Looking for Digital Camera recommendations...

[mommy*RN]

Hi,
Well, I have to admit I live in a bubble . We don't own a digital camera yet! I like taking my film in and dropping it off...then picking it up in a few days and looking at all my pics for the first time.

Alas, it is time for me to catch up with the year 2000. My hubby wants to get a digital camera to take to WDW in October. He has left me the horrible task of finding one...and I am afraid I am going to buy a dud!

We have about $300-400 for the camera...and whatever accessories are recommended or needed. Anyone have suggestions on an easy to use camera? I would appreciate any help I can get!

TIA!

 

[katied]

If you post this on the Photography board, you'll probably get the best quality responses. Those folks really know their cameras. You also might want to specify some of your key requirements - is size an issue, if so, how small, do you want the camera to do everything, so it should have lots of scene options for the type of picture you want and then you just select that and let the camera to the rest? These kinds of things will allow the experts to give you the best advice.

Personally, I love the Canon digital cameras. I started with a basic one, then upgraded this past year, and my sister just bought one. We're very happy with the quality, ease of use, etc., but there's lots of options within your price range depending on what you want in terms of features.

 

[eeyore45]

agree with checking on the photography board, there is a Dis'er that really broke it down!!

I agree, my Canon rocks!! I have an "old" one (when it first came out, I think 2pixel,now you can get 5 for the same price!!) I love that I can take a 30 second "movie" upload it the computer!! DD esp loves that feature, we dont have a video camera!! I cant believe they are in teh $300 - $400 range!!

 

[My2BabiesLexis&Dill]

Hello,

I'm not a camera expert at all and truthfully I just bought my first digital camera. I got mine from QVC.com and it's a Kodak EasyShare C533. It came with a loading dock that prints out the photos for you. It's very easy to use. I'm the type that doesn't read the manual. I want to get it out and play with it. Well this one is sooo easy to understand. It tells you on the screen what each little symbol is for, etc. It was sooo funny last night I couldn't sleep so I figured I would get it out and play around with it more and I was taking pictures of my kids in the dark and they were coming out bright and clear. I was trying to take pic's of my dog outside, I just hope my neighbors didn't think I was taking pic's of them..LOL. But I think it is a very nice camera and it's in your price range. I think I paid a little over 300.00 for it. And the nice thing about it is that I can print the photo's at home. I don't have to wait at Walmart to get them done.

Good luck camera hunting!!!

 

[torinsmom]

One thing I was told on the Photography board was to look for a camera with Optical vs Digital zoom. The Canon S2 was recommended to me and I am saving up now, It is $350-$400.

Marsha

 

[pumba]

we got our new camera six or so weeks ago and brought it to disney and our photos were awesome. It is a Kodak P850......it is now at Walmart for 298.00 and a memory stick of 1 GB with it for a total of 345. Our neighbors got it yesterday for mothers day and they loved our camera in Disney...

 

[DebRMN]

I have a Casio 500 series. it has replaced my Sony.
I LOVE it because it take pictures in snapshot mode. My Sony & with a lot of digital cameras, there is always a delay (even after focusing.......the 'half push') before the picture actually takes. Mine now is very close to a 'film' camera

 

[Austin75]

Check out dpreview. I won't let me post a url, so you can figure it out. It goes into more detail than most want, but if you narrow down the choices, it really helps you determine if there is a feature/function that will make up your mind.

Dell has big deals on cameras almost daily. On top of their coupons, you can buy and stack another $35 off coupon from ebay for about $2 bucks (I did this). For example, someone above said they were saving $350-400 for a canon S2, and it was selling on Dell for $284 last month (with the coupons).

Personally, if you want a click and shoot camera that will fit in your pocket, I'd go with canon (sd400/450/500/550, s80). The features and quality are outstanding (we have had 2). In the past month, I've seen the 400 & 450 < $200 at Dell with the coupons & the 500 & 550 between 220 & 285.

If you want a bulkier, more feature-rich camera without spending the SLR money, look at the canon S2 or the sony dsc-h1. As mentioned, the S2 was $284 and the Sony was $244...outstanding prices for these type of cameras. The close-ups I got with the h1 at full speed motion (Shamu jumping out of the water, water skier jumps, etc.) were amazing. Both have a 12x OPTICAL zoom. The prices might even get better because both have newer models coming out.

I have a canon 450 and the sony dsc-h1, and have been very pleased.

Good luck!

 

[mommy*RN]

Thanks for all your replies!

I didn't realize there was a photography board so I will definitely check that out, but thanks for still posting your advice!

Our current (non-digital) camera is a Canon so I was looking at those. I've also looked at the Kodak model because I loved the option of easily printing photos here at home. Ahhhhh...decisions decisions!

Hope you all have wonderful and magical trips!

 

[torinsmom]

You can print photos from other cameras or just from your computer with all the photo printers. They show up in printer options just like other printers. I have a Epson PIcturemate and I have used it with several cameras to print out photos.

Marsha