Best small camera

« **on:** July 27, 2009, 01:54:22 PM »

Can anyone suggest a really good small camera to put in the golf bag for for taking golf course photos? I'm heading to Ireland and don't want to make the caddies carry my big camera. (Although they will like my ultra light GCA golf bag!)

« **Reply #1 on:** July 27, 2009, 02:05:05 PM »

My wife and I both have Canon Powershot SD400 ELPHs and love them.......you can see the quality of the pictures in some of my posts. And I'm sure they have an even higher powered model available now, but that Canon model is hard to beat for me as a small, lightweight camera. I carry it everywhere I go at work......one of my most valuable tools.

« **Reply #2 on:** July 27, 2009, 02:10:01 PM »

Go to www.dpreview.com

It is by far the best review site for any device any where. If you are buying a camera, that site is a must.

« **Reply #3 on:** July 27, 2009, 02:20:33 PM »

Casio make a remarkable camera that you cana slo use for great swing video...very fast shutter speed...I think it is the FC 100 or something.
Great value at around $380..many of the pro teachers are using this tiny little camera on the ranges at tour events

« **Reply #4 on:** July 27, 2009, 02:29:11 PM »

Quote from: Michael Wharton-Palmer on July 27, 2009, 02:20:33 PM

Casio make a remarkable camera that you cana slo use for great swing video...very fast shutter speed...I think it is the FC 100 or something.
Great value at around $380..many of the pro teachers are using this tiny little camera on the ranges at tour events

Actually more than $100 less than that at Amazon, delivered.

Here are a couple of GCAers at 210 fps using the FC100 (was about 7 pm so lighting not perfect):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xiyvEzdwXMw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oD6LWxSaTZ4

Along with taking great "Swingvision" style slo-mo videos, it is a 9MP camera that does all that any other pocket-sized camera can do.

« **Reply #5 on:** July 27, 2009, 02:32:08 PM »

For Ireland, I would think that this would be ideal:

Waterproof to 33 feet!

« **Reply #6 on:** July 27, 2009, 02:35:04 PM »

http://exilim.casio.com/products_exs12.shtml

.6" thin, less than 5 oz. and 12 megapixels.

Have one in my pocket right now.

Amazon $204.00

« **Reply #7 on:** July 27, 2009, 02:48:22 PM »

I would also look for a camera that had a wide lens, somewhere in the 28mm range (which is approximately a 35mm in a traditional SLR format) so that you can have nice wide undistorted images.

« **Reply #8 on:** July 27, 2009, 02:50:45 PM »

I'm very happy with my Canon PowerShot SD800 IS. Here is a very detailed review;

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0609/06091403_canon_sd800is.asp

The biggest plus for me is the ability to shoot in 16x9 (28-105mm wideangle zoom), and it isn't some cropped mode. Not many cameras out there in the point-and-shoot variety can do this.

This makes displaying your photos quite easy if you have a 16x9 HDTV, which most are these days.

(thanks for the previous post Mike!)

« **Reply #9 on:** July 27, 2009, 03:13:45 PM »

The absolute best I've found in the point and shoot variety is the Canon G series. The latest is the G10, I have the G9. Built like a rock (metal enclosure, not plastic) and takes RAW files as well for the photo editor in you. It's a bit hefty, but does fit in a leg pocket....I'm very used to lugging it around with no problems. If you keep it in the bag, it's a no brainer. The little extra size and expense is very worth the added quality of the photos, IMO.

« **Reply #10 on:** July 27, 2009, 03:21:47 PM »

Quote from: Clint Squier on July 27, 2009, 03:13:45 PM

The absolute best I've found in the point and shoot variety is the Canon G series. The latest is the G10, I have the G9. Built like a rock (metal enclosure, not plastic) and takes RAW files as well for the photo editor in you. It's a bit hefty, but does fit in a leg pocket....I'm very used to lugging it around with no problems. If you keep it in the bag, it's a no brainer. The little extra size and expense is very worth the added quality of the photos, IMO.

I use the same G9. Like Clint said it is a bit big, but the photo quality is impressive.

« **Reply #11 on:** July 27, 2009, 04:05:42 PM »

Thank you all for the useful suggestions.

One more question: If I am going on an 8 day golf trip (taking mostly photos and a few videos of my shitty swing), do I need to buy extra memory cards? If yes, how many megs?

Amazon suggests a package deal...and I hate buying stuff I dont need.

« **Reply #12 on:** July 27, 2009, 04:17:42 PM »

Quote from: Bill Brightly on July 27, 2009, 04:05:42 PM

Thank you all for the useful suggestions.

One more question: If I am going on an 8 day golf trip (taking mostly photos and a few videos of my shitty swing), do I need to buy extra memory cards? If yes, how many megs?

Amazon suggests a package deal...and I hate buying stuff I dont need.

Probably best answered in how many Gigs....unless you have a laptop ur taking with you to download them too. If not I would think a 4 Gig Memory card should be plenty.

« **Reply #13 on:** July 27, 2009, 04:22:26 PM »

I use an Olympus U760, small and light, and I've taken a few realy god shots with it. It's described as "All Weather" that sounds good but who takes pictures in the rian?

The biggest problem with this and the Nikon I had before is a lack of birghtness on the rear screen. This means I'm guessing what wil be captured in bright sunny day and it's impossible to see the screen wearing sunglasses. If I was choosing again this is something Id look closely at.

« **Reply #14 on:** July 27, 2009, 04:31:13 PM »

MEGS, Gigs, I dont know the difference, but you should have seen the 4 iron punch I hit yesterday wjile qualifying for the club championship: only play from the woods was to hit it between two huge oak trees 6 feet apart 50 yards away...my caddie walked away muttering...I pulled it off and made par!

« **Reply #15 on:** July 27, 2009, 05:06:40 PM »

Quote from: Kalen Braley on July 27, 2009, 04:17:42 PM

Quote from: Bill Brightly on July 27, 2009, 04:05:42 PM
Thank you all for the useful suggestions.

One more question: If I am going on an 8 day golf trip (taking mostly photos and a few videos of my shitty swing), do I need to buy extra memory cards? If yes, how many megs?

Amazon suggests a package deal...and I hate buying stuff I dont need.

Probably best answered in how many Gigs....unless you have a laptop ur taking with you to download them too. If not I would think a 4 Gig Memory card should be plenty.

FYI: the 4 GB card for my Canon 7 megapixel camera allows me to take at highest resolution 16x9 photos of >3000. So, yeah, 4 GB ought to be able to handle your 8 day trip.

« **Reply #16 on:** July 27, 2009, 06:28:57 PM »

Memory COMPLETELY depends on what file size / type you choose to shoot. If you shoot JPEG, get an 8 gig card and forget about it. If you shoot RAW, you need at least 1 gig per course....2 is safer.

I always shoot the highest quality the camera allows. You can always buy more memory cards (they're dirt cheap), but you can't make small pictures bigger once you get home. It's always much better to make files smaller using a computer program than to shoot them originally in a small size.

« **Reply #17 on:** July 27, 2009, 06:53:49 PM »

Second the Canon G series. The G10 is 28 mm wide. Very portable without a lot of compromises. I'd want to get it at least 2 weeks out to become familiar with how to get the best out of it. I shoot raw and edit but the jpegs come out pretty well.

If you can't download photos to a laptop you'll need several cards. I use a 4gb with my G9 which can last 2 courses if you take a lot of photos like I do.

G9

« **Reply #18 on:** July 27, 2009, 08:18:19 PM »

Quote from: Bill Brightly on July 27, 2009, 01:54:22 PM

Can anyone suggest a really good small camera to put in the golf bag for for taking golf course photos? I'm heading to Ireland and don't want to make the caddies carry my big camera. (Although they will like my ultra light GCA golf bag!)

Bill

It sounds like you don't take photography very seriously - like me. I still use an old Kodak 4 pixel jobbie and I don't see any marked difference in photo quality with other point and shooters. Most of this photo business is down to light so there is no need to spend a ton. Get a camera which is easy to use (believe it or not, much of golf photography is done in a hurry), small enough to fit in your small pocket of the golf bag and doesn't cost more than $200 tops (the tech/quality of these things changes very quickly- look for the deal of the moment - this won't be the last point and shoot you buy). Get one extra card so you don't have to be in any hurry to delete. Make sure you have an adapter for charging before you need it! Take loads of pix because very few will be any good even on a nice day. Take a look around at odd angles for pix - you will learn a lot about the architecture this way.

Ciao

« **Reply #19 on:** July 27, 2009, 08:53:30 PM »

Sean,

You may not take it seriously...but I have seen some awesome pictures that you have posted here! I'll be posting mine in a couple of months with my new camera...

Kevin,

Those guys have NICE swings!

« **Reply #20 on:** July 27, 2009, 09:06:13 PM »

Quote from: Bill Brightly on July 27, 2009, 08:53:30 PM

Sean,

You may not take it seriously...but I have seen some awesome pictures that you have posted here! I'll be posting mine in a couple of months with my new camera...

Bill

You are too kind, but in a way thats my point. I don't have a clue what I am doing, but I get lucky once in a while. You too will get lucky once in a while. Thats the whole idea behind a point a shooter. If you wanted to be more than just lucky you would get a proper camera and wait for proper light.

I look forward to seeing your pix.

Ciao

« **Reply #21 on:** July 27, 2009, 09:49:02 PM »

Far be it for me to go against Dan Moore but after 2 Canons fell apart on me in a month or two, I quit that brand 4ever.

Good thing too bc my mini Leica has logged about 400,000 miles of hard travel with no probs. She does her best to overcome her ungifted owner.

Mark

« **Reply #22 on:** July 27, 2009, 10:03:17 PM »

I have an Olympus Stylus 770 which works awesome for travel golf. It is water proof, shock proof, lots of easy auto settings for landscapes in different types of lighting. I have a really nice Nikon, but I almost never bring on the course, the Olympus does a great job and is very small.

« **Reply #23 on:** July 27, 2009, 10:05:02 PM »

I'm kind of with Sean on this one. We got a $100 gift certificate from Dell when we bought a computer a while ago, and my wife bought a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ7 off the Dell website. I do a lot of photo threads, all with this little warhorse, and it seems to produce pretty good pics -- I just shoot, download, and post (no editing). The camera has some pretty good features, but honestly I don't use many of them. Reliable, with a small carrying case -- 4 inches across x ~2 inches deep x 2.5 inches tall.

« **Reply #24 on:** July 27, 2009, 10:05:44 PM »

canon SD870 - wide angle
It is my third canon elph / point and shoot - all have been great and still work great

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