like I might be getting a camera for my birthday, so I guess I'll be happy with what I get. Anything is better than this rubbish piece of s*&@!!!
Anonymous said…
Hi Amy, I've recently bought this one, a Canon IXUS 75: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000NUT92W and I am very happy with it. It is automatic, but it also allows some manual settings. The quality of indoor (i.e. low light gallery space) photos without using flash is excellent!
The Attic said…
Apparently Ceri's Dad would recommend Canon too - so we have a consensus! I'll drop hints in my Mum and Dad's direction. ;)

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