Camera for the average person

[jann1033]

I am looking for a digital , for the average person who takes pictures of the family, more for snaps rather than artistic or someone really into photography.( it's for a relative and i am trying to think like her but failing...)

so do you have a good basic digital that costs in the $100-200 price range that you love? and why do you love it.

Thanks

 

[btuftee]

I'll recommend the Kodak Easyshare line of cameras, I've owned two and my parents and sister have them too. As you might guess from the name, they're a snap to use. My newer camera has excellent battery life too, I can get a whole day's worth of pictures (100 or more) on a single set of AA batteries. Get something with an optical zoom, and get the docking station too (if it doesn't already come with it - makes it a snap to upload pics and charge batteries).

 

[dawn8226]

I have a kodak z700. I bought it at amazon.com for $180 (this included buying a 256mb memory card). I love it. Very easy to use. More optical zoom than most in that price range. 4.0 megapixels. It isn't really small, like some digital cameras, but this also means it is very easy to hold without getting your fingers in the picture. There are many reviews at amazon for this camera. I would suggest going to a site like amazon and just reading the reviews before you decide on a camera to buy.

 

[Fast Pass]

I agree on the Kodak easy share product line. They are so easy to use, a complete camera idiot like me picked up how to use it in twenty minutes. In its simplest form you turn it on, place the option on auto and click away! Of course,you would have to experiment with the other options to get maximum value out of the camera. Once you have one you will never go back to the old 35mm.

Just make sure you get one above 3mp. You really don't need one above a 5 or 6mp but that is a personal choice.(mp-megapixel;how many dots can fit in an area on the picture).

If you go to the photography board they will be able to get you all kinds of helpful information and tricks.

My mom and I both together took over 3,000 pictures during our vacation last year with our little 4mp cameras!

 

[BTown]

Last night, I just bought a new digital camera. It's an HP Photosmart 817. It's pretty cool. It's 5.1 mega pixel, has 5x optical zoom, with an additional 8x digital zoom, and has 15 different shooting modes (including panarama stitching, which I think is really cool). I got the camera for $180.
Personally, I wouldnt buy anything less than 5 megapixels, but at the same time, you really dont need anything MORE than that. And you can get good 5MP cameras for around $100 if you look, you just have to decide what other features are important to you. For instance, my camera was a little bit higher because it had the 5x optical zoom, but that was important to me for when I go to Animal Kingdom, I can zoom in and get close up shots of the animals without losing quality in the resolution of my pics. If this isnt something that you feel is important, then go with a camera which has a 3x optical zoom, and you can find one much cheaper.

EDIT - One other thing I want to mention. When shopping for cameras, a lot of times a sales person will use increased mega pixels as a selling point. Like I mentioned (and some posters before me) you really dont need anything above 5 MP, but 4MP is the absolute lowest you should go. Basically, when you are dealing with resolutions above 5 MP, the only way you are going to really be able to tell the difference between a pic at 5MP versus one, say at 8MP, is when you enlarge the pic. A camera with a higher resolution will allow you to enlarge a picture to poster size without having to compramise on the quality. Unless you plan on doing this, then I think you will be fine with the 4-5MP camera.

 

[jann1033]

Thanks. i tend to like to do artsy-fartsy stuff with my photos so i'm trying to figure out what a "normal" person would like daughter has 4 mp easy share but it seems so slow..has this been a problem for anyone else..? it's difficult to take 2 pics in a row it's so slow. i'm used to film slr so maybe that is the problem, don't really know. i ordered some faster memory cards so will see if that helps...other wise i am impressed with the pics as we enlarged some to 8x10 after cropping with no problem. I did read a number of reviews but again they are usually from people who enjoy taking pictures and might be more knowlegeable than the person i want it for so that why i want "man on the street" info

 

[grimley1968]

We have an EasyShare camera. We love it. It may be slightly more expensive than $150 or so, but it's worth it. The quality of the photos is stunning at times, if you choose highest quality. The memory media seems to hold all we can shoot for several weeks. I agree that there is a bit of a delay between taking photos, so it's not for the camera expert who's taking rapid-fire photos of a sporting event, or some sort of flying bird or anything. However, it's great for family photos, etc.

 

[Kitka]

I recommend the Sony Cyber shot. Best camera I've ever owned (I've owned a Kodak and an Olympus). I got the 7.2 MP version which was pricey, but I just bought the 6 MP version for my mom for mother's day, on sale for $179.

 

[ktulu]

I 2nd the sony, I just got a Sony Cybershot W50 from my wife for our anniversary, great "point and shoot" camera, but it will also let you take some of the more artistic pictures. It even has attachments so you can use filters with it, if you get that much into photography. It normally goes for $249, but you could probably find it onsale. I have some photos I've taken with it on my website in my sig, they are the newer photos in the galleries. I also have a short movie I took with it on there.

darren

 

[Julylady]

I agree with the posters who warn against being sold the story about the importance of pixels. For the average vacation photographer, 3.5 is plenty.

I bought a Nikon Coolpix for the small size and just love it. Ask about battery life, though. My Mom has a HP and changes the batteries about every 12 pictures. I have rechargeable batteries which will last about 100 pictures.

Donna

 

[WDW Poly Princess]

daughter has 4 mp easy share but it seems so slow..has this been a problem for anyone else..? it's difficult to take 2 pics in a row it's so slow. i'm used to film slr so maybe that is the problem, don't really know. i ordered some faster memory cards so will see if that helps...

Sometimes having a lot of photos stored on the memory card can really slow things down (and use up the batteries faster.) I try to upload my pictures and clear off the memory card every 100 pics or so.

 

[jann1033]

Sometimes having a lot of photos stored on the memory card can really slow things down (and use up the batteries faster.) I try to upload my pictures and clear off the memory card every 100 pics or so.

good to know although i just downloaded everything off her card and reformated it to see if that would help. if i get my new memory cards i'll see if they help to.

 

[Jrabbit910]

I recommend the kodak easy Share as well.
Just remember when buying one, look for the simple point and shoot line and something w/ a zoom. Digital zoom it not as important as optical zoom, so try and get a number higher on the optical rather then digital (ex: 3x digital 5x optical)
Take a ton of pictures and post them! Cant wait to see them!

 

[Tigger2252]

I had a Nikon Coolpix but had to replace it when my DD spilled soda on it. The replacement I selected is a Kodak Easyshare Z740. Used it for our trip last November. The daytime shots were very good. But--I did not have one decent picture at night, even using the "special setting". I always got excellent night shots with my Nikon. I was not impressed with that at all. I also agree with one of the other posters about the lag between shots. I really found that to be frustrating. Otherwise, it's a good camera.

 

[Barbers2005]

I have a Fujifilm Finepix f450 with 5.2 MP. I bought it on sale from circuit city online for about $150, but I thinks its about $200 regularly. It's really simple to use, but at the same time has some neat features like black and white photos or sepia photos. Also, it has preloaded settings for taking different categories of pictures to ensure you get the best shot (ie. one for pictures of people, one for action shots, one for night-time). Another nifty feature is that you can record video (with sound) in thirty second segments and then play the files later on your computer. Two of the most important selling points for me were that it is slightly smaller than a regular digital camera, so it fits easily in a purse or pocket, and it has a decent sized lcd screen (about 2.5"). I love the screen b/c I can check the picture right after I took it to make sure I got the shot I want and delete the pics I don't like so I'm not wasting memory.

 

[PocahontasLookALike]

That shutterlag is characteristic of most 'consumer level' digital cameras. If you want to avoid the shutterlag, it will cost a prety penny. There are digitals out there will minimal lag time, but it's pricey.

I did tons of research on digitals before I bought mine...and I found Kodak to be the most user friendly...by far.

 

[Glendamax]

I know very LITTLE about digital cameras, but I want to buy one this summer. I'd like to know about how many pictures can you take with the memory card that comes with the camera. I will not be taking my laptop with me to WDW this Sept, and will not have the option of transferring the photos.

Thanx!

 

[JudimouseNC]

I just bought the Sony DSC W 30...a great little camera for around $220. You can do lots with it and the software that comes with it is great. I do most of my editing in Picture Grafix. The reason we bought this camera was mainly the shutterlag problems with other cameras. This camera has a great refresh speed.

This is our second Sony camera....love their line!

 

[sixcats]

The card that comes with most cameras is very small. Something like 10-20 pictures depending on the settings. I have a Casio Exilm which I love, but I don't remember what I paid for it. The "best shot" feature is great!

 

[PocahontasLookALike]

Glenda, were you talking to me?

My Kodak 5640 did NOT come with a card, but it does have INTERNAL memory. But when on the highest setting, it only holds like 20 photos. Definitely invest in at least a few memory cards.