digital camera

[DonaldsNo1Fan]

I wanted to buy a digital camera for Disney. I have never had one before but i don't like the way the disposible camera pics come out lol. Does anyone know of any cheap (probably less than 200) but decent ones? I'm not trying to do anything crazy with them, just good pics of the characters! thanks!!

 

[Mecha Figment]

Well CVS pharmacy does have those 20 dollar disposable digital cameras that take prety decent pictures, and you can choose to dispose of the last picture if it dosen't look to your tastes.

 

[shyjade]

Kodak EasyShare digital cameras are great! Everyone in my family owns one (me, mom, sisters).

Some words of advice:
- Be sure to get one with a ZOOM lens
- Get one with at least 3 megapixels (you can go higher but so will the cost; mine is a 3.1 and takes awesome pictures)
- Buy a large memory card (or a few smaller ones) so you can take LOTS of pictures.
- Bring extra batteries or a battery charger; you'll need it!

Good luck!

 

[ssleblanc]

I love Canon.

I've got two. My point & shoot is several years old and they don't make it anymore, but I think that the price for the newer/comparable models is under $200. I've got an A75. It takes GREAT pictures.

I think that the A520 or A530 would be somewhat comparable (actually, higher megapixel - so even better than my older A75). Amazon has the A530 for about $170 and the A520 for about $150 (the A530 has is 5Mp and the A520 is 4 Mp - I think the extra Mp for $20 is worth it). Both allow for some manual/customized shots - there is a "night scene" which helps with nightime shots, and even a "fireworks" mode that sets the camera to the proper settings for getting good fireworks shots. Though with that mode, I find having a tripod provides the best results, second best would be laying on the ground and holding the camera to your face (using the view finder instead of the LCD screen) - so that your body is the tripod. Otherwise, they come out a bit blurry.

I think the A610 is even better (Amazon.com has it for $217).

I also have a high-end digital (I use it with adapters/filters and it takes amazing pictures - kind of a hybrid between a point & shoot and a digital SLR, I use it more for manual settings). Mine is the S2 IS, but it is out of the range (and does a lot more than you need). The IS (Image stabilization) though is wonderful. Helps with those shaky hands. But it is closer to the $300 range.

For under $200 though, you can get a great digital point & shoot that if you decide in the future to do some more creative things with it, will give you that flexibility.

 

[bazzanoid]

I'd heartily recommend the Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS2 - not sure on the US $ price (it was £130 GBP over here) - a great 'point-and-shoot' camera with total automatic mode and a few useful pre-set 'scene' modes for portraits, landscape, fireworks, sports etc. excellent pictures at a great price. AND it's got image stabilisation built-in, which is damn efficient - i took it on one of the coasters here in the UK last month and snapped all the way round - every photo came out crystal clear even when being thrown about!

examples from standard auto, non-altered settings:

 

[gonemousin']

I love Canon.

I've got two. My point & shoot is several years old and they don't make it anymore, but I think that the price for the newer/comparable models is under $200. I've got an A75. It takes GREAT pictures.

I think that the A520 or A530 would be somewhat comparable (actually, higher megapixel - so even better than my older A75). Amazon has the A530 for about $170 and the A520 for about $150 (the A530 has is 5Mp and the A520 is 4 Mp - I think the extra Mp for $20 is worth it). Both allow for some manual/customized shots - there is a "night scene" which helps with nightime shots, and even a "fireworks" mode that sets the camera to the proper settings for getting good fireworks shots. Though with that mode, I find having a tripod provides the best results, second best would be laying on the ground and holding the camera to your face (using the view finder instead of the LCD screen) - so that your body is the tripod. Otherwise, they come out a bit blurry.

I own the Canon A530 and LOVE it. My husband is a camera geek and owns a very nice digital SLR camera - but it's just too cumbersome for WDW and I just wanted a small point and shoot, easy to use camera that takes nice pictures. So...I started researching (he scoffed at me in jest) and I ended up purchasing the Canon A530. He continued to scoff at it when it arrived at our home (I paid $169 for it), but got jealous when I started using it and blabbing about how much I LOVE it (cameras don't make me as happy as they make him, so it HAD to be killing him). Anyway...long story short...he is also now in love with this camera and has (almost) stopped using his digital SLR. I'm not the type to read directions - I don't have enough patience to be patient - and I can honestly say that this camera was easy to use straight out of the box. What I love the most (other than its ease of use) is the picture quality and the processor's speed (some cameras are slower than others when trying to reset for the next picture). Also, battery life has been decent...much better with high end rechargeables than alkalines though.

Good luck to you!!

 

[ssleblanc]

I own the Canon A530 and LOVE it.... What I love the most (other than its ease of use) is the picture quality and the processor's speed (some cameras are slower than others when trying to reset for the next picture). Also, battery life has been decent...much better with high end rechargeables than alkalines though.

Good luck to you!!

Great point about the processing speeds. I love how fast both of my Canon's are. Important when you want/need to catch a shot of a fast moving child or that perfect smile JUST when your kid sees something for the first time. The lag time on some others I've tried can be very frustrating.

Since I got really good rechargables, I haven't used disposable batteries (WELL worth the price). And you just reminded me to put battery charger on my packing list.

I am not bringing my larger camera with me - too much trouble to carry abound. I'm just bringing my point & shoot, but because it is such a good camera I know I'll get good shots with it.

 

[PixiePop]

We have a Kodak Easy Share and absolutely LOVE it!!

 

[anewvance]

I second the kodak easyshare... it takes great pics and I got mine on clearance for $150 but they are usually about $199.

 

[mrs.elliott]

I'm contemplating getting a Canon S2 IS - do you like it? Is it easy to carry around without getting in the way all the time? I am a little bit worried about the size. I used to have a Canon SD350 ELPH that was tiny and could just fit in your pocket, but it got stolen out of our the day after our wedding and the morning of our honeymoon. Thanks!

 

[Lisa_Belle]

I third (or fourth?) the Kodak EasyShare. I've had one for a little over a year and love it. I think mine has 5.1 megapixels but was still reasonably cost-effective. I also splurged and bought the printer dock. I can use it to charge my camera or print pixtures. I plan on taking it with us on our next vacation (It's about the size of a Passporter) so we can print pictures out each day and maybe start working on a scrapbook.

For work, I have a Canon PowerShot SD500 Elph. It's small and takes great pictures (better point-and-shoot than the huge $1000 digital SLR I also use IMO). I like the size of the Canon - it's about the size of a deck of cards - but I still like printing the pix from the EasyShare. The Kodak is also a lot cheaper!

My other work camera is a Canon EOS digital Rebel SLR. It takes wonderful pictures if you want to manipulate the settings. But the automatic point-and-shoot feature isn't as good IMO as the other two. It's also VERY large and VERY bulky and VERY heavy.

So out of the ones I've used, my recommendations would be:
1 The Kodak
2 The Elph
3 The Rebel

 

[Brocktoon]

There are a bunch of great reccomendations in this thread. From personal experience, I'd agree that the Canon A530 is a good choice. A friend of mine has had one for a few weeks, and for <$200, it's a keeper. I'm actually planning on getting one in a week or so. I'll probably internet order, as my local Circuit City, Best Buy, Walmart, and Target are all sold out of the A530.

 

[scoolover]

I have the kodak 7330. It takes good pictures but its a good thing that I have the service plan. It has been in a few times. I would recommend trying maybe a canon or nokia. These are both companies that have been making cameras for a long time. Kodak has just started after swiching from film.

 

[TwoMonkeys]

I've got the Kodak EasyShare Z740. It has 10x zoom and 5 megapixels. The view screen is a nice size and the camera is a nice size as well. It takes awesome pictures and is really easy to use. I just really love it. The Kodak EasyShares are a good choice.

I agree with getting one that has zoom capabilities and get a storage card and take extra batteries with you. My camera fits in a nice little camera bag that I got at Walmart that's just big enough for the camera with room for extra batteries, etc.

 

[Ride Junkie]

I have a Nikon Coolpix 5600, which has 5.1 megapixels and 3x zoom. It takes great quality pics for those of us non-professionals who want to get good shots. It takes two AA batteries, which you have to replace somewhat often. Here's a sample pic:

 

[mrs.elliott]

Canon makes really nice cameras - that are easy to use and take great pictures. I've had two of them and never had a problem with either one of them. I am in the market for another digital camera as new one was stolen. I used my sister's Sony camera on our last trip and it was a really cheap feeling (I am a Sony consumer too) - in fact the LCD screen broke while in my purse with nothing but kleenex.

The important things when buying a digital camera are - 1) Optical Zoom (the digital zoom is different and often distorts pictures) - look for a camera that has the highest optical zoom for the buck. A lot of manufactures try and make their camera look better than they are by putting a large digital zoom on it. Don't fall for this, you'll regret it. 2) Megapixels determines the clarity of your pictures. To be quite honest, you probably don't need to have a camera over 3.2 MP, because you can reproduce an 8x10 without any distortion of the actual picture.

Good Luck.

 

[ssleblanc]

I'm contemplating getting a Canon S2 IS - do you like it? Is it easy to carry around without getting in the way all the time? I am a little bit worried about the size. I used to have a Canon SD350 ELPH that was tiny and could just fit in your pocket, but it got stolen out of our the day after our wedding and the morning of our honeymoon. Thanks!

I absolutely LOVE my S2 IS. By itself, I don't find it difficult to carry around much at all. Now, you can't stick it in your pocket but it isn't outrageously big either. I have an adapter attached to mine most of the time (to use UV and polarizing filters - and to attach larger telephoto or macro lenses). The adapter and lenses make it much larger (like using a bigger SLR with lenses). That is just because I love the effects of filters and playing with the manual settings.

It is a great camera.

 

[TDS373X]

Another vote for Kodak Easyshare. I have the Z740 and totally love it. I got it just before our trip Dec 2005 got a battery charger and a large memory card or what I thought was large...it's so easy to take tons of pix I never ever dreamed I take so many and they were good too!!! it was definatly worth the $$$$

 

[oxfordcircus]

Great point about the processing speeds. I love how fast both of my Canon's are. Important when you want/need to catch a shot of a fast moving child or that perfect smile JUST when your kid sees something for the first time. The lag time on some others I've tried can be very frustrating.

It seems like processing time and lag time are 2 different things. Processing is how long it takes the camera to write to disk and happens after the image is captured but before you can take your next pic. I consider lag time to be the time between pushing the button and actually capturing the picture. Lag is THE main drawback to a point and shoot digital. Certainly the P&S is smaller and cheaper than the SLR, but I've lost many, many, many pictures (expressions, smiles, jumps, kicks, etc) to the lag time of my P&S digital. I have used my father's SLR on my last 2 trips to WDW and there's nothing better and nothing more convenient. It was so convenient, I would come back to the hotel room with about 200 pictures everyday. I think it's worth the extra money to catch those lost moments. Here, you can get a Pentax for around $500. That's a great price. http://www.pricegrabber.com/p__Pent...tal_Camera,__9482508/skd=1/search=digital+slr

 

[fAnnF]

I love Canon, I just got a Canon Powershot S1 on Ebay for under 200
it has 10x optical zoom, so you can get close without being that close.

When I was buying my camera I wanted optical zoom, and megapixial I wanted to make sure I have at least 3, which is good for printing 4x6. I love that Image Stability feature, i don't have steady hands and can get great shots.

The CVS camera only holds 25 pictures.