Originally posted by disneywith6kids
In 1999 we took so many pictures it cost us around 200.00 to get the film developed.Since that was only one week's worth and this time we're going for 21/2 weeks we need a better option. Could someone recommend an inexpensive good quality digital camera? We were very happy with the quality of our pictures and I'm not willing to give up the quality for the money but if you know of a compatible digital camera let me know-Thanks
That's the main reason why I went digital in late Nov 2000. I've shot almost 7000 pics with it and it hasn't cost me a penny.
And I haven't shot a roll of fim since.
Take a look at the Olympus D3040 and C720, Fuji S602. These are more expenive models. The Fuji and Olympus C720 have powerful optical zooms. Makes for great close ups at the shows.
Look at my online album (link in my sig). My Olympus 2100 has a 10x optical zoom and you can see how close up some of the show shots are.
The Olympus D510 is a really sweet camera from the comments I've read. It's about $300 new.
You'll probably need to spend about $300 -$500 (new) for decent model. Look around for some refurbs. There are some great deals.
Take a look at the sample pics and reviews at
www.dpreview.com
Some basic features to look for in a camera are what kind of batteries it uses, optical zoom vs. digital zoom, memory card that it uses and the number of megapixels.
Megapixels:
The current crop of digital cameras run from 1 megapixel upto about 6 megapixels.
Basically, the more megapixels, the more detail you can capture in the image.
I would recommend a minimum of 2 - 3 megapixels. I would also recommend keeping the camera set to the maximum megapixel image size setting (most have several different size images you can select). If you ever decide to print (try
www.walmart.com), you'll want to have the best image possible. Shooting with the camera set to a smaller image size (so that it fits nicely on the screen without scrolling) will not make for good prints. You can always resize the larger images for emailing or web albums.
Batteries:
Digital cameras tend to eat batteries like candy!!
Try to avoid cameras that use proprietary batteries. These are usually much more expensive and less readily available.
You should be able to find one that uses "AA"s. But be warned, the larger cameras, with more features, use a lot of battery power. Whatever type it uses, try to get one that can use a rechargable type and get several spares (and maybe a extra charger). The Olympus 2100 that I have uses "AA" and I have 5 sets of recharables and 2 chargers.
Optical zoom:
Optical zoom uses glass optics (like zoom binoculars) to magnify the subject to bring it "closer" in the picture.
Look for one with at least 3X (3 times) zoom. The more zoom, the better. There's an Olumpus model with 10x and 8x. There's a Fuji model with 8x as well.
There's an old saying in photography. "If you don't like your pictures, you're not close enough".
The less expensive models don't have this. You really want to avoid cameras that don't have optical zoom.
Digital zoom:
Most cameras have this (even the ones with optical zoom). It's more hype than anything. It uses the cameras computer (and internal software) to enlarge the image. You can do the same thing on your computer with software, and with usually better results.
Memory cards:
There most popular are Compact flash, smartmedia and Sony's memory stick.
Since you don't have any older cards to use, the choice isn't as critical. However, Sony's memory sticks only work in Sony's (there are some new cameras coming out that can use several different types). Also, the memory stick tends to be more expensive.
Prices for memory cards can vary a lot. Shop around (like I need s to tell this to someone on the budget board!). Get them online (try
www.newegg.com) or watch the local stores when they have a rebate special.
One of the drawbacks to a digital camera is what to do with the pictures on the card once it's full and you're away from your home computer.
You have several options.
1) Buy enough cards for the anticipated number of shots per day.
My camera is 2 megapixel. On a 64 meg memory card, I get about 50 pics. I have 5 of them (and I'm thinking of getting a 128 before our next trip). That means I can take about 250 pics before running out of space on the cards.
2) Bring along a laptop (that's what I do) and transfer the pictures to it.
3) buy a "image bank". This is a small device which has a hard drive in it. You insert your memory card and the pictures get downloaded automatically. When you get home, you hook the image bank to your home computer and upload the pics.
These "image banks" go for a few hundred dollars.
Sorry for being so long "winded' but there's alot to consider when shopping for a DC.
Let us know how you make out.
