Digital camera recommendations please!

[WDWfan uk]

Hi Gang - I want to buy DH a digital camera! We have left this for ages as he is pretty good with the camcorder but he is desperately in need of updating his camera!

So..... any recommendations please ? (BTW, please don't get too technical on me!)

 

[Mrs Dazzle]

Shirley

I bought a Sony cybershot a couple of years ago. Brilliant! I just point and press, it also takes 10 second movies.

You will need to get a memory stick, I would suggest a 32k. It holds hundreds of pics, more than enough for a decent holiday.

Shop around though, we bought ours at Gatwick and got a good deal then, but prices should be much lower now.

Darryl

 

[Tron[ADS]]

I bought my wife one of these for her birthday
http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/29876/art/nikon/coolpix-3100-including-re.html

And I have to say I am really impressed with it. Its really small, easily pocket sized, and takes nice pictures, and has a credible 3x optical zoom.

I myself have a Fuji with a nice 6x optical zoom, but its big and bulky, and I didnt take it to Florida with me as I couldnt be bothered with carrying another bag with me.


The main thing with digital cameras is to ignore the "digital zoom" features and look only at what "Optical zoom" it has.
Whatever you do, never buy one that doesnt have an optical zoom.
I would also say make sure you buy one from a recognised camera manufacturer, who know what they are doing regarding optics.....similarly, avoid misleading mega-pixel statistics such as "effective pixels" or "interoplated pixels"...you might see "6 megapixels effective, actual 3 megapixels", so ignore the 6 bit and treat it as a 3......this method of advertising is reminiscent of the 80's ghettoblaster phenomenom where the manufacturers found new ways of expressing the Watts power output of their systems, in order to look better than their competitors.
And when it comes to megapixels, 2 is fine for normal sized snaps, 3 is a good number to look for though for a non slr camera.

 

[Goofyish]

I agree with Tron - ignore the 'digital' zoom offerings and look for a decent 'optical' zoom range.
Unless you really want to print huge photos (bigger than A4), then 2 or 3 Megapixels are fine.

Another thing to consider is the type of batteries used. Digital cameras like eating batteries Try and look for a camera that has a Lithium Ion type battery. Cameras that take standard AA batteries will mean forking out for a set of rechargeables and a charger.

Decide on how much you want to spend and then look at a few internet site to see which cameras fall into your price range. Then go to a local camera shop (Jessops is good if you have one local) and play with the cameras to see how they feel in your hand. Check if the dials and buttons are in a ergonomic position. Also, check the menus on camera - some are really complicated and hard to find your way around the different camera functions.

Another thing to check is the type of memory card the camera uses. Some are more expansive than others.

Here's a few websites for you to look at:


Good Camera Review Site

Internet Cameras Direct

Lets Go Digital

Jessops

Warehouse Express

7DayShop - Good for memory cards

I have two cameras, an old Canon G1 and a new Olympus C-765. The Olympus is 4Mpixel and has a 10X optical zoom.

Have fun

 

[Fantasia Sam]

I'm a Canon Ixus fan - it gives me the option to point and click should I want to take the easy route but I also like to play with manual shots and try to get the best out of my photography I'm a real amateur but I do like to know that I have options on my camera should I wish to use them.

Mine is 3.2 mega pixel and I have to admit to being one of those in the minority that takes pictures at the highest resolution this is because I like to play with my digital shots when I get back and zoom in and crop and the print outcomes work better if taken at a high resolution in the first place.

 

[Goofyish]

I agree with Sam - always use the highest resolution/least compression settings when taking photos (or for best quality; if the camera has the facility, use the 'raw' setting). It's much better to manipulate the photo in your PC than in the camera

 

[WDWfan uk]

...... I have written all these points down - and thank you <i>very</i> much for all this GREAT info. I knew I'd asked in the right place - I would not have known anything about optical v digital zoom, mega pixels, batteries, memory etc etc!

I'm checking those sites out now too

Thank you!

 

[Tron[ADS]]

Im not so sure about looking for the lithium type battery option.....there are some of these cameras that can also use normal AA batteries, but there are some that use a completely non standard size/fitting.......what this means is that if you run out of battery power at a theme park, your generaly knackered, whereas if it was a standard AA size battery, you can of course pay some extortionate disney price for some Duracells to keep you going.

A good set of NimH AA re-chargable batteries and a charger will cost you about £15, and is well worth getting.

Thats just my thoughts on the matter though....what do others think ?

 

[SplashMtn]

I'd agree with getting a camera that uses AA batteries as you can then buy a charger and endless numebrs of rechargeble batteries to keep handy. Also agree with the AA's as if you're in the magic kingdom, the parades going to start and minutes before it does, the batteries in your camera die! You can, as Tron has said buy some alkalines to make it through the day- whereas with a proprietry lithium ion battery operated camera, you would be ........stuck to say the least with Mickey waving right down the lens but with no power!

 

[SplashMtn]

Just to add some excellent camera review sites:


www.steves-digicams.com

www.dcresource.com

 

[allie5]

We have just been through all this as we needed to replace both our aging Fuji Digicam and even more ancient Sony camcorder!

I into photography in quite a big way, so Optical Zoom was very important, but the camera had to be small enough to be able to carry comfortably round a theme park all day!

I chose the Minolta Dimage Z3. A newish model that is very compact for its features....12xoptical zoom which is mega!! 4 mega pixels, fast focus, optical viewfinder, clear lcd display and easy to use controls, as well as all the presets, there is a manual overide so you can tinker! One of its best features though is the Anti Shake device. Very handy when you are taking pictures on rides . This is something usually only much dearer models have. It takes movies as well.

It had its inaugural trip at DLP and we are extremely pleased with it. Check it out here:

http://www.digitaldirectuk.com/products_moreinfo3/index.asp?product_id=5391

We also just got a Sony Mini DV Handy Cam which is about half the size of our old one and its FAB!! Tons of gadgets and a touch screen menu. Hours of fun!

I LOVE cameras, can you tell??

 

[Goofyish]

On the battery issue. My two cameras both have proprietry lithium ion batteries. Both when fully charged last for a considerable time.
On my recent trip to Devon I only had to recharge my battery in the Olympus once over the whole week.

My wife has a smaller Canon camera which takes AA batteries and a set of fully charged NiMh batteries struggle to last for more than a day of use!

You can buy third party lithium ion replacement batteries for most of the common cameras now at a fraction of the cost of the OEM version.

 

[WDWfan uk]

Me again ! Is it me or has the link Tron gave me changed? I cannot see the camera he is referring to.

(I'm really getting down to business and want to buy one fairly soon!)

 

[AlanUK]

Hi Shirley,

It looks to me like the site may have changed it indexing as the link now goes straight into the standard european home page

A collegue of mine just bought one of these...

http://www.pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/44549/art/kodak/easyshare_dx7630_zoom_pix.html?srcid=36

He brought it into the office today to show it off and I have to say it looks pretty good 6.1 Megapixels is pretty good!

Alan.

 

[Tron[ADS]]

looks like they have changed the site and the link is now dead, but its a Nikkon Coolpix 3200, and the main site www.pixmania.co.uk should let you find it.