Digital Camera Question

[lkohawaii]

I don't know where else to post this. I know DIS'ers can help me. I'm looking for a Digital Camera. I want good color. Besides looking for 5 megapixels or above and continuous picture taking is there anything else I should look for? I don't need to change lenses and all that fancy stuff. I'll stick to simple basics for now. Anyone can recomend a good place to buy one too?

 

[gapere]

I myself am in the market for a new one. I bought one for my DW when the digital camera craze first started so we paid alot for a 2.0 megapixel camera 3x optical Kodak. Not to mention that thing looks huge compared to cameras nowadays.

I'm not too concerned with megapixels. We don't print large pictures so 4.0 megapixels should be sufficient for 4x6 sized pictures. I am looking for something that has higher optical zoom. Around 10X or so.

You can try going to BestBuy and Circuit City to try all of their cameras first hand. Once you decide on the model you want, you can check online to see if you can beat their price.

Good luck with your choice!

 

[lkohawaii]

Can you tell me more about the optical zoom. I'll check how much zoom mine has now. I just figured as long as it could zoom in I was happy. I'm learning thanks. I'm also concerned with the color. Is that in the processing or does that have to do with the megapixels. I just found ofoto. It's exciting. Are there any other online companies like that?

 

[Franne]

I can tell you about the zoom. My camera has a 3x zoom and it's not enough. My kids are in cheer competitions and I can't get good close ups at all with that camera. I am looking to buy a new one (with 10x zoom) too since my old one just stopped working.
I think I am going to wait till the after Christmas sales, I think I should be able to get a good buy then.
Franne

 

[oogieboogie]

I would start by looking at the camera review sites. The ones I'm listing has fairly extensive reviews:

http://www.dpreview.com/
http://www.steves-digicams.com/
http://www.dcresource.com/

The more megapixels isn't always a good indicator. The size of the chip sensor is a better indicator of how good the resolution is going to be. You could have a cheap 5mp camera that doesn't output better resolution than a 3.2mp good camera.

I'd stick with the known brands: Canon, Nikon, Minolta, Fuji, Kodak. They've been in the business long enough and they know how to make good cameras. Sony is a big player too, however I don't like their memory stick so I stay away from them.

Optical zoom is the only way to go. I find most point-and-shoot only range around 3-4x optical, which I find isn't enough. There are several ultra-zoom cameras out there right now, most in the 3-4mp range with 7-12x optical zoom. They're great if you like zooming in, however the downside is that the camera will be bulkier and heavier than a lot of the point-n-shoots. Also to consider with the longer zoom, the shakiness that could occur because with longer zoom the camera needs more stability in focusing.

It all depends on your needs. I myself have a 2mp that I'd like to upgrade to right now, so I'm also looking thru the different cameras. Myself, I'm going for either the Canon PowerShot S1 IS with 10x opt zoom, the Panasonic DMC-FZ3 (12x), or the Minolta Dimage Z2 (10x). At this point, I'm leaning towards the Canon, not only because I trust Canons, but because it takes CF cards which can go up to 4GB in capacity - great for taking many many pictures - and it also takes regular AA batteries instead of proprietary batteries.

Good luck and have fun choosing.

 

[oogieboogie]

... Are there any other online companies like that?

I use Snapfish.com. They use Kodak processing and Kodak paper. Plus they offer matte finish instead of glossy, which I prefer.

 

[DMRick]

I love my Olympus. Mine is an older model, 2020Z, with lots of gadgets as well as point and shoot, and is only 2 megapixel, which is plenty for up to 5 X 7. My pictures are nice and clear, true color, and it works well even when it's dark. If I was doing 8 X 10, I'd need a 3 and 10 X 14 I'd need a 4, so on. A lot of higer megapixels come with digital zoom, and it makes it sound nice with a high digital zoom. But that's useless, and something you can do on the computer yourself. You want it with the highest optical zoom you can afford.
I second Steve's digicam site. Lots and lots of great info.

 

[Brian Noble]

We just bought a new one. I had two constraints. First, it had to be ultra-compact--we have a big bulky Kodak, and last summer left it in the hotel a few times during a trip because it was too big. So, we are now getting something that we never have to think about carrying. Second, it had to use CF memory (since we already had two 512MB CF cards from our old camera). Within those two constraints, I just bought the camera with the best MP count, ending up with a Canon S410 for a shade under $300.

I'm waiting for Santa to bring it, so I can't tell you whether I like it or not, but in a few weeks I'll let you know.

 

[PatMcDuck]

While they tell you megapixels are not that important, ie 4-5 is fine for 4x6 pictures, there is more to this. I like to shoot, then sometimes zoom and re-crop, THEN print. With my 3.3 megapixel camera, this often leads to shots that are less clear then I like. (and I use a fairly high setting). So next camera will be better for this. (I have a 3 year old Sony). ALSO, I shut the flash off ALOT, look for one that lets you do that. (For taking shots thru glass, night parades at WDW, Ebay pictures of shiny items, taking shots in WDW attractions that caution "no flash")

 

[okapi]

I too have been looking and researching.
Here's a site I've found VERY helpful in understanding what to look for and how to meet your particular needs:
www.digitalcamera-hq.com
It shows what seems to be most popular and explains a lot about zooms, opticals, battery types and discs, etc.
GOOD LUCK TO YOU!

 

[DisneyDuo]

Thanks to all of you for some great info.

I just got a digital cam for Christmas,(Olympus) and have never used one before. so this will be a learning experience. Got to get it under my belt before our trip to BCV in 11 days!

The web sites you included look great and should be helpful.

One question for you experts - do you find it more cost effective to print your pictures on a home printer, or at a photo shop or a web site?

Lin

 

[DMRick]

One question for you experts - do you find it more cost effective to print your pictures on a home printer, or at a photo shop or a web site?

Lin

Home printer is the most expensive, and if it's not an Epson, will prob fade. BJ's or Sams the least. Never ever again at CVS..those pics came out terrible. Fine at Walmart.

 

[oogieboogie]

I never use a home printer even though my printer is a photo printer. Why? Because home printers are typically inkjet, which means the ink is sprayed onto the paper. When it hits water, it can smear.

Professional photo printing however burn the image on the paper (similar to laser printing). Therefore the print lasts longer.

I've used snapfish now for over 7 years, and I love that they do Kodak processing and printing on Kodak paper. At around 19-29 cents per print, very cost effective too.

I've seen people use Shutterfly, ofoto, imagestation and a host of other places online too.

 

[chuckf6823]

Try clicking This Link for some very informative and funny tips on choosing a digicam. I think it will help and it should entertain you as well.

Chuck

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Just wanted to say I've had my HP 3.1MP digital camera for 2 1/2 yrs and I love it. It goes well with the software on my HP computers so it's easy to use. I take lots of pictures as a hobby and these come out beautiful.

I liked the feature of video capabilities (30 second with sound) but it uses a lot of memory so I don't use it much. I do use the optical zoom but never the digital zoom. My camera has built in memory so even if you don't have a card with you you can still take some pics.

A couple of things I've learned: depressing the shutter halfway to focus allows you to take quick shots of moving items like kids and pets ( a commont complaint I hear about digital cameras). And a tripod is necessary for clear nighttime shots with no flash (some cameras come with small ones or you can buy the Accessory pack to go with your camera - good investment).

www.walmart.com has a good primer on digital cameras. Good luck.