Help Buying First Digital Camera

[JikoMarie]

We are currently in the market for a digital camera. We plan to use it for our wedding and honeymoon (at WDW) in August and would like to get it soon so we will have plenty of time to figure out how to use all the settings and options. We don't know much but my SO has been doing a fair amount of research. So I'm looking for recommendations. We are planning to spend about $500. We want something with excellent optical zoom and plan to take some videos with it as well. We want it to last for a long time because this is a lot of money for us. Also, we would expect it to come with a case. We want something relatively lightweight and not too bulky.

We plan to buy the largest card we can get to go along with it, which I understand would cost us an additional $100 bucks. We will also be purchasing plenty of rechargable batteries and a charger.

Any recommendations or suggestions on specific specs would be appreciated.

 

[YEKCIM]

First off, I don't think you will need to spend a C note on memory. I just bought a 2 Gig SD card for my Nikon D50, and it was ten bucks, after rebate. I also bought another one for $25 with no rebate. First one was from buy.com, the second from Amazon.

As for the camera, I would recommend you start with your list of required and desired features, and narrow your research down to the models that best meet those criteria. I have been thru this process twice in the last year. The first time, I ended up with a Fuji S5200. Most recently, I decided upon a Nikon D50 system (emphasis on system) due to a number of factors, including the fact that my wife already had Nikon equipment.

I found the review sample pix on www.steves-digicams.com and www.dcresource.com to be of great assistance.

Hope that helps; post back if any questions about specific cameras or features.

~YEKCIM

 

[JikoMarie]

Thanks for the links I really appreciate it.

First off, I don't think you will need to spend a C note on memory.

As I mentioned, we don't know very much. What is the largest card you can get? That's what we want. If we can spend less than $100, that would be fantastic.

 

[figment_jii]

There are 4GB Memory Stick cards.

Another question you should ask yourself is do you want a point and shot or a SLR (SLR do not do video).

You should definately check out Steve's Digi-Cam site; it has very good reviews of lots of cameras and a "Best Camera" section that might be useful.

 

[YEKCIM]

Thanks for the links I really appreciate it.
As I mentioned, we don't know very much. What is the largest card you can get? That's what we want. If we can spend less than $100, that would be fantastic.

Cards come in various sizes, but the question, IMO, is what size card do you NEED? Much depends on the resolution of your camera, which will dictate file size, which in turn dictates how many shots you can get on a particular card. Last July, I used my 5 megapixel S5200 at WDW and shot everything in sight, at full JPEG resolution. I had one 512MB card in the camera, and one backup the same size. I rarely needed the second card. If you have a laptop that you can download your shots to each evening, you won't need a huge card in the camera. On the other hand, if you have no laptop, you may want to consider a larger card, or several smaller ones (on the theory that you don't want all your eggs...or pictures...in one basket). The other factor is the maximum card size your chosen camera will accept. My D50's max out at 2GB, but I can get almost 600 full resolution JPEG's on a single 2GB card, so 2GB is plenty for me!

Some good online memory card sources are:
www.buy.com
www.amazon.com
www.newegg.com
www.zipzoomfly.com

A few reputable online camera dealers:
www.beachcamera.com
www.buydig.com
www.bhphotovideo.com
(and there are others, as well)

Two excellent resources for online shopping:
www.pricegrabber.com
www.resellerratings.com

(all the above assumes you are willing to shop and buy online)

By the way, if you are interested in what full res JPEG's from a 5MP camera look like, please feel free to check out my shots here: http://s76.photobucket.com/albums/j11/fasteddiew/DisneyWorld 2006/

Keep in mind that these were made with a $250.00 point and shoot.

Holler back if you have any questions.

 

[JikoMarie]

Another question you should ask yourself is do you want a point and shot or a SLR (SLR do not do video).

We definitely want to be able to take videos so I guess we want a point and shoot.

Cards come in various sizes, but the question, IMO, is what size card do you NEED?

I appreciate what you are saying about need. I will be sure to make sure that the camera we buy is capable of holding a large card. However, I think we have already weighed the options and we want the largest card we can buy for a variety of reasons. We will be taking the highest quality photos. We do not have a photographer for our wedding and no doubt will be blowing up many of the pics that are taken on our camera during the wedding and the honeymoon.

Also, we won't be buying online but we do our research online so your links are appreciated. We actually want to be able to hold the camera in our hands before choosing. Like I said, this is a big purchase for us.

Keep the suggestions coming. This is very helpful.

 

[Jeanne B]

Memory is very cheap these days. If you get a camera that takes SD cards you should be able to get a couple of SanDisk 2GB Ultras, for example, for $40-50 each or 2GB standards for $15-$25/ea (I recommend the Ultra though for video). I highly recommend getting more than one card, should something unexpected happen to your one and only card while you're on vacation you're going to have lots of lost picture opportunities while trying to find a replacement card. And with memory being so cheap these days it's very affordable to have several memory cards. And if you're planning on using it for video also you'll need more memory than if you were just going to take pictures with it. Just keep in mind that the video quality isn't going to be quite as good as a camcorder but I've been satisfied with the few videos I've taken with my S3.

I buy my cameras online from either buydig or beachcamera (sister sites). I handle them in a b&m store and then make the purchase online because there can be a big savings when buying from reputable online retailers. Just be sure to find out about the return policy regardless of who you buy it from.

I would recommend the S3 for the zoom and video capability. The S3 has a button right on the camera body that you just press to start recording, very convenient and there's a lot of folks on this board who own this camera. It's a little bulkier than the smaller compact cameras but the zoom capability is excellent and it also has Image Stabilization which is a great feature for long zoom shots with no tripod.

Also, cameras don't generally come with a case so you'll have to buy that seperately. Lowes and Tamrac bags are always highly recommended.

 

[YEKCIM]

we won't be buying online but we do our research online so your links are appreciated. We actually want to be able to hold the camera in our hands before choosing.

Unless you know exactly what you want just by reading online reviews, I think it's a wise use of your time and money to actually "test drive" the camera(s) you are interested in, and I agree that if you are going to shop at a local camera retailer, you should reward them with your purchase.

~YEKCIM

 

[manning]

First off, I don't think you will need to spend a C note on memory. I just bought a 2 Gig SD card for my Nikon D50, and it was ten bucks, after rebate. I also bought another one for $25 with no rebate. First one was from buy.com, the second from Amazon.

As for the camera, I would recommend you start with your list of required and desired features, and narrow your research down to the models that best meet those criteria. I have been thru this process twice in the last year. The first time, I ended up with a Fuji S5200. Most recently, I decided upon a Nikon D50 system (emphasis on system) due to a number of factors, including the fact that my wife already had Nikon equipment.

I found the review sample pix on www.steves-digicams.com and www.dcresource.com to be of great assistance.

Hope that helps; post back if any questions about specific cameras or features.

~YEKCIM

www.dpreview.com is another site to research cameras.

 

[manning]

Unless you know exactly what you want just by reading online reviews, I think it's a wise use of your time and money to actually "test drive" the camera(s) you are interested in, and I agree that if you are going to shop at a local camera retailer, you should reward them with your purchase.

~YEKCIM

Let me add to go to a camera store to look at cameras. Don't go to a Best buy or Circuit City to do your research.

You don't have to buy from the camera store. If you get a better deal at the other stores then you may want to buy there, but the camera stores may have more qualified people.

 

[YEKCIM]

Just my $0.02, but if a camera store salesperson offers advice and help in making your decision, you should buy the camera from that person. A real camera store provides professional assistance, and the fact that you may pay more for the same equipment from that store, is justified by the level of expertise offered by a real camera store.

~YEKCIM

 

[manning]

Agreed. I phrase it to encourage them to go to one. Chances are they will buy at the camera store.

 

[YEKCIM]

Agreed. I phrase it to encourage them to go to one. Chances are they will buy at the camera store.

You and I are on the same page. I bought my stuff online, but after researching online extensively and avoiding camera stores, because I did not intend to buy locally and did not feel it was right to avail myself of the expertise and display models available locally, when I had no intention of buying locally.

~YEKCIM

 

[Jeanne B]

I agree that if you are going to shop at a local camera retailer, you should reward them with your purchase.

~YEKCIM

If I walk into Walmart and pick up a camera that I'm considering and no salesperson offers to assist me (which is always the case with WalMart ) I feel no obligation to buy from them. If I walked into a retailer and had a salesperson make a genuine effort to offer me assistance and was knowledgeable about the camera(s) I was looking at and actually helped make my decision than I would definitely feel obligated to buy from that local retailer as YEKCIM said but in my area I find the Walmart, BB and CC's salespersons are the young teenage type, aren't generally qualified, and that's if one even offers any assistance in the first place.

The one advantage of buying from a b&m is that it may be easier to return the camera if there's a problem but I've always had good luck buying online.

 

[ukcatfan]

If I walk into Walmart and pick up a camera that I'm considering and no salesperson offers to assist me (which is always the case with WalMart ) I feel no obligation to buy from them. If I walked into a retailer and had a salesperson make a genuine effort to offer me assistance and was knowledgeable about the camera(s) I was looking at and actually helped make my decision than I would definitely feel obligated to buy from that local retailer as YEKCIM said but in my area I find the Walmart, BB and CC's salespersons are the young teenage type, aren't generally qualified, and that's if one even offers any assistance in the first place.

The one advantage of buying from a b&m is that it may be easier to return the camera if there's a problem but I've always had good luck buying online.

I have to agree with this. I would not go to a true camera store and take advantage of them, but I have no problem going to WM, BB, CC, etc. to try them out. Their salespeople are almost always ignorant of cameras anyway. That is if you even get one to stop talking to their friends and actually talk to you.

Kevin

 

[bennynick18]

My DF and I are celebrating our honeymoon at disney from Aug. 7th-12th, followed by a disney cruise. We are looking for other couples celebrating their honeymoons around the same time. Always fun to make some new friends.