Need a Digital Camera

[sphere99]

Any suggestions? Would love to keep it under $350 or so. Want nice clear pictures and easy to use (point and shoot).

 

[dana0069]

we just purchased a digital camera, there are many of them out there. make sure you do your homework before buying one.
after days of researching the internet and talking to people we settled on the FUJI camera. we got the f601 model which is discontinued now, however we still managed to get one. when introduced was $600.00 we got it for $288.00 brand new.
excellant camera, excellant pic quality.
Its an 3.1mp, but with the 3rd generation ccd, is able to shoot at 6mp.
have put it thru the tests, for the price its one of the best camera's out there in that price range.

In general fuji camera's are highly rated.

 

[Disney_1derland]

OPTICAL Zoom!!! Digital zoom eats your picture quality! 3x minimum Optical would be my suggestion but don't be wowed by huge zoom capability if the camera only takes so-so-pictures overall.

Storage Media: Compact Flash and SD are the cheapest, XD and Memory Sticks are more expensive(and only used by a few manufacturers)

Battery: What type, how long do they stay charged? How many extras will you need?


I love my Canon and they have many models in your price range. I think that at that price range you are looking at 4megapixels which is a good place to start.

Go to dpreview.com and look through their 4 megapixel reviews. They have comparison shots on many models so you can see picture quality and such.

Then go to the store and see which one you like the feel of. That is a huge factor in satisfaction with a camera.

For me personally, I will NEVER buy another Panasonic. We had a 4mp panasonic and I hated it. The pictures were awful and the lag time was really bad.

 

[sugermouse]

Curcuit City is selling a FUJI digital camera with 5.i mp and 3x zoom for $299. A fantastic deal!

 

[Tsi2quick]

We went through something similar just a month or so ago looking for a new digi cam for our trip to Disney. After much, much comparison shopping we bought the Sony P93. Its 5mp with a 3x Optical Zoom and compact. Not so compact its not easy to use but you can easily carry it in your pocket and not even notice it.

There are a lot of factors to keep in mind. I've had friends with Sony cameras and they all reported good things, and the reviews were positive so that helped my decision. Also, I got this particular one on sale through Dell.com for $266 with free shipping. It normally retails for $329 or so.

Here are a few of the sites I used to make my decision. My advice would be to read, read, read on whichever cam you feel good about.

http://www.steves-digicams.com/
http://www.dpreview.com/
http://www.dcresource.com/
http://www.imaging-resource.com/

Another thing that helped me was going to slickdeals.net which offers a lot of good deals on electronics. Generally once or twice a month you will get a really good deal on cameras. That's how I got mine as cheap as I did, with online coupons that I could use. I generally check it once or twice a day and look for good deals on things.

http://www.slickdeals.net/

Hope these help in your hunt for the perfect camera!

 

[trampslady]

dpreview.com is a great place to read about various cameras. After much debate over making the switch from my Canon Elan 35mm to a digital, we decided on the Kodak 6940. The 10x optical zoom actually gives me more close up capability than my 28-300 zoom lens did (appr. 380mm equivalent). The large LCD is a huge plus and this camera is so darn simple to use.

Consumer Reports rated it as the best in it's class. And, believe it or not, I was brave enough to use if for the first time on a 14 night West Coast/Alaska cruise. Yep, possibly the most photographic place in North America, and I left the 35mm at home. I have to say the photos (including close up photos of bear and eagles) were outstanding.

The one big difference I find with digital is the delay. I was used to a manual focus and waiting that extra second can be a tiny bit annoying for things like whale photos.......

Good luck!

 

[hookedup]

We have had a nice Nikon Coolpix that is a few years old now and I am currently researching out a new one to buy before Thanksgiving holiday.

Here is a great webstite with lots of reviews and pictures and links to price compare. I have had a lot of luck with it.
Steves Digi Cams

Good luck!

 

[pjlla]

We are currently on our second digital camera and we LOVE FUJI! Our first was the FUJI Finepix 2600 2.0 mp and we loved it but it was time to upgrade to more pixels. We shopped and shopped and bought and tried several different models, including an HP (cannot remember the model) and the Minolta Dimage and really disliked them all for picture quality and ease of use. We went back to FUJI Finepix F700 and LOVE IT!! Picture quality is great! Easy to use. Nice and small to fit in a pocket or purse. It was originally $399.99 at BJ's but has since come down to $349.99 and probably more since then. I have tried several friends and family members Kodak Easy Share cameras and not been at all impressed with them. DON'T SETTLE for one that you are not happy with. There are too many choices out there. Keep searching until you find the right one for you!......P

 

[ChasingtheMouse]

I just purchased a Nikon Coolpix 4100 model. I got a GREAT deal at www.electricsam.com. It was only 199.99, I have seen it on sale for 279.99! I odered it on a Monday nite at 7:30 pm and it was deliverd by Wednesday at noon. Tons of options including sports mode and fireworks mode--that will come in handy for our trip in 30 days!! The clarity is terrific!
Good luck!

 

[bobcat]

Another Fuji lover here! I researched for quite awhile and bought a s3000. I love it! If you plan to get more than a point and shoot then give yourself some time to learn your new camera.

Depending on the size of pictures you want to take can decide how many mp you buy. For me most of my pictures are put into scrapbooks so I use 5x7 at the most. Maybe an occasional 8x10. More mp also means more memory needed. I decided that optical zoom was more important for me so I looked for cameras with at least a 6x optical zoom.

The websites listed are great resources. Also check out Zurgs digital camera facts on www.allears.net

 

[FatCow]

and after taking all those pictures, just use PhotoCleaner (http://www.photocleaner.com) to automatically adjust your picture (closer) to perfection.

No, it won't be as accurate as a trained pair of eyes, calibrated monitor and Photoshop CS, but for US$12 (or US$25 for the version that can do your entire trip photos in one single click), it's bleedin' amazing.

 

[sphere99]

Well I bought one! I ended up buying a Canon A75 after reading many reviews and I LOVE IT! Perfect clear easy pictures, I wanted something really easy and this is great. And only $199 too! Every review I read said this is great and every store clerk said that one was the best and to increase in quality you would have to spend at least $200 more!

 

[Disney_1derland]

Congratulations! Now go out and take some pictures to share with us!

 

[LisaNJ25]

Originally posted by sphere99
Well I bought one! I ended up buying a Canon A75 after reading many reviews and I LOVE IT! Perfect clear easy pictures, I wanted something really easy and this is great. And only $199 too! Every review I read said this is great and every store clerk said that one was the best and to increase in quality you would have to spend at least $200 more!

The canon A75 is great. My aunt boughtit 4 months ago and paid $240 I think.

I have used it and love it. I told hubby its what I want for x-mas. You could of got it for $170 at Office Depot with the coupon they have out.

 

[sphere99]

You could of got it for $170 at Office Depot with the coupon they have out.

Well I wanted to buy it at Best Buy because I love their service plan. It was $39.99 for 4 years of coverage! I always buy my things at Best Buy for their coverage.

 

[FatCow]

Congratulations, you'll love your Canon A75.

You may want to get a wide-angle converter to convert its 35mm lens to a wider 28mm lens. You'll be amazed how much more you can 'fit' into the frame with the 28mm lens.

I use mine a lot when taking castle piccies at WDW.

Let me know if you want one, I can get one for you at wholesale price (no, I'm not making a single cent out of it).

 

[sphere99]

Really? I am not that "into" cameras and would have no idea how to use it, but if it makes my pics better... How much do they run?

 

[FatCow]

It's not making your picture looks better, but it gives the camera wider capture angle.

In too many cases, you can't move further back when you try to capture an image, forcing you to cut either (say) the bottom of the castle or the top of the castle. Using this lens, because it's wider, you can (for lack of better word) "fit" more image into the frame.

In Canada, the lens and the mount (the mount is needed to mount the additional lens) is selling for US$150 including taxes. Because you're in the US, the taxes will be ommited and after giving you my wholesale price, it will be US$100 including shipping and for a special bonus, instead of padding the item using bubble wrap, I'll pad it with a brand new Yamaha black wool scarf.

note: when the wide-angle lens is being used, flash photography on this camera will become impossible (the lens will be partially covering the flash), so it will be for outdoor shots only.
Of course, once you take the wide-angle lens off, you can use the flash again.


PM me if you need more info.

 

[FatCow]

here's an example of the same object being taken using 35mm vs 28mm lens. Both are taken using from the same distance.

http://groups.msn.com/lafamigliadisusilo/28mmlensversus35mmlens.msnw?Page=Last