• If you are having problems logging in please use the Contact Us in the lower right hand corner of the forum page for assistance.

Anys suggestions on digital camera choices welcome

Faster horses

Well-known member
My daughter and son-in-law are looking at digital cameras in order to photograph their horses to send out to customers. They can't agree on what one to get, so they haven't purchased one yet. I said there were several good photographers here and I would ask you all for your opinion.
They need a camera that they can use on loose horses, so it does need to have a quick shutter.

I did talk to someone in a camera shop and they said any camera with any age, the shutter becomes slow. That is a problem with my camera.
He said the manufactures do that on purpose so that the camera needs to be replaced. It does drive me nuts, so I am looking at new one. He recommended a Sanyo or Samsung with 6 megapixels, 3X zoom and it was on sale for $119. It didn't mention anything about red-eye reduction tho. But he said all the new cameras have the red-eye reduction. So what do you think? Also, there was one with 5.1 megapixels for $99. The rest of the camera was the same as the 6 megapixels one.
 

Les

Well-known member
I just got a canon rebel xti with a 75-300 zoom lens.I love it, the pics are so good.alot of bells and whistles i have no what they are for yet. Great also for action shots.I would say as good as you are gonna get with out spending thousands for a pro model.
 

HAY MAKER

Well-known member
I just bought a canon S3 IS,faster horses,caint say I like it any better than my canon A510,but still tryin to figure it out,I do like the zoom,other than that ,I really caint tell much differnce,$348 for the S3 IS.
good luck
 

Turkey Track Bar

Well-known member
FH:

We have a Kodak Easy Share X740. We bought it in November of 2005 and at the time was around $300 (with the memory card,) and I know they are cheaper now. We use this camera to take all of our sale photos of cattle and horses. These are nearly always taken loose, with the rare exception being a heifer calf we've broke to lead.

Another nice feature is it has video capability. Lots of times potential buyers have wanted to see a particular bull, heifer or horse walk. This has been beyond useful. We have been able to send these video clips over email or upload them to photobucket.

We estimate this camera paid for itself with one sale lot.

I would highly recommend this camera...it takes high quality photos with quite a bit of zoom and it's tough!

Cheers---

TTB :wink:
 

Faster horses

Well-known member
Thanks so much!!!! Sounds like either one will do the trick.

BTW, TTB, I showed them the pictures you had posted here of your horses. Believe it or not, they don't own a computer. I can't believe they are in the horse business trying to market horses without a computer!
 

Les

Well-known member
FH.. my camera and zoom lens was about $1000, I think the camera with the short lens was about somewhere between 500 and six hundred.. that would be canadian money
 

Jigger Boss

Well-known member
Like Hay Maker I also have the Canon Power Shot S3 IS. I just got it last Friday and today was the first day I actually had an hour to myself to take some pics.
So far I like it. I haven't had a lot of time to figure it all out yet, but it also has video capabilities and also has a built in microphone.
I also like it because I can get an adapter to add different lenses.
It has a 12X optical zoom already which is pretty darn good.
So far I like my new camera and it doesn't break the bank to buy it.
Excellent camera for the price.
 

Northern Rancher

Well-known member
I'd get one with at least 10X optical zoom so you don't have to be right on top of stock to take their picture-image stabilized would be a good feature also. Most of the midrange and up cameras can take video and a sound card is a plus so you can narrate as you film. I've sold alot of semen on bulls by having a video of them.
 

Goodpasture

Well-known member
As an appraiser I take thousands and thousands of photos a year. After having cameras dropped in the mud, rained on, stepped on by livestock, dropped off the car as I drove away, and (trying to think of all the other dumb things I've done to them).............oh well, I think you get the "picture." I started using digital cameras when 640 x 480 was cutting edge.....saved me over $1000 in processing fees the first MONTH I owned one.

I ended up buying last years models of medium quality cameras. Those high end cameras with 12 and 16 mega pixels make GREAT photos for your family album. They are WAY too big for uploading to a website. I personally would not buy anything more than 4-6 megapixel.....any more (unless you are shooting for magazine quality publication) is over kill and you will not notice the improvement in quality....our eyes aren't that good. Unless you can tell the difference between 6 million dots per inch as opposed to 8 million dots per inch, that is.

My needs are such that I have to have something that I can carry with ease.....a big, full bodied camera is good if you are doing studio, but if I am out in a field and am carrying other things, I want to put it in a pocket and get it out of the way while still being able to get to it quickly if something shows up that I want to shoot. I also want something cheap enough that I don't think of the camera first and the shot second.

So what I look for in a camera, and I get one every couple of years (technology is changing so very much).

1) a minimum of 6 mega pixels.
2) uses conventional batteries (I need to be able to stop at a C store or Dollar General and get replacements)
3) Uses an SD memory chip (this is a personal thing....all my home hardware is set up for reading SD and I don't want to fool with the 6 or 8 different formats)
4) I want it small enough it will fit in a shirt pocket and still have room for other stuff....notepad, cell phone, whatever........
5) It must have a fast zoom feature and preferably has a good wide angle feature.
6) It has to be on clearance....under $120, preferably under $80
 

Goodpasture

Well-known member
For hobby purposes, I would look at this one: http://www.geeks.com/details.asp?invtid=Z650-R&cat=CAM&cpc=CAMbsc

Z650-R-unit.jpg
Z650-R-gal.jpg

$155.00
 

PPRM

Well-known member
FH,

THanks for bringing this topic up! I am learning a lot....

I bought a kodak Easyshare 5 or six years ago. It still works very well.....I am looking at te 6-8 Megapixel olympus ones as they are very compact and weatherproof. The Capital Press offers $25.00 for pictures they use. Not a way to my frst million, but still kinda nice....As much traveling as I do, I sometimes run accross some great photo opportunities....


PPRM
 

Les

Well-known member
FH I checked my papers on my cam it was $1500 for the cam and zoom lens not $1000 like i said earlier.
 
Top