P&S with manual exposure and reasonable DoF control

[DouglasUrner]

I'm looking for an in-expensive camera that I can buy in quantity for a HS photography class. The key features that I want are manual exposure control (or at least Aperture and Shutter priority) and a lens that will provide a reasonable range of depth of field control. Does anybody know of one?

I'd love raw as well, but from what I've heard from the Nikon rep the processors used in the consumer cameras aren't up to it (not sure I get this, surely creating a JPEG is more work than just storing the raw data from the sensor, maybe the real issue is I/O bandwidth to the memory card).

Mega-pixels aren't a big issues 6 or so would be plenty.

So far I've found the Canon a630, but I'm wondering if there are other options as well.

Thanks, Doug

[larry_angier]

Hi Doug,

If used/refurb will do, the older Nikon Coolpix 5000, 5400, 5700. All date "back to 2002-2003 vintage" and are 5mp, have manual, aperture and shutter priority, though only stop down to about f/8 due to diffraction and shoot NEF, though slowly. On eBay they can be had pretty cheaply. There are probably other sources for refurb and new. Some of us even have some in the closet available reasonably if you ask...

Image quality from the CP 5000/5700 is not too bad. Had many pix from them published in books, brochures and magazine. The 5000 takes a bit of doing to get used to to master the controls, especially coming from a d-slr, but can be done.

Brief run down of the 5000/5400 is 28-85mm equivalent, optical finder, NEF (with firmware update in the 5400), live view on the EVF which articulates.
The 5700 has both an electronic VF, articulating display and 35-280mm equivalent lens.

[NillToulme]

You're not going to get much in the way of DOF control with any P&S digital, because the sensors are so small you tend to get a lot of DOF almost no matter what you do.

Nill

[DouglasUrner]

I'm afraid that I may have to get new (or at least packaged cameras), school districts don't seem to be too keen on buying used gear.

Bummer about the small sensor, guess I should play around with some of them and see how bad it is -- are all of the sensors in the P&S cameras more or less the same size?

Thanks, Doug

[Josh_Hawkins]

Doug,

I actually teach what is essentially Digital Photo 101 at a community college and we lend out cameras to those who don't have them also. We've gone with the cheapest Canon P&S. Last time I think that was the A540. Runs about $150-160 per camera, plus memory and card readers. We leave batteries as the students problems but recommend they get NiMH AA batteries. The cameras have full manual, which I find really important (the students who use their own cameras seem to look for cameras with manual options if they are looking to buy new one by the end of class.) Out of focus areas from DOF control is tough to get with any of P&Ss. The sensors are just too tiny, which makes the lens focal lengths to short. The more expensive cameras do have slightly larger sensors, but I haven't played with them enough to see if it makes much difference to DOF control. From the looks of the size difference I rather doubt it though. The manual control is less than ideal also in all the cheap P&S cameras I've found, primarily in that they lack an easy to read light meter. Not a problem for me as I can guess an exposure pretty well, but limits the students a little. Again, compromises for cost. With the student use I've found it's just too important to have inexpensive cameras because then you're not out $400 every time one breaks. It's not to tough for us to get a few replacements every year, as long as the price stays reasonable. Hope that helps a little and I'd be happy to help more if I can.