I want great pics of the parks... what camera to buy??

[kandmwedding]

My husband and I honeymooned at WDW this past January, and were disappointed when a lot of our pics didn't turn out (to be expected with disposable cameras). We've budgetted $200-300 to buy a digital camera and wondered what your recs were. We're definitely a point-and-shoot kind of couple, and don't need tons of extras to go with it (ie. rotating screen, movie clips, etc). What kind of camera would you suggest and where do you find the best prices???

 

[KatieLovesMickey]

Hello!
I'm definitely not an expert, but I love my Canon A70 digital camera. It's really easy to use, and the pictures turn out beautifully. The best photos still come from my 35mm though--we have the Canon EOS Rebel 2000, and the pictures that come out of that thing are gorgeous. The 35mm is a lot bulkier to carry around, though--the A70 is nice and small.
I paid around $299 for the A70 about 6 months ago, and you can find it just about anywhere.
Good luck!

 

[kandmwedding]

I'm glad to hear i!! My mom has the Canon A20 which I think pretty easy to use, and I saw the A70 but hadn't gotten any feedback from anyone about it. Glad to hear that you like it!!

 

[ibleedblue]

I can't recommend which camera for you. In your price range you can probably get a good Nikon or Fuji. I have an Olympus C750UZ that I'm very pleased with, but it's a little more than you've budgeted for at about $350. It can be a point and shoot or it can be a full manual or pretty much anything in between. I kind of 'grows' with you as you become better at using the camera. The pictures are wonderful!

One thing I wanted to say was when you are shopping for a camera, be sure to read the user reviews from places like epinions, amazon and circuit city. User opinions can be invaluable. One thing to watch out for that is seldom discussed is the lag time between when you press the shutter button and when the camera actually takes the picture. I had a Samsung previously that would take over a second to do this. That doesn't sound like long, but it's an eternity when you're taking a picture. We wound up with a bunch of blurry shots because we'd move the camera before it had taken the picture. It's just hard to hold still for that long.

Once you get some recommendations, be sure to check out steves-digicams.com , dcresource.com and digitalcamera-hq.com. They all have good reviews and user forums similar to the dis. And I always have to throw this in...When you decide what you want, check out newegg.com . They carry a good selection of cameras (they are primarily a computer parts house) and have always been lower than any chain store I've shopped. Quick shipping too. I've ordered many, many times from them and I've never waited over 3 days for delivery.

Greg

 

[kandmwedding]

ibleedblue - Thanks for those sites! I checked them out and they have tons of useful info!! THANKS!!!

 

[Castillo Mom]

I just bought the Canon A70. I love it! I haven't had a chance to use every single feature, but so far I find it to be pretty simple to use. If you don't want to have to guess or figure out what setting to use, it has an auto feature so that you can just point and shoot. It uses a compact flash memory card. If you have a Costco membership, they have excellent prices for Sandisc brand cards, just check out their website. I got my camera at Walmart on layaway. If you want more info, go to Google or Yahoo and type in Canon A70 reviews and you'll find unbiased opinions.

 

[Ratpack]

I have the Sony Cybershot P92 and it takes great pictures. My suggestion as far as finding the right camera for you is to go somewhere like Best Buy where they carry most of the popular brands and models and just play around with them for a little while. See which ones feel right to you and they usually have power so you can play with the features as well.

 

[DizBelle]

We have a canon s110 digital elph. We bought it 2 years ago. It is so small and lightweight and was just perfect to carry around. We have a 128 MB card and did not run out of space and got nearly 300 mid resolution pix and a couple of movie clips on it (got to get that panoramic shot of the World Showcase) and didn't come anywhere near to running out of space.

Regardless of the camera you get, the thing to watch is battery life. Be SURE to get an extra battery and take it with you and charge at night. It would stink to want to take a picture but not be able to because you ran out of juice.

I got some really good pictures of nighttime activities (Wishes) and dark rides when I took pictures without the flash.

I said to my DH many times on the trip how perfect that camera was for WDW.

 

[Figment1964]

Here's another vote for the Canon A70. We got it about 2 months ago and absolutely love it! It's very easy to use and the pictures come out very clear and crisp!

 

[ShadowWind]

I have an Olympus C740UZ, which might be cheaper now that the C750's came out. It took awesome pictures of Disney, better than expected and did quite fairly well inside, in darkened places with a little practice. It uses standard batteries and is pretty good on battery life. It also has a flash for those dark places. It can be point and shoot (in Auto mode) but does have lots of added adjustments for those difficult shots). It also has a 10x zoom which is awesome, but it is unstabilized, so in the dark the zoom beyond 3x doesn't help much, but in daylight, it's fine.

There is a site called pbase.com that also is great for looking to see what kind of pictures each camera takes. People put up their images on there (real people rather than just top photographers), so it gives a good indication.

As far as batteries, try to buy a camera that takes regular batteries (usually AA) that are accessible if you need them. Also Rayovac makes a 15 minute charger that will charge special AA and AAA batteries. I used these last time I was in Disney. Just leave them charging when I got up and took my shower, and they were all ready. They lasted all day and I used the camera a lot.

ShadowWind

 

[RoyalCanadian]

Sorry that your pictures didn't turn out -- I've never had a problem with disposable cameras. In fact, I have had great results with them. There are so many variables that could have affected the quality of your photos -- from the quality of the camera itself, to the possibility of light leakage (cracks in the camera body or opening the camera), to x-rays ruining the film, to incompetency at the photofinisher. We can't eliminate the person pushing the button either. I have come to realize over the years and thousands and thousands of photos shot that, for the most part, I'm the one to blame for my bad photos. In many cases the lens on a disposable is quite good for the price paid and there are some disposable cameras that I believe work much better than "real" cameras or digital cameras.
Even the best camera won't give you the results you want if you don't necessarily understand how it all works. We're talking light here. The first step to getting the great shots is understanding how your particular camera or the film used will react to the light. Some of the more reputable camera shops will offer basic owners' courses to give you the resources to make the shots. Check out this month's issue of Consumer's Report magazine. While the DIS folks can be a wealth of info -- I think the results of the intensive testing at Consumers Union are somewhat more definitive.
Just a few bits of advice of things I often see at places such as WDW:
1. Don't try to take a pic of Cinderella Castle (or anything big, for that matter) with a flash at night. It won't turn out. Your tiny flash can't illuminate the entire building. Use a tripod with high speed film or with your digital cam.
2. Don't try to take a pic of someone standing in front of a place like Cinderella Castle at night with a flash. You'll just get a nice pic of someone standing there and you won't necessarily see the building in the background.
3. Don't try to take pics of fireworks unless you have a tripod and turn off your flash. It doesn't help.
4. Turn off the flash when you try to take a pic through glass -- such as at Living Seas.
5. Buying a camera is just like buying a house -- buy the most camera you can afford with the least amount of money.
6. Take your time -- best of luck.