Opinions Wanted

I'm looking for a digital camera to be used by several different users
for field walkdowns. The criteria I am looking at are listed below:

Around US $250.00
Easy to use and not too easy to change settings
3+ megapixels
Fairly rugged
As much zoom as possible
Would like to go to ISO 400

A little background - I purchased 2 Fuji S-5200 cameras a little less
than a year ago. I used one of them for a short while with very good
results, then both were given to different groups for there use. I
had several complaints from users that they didn't take good pictures.
In every case that I was able to investigate, settings were changed
to something inappropriate - wrong ISO, WB etc. or the user did not
know how to properly set the camera for shooting conditions. One has a
broken / inoperable flash.

So, I guess I need a camera that is as idiot-proof as possible, which
takes fairly decent shots. Photos will be of a variety of things,
including outdoor shots, indoor mechanical /electrical equipment, etc.

TIA
Bill

In article ,
wrote:

I'm looking for a digital camera to be used by several different users
for field walkdowns. The criteria I am looking at are listed below:

Around US $250.00
Easy to use and not too easy to change settings
3+ megapixels
Fairly rugged
As much zoom as possible
Would like to go to ISO 400

A little background - I purchased 2 Fuji S-5200 cameras a little less
than a year ago. I used one of them for a short while with very good
results, then both were given to different groups for there use. I
had several complaints from users that they didn't take good pictures.
In every case that I was able to investigate, settings were changed
to something inappropriate - wrong ISO, WB etc. or the user did not
know how to properly set the camera for shooting conditions. One has a
broken / inoperable flash.

So, I guess I need a camera that is as idiot-proof as possible, which
takes fairly decent shots. Photos will be of a variety of things,
including outdoor shots, indoor mechanical /electrical equipment, etc.

For $250, you have a lot of cameras to chose from. I haven no idea
what's idiot proof and what's not. I have a Sony digital camera with
controls that are very easy to operate. Before I bought that camera last
summer, I tried a friend's Fuji and I can tell you that the controls on
my Sony camera are much easier to operate than the controls on my
friend's Fuji.

There is no camera for what you describe, a camera is a tool that must
be learned, miss understand it and results wont be great. Why would
you listen at all to your less experianced.

Canon A60. Max "film speed" 400. 35-105 equiv. zoom lens. Small
enough to carry everywhere you go - but large enough to grip well and
have easy-to-manipulate controls. Uses ordinary AA batteries - not
proprietary ones.

No $4 to park! No $6 admission! http://www.INTERNET-GUN-SHOW.com

"carver (remove)" wrote in message
...
I'm looking for a digital camera to be used by several different users
for field walkdowns. The criteria I am looking at are listed below:

Around US $250.00
Easy to use and not too easy to change settings
3+ megapixels
Fairly rugged
As much zoom as possible
Would like to go to ISO 400

[clipped]
TIA
Bill


Hi Bill:

Check out some of the fine cameras from Panasonic.

Bill Crocker

On Fri, 6 Oct 2006 22:17:29 -0500, (m Ransley)
wrote:

There is no camera for what you describe, a camera is a tool that must
be learned, miss understand it and results wont be great. Why would
you listen at all to your less experianced.

I agree that a camera is a tool to be learned like any other tool, but
a shovel is much easier to learn than a backhoe and both will dig a
hole.

I don't have a choice as to who uses the cameras. An engineer or
designer needs to record information from the field for future
reference, so he (or she) grabs the available camera and heads to the
field. Many of these people have no interest in photography - only
interested in capturing data for future reference.

The pictures don't have to be GREAT photographs, only reasonably sharp
and more or less properly exposed.

Bill