Digital cameras ?

[mikesluss]

finally going to get a digital camera what do you look for in a good one
ease of use?
features what kind?
memory storage ?
can't seem to make up my mind what I need or what I really want it to do
I have a digital camcorder but would like the ease of the camera to send pictures
thanks

 

[DAWGPOUNDAJ]

Hey there! Okay well I used to work at a camera store and my father does wedding photography (with digital cameras) so I'm a bit picky. Always remember to look for the best deals after deciding on a camera.

Options to look for:
1) Mega Pixels. The higher the mega pixels, the better quality the image. I would suggest 5.1 megapixels of higher. This would obvioiusly be dictated by budget but some good ones are out there for under $300.
2) Size. Digitial cameras come in all sizes. Some may be a bit too tiny to work with easily. At least that is my HO and I'm a girl with small hands. lol
3) Extra features. 3X Zoom is always a plus. Being able to video along with taking pictures is also always a plus. Can you take pictures up close? How close can you get? What types of lighting can the camera work in? Etc.

Try visiting your local Circuit City. Find someone in the store who is knowledgable to help you. Then check out their selection which is rather good, and then they have pretty good prices as well. Shop around after deciding on a camera though for the best price.

I didn't have much time to write this up but if you have more specific questions feel free to PM me on here and I can answer them a lot more thoroughly then. One camera that i really like (Perhaps b/c my husband who is also camera picky just got it for me for my birthday) is the Sony CyberShot P93A. It's small enough to fit into a man's jeans pocket, has 5.1 megapixels, with a larger memory card ($70 at Circuit City) it can also get about 35 minutes of video on it. THe ease of uploading it to your computer and printing things out at your local Wallgreens is superb. It has 3X zoom and you can get as close as 4 inches to whatever you are photographing. There are features to help it photograph better in the dark (in pitch black areas the pics still come out good, no joke), the time lapse feature is wonderful, it even has a feature where it snaps 16 frames in a row and does a type of animation of the moving object so a person can do things like check out their form as they run, and it has a feature to bring into focus thigns in the far background. It's also very easy to use, just read over the instructions manuel. My little 8 year old cousin is not camera savy but had no problem working this. The cost of it was $280 at Circuit City but there may be cheaper places to find it. I'm not 100% sure on that.

 

[DAWGPOUNDAJ]

I totally forgot to mention memory cards! Most digital cameras come with a 32 mb memory card. Depending upon the number of megapixels on your card this size of memory card can store aobut 16 pictures on it. I would recommend at least getting a 256MB memory card. If you get a 512 MB memory card you can do videos on certain models, like the Sony CyberShot. That also stores something over 100 pictures at a time. At the stores they will have a chart listing the different models of memory cards and the number of pics their memory cards can hold.

 

[Grants Mom]

That is really good advise. One of the things that I did before I bought mine was went to my local Best Buy. I told the guy what I do with my 35 mm camera that I had at the time. How often I take pictures and of waht I take. (my son playing outside, my nephew playing basketball) he showed asked me a few questions and pointed me to a few cameras of his suggestion. They are very helpful! After all that, I still came home and bought our camera online. A great camera store online is www.BuyDig.com They even have a number you can call for help I think! Good luck!

 

[mikesluss]

just a quick note did some checking this afternoon and would like to maybe get a 5.1 mp maybe the kodak easy share for ease but have heard that the only way to charge the battery in the thing is with the Dock would rather not have to do this but What kind of power schemes are there with these cameras With my little point and shoot A good lithium battery usually lasts at least 1.5 years I know since it is digital that it will require some sort of voltage to keep if no card ,what kind of life do you get with yours during say a weeks vac at disney or anywhere else do you have to charge up everyday or do you use batteries and what kind of life do you get when you don't use the preview screen to take pics



It's all so confusing there are just so many options

 

[manticore]

just a quick note did some checking this afternoon and would like to maybe get a 5.1 mp maybe the kodak easy share for ease but have heard that the only way to charge the battery in the thing is with the Dock would rather not have to do this but What kind of power schemes are there with these cameras With my little point and shoot A good lithium battery usually lasts at least 1.5 years I know since it is digital that it will require some sort of voltage to keep if no card ,what kind of life do you get with yours during say a weeks vac at disney or anywhere else do you have to charge up everyday or do you use batteries and what kind of life do you get when you don't use the preview screen to take pics



It's all so confusing there are just so many options

AS far as the Kodak cameras, the easiest way to charge them is in the cradle. They do sell battery chargers for most of the batteries they use. This includes the DX7590 which is a very nice 5 MP camera. My wife has the DX6490 which is the older 4MP version. The charger is $20 (+shipping) from Kodak or from most online vendors. The local big box electonics stores do not carry it.

On the issue of memory cards realize that CF and SD are the cheapest, with Memory Stick and XD as the most expensive. BTW most but not all 5, 7 & 8 MP cameras use Sony CCDs. The big differences are in the lenses and the software running the camera. But the most important factor is how do you plan on using it. For ease of use the Kodaks are the best. However Canon as well as others are putting "share" buttons that make it very easy to transfer and print pictures.

Keep an eye on Dell they often have very good deals on cameras especially around this time because they are coming to end of fiscal qtr and need to hit sales numbers. See the other digital camera thread for examples of some of their pricing. Just remember the pricing changes from day to day.

On the battery issue, keep one in your camera and one in the charger, then you will have no problems. If batteries are an issue buy a camera like the Canon A95 for around $260 and buy a couple of sets of rechargable AA batteries. This is a much more economical alternative to specific batteris for camera such as my Powershot Pro 1 with a $50 battery cost (OEM).

My specific set up is as mentioned a Powershot Pro 1 with two batteries and a 1GB Ultra II card. My wife has her DX6490 with 2 batteries and a 512 MB SD card. I also use a 20GB X-drive to clear the cameras either every night or every other. This works well, we don't miss too many good shots as we have plenty of power and storage.

 

[MrsBanks]

<get a 5.1 mp maybe the kodak easy share for ease but have heard that the only way to charge the battery in the thing is with the Dock would rather not have to do this but >

I recently bought the Kodak Easy Share LS 753 - I bought it as a bundle pack which means it included the camera, cables, rechargable batt and addaptor for the dock, software - this bundle pack also came with the dock - I bought it at Sams Club for $299 and I absolutely love it, it is so easy for me, a camera idiot , to use - if you have any questions, ask away

 

[WillCAD]

Check this page:
http://www.imaging-resource.com/WB/WB.HTM?view=dp_all

 

[highland3]

Well, you don't HAVE to charge your Kodak battery with the dock... but the dock makes life easier in my opinion. Anyway... I use a kodak 5 mp and love it. (was pro for many years and an avid 35mm u ser after that) It's just really easy to use and has great quality. I carry a CRV3 lithium battery as my back up and it works great too. I would recommend getting a camera that is 4 mp or greater... but care should be taken in choosing a good lens too. Many have the mp's but not the lens quality. You need both for good dig. pic's.

check out this site to compair brands and get user opinions. www.dpreview.com

Good luck!

 

[copper0426]

I've been complaining to my husband for a while now about getting a new camera. He hates our two other digital cameras so I figured I had a good chance. Well for my birthday in Feb. he bought me a Kodak EasyShare CX7530 5.0 Mega Pixels. Oh I love this camera and it is pretty easy to use. It does video too. It is really great. I won't even try to claim to be an expert. I just love to take pictures. What a difference in my picture taking with this camera. I just love it. I took so many more pictures this last trip to Disney in March just because I had a new camera. YIPPEEEEEEE

It would be nice to have the newest one on the market, but lets face it, money is a deciding factor.

Diane

 

[manticore]

It would be nice to have the newest one on the market, but lets face it, money is a deciding factor.

Diane

Always trying to have the newest version of your camera would mean buying a new one every year. That gets expensive, I know.

 

[mikesluss]

Went out this am and purchased the Kodak Easy share CX7530 and yes I did buy the dock but the reason I went with this model there is a new one out now with the lithium Ion battery, (don't know that model no. )but didn't buy because this one gives you multiple power options and I did get the 1GB card for it seems it will hold about 720 pictures
so I guess in a few weeks we'll get to try it out for real even if no pics of kids on this next trip
Again the dis rocks and everyone who responded are just so very intelligent and informative
Thank you thank you thank you all

 

[tiggerfan58]

I just bought the Casio Exilim Z55. I also have an Olympus C750. The Casio is a 5 megapixel and the Olympus is a 4 megapixel (i think) Both are great cameras. The Olympus has a 10x optical zoom which gives you much more ability to take pictures from a further distance but the Casio even though it has less of a zoom is a much smaller camera and a lot easier to carry around the parks. So I guess it depends on which feature is more important to you. The casio also uses the same type of battery a cell phone uses so it lasts much longer than the AA batteries of the Olympus. Good luck finding the camera that is right for you.

 

[Dementia]

Anyone have one of these? I've been trying to find someone else who owns one because there's an issue I've been having with it (the only other person I know to own one has the same issue), and I want to learn if there are any tricks to maximizing this camera so we can get the best quality photos we can out of this. I've checked the manual (which didn't give me much) and also google'd the camera, but I haven't found anything helpful. I'd actually rather discuss the camera with people who have used it as opposed to reading reviews from a website, you know?

 

[manticore]

Anyone have one of these? I've been trying to find someone else who owns one because there's an issue I've been having with it (the only other person I know to own one has the same issue), and I want to learn if there are any tricks to maximizing this camera so we can get the best quality photos we can out of this. I've checked the manual (which didn't give me much) and also google'd the camera, but I haven't found anything helpful. I'd actually rather discuss the camera with people who have used it as opposed to reading reviews from a website, you know?

I would try the Olympus forums over at www.dpreview.com. I have found many of the people over there really know their stuff and will have the same camera as you. http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1008

Good luck!!