You will probably find a compact camera to be too limited for this kind of photography. The digital zoom would give you a jagged picture and the slowness of the camera in general will miss a lot of shots. For this kind of work you will need a camera with a good optical zoom lens and some form of image stabilization, either in the lens or body of the camera. Also a camera that is fast at getting it's focus and other settings or can be set to full manual so it does not reset itself for each shot. A D-SLR would be best for this kind of shooting. A 70-300mm lens would probably be good for the zoom. Both Nikon and Canon have 70-300mm IS Lenses (Image Stabilized) and Sony D-SLR cameras have Image Stabilization (Steady Shot) built into the body so any lens will be stabilized. Stop by your nearest BestBuy and speak to an associate in the Camera Dept. They will help you find a D-SLR that will meet all your needs.
Sounds like it might be a lens issue. Try holding the power button and menu button while powering up the camera. It might give you a diagnostic menu with several options. Look for "Focus Test" and see if it says focus failed. Sometimes the camera can correct minor issues after the tests. If not then take it to your nearest BestBuy and have the Geek Squad take a look. They will advice you what can bee done.
The Black and White shooting mode is in the “My Color” area. The My Color mode must be turned on and then set to BW mode. How to do this is on page 70 of the owners manual. If you do not have the owners manual follow this link: http://www.canonsd1200.co.cc/manual...
Good digital camcorder for outdoor hunting & fishing?
Anyone know of a good digital camcorder for outdoor use? Specifically for hunting & fishing excursions. Looking for something reasonably priced that can hold up fairly well in wet & cold Alaska weather. Any ideas?
Sanyo makes a good little camcorder that is pretty tough and has some great features. To find out more follow this link: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage...
Most of the Minolta Lenses will fit the Sony D-SLR cameras. They do have to be new enough to be Auto Focus. Minolta Maxxum lenses work great. There will be a conversion factor. The sensor on D-SLR cameras are smaller than the 35mm standard for film cameras. The conversion for Sony is 1.6...so a 70mm film lens becomes a 112mm lens on a D-SLR (70x1.6=112). I shoot with Sony a200 and a700 and I have several Minolta lenses and they all work perfect.
Most camcorders and cameras produced now are Vista compliant. It might be harder to find one that is not. There will also be a Vista logo stamped somewhere on the box and listed under system requirements.
It appears the the 16:9 resolution starts around $199 with the Sony MHS-CM1 found here: http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage... There might be some more inexpensive camcorders with a simulated 16:9.
True wide angle would be in the 10mm or so range. Some lenses archive wide angle by having a very large convex looking lens. This will give an image that is somewhat rounded around the edges. This effect is called “Fish Eye”.