Digital camera help

[2tinkersmom]

I am fairly new to the boards, but I have been reading so much helpful info and I'm hoping some of you can help me with this subject.
I am looking to buy a digital camera before our next trip to Disney in June. DH has one he uses for work (he's a builder/remodeler) and we took it last trip, but I don't feel it does the job well for people pictures and close ups.
I am a dedicated 35 mm kind of girl, but know the advantages of using digital.
Can anyone recommend a good digital? I want good zoom capability, one that doesn't catch too much red eye and I guess just in general takes a quality picture. I know I don't want the cheapest thing out there because I want to be sure its going to give me quality pics. But I also can't break the bank because at the moment I am having to convince DH we need another one other than his!
Also, does anyone have one of the in-home digital photo printers that I am seeing everywhere? Do they really give prints the same quality as store developers? I love having pictures around, enlarging them and also scrapbooking them so to me it would be great to be able to print at home. But I don't know anyone who has one and am wondering what they are like!
Thanks for the help!

 

[jenr812]

I just got my third digital for Christmas and I love it. I researched it for ages and it is an incredible camera - 10X optical zoom, 5 MP, glass german lens, incredibly easy to use software, so many awesome features. There is currently a $50 mail in rebate at Amazon Kodak DX7590 Digital Camera I have also had another Kodak (an entry level model) and an HP. The HP was ok but I wasn't impressed. The Kodak software can't be beat.

As far as printing, I have found that you can get pictures at Walgreens for 20 cents a piece. Their 5x7 pics are 99 cents. Not sure about other enlargements, but photo paper is so stinking expensive, not to mention the ink, I can't see how it is cost effective to print your own pics. Good luck!

 

[cocowum]

I just got my third digital for Christmas and I love it. I researched it for ages and it is an incredible camera - 10X optical zoom, 5 MP, glass german lens, incredibly easy to use software, so many awesome features. There is currently a $50 mail in rebate at Amazon Kodak DX7590 Digital Camera I have also had another Kodak (an entry level model) and an HP. The HP was ok but I wasn't impressed. The Kodak software can't be beat

I just bought the same camera (Kodak DX7590) it is truly awesome. Staples had it for 499.00. I saw it in SAMS CLUB for 414.00 so I printed out the SAMS CLUB ad and took it to staples. They will match the price and give you an additional 10% off. They also had the $50 rebate which SAMS did not have. So I got my $500 camera for $350 they also had a promotion going on for any digital camera purchase you got a free laminator (I don't know what I'll do with it but hey it was free) and a digital camera accessory kit. They also had the SD memory cards 512MB for $38 with a $15 Rebate

 

[HenDuck]

I just bought this camera a few months ago, on recommendation by my brother who is a photographer.

I paid $312 from Butterfly Photo.

www.butterflyphoto.com

It has 4 mega pixels. Optical and digital zoom.

It takes great pictures and has a 2 inch viewing screen. It's very compact and easy to carry in your pocket.

I'm not that great a photographer, but everyone says the pictures I've taken with this camera are impressive.

Check it out!

Good luck on your search.

 

[mepperson]

This may seem like a stupid question, but - what do you do with large cameras while you are on the rides?

I have a digital canon rebel ( ) that I would love to take with me, but I am so afraid of something happening to it. I figured I would just leave it at home and take a cheapo 35mm, or disposable, that would fit in my fanny pack. My Rebel will not fit in a fanny pack - I would need to bring a larger case (about the sixe of a medium purse) for that, and I doubt I could have it on the rides.

Any ideas? I am just concerned that the pics from a cheapo or disposable will just not do our trip justice!

Thanks, Mary

 

[mommytutu]

I have a Sony Cybershot dsc-p73 and I love it! It's a great point and shoot camera. It also does video...mpeg file that is only limited by your memory card which is really cool.

 

[all4fun]

This may seem like a stupid question, but - what do you do with large cameras while you are on the rides?

I have a digital canon rebel ( ) that I would love to take with me, but I am so afraid of something happening to it. I figured I would just leave it at home and take a cheapo 35mm, or disposable, that would fit in my fanny pack. My Rebel will not fit in a fanny pack - I would need to bring a larger case (about the sixe of a medium purse) for that, and I doubt I could have it on the rides.

Any ideas? I am just concerned that the pics from a cheapo or disposable will just not do our trip justice!

Thanks, Mary

I don't see why you couldn't take it on a ride due to it's size anyway. I've seen lots of people take large bags on all kinds of rides with no problem. Do you have a good camera bag? I think with the proper bag it would be fine on the rides. I could understand not wanting to lug it around everywhere though.

To the OP: We have two digital camcorders - our oldest one is a Sony Cybershot 2 megapixel (It's a mediumish size camera, not like the compact ones they're selling now, this one was one of the original ones Sony came out with). That one has been everywhere with us and took really good pics. We finally decided to upgrade to a 5MP camera and got a Fuji F700. Frankly I think it's a little too advanced for the casual user though because I have had a tough time learning all the ins and outs of it and I don't think the menu system is intuitive or "user friendly" enough, for my taste. It does take beautiful pictures though, when I'm using it correctly! I also really like the size. It's big enough to be able to hold comfortably, but still compact enough that you can wear it in a case on your belt or slip it into a fanny pack if you like. Another feature I highly recommend getting is the "burst" feature so you can take several shots in a row. This is great for action shots because you can get the perfect shot and just delete the rest. Whatever you get, I recommend trying it out first and making sure your comfortable with it before you buy it. We bought ours sight unseen off the internet (after doing some online research).

If you think you've found one you really like but want to research it some more, check out dpreview.com or cnet.com

As far as printers go, I don't know. I prefer to use a professional printer just because I think buying ink is just too darn expensive and I can always get a better print if I have a photoshop do it. I recently found that Costco has an online service where you can upload your pics to them and then go and pick them up. Pretty cool. I wonder if other stores also provide a similar service.

hth!
Cheryl

 

[mrs. magoo]

This camera is great. It is basically last years model of the one that everyone was describing above. It has 10 times optical zoom and takes great pictures. I also got the printer to go with it. It was a package deal. The printer makes wonderful prints, but costs a pretty penny. I take mine to Wegmans here in Rochester to print up. One note last year when we went i brought 3 cameras with me. My film camera which I love took awful pictures. I made the mistake of packing my film and the x ray machines made all the pictures look washed out. The digitals were wonderful.

kathe

 

[crazyboutWDW]

I have an Olympus UZ2100 2.1mp, that is basically a digital SLR, with 10x optical zoom, plus have a HP 5.1mp camera. The olympus can't be touched even by the 5mp HP camera, Olympus is a much better quality camera than any of the HP's, but we are talking comparing a Camera company to a Computer company lol. If you are looking for quality, be sure to check out the cameras made my the leading camera mfgs.

We always take both with us.

 

[montblanc]

Hi,

I suggest you mark down the characteristics you are looking for then rank them in importance. Keep in mind megapixels aren't equal, optics, algorithms, ccd/cmos quality/size and other factors influence picture quality as well. Test out the camera you are interested in first to see if it is fast enough for your needs. A great site to compare cameras is www.dpreview.com.

As for a dedicated photo printer or even one that isn't, they do produce lab quality. I have a Canon I960 and in the first week I printed 850 pictures, for the first time in 10 years I was completely caught up. My only concern is print life but that is improving.

 

[rt2dz]

I had a really nice 35mm that broke right before our trip to Disney last year. My parents bought me a digital for Christmas this year. Not sure how great it is (4megapixels) in comparison to others since I never had the chance to research them myself, but I'm happy with it.

What I really wanted to say was we have a photo printer. It is just as nice as the drugstores. But not all photoprinters are created equal either. Plus, if you aren't printing a lot frequently, the ink goes bad. And even if you are, sometimes snapfish or shutterfly are cheaper than printing at home.

 

[Sk8Leigh]

This may seem like a stupid question, but - what do you do with large cameras while you are on the rides?

I have a digital canon rebel ( ) that I would love to take with me, but I am so afraid of something happening to it. I figured I would just leave it at home and take a cheapo 35mm, or disposable, that would fit in my fanny pack. My Rebel will not fit in a fanny pack - I would need to bring a larger case (about the sixe of a medium purse) for that, and I doubt I could have it on the rides.

I have a Canon 10D, which is a similar size, and I've taken it on two trips now. I have it in its normal camera bag, and then I put that in a backpack. I always have a shirt in the bag in case I'm chilly, so that and the padding in the camera bag seem to keep it safe. <<knocks on wood>> The backpack seems fairly waterproof, so that it will protect it enough on the water rides or if it rains. I've taken it on any ride I go on. If the ride is wild at all (or esp. for something like RnRC!), I put the bag at my feet and step into the strap so that it's slung around my foot. I haven't had a problem so far. <<knocks on wood again>>

Just make sure the backpack isn't too big. There are a few rides where you can have problems with the size. On Kali in AK they have a place in the middle to store all of your belongings so they don't get drenched, and I did have trouble fitting the backpack in there (and on that one it is a necessity--so much water!). I think on Mission: Space it was a little hard to get my bag into the storage space as well. But most of the time it's fine.

 

[ducklite]

I have a Minolta DiMage Z-1, takes good photo's in a variety of lighting conditions. Perfect miderately priced digital.

Here's a few I took in low light (and fast action), NO FLASH with the DiMage--which offers a built in flash, but I don't always like the results when using one...

Same camera in daylight, same type of action...

As you can see, it's great for taking photo's on dark rides and during shows with no flash. You can also video record up to about 15 minutes, depending on your card. It takes regular batteries, I've got rechargeable's, which is something you should think about. You can turn the date stamp on and off, which is important to me for the photo's I take professionally. It's also got a setting for timed photo's so you can jump in, and it's got another setting which it will just keep shooting as long as I keep the button pushed down.


I'm actually about to step it up a notch and buy a Minolta Maxxum 7-D, truly amazing camera, but overkill unless you are a professional or major hobbyist. My photo's have been used by Atlantic Records, and I'm hoping to submit some to Rolling Stone in a couple months!

Anne