Questions for Digital Camera Owners

[UMTerp]

I'm thinking about buying a digital camera soon.

I would appreciate your insight:

1) How did you decide which camera to buy? Most of the published reviews in the magazines seem to be outdated by the time they are published.

2) Does there seem to be a difference in name brand vs. generic memory media?

3) Do you worry about using a proprietary media (i.e., Sony) and the media not being available for purchase eventually?

4) Any of the automatic red-eye reduction systems work?

Thanks so much for your help!

 

[dianthus]

I bought our Olympus 490D 3 yrs. ago by product reputation & feel. I was not disappointed. I will be upgrading to another Olympus shortly, as I am so pleased with their camera line.

My only concern about Sony memory sticks is ~ remember SONY VCRs & Beta tape... never caught on ... SONY makes a nice product, but for me, the memory stick is an issue.

Brands like Olympus, Nikon, Canon, FUJI, etc.. use memory, compact flash & the new XD cards, which are easy to use, affordable & reliable. Olympus does require you use a proprietary card for panoramic pics, but they usually come with one, so that's not a problem- switch it in & out of your camera when you want panoramics- connect with the software later... The nice thing about digital cards is no worries about airport X ray machines & lots of picture storage on one card- a couple of 64MB, or 128MBs are great for vacation. No laptops for downloads are required!

Buy a camera with the most MP available in your price range. As you said, technology changes so quickly. Our 2.3 MP Olympus served us well. We are ready to upgrade to a 5.0MP now, 3 yrs. later. We have saved big$$ on not buying film since we purchased ours, which you can sink into the camera.

Consider size too. Do you want a compact camera like the Canon Elph, or is a larger one better for you. The smaller ones are great, but the controls can be hard to work, as they are so small.

The best way to buy a camera is to go into a camera store and try them out. Use a store with a liberal return policy & try a few out. You can make a better decision that way.

The digital auto red eye does work pretty well, but you can still get it. For some reason red in digital always comes out brighter. I adjust the colors and red eye with software on the computer. Digital is not the best for action shots as well. I do use my 35MM, with a 400 or better speed film for sporting events, etc.. as it captures motion better. Perhaps the higher MP cameras will solve this problem. That's the only drawback to digital vs. 35MM I can see. Portraits, objects come out crisp. I always shoot with highest resolution possible on my camera, so I get less pics per card. I can enlarge to an 8 X 10 with little graininess, which I like.

Hope this helps!

 

[denise5374]

I also own an Olympus 550D. I bought it Aug. 2003, before my First Disney Cruise. I love the camera, takes great pictures, easy to use, it can be completely automatic. I don't know anything about photography so a point and shoot works well. I am thinking about upgrasding to an Ultra-Zoom camera because when taking pictures of my kids events I am not close enough tot he action to get good close-ups. I have to tell you, though I research the camera for about a year before I bought it. I am not exactly an "impulse" buyer LOL

Here are two good websites that offer current reviews (some even before the camera is released to the public)

www.dcresource.com

www.steves-digicams.com

Hope this helps!! Happy hunting!!

 

[Favorite Auntie]

Hi,
I researched for about a month before I made the plunge a few months ago. I ended up with the Sony DSC-P10, and I love it! I am not worried about the memory stick being a problem, you can get them anywhere, and most readers take both, the card and the stick. Mine is 5MP. I went to Ritz (I buy all my cameras there) and held a few. The Nikon 4300 was nice too, I had it down to those two. I went with the Sony for the extra MP. I think you need to go try some, see how they feel. Mine is very small, when I saw it I thought - No way, too small - but then I tried it and loved it. The websites already mentioned are great, and I checked www.epinions.com too. Whatever you buy, I would definitely buy the extra protection plan (Ritz has a grat one). Digital cameras are very finicky, and they can be broken easily.

I just bought my parents a Sony for their anniversary too!

 

[geffric]

I had it explained to me that the reason that the digital camera does not do well with action shots..kids games and SHAMU..is the speed to write to the disk or media that is being used. Don't know the difference between SONY media and CF etc.. I use the 35 mm for action shots.. although i was advised to consider a professional CF card to increase the speed to write to the CF. I am going to get 1 before the cruise. BTW I have a Canon 3.2 MP. It takes Great Pics.

 

[DisneyDarwin]

The sites listed above are excellent resources and feature new models, not just outdated ones. You can spend a life time and go insane trying to figure it all out. My family has been using digital for so long I can't even remember film any more. I one of few people I know that disagrees with the "buy all the mexapixels you can afford" strategy. Actually, went down on my latest camera, from 3MP to 2MP, and I bought my daughter a cheap 1MP camera recently. We share our photos online. When we print, we print 4x6, sometimes 5x7. On a 4x6 picture printed on a good printer with photo paper, I cannot tell the difference between a 2MP photo and the same 4MP photo. So, we're quite happy with 2MP. The difference in 2MP and 3MP for comparable cameras (within the same brand for instance) is normally $100 or more. Most companies offer virtually the same cameras in 2MP and 3MP, and you can now get them packed with features. For us, we wanted the best optical zoom and lense quality we could get. I already had CompactFlash cards, so that narrowed my choices. Digital cameras eat batteries, so I also favor cameras that take AAs because I have dozen rechargables that I use for all sorts of things. I have a Canon A60 and am very happy with it, but I also took a long look at the latest Nikons. However, I don't think the brand matters as much as it used to --- these things are getting like CD players --- they all make good sound it's about the features you prefer. The digicam sites will educate you on features and you can narrow your choices. In the end, you can't really go that wrong, and you'll never look back. We now take pictures with reckless abandon and just delete the ones we don't like!

 

[Johnathan's Mom]

I have a Cannon 4 mp and love it. I have had it about a year. I am fairly satisfied with my action pictures. I just need to remember that with the digital it sometimes does not take the exact second I take the picture. DH is also there with the video so there is not much problem. If I am somewhere that I know is mainly high action I take the 35mm. It just takes some time and practice with the digital on the timing stuff. It is my #1 choice of camera nowl. I love all the things I can do with it and those CD's are so much easier to save than lots of packages of developed, never looked at again pictures.
Good luck with your choice. I have not regretted my digital and did alot of research before buying. Be sure to give yourself plenty of time to practice before taking only it to a special event.
Carla

 

[mcnuss]

For us, we wanted the best optical zoom and lense quality we could get.

I do think this is the most important thing to look for. Digital zoom is awful, and makes your pix look like fuzzy dots. Optical zoom is what you're used to with a film camera. IMHO, it makes all the difference in the world. I have a $200 Kodak almost entry level digital...it's now 2 years old and at the time, it was highly rated bc of the lense. I couldn't tell you how many megapixels it has! But I know I get beautiful pix in the "medium" quality mode that I have printed in 4x6 at ofoto and nobody can tell the difference between those and the ones I take with my SLR. I have a friend who spent upwards of $800 on her 4mp digital, and the quality is awful - and it's not her photographic skills! It's definitely the lense, the shots are not crisp. She is envious of my Kodak, LOL.

 

[UMTerp]

Thanks to everyone for your helpful information!
I will check out the web sites you listed and also
visit a local camera store (or 2)!

I was also wondering about batteries, so thank you
DisneyDarwin for that info also!

It's good that folks are having good luck with the
different brands. It makes me think I can't go too
wrong with a name brand!

Thanks again!