Cameras.. what would you suggest?

[MrsJ Henry]

My husband and I are looking to get a new camera to bring to Disney. I was looking around and talking to some people when it hit me......... I should ask on here since I'm sure there are MANY Dis folks who will know what is a great camera as well as a good buy.
I'm just getting into scrapbooking so I really want to take some nice pictures while there. That being said. I'm not the greatest at taking pictures and I don't want to spend a leg and an arm. I'm thinking of digital but have never had one before.
Any suggestions from folks would be very appreciated.

 

[turnlisa]

I am a software engineer who really didn't want to go digital but I thought I would give it a shot. We purchased a Kodak EasyShare camera -- and absolutely love it! For less than $200, it is a great camera and the pictures are phenomenal. The great thing is that you can review the pictures to make sure you got a great shot. I am a scrapbooker too so I upload them to costco.com (in conjunction with Kodak) and get my prints for $.24. What a deal! Might be something that you want to look into. Good luck

 

[Keebles]

I also got a Kodak (6440) and couldn't have been more pleased. It was extremely simple to use and the pics were near perfect. I got lucky and caught Office Max in a boo-boo and got it for $100 less than it should have been (got it for $199 and the price in January was $299). I really didn't need the 4 MP, but it also came with a free 64 meg card. My sis spent the extra $$$ and got the Olympus D565. Needless to say, I spend almost three months adjusting her pics for color and almost all of them have a tilt to them (don't know if it was the camera or her). And there were numerous times that I tried to use her camera and couldn't get it to take. There were several pics of varied poses of aggrevation and even some with her reaching for the camera!! It was too funny!!

When we go back next year though, I need to get more memory cards. I took 1 256, 2 128's, and the 1 64 it came with. Guess I take a lot of pics!!

 

[eeyore kelly]

I have a Kodak easyshare, too, and I love it!!! I suggest you get it early enough to play with it and get to know it's features before you go. I find the night time feature takes a lot of trial and error.

 

[stacilee]

I hate to keep repeating, BUT

We too, have a Kodak easy share and totally love it.

I was the one who didn't want to "GO DIGITAL" but am I glad we did!

 

[Tigge50447]

I recently purchased a new digital for disney. I was so use to carrying around the 35mm which I loved, the digital and the camcorder. I was looking for a great digital so I could leave the 35mm at home. I did alot of research and came up with the Nikon's Coolpix 4300. It has the automatic focus and you can turn it off to be manual. The print quality is fantastic. I have shown several people digital prints who couldn't even tell they are not from a 35mm camera. My graphic artist friend loved mine so much he is now buying one too.

the site below says they are sold out but it gives you the information on the camera.

http://www2.butterflyphoto.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=CP-4300

I believe there is still a rebate out on this camera. The one thing I would suggest is buying another battery pack this camera does not run on AA batteries but a cell pack. I have also purchased several flash cards for the trip and still need to invest in the extra battery pack before our december trip.

 

[The Sweetness]

I have a KOdak Advantix, but I usually also use some disposables. Either one works fine for me. If I can get the disposables for less than I spend on advantix film, Id just go for it that way, the pics come out fine

 

[Patsfan7]

I am going to take both the digital, and the 35mm cameras. IMHO the digital camera takes too long to take a picture after you press the button, and then too long to show the picture. While this does not matter when taking pictures of the castle, or other places that don't move, it is not great for taking pics with characters, when you want to keep the line moving, or of a constantly moving almost 3 yr old.

Also, my major problem with the digital camera is the life of the batteries. I use the rechargable batteries, and just taking pictures at home I go through two sets of batteries a day... I have no idea how little time I will get from the batteries taking pics at Disney. I want to be sure that some camera will always be working, so I will bring the two....

 

[Keebles]

Patsfan7, I'm curious as to which digital camera you use? Sounds like one to stay away from!

Kodak 6490 delay on viewing is about half a second. Most of the time it flashed by so fast I didn't get to see it! As far as battery life, I use the Nimh's, I got four sets and a really nifty little charger from Radio Shack. I ended up only having to change batteries about every other day. I took a total of a about a thousand pics and kept the camera on all day (I do hate the auto shut off feature that they have after 20 minutes, but luckily it didn't kick on much). My Sis who got the Olympus, did have to change batteries about every 10 hours and sometimes her display would work, sometimes it wouldn't, but that could have been operator error on my part!

I did also take a waterproof disposable, but never even took it out of the package! My Mom took my old APS camera but the pics didn't even compare to ours.

 

[starsgleam]

I highly recommend either the Canon Powershot A75 (about $250) or the Canon Powershot 410 ($350). The A75 is user friendly and uses AA batteries, which is nice because you can find those anywhere if your batteries run low in the park. The 410 is smaller and can fit in your pocket easily but still takes amazing pictures. It is also easy to use but this one has a rechargable battery so you have to take the small charger on the trip with you and may need an extra battery for a day in the parks. Both will allow you to do short video with sound, as well. And both have automatic modes so you can let the camera do the work for you.

You can get digital camera reviews at CNET:

http://www.cnet.com and click on the camera icon.

Or this link may get you there directly:

http://reviews.cnet.com/Digital_cameras/2001-6501_7-0.html?tag=cnetfd.glnav

 

[MrsJ Henry]

Thank you all so much for the info. I'm going to look these up and look in the store. Sounds like so many of you like the Kodak easy share.
Right now I have a kodak Advanix. It's ok but I'm looking for something better. Thanks Again!!!!

 

[MelodyMack]

Originally posted by turnlisa
[ I am a scrapbooker too so I upload them to costco.com (in conjunction with Kodak) and get my prints for $.24. What a deal! Might be something that you want to look into. Good luck [/B]

Just wanted to say thanks Lisa!!! Hubby and I were completely unaware of the photo center benefits at samsclub.com until I read your post. This is the perfect solution to our digital camera printing dilemma, so a huge thanks from us as well!

 

[turnlisa]

No problem! This is a huge deal for me, too, so glad I was able to help out!

 

[krafty]

Over the years of carrying cameras around WDW I've learned that smaller is usually better. If it can fit in my pocket I'm less likely to mind carrying it around.

I have a Canon Elph Advantix film camera and a Sony digital camera, and the Elph is much more portable - except you have to carry extra rolls of film.

I also don't have a really good way of getting prints from digital pics beyond taking them somewhere and having them made for me.

 

[Sunkissed]

...on a SONY Cybershot P93. I absolutely LOVE this camera!! The pictures are unbelievable even when viewed only on the LCD screen. I also bought the compatible 256MB memory card (came with a 32) and have yet to fill it. There are 67 pics stored on there right now, only utilizing about half the memory card. There are also great features, which enhance your pics. These are esp. helpful if you know nothing about lighting, angles, etc. I realize this is a high end still camera, but I adore it and recommend it, if you can fit it into your budget.

Also, this trip is a birthday surprise for my boyfriend, so I included a B&W disposable in his gift package. I love B&W for scrapbooking - they're classic. Hoping that we're able to take a great B&W shot of the two us somewhere in the world, for a "souvenir" 8x10.

Good luck...And have a great trip!

 

[as90043]

We (my son & myself) went on our first WDW trip this past June and I made a few poor choices prior to our trip that might help someone out there not make the same mistakes.

First I wanted a new camera since my last one I picked up in the Bahamas about 20 yrs ago. It is a 35mm Nikon that took great pix but lately it seemed either the batteries would not work long or the camera was just old. Anyway...on my pre-trip shopping excursion to Costco I picked up an inexpensive Olympus 35mm film w/telephoto for Castle shots, etc. I am not up on digital, just had gotten a digital video sony last march but did not want to carry that around w/me and I thought if I loose it or break it I won't be out as much w/ the camera than the video. Also I had read that taking videos at nitetime don't come out too well.

Anyway, first problem...I did not use the camera enough to see how it worked in all types of situations and view developed pictures. Second I did not take backup batteries with me.
While in Epcot my camera jammed, I exposed my role of film thinking that it had finished rewinding, missed the rest of walking around the world. Very frustrating. Next day at Mk it kept jamming on me again. I ended up paying $34 for new battery and a disposable camera. I never did get the camera working right again while there ( I even took it to a camera store at the Belz outlet to be checked.) I ended up buying approx $100 worth of disposible camera, most of which even with the flash the pix of parades and fireworks did not come out right. On the rolls of film that I did take my finger was in most of the shots because there was so little room from the lens to the button! (And I take enough photos to know to keep my fingers out of the way...) Moral of the story, TEST THE CAMERA THOROUGHLY BEFORE BUYING AND BEFORE TRIP. Telephoto lens is a must if attending AK.
Anyway I find this oversite a good reason to return next year and try, try again !!!


Good luck

 

[jeancbpugh]

I have a Kodak DX6490 and love it. Phenonemal color.

Some suggestions:
1) look at sample photos by each camera before you buy. There are several websites where you can do that. I loved Kodak color which is especially good for capturing Disney colors!

2) Hold the camera in your hand before you buy. I had a prejudice against Kodak cameras before I went shopping. I thought they were only for beginners. Then I held the DX6490 and loved using it. A Canon I tried (Powershot S50 or something) was horrible...to focus I had to hold down a button with one hand, move another button with the other hand, all while holding the camera still. I felt I'd have to lift weights before using it!

3) Practice before you go, so you know where all the buttons and settings are.

4) Turn off extra features. I turned off Quickview (shows you the picture you just took in the LCD right after you take it. Turning it off really speeds the shot to shot time, and I can always push the Review button if I need to see it.) I also turned off the sounds.

5) Get an extra battery and charger. I've never needed mine, even after a week vacation where I took over 200 pictures and used the review feature a lot. Having the extra battery is for peace of mind.

6) Get an extra memory card. Better to have it and not need it than to wish you had. I use my extra SD card in my Palm Pilot when I am not using it for my camera.

7) If you want to read a lot before you buy, read dpreview.com.

Good luck!

 

[bradyloganmom]

Another vote for Kodak Easy Share. I've been so pleased with all my photos and love being able to look at them and know I got a good shot.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I take a lot of pictures as a hobby (but am strictly an amateur). Two years ago we had just purchased an HP computer system so we chose an HP digital camera at that time since everything went together. It was a good choice for me and I've had a lot of fun learning to use the camera and the software package together. Just last night we bought an HP notebook computer with the new Image Zone software so we can take it with us on our trips and upload our memory cards (rather than paying to put the pictures on disc). We also made sure to get the notebook with DVD writer capabilities since we do a lot of video (on tape) and can now put them to disc. I guess it would have been easier if we did this in the beginning but we weren't that savvy and had to work our way up to learning what we now know. It does seem to be the way of the future so you might as well invest now and just learn to use the camera before your trip.

One thing I do with my digital which may help take pictures more quicky is to depress the shutter halfway to focus when snapping a moving subject - then you can just shoot and most of the time they come out fine, not blurry. I also learned on these boards before our trip last week about nighttime digital photography, to place the camera on a still surface or use a tripod for night shots. That was a great tip and I played with it and got some great shots of the Epcot resorts at night as well as some full moon shots from our verandah on the ship. Maybe I'll post them once our laptop is up and running. Thanks all.

 

[Hermosa11]

I also bought for my June trip a Kodak EasyShare CS6330 ($199)
and the dock to re-charge during the night. It is such a great camera! The pictures are just as clear as an expensive ! camera.
The docking system is great! You plug it in and charge up the camera for the next day. If you had the right tv in your room (with white and yellow outlets) you can view on tv your day's photos! It is just the greatest.