Looking for a new camera...

[grumpy'svillainess]

Hello all! I am looking at getting a new camera. Now, I am not a photographer or anything like that, I just really enjoy taking photos of my 2 daughters and things at WDW. I am very partial to point and shoot models. Right now I have a Kodak Easyshare DX4530 with the printer dock. It is 3 years old but still working fine. I love the battery recharging feature on this dock...it has really saved me on batteries and not having to worry about them. I also really enjoy being able to print my own photos without being hooked up to my PC. My oldest daughter really likes it too because she can have her pics of her and the Disney characters as soon as we get back to the hotel room. But I don't like the tear off tabs on the ends of the pics with the Kodak printer. This seems to by my only personal drawback. Now, I have noticed that most on this board seem to be partial to Canons. I have been researching different brands on the internet and am still veering back to an EasyShare. Only this one is a 7.2 MP with a 12X zoom. I still don't think I understand the difference between zooms... So, I'm hoping someone here can explain it more clearly for me. Does a higher zoom mean less clarity on the photo? Does it even affect it? And does anyone have any experience with any of the other brands of point and shoots with rechargeable docking printers? Thanks so much for any help!

 

[YEKCIM]

The zoom "X" factor refers to the amount of magnification. A 12X zoom will allow you to magnify the subject twice as much as, say, a 6X zoom. The more "territory" a zoom lens tries to cover, the more the image will degrade. Having said that, though, the zoom lenses on most of the superzoom cameras (10-12X) are very good and you should not notice any appreciable loss of quality over the lens's range.

I can't help with the "dock" question, but have never had a problem with charging AA batteries or a proprietary rechargeable battery overnight. Maybe someone else can comment on that.

~YEKCIM