Useless Cameras!

Tizzy

Tizzy

I have a relatively new Canon cybershot with no viewfinder. What dork invented these things and thought it would be clever to sell them in Australia where the sun tends to shine a lot??? You can't see a thing if the sun is out.

You just have to aim the camera in the general direction of the subject (because you can't see a thing in the big black screen) and just hope you end up with something. What a dumb invention!

Does anyone know if there is an attachment I can get that can help put some artistry back into photography with this type of camera? Or should I give up and buy something else?
 
see if there is a display/contrast adjustment in the menu
otherwise yeah some of them displays are useless in the sun
Does it have an image stabiliser? so that at least your pictures won't be blurry
 
My first digital camera was the same. The sales girl talked all through the wonderful points . I purchased it and did not even notice it had no view finder.
I took it into Wollongong to take some photos of some people parachuting onto the beach.
Bloody hopeless, so much glare on the screen. All you could do is aim the camera at where the parachuters were and click. No use even zooming in. Most photos just had blue sky .

So on the way home i took the camera back and said it was a heap of s--- .
Also noted it had a fancy expensive battery. So you could not even swap the battery like AA type when flat.

Did a bit more study and bought a camera with view finder, large screen and also able to quickly swap over AA batteries.:)
 
Tizzy said:
I have a relatively new Canon cybershot with no viewfinder. What dork invented these things and thought it would be clever to sell them in Australia where the sun tends to shine a lot??? You can't see a thing if the sun is out.
Click to expand...

If you have the dockets, take it back because clearly it is not fit for (Australian) purpose. This is really dumb technology, isn't it.
 
Some viewfinders aren't that accurate either (esp under zoom - my Sony seems to consistently take one corner of what can be seen in the viewfinder) - test before you buy.

I also find having no viewfinder a pain if taking a shot in low light conditions......

Cheers,

The Y-man
 
The best camera imo is the Nikon D40 SLR, it has been replaced with a newer model but you can still get them for about $500. It's a great camera that any beginners can use and start taking pictures like a pro even on auto and a syou learn more, you will take amazing photos. It's small enough to fit nicely in your hand and put in your backpack unlike other bulky SLRs.

I'll never go back to a compact camera.

Though I have an ultra compact camera in my bag all the time, I rarely use it for photos. It's the Casio Exilim V7 with excellent movie recording and stereo sound.the quality really does look like high definition video camera. Takes 4G card and records up to 1.5r hrs of excellent quality video. It was only $170 and i had to search high and low to find it.

They're both highly recommended by www.kenrockwell.com
 
peastman said:
Working as a Photographer for the last 30 years or so, I have had many SLR's and I have always found Canon to be the best cameras. They give good solid reliability and easy to use.
Click to expand...


Love love love my Canon SLR! Like Sue I thought compacts took good photos, until I started using the SLR. Except Sue is wrong, Canon are better than Nikon :D (The age old argument, just like Holden and Ford lovers!)
 
I've just caught up with this thread. Thanks so much for sharing some of these ideas! I've got a few things to try now.

Though I am very tempted to walk back in to Harvey Normans and give it back! I even invested in an extended warranty!
 
For the price Nikon is really good. It holds like a compact camera and really lightweight. I have small hands and it's small enough for me to wrap it in a cloth and put in my handbag or my son's lil Thomas bag lol. I know Canon is excellent but it's too bulky for me. I don't use dedicated camera bag. Also, the 18 to 55mm Vr lens is the best for standard lens kit. I rarely use my 55mm to 200mm though I need to buy a macro lens.

Do u know how long it took me to buy an SLR? about 1.5years. Everytime I tried out the Canon, it was so big I just hesitated then the final time, the guy said what about the Nikon and I loved it!! did my research and bought it immediately.
 
Well your first mistake was buying a camera from Harvey Norman and not a specialised camera house where the sales people are keen photographers and know their stuff, not school kids with no idea.

I think only Canon make compact cameras with viewfinders these days. Mr Natmarie recently baught a Powershot and from memory it was the only one with a view finder. He specifically baught it because it had a viewfinder, a large live-view screen and took AA batteries.

I can't live without a view finder and very rarely use the live-view screen.
 
Unsure which model you are actually using, as 'Cybershot' is a Sony brand.

Canon usually offer two models, one with a larger LCD backscreen and no viewfinder and another with a viewfinder and a slightly smaller LCD backscreen.

I got the one with the viewfinder, but mainly for long trips. I can turn off the LCD, use the viewfinder and go for weeks on a single charge and leave the charger + cord + adapter at home.
 
Unfortunatly a lot of cameras are doing this lately.. and it seems as time goes on, the viewfinder is becoming an optional extra.
It's kind of silly when you think about it, especially since it uses stacks more battery power.

I prefer using the viewfinder anyway, that's where an SLR comes in handy...
 
My pet hate with many compact cameras is that many don't have manual override. This means when you want to take a photo of a sunset with a silhouette of a tree, you just hope the auto function does not want to illuminate the tree, washing out the sunset.
We photograph a lot of school formals and its fun watching the kids try to take photos at our backdrop with their compact cameras. Our lighting automatically flashes when their flash goes off which totally confuses their cameras metering giving them a white photo. :D
 
check out the casio v7 or v8. it's obsolete so hard to find now and they did great prices. it's an ultra compact with 7x zoom, full manual controls, an excellent video recording with strereo sound. It complements my nikon d40 perfectly...best camera for the price $170.
 
I've rechecked, it is called a Sony Cybershot. Bought because it had a great big screen, so I didn't have to put my glasses on when I focus to take the shot. I also needed a camera that was very compact for walking around and taking quick pictures. A point and shoot. I've not got the patience or the know how to spend time setting up photos, particularly while travelling.

I didn't ask the salesman, but I assumed if there was no viewfinder it was because the big screen works better and was a design improvement. It clearly doesn't work well in the sun.

Also, with Harvey Normans here, the camera/ video camera shop is well stocked and has its own manager who is very knowledgable.It is one of several franchises within Harvey Normans. I haven't been back to talk to him yet, but I doubt it is his fault. I think it's a case of buyers should research these things properly first and know what they are buying!

I will go back and see what he suggests. Failing that, chalk it up to experience and I'll look at some of the suggested buys in this thread. Some great info here. :)
 
Okay, maybe I should have been clearer Ian :eek: I meant, maybe there's an attachment or something that will help.
 
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