Am I throwing away my $$

Posted by: Dave H

Am I throwing away my $$ - 07/03/13 03:00 PM

I am not a photography buff and know very little about cameras. I would like to have camera to take some pictures when I hike, kayak etc. I am traveling to the gulf coast this summer and will be doing some snorkeling. I see a Nikon S30 on clearance at Target for about $70. http://www.target.com/p/nikon-coolpix-s3...Slot=medium_1_2 My wife thinks I will be disappointed with it. I don't really know how to read the specs on it. The reviews state it works in bright sunlight but will it be able to take pictures of sunsets and sunrises? How well would it work sitting around the campfire? Should I just save my $$ until I can afford something better?
Posted by: Rick_D

Re: Am I throwing away my $$ - 07/03/13 05:23 PM

Hi Dave,

"It depends."

Do you have aspirations for taking better photos than a smartphone can deliver, or will a dunkable point-and-shoot do everything you want?

This little camera will be very limited in giving you any sort of user control and as for dim light, I'll guess it's not going to do well at all (it may or may not focus and even if it does, the shots will be very noisy and perhaps motion-blurred).

I'll recommend first deciding what you want to accomplish by finding shots you'd like to emulate, and only then shop for a camera that can deliver them.

Good luck!
Posted by: Dave H

Re: Am I throwing away my $$ - 07/05/13 08:34 AM

I would love to take pictures like I see in National Geographic with my cellphone. How ever I realize that is pretty unrealistic. Considering I really don't want to take the time to learn how I think basic cellphone quality pictures would do for me. Dunkable and being able to take some abuse is a big plus. Not being crushed over how much I spent if something were to happen to it is also an advantage.