User Comments

1. 

   5/09/09

   Stillthinking

   No such thing as a camera that will shoot at night clearly. That is not how cameras work. With a flash, you can take pictures of people or objects at night, but no camera can capture landscape or fireworks or night sky without a tripod and shutter speed controls.
   
   For 300, you can get a top of the line digital point and shoot camera from Sony, Canon, Nikon with high pixel ratio. Probably around 8.

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2. 

   5/09/09

   Friday13

   Try the Nikon D40. Very inexpensive for a DSLR.

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   1. 

      5/10/09

      86john

      no need slr. semi pro will do. budget not so high.
   2. 

      5/10/09

      Stillthinking

      This DSLR can be bought online with a couple of lenses for under 500 including shipping. It's actually a really good suggestion. If you want to take night pictures, you need an SLR with shutter control and you need to buy a tripod.
      
      A flash at night, only lights up about 3 feet in front of you while everything beyond that radius blacks out into nothing. So, if you want to shoot night landscapes, night sky, architecture at night, you need to slow down your shutter speed. You need a tripod because slowing down your shutter speed means that even subtle hand trembles will blur your image.
   3. 

      5/10/09

      Friday13

      Yeah. You can get the D40 with a kit lens and a nice tripod for under $500.
      
      If you still don't want a DSLR, I recommend the Panasonic Lumix LX3. Aside from the limited (2.5x) zoom, it's the most a real photographer could get out of a compact camera.
      
      If you need zoom, then go for the FujiFilm FinePix s100fs or the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28. I recommend a tripod to go with those.
3. 

   5/10/09

   Angiel

   You’ll want to look at Fujifilm and (maybe) Panasonic models.
   
   Fujifilm uses a unique sensor and gives you better low light performance than other Brands.
   
   Specifically you may want to check out Fujifilm Ff200exr.

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   1. 

      5/10/09

      Stillthinking

      This is a great suggestion, but I wonder if this is creating too much expectation.
      
      When I was in Paris, I saw idiots pointing their flashing cameras at the Notre Dame at night from across the river. Most people do not understand the basics of photography and even with a camera that has special low light sensors is not going to be able to deliver crystal clear photos at night.
4. 

   5/11/09

   86john

   thanks for all the suggestions. i will go to check them out soon, when i am free.

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5. 

   5/11/09

   ramurphy

   I have been using a Sony DSC-H50 for 8 months and have gone out of my mind. My mother, a semi pro photographer purchased it for small trips in which she didn't want to haul her enormous SLR and telephoto lenses around. The H50 is a crossover - you have much of the functionality of an SLR in a point and shoot format. There is a night vision/mode toggle. No camera is amazing at night though. But you can set the shutter speed and by using the included remote control get some good night shots without shake.
   www.amazon.com/Sony-Cyber-shot-DSCH50-Digital-Optical/dp/B00154MCRO
   
   I recently used it heavily during a two week trip to Turkey, Morocco, Italy and Spain; and again in Puerto Rico a few weeks after that. I loved everything about it. You can play like you would on a big buck camera but don't have to worry about the size. Plus, the 15x optical zoom Carl Zeiss lens is absolutely one of the best on the market. Feel free to check out my pics - all made using this camera.
   www.flickr.com/robertamurphy

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