The Dolphins Make Me Cry.com - Forums

I know that a few of you work with cameras alot. I'll be upfront. I'm not a camera/photo person. I have a little Sony Cybershot that my dad bought me a couple of years ago that is more than adequate for my needs.

I'm planning on hiking in Peru this summer. Going to Macchu Picchu, etc. I want to take some decent pics. Am I going to need a better camera? Is there a small one that will be easy to carry that anyone would recommend? I don't want anything too expensive or complicated because I stink at this. Is my camera capable of taking good shots?

Your camera is probably just fine.  I am assuming you use "auto" mode most often.  The most important thing is a well-lit subject.  Auto mode can't go wrong if there's enough light. 

The only thing you might be concerned about is if you want to make like poster size prints of your trip and you have a 3 MP camera, it may not work.

Can you be more specific about the camera you have?  Sony makes like 10 different "CyberShot" cameras.  Do you have any current complaints about your camera?  How old is it?

If you just want good photos to look at on your screen and maybe print a few at regular size, you should be fine with what you have, I'm guessing.

Yeah. I use it on auto. It's a 6 MP CyberShot. It's a couple of years old. I have no issues with it at all and actually like it. It fits in my pocket and works well for me.

I'm basically just wanting pics to look at on screen and to add to my photoalbum. Maybe do a write up of my trip. Print some for postcards for my family. Nothing major.

If this camera will work, that's great. Outside of this trip, I don't really see myself needing a fancy camera. I'd rather put the money towards the gear I'm going to need for camping.

Yeah, I'm guessing your camera should be fine.  I would maybe pick up an extra memory card or two to make sure you never run out of space.  Also, I like to carry plenty of extra batteries.  Nothing pisses me off more than going to the Great Wall of China and having my camera's batteries die before we even get to the wall.

Great...and thanks for the heads up on the batteries and memory card. Gotta add that to my list of things that I need.

China will hopefully be next year or 2011 for me.

heh - maybe i'll see you there...

...not sure if you're going to buy a new one now or not, but Circuit City had 30% off all of their cameras.  A lot of them were gone already, but it might be worth a look in your area.

I'll take a look. I've been cruising by Circuit City for a tv anyway.

Just in case you do decide to spring for a new camera: You can never have too much zoom.

I will keep this in mind.  :-)

Keep these 4 letters in mind... DSLR.  ;)

Just kidding. They are pricy. If you are thinking of getting one, let me know and I'll give some advice. If not, Panasonic Lumix makes good cameras with great zoom, and are usually priced below comparable Nikons, Canons, and Sonys.

Avoid Samsung, Kodak, Pentax, and Olympus point and shoot cameras like the plague.

LOVE my Lumix but it's not pocket sized

I just looked at the Lumix ones. They have a new one coming out that is really small, waterproof and dustproof. That looks pretty interesting since my camera will probably be abused.

Olympus has a whole set of compact cameras on the market now that are waterproof (underwater pics up to 10 feet deep) and shockproof (you can drop them from 5 feet).  I actually have one and its not bad (even though Frimp says its rat poison).  I took it snorkeling in Jamaica and it worked like a champ.

This is a point and shoot? I just like that they're rugged and look a bit smaller than mine.

It's a point and shoot, yeah. It's this one: http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1314

If I wasn't a camera nerd, I'd use this as my everyday use camera.  It has some cool features, and takes decent pictures, and BONUS you can take it swimming.

Yeah. I just looked at it. If I weren't so cheap, I'd get one of those. It's smaller than what I have and I like that it's rugged because I'm clumsy and planning on doing a lot of adventure travelling over the next few years.

Those waterproof Olympus cameras are good for what they do, but my problem with Olympus and Pentax is that they tend to take darker photos than Nikon, Canon, Sony, etc. Even the Olympus and Pentax DSLRs do it.

But, the photos that the Olympus cameras take under water are much better than the ones that a disposable 35mm camera would use.