Help a camera idiot!

[New England Eeyore]

Hello!

I throw myself on the mercy of the photography gods for your expert advice.

I am thinking that it's time to come out of the dark ages and buy a digital camera. However, I know next to nothing about it, I don't know how to speak the language, and I need some basic info before I get started.

I take a lot of pictures, mainly on vacations. I scrapbook, so quality and quanitity are both important to me. I am willing to spend what it takes for me to have a quality camera, BUT I don't want to be responsible for a $500+ camera, because as I said, I vacation a lot, and as I didn't say yet, I am a klutz. If there's the possibility of dropping my camera off a mountain, I'd be the one to do it. So it's too much pressure for me to have a super-expensive camera. I don't care about bells and whistles like add on lenses and such - a nice, easy to use camera is my best friend. And I really don't like the LCD screens (although maybe I'd get used to it with time) so I'd like a camera with the option of looking through the viewfinder to shoot.

Here's what I do know - I have a friend that just bought a new camera. Her old one was 5 mega pixels. The new one is 7. The new one cost her about $6-700 as best I can remember. The thing looks like it belongs at NASA it has so many buttons and it would scare the crap out of me. She's trying to tell me that I should get the same one as her and I'm thinking that if she's my only source for help I'm never getting one.

As I said, I am a camera idiot so please don't throw big words at me that I don't understand. Explain it to me like I'm two years old. But here's one word I'll use even if I don't know what it means: mega pixels (I don't even know if it's one word or two). To get the quality I'm used to from a regular 35 mm what is the number I should be looking at?

What do I need to know about storage/memory? I'd say I take anywhere from 10-20 rolls on an average weekly trip to WDW. What does that "translate" into in digital speak?

If I know that I don't want top of the line, but I also don't want the cheapest one either, what price range should I be thinking about?

What other questions should I be asking that I'm not?

Thank you in advance, oh wise ones.

 

[Anewman]

Hello!

Explain it to me like I'm two years old. But here's one word I'll use even if I don't know what it means: mega pixels (I don't even know if it's one word or two). To get the quality I'm used to from a regular 35 mm what is the number I should be looking at?

OK, you said like a child.

If you print a well exposed image of a non moving well lit subject and print it at 4x6 from a decent 3.2 megapixel camera, I doubt you could tell the difference from a 35mm print.

Yes if you have a decent lens and a decent sensor more pixels will give you more flexibility when it comes to cropping and printing larger sizes. But it is not the most important thing to look at when it comes to digital.

If you share what price range you are looking at and what kind of photos you take most, some board members could share their opinions on camera models. Is camera size more important than speed or image quality? etc...
What kind of existing 35mm camera equipment do you have? If you have lenses they may be compatible with digital SLR cameras.

 

[New England Eeyore]

OK, you said like a child.

If you print a well exposed image of a non moving well lit subject and print it at 4x6 from a decent 3.2 megapixel camera, I doubt you could tell the difference from a 35mm print.

Yes if you have a decent lens and a decent sensor more pixels will give you more flexibility when it comes to cropping and printing larger sizes. But it is not the most important thing to look at when it comes to digital.

If you share what price range you are looking at and what kind of photos you take most, some board members could share their opinions on camera models. Is camera size more important than speed or image quality? etc...
What kind of existing 35mm camera equipment do you have? If you have lenses they may be compatible with digital SLR cameras.

I suppose I do want the option of printing up to an 8 x 10 size, not just 4 x 6.

As far as price range, I'd like to keep it under $500. What sort of photos do I take? Pretty typical stuff. I don't take any sports photos or action stuff like that. Right now I have a basic point and click camera, no lenses or anything more than the camera itself.

Thanks!

 

[goofy4tink]

You sound a lot like me!! I finally made the digital leap a year or so ago. I got a very basic Koday Easyshare..CX7300. It had 3.2 mp, and no optical zoom. I downloaded my photos right into the Koday Easyshare site via the software that came with the camera. So....it took very nice photos...as nice as my old point and shoot 35 mm. But, after playing with it, I realized that I really wanted some optical zoom. But, not being a digital camera pro (more like illiterate) I wanted something easy to use. So, I just bought a Canon Powershot A610. So far I like it a lot. It has 5 mp and a nice zoom..comparable to my old 35 mm. The only thing I don't like it the downloading of photos to my computer. I find it hard to understand and I can't access my photos as easily as with my Koday. So...I am cheating. I take my memory card and put it in my Koday camera and download them that way. I know, I know...it's probably not all that hard to understand.
I have several memory cards..the 128 size. I like to delete any 'not so great' shots during the day and free up some space that way.
As far as price goes...I think I got a pretty decent deal on my Canon...$178 at Best Buy..it was selling elsewhere for well over $200, and in some places closer to $300!!

 

[Charade]

The only thing I don't like it the downloading of photos to my computer. I find it hard to understand and I can't access my photos as easily as with my Koday. So...I am cheating. I take my memory card and put it in my Koday camera and download them that way. I know, I know...it's probably not all that hard to understand.

I would suggest getting a memory card reader and skip dealing with the camera shuffle. Leave the memory card reader attached to your PC and then just access them like you would putting a CD in your PC. Just browse with the Windows Explorer and copy/paste the images where you want to store them.

 

[blackjackdelta]

If you can use this board, then you can use a digital camera. For future latitude you may want to google a Canon S2 IS. I am not kodaK fan but they make a simple printer/camera kit, It think is 5mp with a optical zoom(z700) about as fool proof as you can get.(Walmart $298.00) You need to go to a B and M shop and look at all the choices then go from there. It will give you a better feel for what you may want. Also, Memory prices are way down. Good luck.

Jack