Camera advice please
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SparKeLLy
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The Canon PowerShot A60 is the younger bro of the A70 (one of the most popular cameras right now)
The A60 is 2 megapixels with 3x optical zoom and a movie mode resolution of 320 x 240 for up to 3 minutes with sound. You can buy it for about $200.
The A70 has 3 megapixels with 3x optical and has the same 3 minute 320 x 240 with sound, but it also has a 640 x 480 movie mode for 30 seconds. cost: about $300
Pictures are great on these cameras, the movies are pretty good, but they are small and viewed best on your computer. You can link a bunch of clips together with windows movie maker (free) and make little movies. Lots of fun!
Kodaks are good for beginner digital camera owners and are priced well. The Kodak EasyShare CX4230 2MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom, can be had for about $150 maybe even less, which is a great price! I don't think it has a movie mode though.
From all the research I have done and reviews I have read, digital pictures on camcorders are not the best in quality.
But I believe it comes down to which is more important to you, the quality of your photographs or the quality of your movies?
hope I helped....at least in some small way
The A60 is 2 megapixels with 3x optical zoom and a movie mode resolution of 320 x 240 for up to 3 minutes with sound. You can buy it for about $200.
The A70 has 3 megapixels with 3x optical and has the same 3 minute 320 x 240 with sound, but it also has a 640 x 480 movie mode for 30 seconds. cost: about $300
Pictures are great on these cameras, the movies are pretty good, but they are small and viewed best on your computer. You can link a bunch of clips together with windows movie maker (free) and make little movies. Lots of fun!
Kodaks are good for beginner digital camera owners and are priced well. The Kodak EasyShare CX4230 2MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom, can be had for about $150 maybe even less, which is a great price! I don't think it has a movie mode though.
From all the research I have done and reviews I have read, digital pictures on camcorders are not the best in quality.
But I believe it comes down to which is more important to you, the quality of your photographs or the quality of your movies?
hope I helped....at least in some small way
Memaw2Wm
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I bought my son the Canon A40 ... no longer available, but predecessor to the A60 and A70 ... for Christmas last year. He and my DIL love this camera ... the small size makes it easy to tote. Just be sure and buy a BIG compact flash card for all those Disney photos you're gonna take (I took 450+ on our recent trip).
Tigger Fans!
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The quality of a still picture taken on a digital camcorder is not as high as a still taken by a digital camera. If you're considering purchasing a unit that will do both....be sure to pay attention to the megapixels of the camera vs. camcorder.
Good luck with your purchase!
TTFN!
I'm actually thinking of making this purchase as a gift. The person already has a camcorder. They would like a digital camera but their printer is so-so. This is the first trip to DW and I thought instead of lugging a camcorder and camera, 1 would be easier.
What am I looking for in "megapixel"? What are the pros and cons of a digital camera? Is it "cheaper" to process pictures that having 35mm film developed?
Tigger Fans!
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I have a digital camera that does a high quality picture of 3 megapixels (my camera is a HP which I would NOT recommend purchasing) - most of the newer digital cameras do 4 megapixels or better. In contrast, the still picture resolution on my digital camcorder is 1 megapixel - and that was the highest still resolution I saw on a digital camcorder (my sony digital camcorder cost just under $1,000 about 7 months ago). IMHO, if you're carrying your camcorder it's no big deal to slip the digital camera in one of the pockets of your camcorder case.
Hope this helps! Circuit City is a great place to compare!
TTFN!
SparKeLLy
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First about the megapixels (mp). The higher the megapixel the better the quality and the bigger you can make your prints.
2 mp is enough for most people. Great quality 4x6 prints
My previous digital camera was a kodak dc3400 2 mp camera and it was great, just too big! Thankfully digital cameras have gotten a lot smaller!
I just recently upgraded to the Canon s400 digital ELPH. I LOVE it. 4 mp and soo small! The pictures are excellant.
My boyfriend bought a 1 mp digital camcorder on eBay for only $380, and it's about the size of a webster's pocket dictionary (no kidding!) We haven't done much with the digital camera feature on it, but the 2 I took at home (indoors) didn't look that good to me. The video however is excellant.
ok ok....pros and cons of a digital camera (IMO)
Pros
You can see the picture right after you take it, so you know you got the shot!
No need to worry about film getting destroyed by the x-rays at the airport.
No messing with putting in a new roll of film or carrying around a bunch of extras.
You pick the pictures you want printed, so no double prints of your hands or the cement while you were messing with the camera and accidentally took a picture
Easy editing of the photos. Red eyes are easily fixed.
Cons
more expensive than 35mm cameras
the learning curve (for some people)
printing is slightly more expensive. average about 25 cents per print online. (to me it's worth it since i know i'm getting prints i actually want)
that's all I can think of right now.
2 mp is enough for most people. Great quality 4x6 prints
My previous digital camera was a kodak dc3400 2 mp camera and it was great, just too big! Thankfully digital cameras have gotten a lot smaller!
I just recently upgraded to the Canon s400 digital ELPH. I LOVE it. 4 mp and soo small! The pictures are excellant.
My boyfriend bought a 1 mp digital camcorder on eBay for only $380, and it's about the size of a webster's pocket dictionary (no kidding!) We haven't done much with the digital camera feature on it, but the 2 I took at home (indoors) didn't look that good to me. The video however is excellant.
ok ok....pros and cons of a digital camera (IMO)
Pros
You can see the picture right after you take it, so you know you got the shot!
No need to worry about film getting destroyed by the x-rays at the airport.
No messing with putting in a new roll of film or carrying around a bunch of extras.
You pick the pictures you want printed, so no double prints of your hands or the cement while you were messing with the camera and accidentally took a picture
Easy editing of the photos. Red eyes are easily fixed.
Cons
more expensive than 35mm cameras
the learning curve (for some people)
printing is slightly more expensive. average about 25 cents per print online. (to me it's worth it since i know i'm getting prints i actually want)
that's all I can think of right now.
/
Target has a Vivitar 2-megapixel digital camera and Lexmark Z705 photo-quality printer "starter kit" that also includes scrapbook software, photo paper and USB cable on sale for $129.99. Has anyone used these items before? Is this a good deal?
Never buy a digital camcorder with the intent of taking stills. The stills are under 1 mega pixel at best and certainly aren't worth reproducing...and the quality is pretty much zero other than maybe for a webpage. As far as a still digital camera, the fugi finepixs 3800 was rated number one and a CR best buy by consumer reports. It is more like $300.00 but worth it is you can spring for the extra. It is by far the best bang for the buck!Fugi Fine pix 3800 . Mega Pixels(mp) aren't the only thing to consider when purchasing a digital camera though. There are actually cameras w/ 2 mp that produce better pictures then 3 mp...it is a good idea to look at these other "things" when purchasing a camera...the most recent Consumer Reports on digital cameras goes into this in detail ( I don't have enough room to do so!)...I highly suggest you find a copy prior to buying, it is VERY imformative. You can get a copy at you local library or you can subscripe online... Another good site is epinions.com which can also help you locate the cheapest price out there. Also http://www.bizrate.com and http://www.nextag.com . If you decide to buy online be sure to check out your camera at a Bestbuy or some such store so you are comfortable with your camera. Many have a tendency to be front heavy or too light...especially for the guys. Don't worry about digital zoom it is pretty much worthless but if you can it is better to invest w/ a higher optical zoom....which is pricer but worth it if you plan on making hard prints. Consider battery source as well...many now operate on AA which is much cheapier and readily available then the CR5s which was the standard battery of old. Any other questions? I can try to help! Good luck, it can be a big decision!
Tigger Fans!
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IMHO, I think the best option would be to ask your friends that have digital cameras how happy they are with theirs - and ask to see pictures. Some digital cameras are not as good at taking action shots (my HP is one of those).
I would caution against using Consumer Reports as your only source of information but it is a good resource for comparing features. We were CR subscribers for many years and while we did make many excellent purchases using their advice, we also had some negative experiences following their purchasing advice.
Good luck with your purchase!
TTFN!
I would caution against using Consumer Reports as your only source of information but it is a good resource for comparing features. We were CR subscribers for many years and while we did make many excellent purchases using their advice, we also had some negative experiences following their purchasing advice.
Good luck with your purchase!
TTFN!
My sister has the a Fugi camera that she loves. The pictures come out great and it is reasonably priced(I think about $200). I have an HP320. It is ok for still photos but you can't take any distance pictures or action shots. It was a gift so I had no say in what type of camera to get. Make sure whatever you get has optical zoom as well as digital zoom. The optical zoom will help you take focused distance pictures. Good luck in your search.
Di$neyDad
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You should also go to amazon.com and read the reviews there for cameras in your price range. Reviewers there are usually pretty good about commenting on the important factors. Two other great sources for digital camera reviews are dpreview.com and steves-digicams.com.
One important factor that hasn't been mentioned here yet is battery life. Some digital cameras go through batteries rather quickly, forcing you to either pack many extras or stop frequently to buy new ones. As one poster previously pointed out, a camera that uses standard AA batteries is often a good idea because these are easier to find and cheaper than other types. And you can get high-capacity AA rechargeables. But I wouldn't necessarily rule out a good camera that uses a proprietary battery. The downside to this is that you can't just go into just any store and buy a new battery. But if you get a camera with good battery life, you usually only need to carry along one extra spare to get through a typical day. Then you just recharge both at the end of the day.
When figuring the amount you plan to pay, don't forget to add $30-$50 for a memory card. The cards that manufacturers include with the camera are too small for practical use. I'd also recommend another $10-$20 for a dedicated memory card reader for the computer. These usually transfer pictures much more quickly that using the camera directly.
As for printing, one option that's gaining in availability is being able to take your memory card into a local shop and get prints made. Ritz Camera, for example, does this. Going this route or using one of the several online sites that do prints is probably very close to the cost of developing film. While individual prints cost more that with film, remember that with digital you only have to pay to print the ones you want. With film, you have to pay for the whole roll. Using your own printer is probably a bit more expensive because photo paper and ink add up quickly. And with most inkjets, photos tend to fade over time, with some doing so fairly quickly.
One important factor that hasn't been mentioned here yet is battery life. Some digital cameras go through batteries rather quickly, forcing you to either pack many extras or stop frequently to buy new ones. As one poster previously pointed out, a camera that uses standard AA batteries is often a good idea because these are easier to find and cheaper than other types. And you can get high-capacity AA rechargeables. But I wouldn't necessarily rule out a good camera that uses a proprietary battery. The downside to this is that you can't just go into just any store and buy a new battery. But if you get a camera with good battery life, you usually only need to carry along one extra spare to get through a typical day. Then you just recharge both at the end of the day.
When figuring the amount you plan to pay, don't forget to add $30-$50 for a memory card. The cards that manufacturers include with the camera are too small for practical use. I'd also recommend another $10-$20 for a dedicated memory card reader for the computer. These usually transfer pictures much more quickly that using the camera directly.
As for printing, one option that's gaining in availability is being able to take your memory card into a local shop and get prints made. Ritz Camera, for example, does this. Going this route or using one of the several online sites that do prints is probably very close to the cost of developing film. While individual prints cost more that with film, remember that with digital you only have to pay to print the ones you want. With film, you have to pay for the whole roll. Using your own printer is probably a bit more expensive because photo paper and ink add up quickly. And with most inkjets, photos tend to fade over time, with some doing so fairly quickly.
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