digital camera question

[wildman]

hi,

could anybody suggest a suitable digital camera for low level light conditions (without the flash) please? preferably a point and shoot variety??

i would be very grateful.

[Razorlite]

I think you'd better ask one of these guys??

[fuerein]

I can't suggest a specific camera, but I would look for one that will allow you to manually adjust the exposure period. On a P&S digital the ability to manually set the exposure period will be your greatest ally, of course you will likely need to place the camera on a tripod or stable surface to not create a blurry low light image.

Also, how low level are you talking? Low light such as nighttime outdoors or low light such as indoor? That information will really help, they require different settings and controls.

[letterk]

No offense, but low-light and P&S don't really go well together. Well, unless you're fine using a tripod.

[catatonic]

Nikon L3 works fine if you have a granite boulder of a tripod and a feather touch.

It has a no flash mode that takes 10 pictures in extreme rapid-fire, boosts the lighting, then compares and saves the best one.

I found if you hold the camera, all you'll get is blur though.

[Elmo]

look here for unbiased reviews of digital cameras.

For low light you want a camera with decent quality at higher ISO settings and image stabilization. Depending on how "low" is low a tripod may be needed.

[Rik]

I'm looking for a SLR digital camera to take close up pics of cologne bottles. It does not need to be the latest technology as long as it has the ability to take respectable pics. Currently I use a Canon PowerShot S400 that takes excellent pictures with the exception of close up shots of smaller objects. To date I've looked closely at the D80 and Rebel XTi but feel they may be overkill for my needs. Thoughts?

[Elmo]

a tripod makes sense for this kind of photography. You can also do some lighting of the scene.

I don't think you need macro capability.

Suggestion:

Take a bottle to your local camera store and try out a few cameras.

You can rent a camera if this is a one shot deal.

[Edcculus]

I would think any digital SLR or SLR type (fixed lens) would work. Just look for features that others have suggested. Adjustable shutter speed, aperture and ISO. I'm not too up to date on models of cameras...I dont even own one. I think A Canon Rebel X is around $300.

Under my limited experience with digital cameras, I have found that unless you are using a high end digital SLR, you arent going to get the greatest low-light results. This is because the higher end models use 3ccd chips or CMOS chips whereas lower end models use 1CCD. Apart from being able to capture more detail and colors with 3ccd's, you can also capture more light.

I have a digital camera lecture from one of my GC classes if you want to know more about chips etc.

[rustyblade]

I would think any digital SLR or SLR type (fixed lens) would work. Just look for features that others have suggested. Adjustable shutter speed, aperture and ISO. I'm not too up to date on models of cameras...I dont even own one. I think A Canon Rebel X is around $300.

Under my limited experience with digital cameras, I have found that unless you are using a high end digital SLR, you arent going to get the greatest low-light results. This is because the higher end models use 3ccd chips or CMOS chips whereas lower end models use 1CCD. Apart from being able to capture more detail and colors with 3ccd's, you can also capture more light.

I have a digital camera lecture from one of my GC classes if you want to know more about chips etc.

You need an external flash, and/or tripod, and/or lens with a large aperture/lots of glass (most expensive). You can crank up the ISO but your pictures will get grainy.

[MBlatt]

most point and shoots should do fine with a tripod.

[vespergo]

if you don't want to use a flash and it's low light, the best is a 50mm lens on a SLR camera. stop it down to 1.8. so pretty much any SLR.

if you're looking for digital then i'd suggest getting a D70 nikon.