Fishing for digicam advice

[beaky]

LOL... Er., I mean, tsk, what a shame. I can make fun because I will pay my dues with one of those, I guess.
Forgot earlier that I still had enough $$ in the account to buy that camera I saw today (unusual the day before payday); when I remembered after getting home, I rushed out to the nearest Staples, but of course they were all out. "Must be a clearance item", the sales guy said. "That one you saw will probably be gone soon..."
So I'm going back to the store in NYC early in the morning to snap it up. Hell, even if it's a floor model, $200 for that camera with the dock and other accessories is a steal!!
So Sunday... le deluge!! Unless it rains. Which doesn't make any sense, really... OK, time for bed.

[Rifleman]

If you want more info to use for your research, then google to "dpreview" (they have side by side comparisons) and "steves-digicams"(fairly well up to date with reviews)
I have used both these sites, .........I recommend them highly.

.......remember about high magnification level, optical zooms,.....if its not a "stabilized" zoom, camera shake resulting from insufficient light for the required shutter speed and focal length, will spoil many good attempts at long shots......

[beaky]

Too late... I went and bought it. Good news: still a bargain. Bad news: Floor model (though hardly touched); no manual, no USB cable (grrr!!!); no battery ("so how much are you gonna knock off the price?"); no nothin'. BTW, he knocked $30 off the price for me...
So, made a few more stops today.... got a high-capacity battery, a 256 SD card,  and a docking station. Unfortunately,the damn dock does not come with the mini 4-pin -to- USB2 cable either!!  >:( Well, at least i can charge the battery now...
No major problem; ordered one from NewEgg with some other doodads I needed.
So far I like this thing... seems the secret to dealing with the shutter lag lies in the autofocus settings. No image stabilization, but it takes pretty smooth zoom shots, near as I can tell. So far my experimental shots look pretty good, even on the LCD.  Maybe I'll download the manual ( !) and find out more.
Won't be uploading any images 'till I get the cable, but I'm planning to visit Old Rhinebeck Sunday, to see how quickly I can fill up that card...

[Hagar]

Hehe. I knew it. Well done old chap.

So far I like this thing... seems the secret to dealing with the shutter lag lies in the autofocus settings. No image stabilization, but it takes pretty smooth zoom shots, near as I can tell. So far my experimental shots look pretty good, even on the LCD.

I never had a problem with shake even with full 10x zoom on mine. The main problem is prejudging the amount of zoom you need. That can be a bit of a lottery unless you're familiar with the venue & display schedule. It takes time to readjust with those darned buttons & not like using a proper zoom lens. Takes a bit of getting used to at an air display when things are happening all around you. I'm not used to it yet by a long chalk.

I'm planning to visit Old Rhinebeck Sunday, to see how quickly I can fill up that card...

Right. I expect some fantastic aerial shots of those exquisite old kites to make up for my 'raincheck' visit when they were grounded. Wish I was going with you.

[beaky]

I'm actually contemplating bringing a tripod, but doubt i'll have much luck working this thing while panning. Definitely will be a crap shoot... but that's half the beauty of these things: no wasted film!!
 I'm perusing the manual right now; I love how it'll display several stored images at once, so you can edit on the fly!!  ;D

[Issflareman]

I like that too with my A75, i can see if I got anything worth it