HELP with digital camera

[ceecee]

We would love to get a new digital camera for our Sept trip...Those who have one, what's a good one without a huge cost??? Thanks!!

[kecall]

There is no really GOOD one w/o a HUGE cost!!! :D

Seriously, we just went through the same thing, and the best advice I can give you is to buy a camera as "high-end" as you can afford. The better the camera, the better the results. If you want 35 mm. quality, you will need to buy a camera that has 3.3 mega pixels or more. (Pixels = "picture elements; anotherwords, digital pictures are made of of tiny squares of color. The more pixels you have, the better the quality of photo. Conversely, the fewer the pixels, the poorer the quality of your results.) Sony has come out with some excellent ones (Mavica), but they are pricey.

My advice to you is to go somewhere that has knowledgeable salespeople and "pick" their brains. (Our Circuit City has excellent salespeople!) Learn all you can; try the different ones out. Once you've found the one you like the best, then "shop" for the best price.

[LoDivaLoca]

Just since this is the BUDGET Board....I think digital cameras are expensive toys, and not really worth it. I bought one about a year ago, a pretty good one too, but I wish I has saved the $$ & got a video camera instead! :(

[Disneyfun1]

a couple months ago, i bought a Hewlitt-Packard 315. I do like it very much. Its a 2.1 mega pixel camera. It came with an 8mb memory card which takes about 80 pix in low quality mode for e-mail, or 20 or 10 for higher modes. I plan on getting a 64 or 128 mb card before our trip to wdw, since memory is getter cheaper. I think the pix are clear. I still am using the original batteries and the batt meter has not moved once. I bought a power adapter at walmart for it for when i use it indoors for $15. I paid $299 for the camera. Good luck!

[UrsulaFan]

i HAVE TO AGREE WITH dISNEYFUN1. i bought the HP 315 & the HP photo printer (Best Buy had FREE financing for 18 months) i have been extremely pleased with it. now i need to get a cd burner to put my pix on cds. they take up a lot of space on the hard drive. we will be taking DH laptop & burner with us to WDW.

[UrsulaFan]

Oh, something else. I was going to get a $600 camera & not get another printer, but a friend suggested I buy a less expensive camera & get a good printer. I did spend $800 w/tax by the time I got cables (for printer) & extra memory for camera.

[Disneydenise]

I was looking at the Sony model at circuit city today. The salesman had said that if you have a good printer, that a 2.2 pixel was probably okay for what most people will use the camera for. I have a really good 35 mm I will take with me also. The sony has lots of neat toys to make the downloads easier. The one I was thinking about was only $400. I know that I will be using my other camera for stills too and I really don't know if I will be happy with the quality of the pictures with the digital. We got a new video camera last year and it takes still shots, we never bother to hook up the whole thing to get the pictures off of the card. I was just tinking if I could hook it up easily I may actually print them up this time. The zoom was another consideration. He told me that I need an optical zoom. I just wish I could return the thing if I thought it was too hard to use or I didn't like the pictures.

[GAIL HAYDEN]

I have a Nikon coolpix 950 and it takes excellent shots and can be blown up to 11x14 without pixel loss or grainey look. It has 2.11 mega pixels.
Fuji has an excellent one out there, 2.2 mp and it's quality is excellent and it runs right about 250.-275.00.
I would not advise anything below 2.2 mp. And, by all cost avoid anything with Polaroid attached to it. They, in a word, s**k.

[allyn]

a 2 megapixel camera is fine for most folks. try to get one with an optical zoom, if possible. these are probably around $400. without optical zoom, you will probably spend $300. don't forget you'll need to purchase extra flash cards (you may need a lot if you take a lot of photos) and you'll want rechargeable batteries for most cameras so factor this into the price you are prepared to spend so you aren't surprised. i would recommend these brands: nikon, canon, olympus, sony.

[kecall]

DisneyDenise -- Just thought I'd share w/you that when you purchased our camera @ Circuit City I was told that I had 14 days to return it if I wasn't happy with it.... I felt like you...you have to try it out before you know if it's the right one for you....sooo....you might check & see if that policy is true for you....

[Disneydenise]

Thanks for your help. I called the store and they do have a 14 day return policy. I think that I would feel ike I was stealing the camera if I returned it because I waited till the week we are leaving to go and purchase it. Its my fault I have been toying around with this idea for months now and have been too afraid to buy the thing becuase I am thinking I really do have enough stuff.

[fkj2]

You can do some digital shots with a video camara. In the past, I have typed "discount" video camara into any of the search engines and you can look at web sites for the best deal. Although I purchased mine over the net, I would also go to a local Circuit City, etc. and try to get them to price match (or come close) the web price. I recently saw a Panasonic V 751 (I think) priced on the web, just the camara case was extra) for $419. Look in the Consumer Reports at your library for recommendations.

[kecall]

DisneyDenise -- I TOTALLY understand!!! Is it possible to be toooo prepare for a Disney trip???? --- Sometimes I wonder........ ;)

[vegadog2]

I have the sony mavica camera with a 10x optical zoom it uses a 3.5 floppy and you can take photos all day on one battery charge."it's a great camera" i had two other digital cameras and hated them i won't say what brand they were.a important thing about digital cameras is battery life.

[Diznut84]

Here's my take.

I prefer a 2 megapixel camera. I like to print my pictures out no larger than usually 4x6 but I do like to crop them. I previously had a 1 megapixel camera but I wanted to frequently crop and found the resolution wanting. If not cropped, the 1 megapixel 4x6s looked spectacular.

Here are some suggestions: If you want to replace your regular camera, get a 2 megapixel camera with a good optical zoom. I purchased the Sony DSC-P50. I also like the Canon ELPH because it is so small. You'll want to practice quite a bit before your trip because it takes some getting used to. You'll probably end up taking several pictures and then only keeping the best ones. You'll also need to work on getting used to the delay between when you hit the button and the actual recording. It is not instantaneous! You'll also need rechargeable batteries and a 32mb memory card.

One of the neat features on the DSC-P50 is the email mode. It will record two versions of each picture, one in a photoquality 2.1 megapixel mode, and the other in a 640x480 low resolution mode for email/web use. It is really fun!

I've noticed that my pictures are noticeably better with the digital camera. I delete most pictures, but the good ones are GREAT after cropping! In short, I love my digital camera.

[renessa]

I have been very impressed with the quality of our Sony Mavica. I don't like trying to print the pictures at home, as we have not spent the $ for a better printer.

[bobsfamily]

We bought a HP 2.2 pixel camera in Nov. 99 and other than toss camera's that we use for underwater and that our girls want to use it is the best investment we have made. (for a camera that is)

I have two 16 mb cards (so that one will survive the trip rather than losing all pics if it gets lost or damaged) and find that is enough for us. I regularly either blow up the pic, or crop and save with various programs and have always been happy with the highest resolution shots. The lower end (have three to choose from) are only good for 3x5 or 4x6 simple shots.

The viewscreen on the back lets you "see" what the the pics look like before you take them, and you can erase ones you dont want.

It was about $295, but we bought the computer, printer, scanner and other things at the same time and got different deals so I believe (after 2 years) we had a $35 mail in coupon on the camera.

PS - I bought a external card reader for about $45 that paid for itself almost right away as you do not need the camera (or its batteries) to load the pics onto you computer.:jester:

[allyn]

one thing to budget for is the extra accessories you'll need with every digital camera. you'll need to buy a larger flash card (cameras always come with the tiniest of cards) and rechargeable batteries. a few cameras come with a rechargeable battery but most do not. a minimal flash card is $30-50 and rechargeable batteries can be $30-100.
for long trips you'll want a lot more flash card space, figure $100-200.

depending on which camera you get you may also want to buy an external card reader, a small box with a card slot that connects to your computer's usb port or parallel port. this is used to upload the photos without connecting the camera to the pc. this is often faster and more convenient. if you get a camera without usb you will definitely want to buy one of these. a reader is $30-50.

if you like doing a lot of research on cameras before you buy you will want to visit the following web sites. these web sites have very very detailed reviews of most cameras along with sample images taken with each camera.

http://www.imaging-resource.com/
http://www.dpreview.com/
http://www.steves-digicams.com/

[Viking]

Do not go for "pixels" only. A 1.3 Megapixel-Cam with a great zoom-lens (Olympus for example) may produce better pix than a 3.3 with a lousy lens. Buy a magazine with some tests.
And the higher the resolutions gets the more money has to be invested into memory chips. Also get lots of batteries or two to three sets of rechargables. The additional cost for memory and power cells will sum up to a couple of hundreds.

[gracie]

Gotta throw my 2 cents in. Never had a digital camera before, went on cnet.com and researched for awhile. Ended up with a Fuji that cost $208. It has 2.3 pixels (if I remember right!) and it has been amazing! Very easy to use and takes great pics! I've had it since June and have taken so many pics it has different settings for low memory which takes high end pics, or high memory which takes great web pics.

Good luck!

[joedisney]

I recently bought a Kodak DC4800 for $499 at Walmart with a $100 rebate (i.e. cost me $425 including tax after rebate). Be careful though, there are different versions of the same camera and only one has the rebate offered. This was a great price for a 3 megapixel camera.

My BIG NEWS however, is that Walmart also offers a really nice printing service. For 26 cents a print, you can get copies of your digital photos on real photo paper. You can upload your files to at the Walmart web site and either pick them up at a local store or have them delivered. This is a great service since you can pick your best pics and get as many copies as you want in various sizes (depending on resolution). I uploaded several pictures late one Friday night and had the pictures in my mailbox on the following Wednesday. Very nice quality!!

[COMPSPEED]

Please take into consideration battery life. Most digital cameras eat batteries fast!. I bought a Sony DSC30 this past January mainly because it has li-on rechargeable batteries that have up to 2.5 hours of life. With the use I have given it so far I figure that what I have saved on batteries alone has paid for more than half of the cost of the camera. No doubt over the life of the camera savings on batteries will easily pay for the camera several times over. All things being equal as far a performance, if you have the option to get a high capacity rechargebale battery, by all means do so!

[GAIL HAYDEN]

Joe Disney,
Just an FYI, some Wal*Marts will print the pictures from your media right there. We do it for 29 cents a print and we can enlarge them also. We can also put your digital images on to a CD or floppy too.
We can do this with film also.
Look for a Wal*Mart with a Frontier Lab. The old machines cannot do this.

[Heidi]

I also have the Sony DSC50 digital camera. I had not used it much prior to our June WDW vacation. I feel in LOVE with it there!!!!

[We4mickey]

First things first.
Do your homework. Check out Cnet and any other source you can. You may want to buy some mags on digital cameras.I found this one to be helpful (edigitalphoto.com.) Also battires are a number 1 thing make sure you get the best ones you can.You should buy some Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH)batteries. Make sure you check there Milliamp hour rating should be between
1200-1800,the higher the number,meaning more power stored.I have a Nikon Coolpixs 950.and i love it..

[sixcats]

Viking
I was so glad to read your post. I bought an olympus 1.3 camera in April. It was very easy to use and I was happy with the pictures on my Photosmart printer until I read so many posts about 1.3 not being good enough! I used it for an 11 day trip, took tons of pix and I'm still on the same set of energizers I bought to "hold me over" until the rechargables charged up!

[jiminyfan]

I have a 2.1 pixel Kodak and get great pics at 8x10 size and smaller. I love having a digital camera, I get instant photos to show friends and family, but I also have a point-n-shoot 25 and a SLR for other pics. It depends on what you want if a digital is what you shouls buy, I love mine and would suggest that everyone gets one. But, I know friends who hate theirs. A 2.1 will produce excellent pics to a 8x10 size. If you want larger fo with the 3.3.

1.3 will get you great 4x6 or smaller.

Good luck

[raammartin]

We have a Sony Mavica FD-87 and have been very pleased with it so far. It's highest resolution is only 1.3, but I never print/develop anything above a 4x6 anyway. Eventually I'd like to get a Sony CD Digital Cam, but it will be a while yet. The selling features for us on the Mavica was the rechargable li-ion battery and the floppy disk memory.

We aren't professional photographers so this suits us perfectly for now.

[villainwdw]

this may sound stupid..but what ever you do, make sure you knwo how to use it!!ask questions etc...I bought a digital camera about 2 years ago..it cost me alittle over 900 bucks...and I have had porblems trying to figure it out!! I bought beyond what I know!! that was a mistake! I just got pictures off it that I took 2 year ago!! after buying a sadisk to get the pictures off my smartmedia!!!but they are beatiful pictures!! the qualitly is unreal! and yes a great printer will help! Good luck

[TinkerbellRules]

I absolutely love my Kodak DC3400 (2.1, I think). It's my second digital. I have an SLR and a point&shoot, but rarely use them. You really don't need an awesome printer. Just go to Walmart (ours cost 48 cents per print, though) or use Kodak's site www.ofoto.com. It's really convenient! If anyone does, please let me refer you cause I'll get 10 free photos (just email me before you log onto their site)!

They do use lots of batteries. I have two sets of rechargable, but I set my camera to energy save (or something like that) and I've noticed better battery usage. We have a laptop that I use to d/l all the photos when on vacation or out and about. I need to get a better memory card as well. Kodak also has other lens you can get for the cameras. I'm planning on investing in that as well. I also don't have the reader that someone suggested and don't have a problem without it. I might try it though.

If you plan on cropping, be sure the resolution is high or you can't get the larger prints. That's one nice thing about Ofoto, it tells you after you upload them what sizes you can get. You can also make really cool cards out of your photos.

[Buzz2001]

I agree with TinkerbellRules. I too love my Kodak DC3400.

Check it out here
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/store/catalog/Product.jhtml?PRODID=6131&CATID=6


TinkerbellRules - check out this bargain at Buy.com. 256mb card for $147.00 after rebate. Thats a lot of pictures
http://www.us.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=10265781&loc=14617

http://www.us.buy.com/retail/computers/store.asp?loc=1855

[TinkerbellRules]

********: Thanks for the link about the memory cards. Have you used any of the extra lens for the Kodak? I was thinking about getting the zoom/close lens.

[Bennet]

Deb's has a choosing a digital camera for disney section at:
http://wdwig.com/digital.htm