Seeking advice on DIGITAL CAMERAS

[yvr girl]

I want to buy a point and shoot digital camera. (OK, I WANT an SLR, but it's not in the budget.)

What should I look for/avoid?

[GOPisEvil]

1. Canon! I'm a huge fan of their cameras.

I have two of them. Both of them are simple to use and take good pictures.

Don't get anything less than 4 megapixels and get as much optical zoom as you can afford.

[DS1]

3. Seconded

Canons rock.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.asp?Submit=ENE&N=2070070012+50001213+70001054&Subcategory=12&description=&srchInDesc=&minPrice=&maxPrice=&ATTR1=&ATTR2=2070070012+50001213&ATTR3=&ATTR4=2070070012+70001054&ATTR5=&ATTR6=&ATTR7=&ATTR8=&ATTR9=&ATTR10=

[bertha katzenengel]

5. Third. Canon was our first. n/t

[GOPisEvil]

6. That's a good deal on the A610.

Decent camera; good price. The A620 is REALLY nice, too. 7.1 MP wow.

[yvr girl]

11. What about memory cards

Is one brand any better than another?

[DS1]

32. I'm partial to SanDisk, but Lexmark should be fine as well

I would just avoid any store-brand ones.

[ScreamingMeemie]

10. Fourthed! I use them for my job. Sony's break all the time and my $149

Canon PowerShot keeps on going. :hi:

[CanuckAmok]

2. Hey, I just bought a HP M45...

It was $150 at staples. It's point and shoot, 4.0 megapixels, charges internally, and does panorama mode.

Unfortunately, it only has a digital zoom, not an optical zoom.

I would recommend looking at dual-zoom mode cameras, if you do any sort of distance shots. Digital zoom is okay for basic function, but it's no good for really sharp zooms.

Be careful when shoppoing, some of the brands, like Fuji, Olympus and Sony use proprietary memory cards; all the others use the standard "SD" format.

[XOKCowboy]

14. Good point on the SD cards

Also consider a camera that uses AA batteries. You can get them ANYWHERE. Unlike some of the proprietary batteries some cameras have. It really helps when you run out of power and there's no camera shop nearby.

[HuckleB]

23. I suppose, but those proprietary cards are just as easy to use.

It ain't like there's anything magical or more convenient about SD.

[yvr girl]

24. Is one brand of SD better than another

I noticed a difference in price. (For the same amount of memory.)

[HuckleB]

30. Not really.

Compaq SD cards are made by SanDisk, which sells the same cards under its name. Of course, the "Compaq" ones cost more. Since I mostly use the Sony I recommended below, I'm now using a Memory Stick, which also works wonderfully. SanDisk is the inventor of SD cards, and it was employed by Sony to develop the Memory Stick, too. Regardless of the name on the disk, there are only a few manufacturers. It's just that some camera companies like to have their name on a disk, and some big box stores do the same.

Good luck!

Note: If you're going with something very small, I have to recommend going with the Contax U4R. And don't worry about the fact that it only has 4 megapixels. It has a wonderful lens, and takes better pictures than most 7 megapixel cameras around. Further, it's fast, and that is the key when looking for a digital camera that you can have fun with, and that won't drive you nuts.

Enjoy!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. Good morning, my dear yvr girl!

I have a little point and shoot dig camera, but it was a gift.....

I can't really think of anything you should know....except if you have time, look them up in the most recent Consumer Reports magazine that covers the subject.....

Mine is a Canon PowerShot A60......and I like it a lot. I just use it for the informal pics from around here....my self-portraits and like that...

For the art shots, I use my SLR Nikon D50.

Good luck! Digital pics are a lot of fun....NO MORE film canisters to haul around!

:hi:

[billyskank]

7. I don't know jack but

I got a Canon IXUS-40 and I really like it.

[LeftyMom]

8. I really like my Nikon.

I've had it for almost three years with no problems at all.

[XOKCowboy]

13. Nikon's very quickly bridged the "digital" gap

They've alway's been state of the art for cameras and optics and now make some great digital cameras.

[Kerrytravelers]

9. I've been asking the same question.

I've been told not to go below a 5 megapixel. I looked at some with those easy share bases to set the camera on.

Are Kodaks any good?

[XOKCowboy]

12. I say Canon again...

I just bought the A610 (5MP) and it's great. It can shoot totally automatically or also has shutter priority and aperture priority modes for full manual modes. Canon's are always very highly reviewed.

I had an HP 5MP before this one and it took great shots also. The only time I had problems with it was special lighting situations like inside cathedrals/museums etc. It had great optics and I got some great shots with it. I'd still have it but I left it in a cab i Barcelona. :(

What to look for? As many megapixels as you can afford first then consider the size of the LCD screen. If you're like most people the viewfinder has become obsolete and a large LCD screen makes it easy to frame your shots and see all of the icons. Oh yeah. Forget about the "digital zoom". Go for as high an optical zoom as you can afford. Give you more flexibility.

Oh and check out this site for prices. www.newegg.com Very reputable.

[Maddy McCall]

15. I've got a Canon G2.

Best damned digital camera I could have bought. It makes great macro photos (which I need for my archaeology work) as well as great portraits and landscapes, plus the lens is grooved so that you can attach better, larger lenses. And it has a hot foot for a big flash if the one that comes with it isn't sufficient for you.

I LOVE my canon. I took these with it:

[JudyM]

37. Is that 1st shot a newborn kitten? So cute!

[ncrainbowgrrl]

40. I have the Canon G5.

I absolutely love it! I love the fact that if I want to not think about things, I can put it in auto, and the pics are usually really good... but if I want to care about what I'm shooting, it gives me enough tools to make something more artistic with my subject.

[CC]

16. A great place for info is

here. http://www.steves-digicams.com/best_cameras.html Has great reviews plus other info on digital cameras and all the other stuff that goes with them.

[Redstone]

17. here's my advice. Are you listening? Put down those other replies, and

pay attention.

1) Do NOT buy a camera that doesn't have an optical viewfinder. This isimportant. Think about all those people you see who are holding their digicams at arm's length, composing with the LCD screen on that back of the camera. They're going to have blurry pictures. Digital cameras are much more susceptible to blurriness from vibration than film cameras.

Buy a camera with an optical viewfinder, and hold the damn thing up to your eye when you're taking a picture.

2) Buy a camera that uses CompactFlash memory cards. The other formats, such as SD, are fragile and so small that they're easier to lose.

3) Buy a camera that uses AA batteries. You can get good NiMH AA batteries and a charger for not much money, and in a pinch, you can go to the drugstore and buy some alkaline or lithium AAs if your rechargables run dry.

You're going to get all kinds of advice in answer to your question, all of it well-meant, but I've been using digital cameras almost since there WERE digital cameras (I bought my first one in 1992), so listen to me on these three points.

Redstone

[petronius]

20. I would add to that: get a high quality battery charger

and rechargeable batteries.

[Redstone]

22. And that charger should take a long time to charge the batteries.

"Quick chargers" shorten battery life.

Redstone

[ET Awful]

38. Agreed on all points except the AA batteries.

Reason being that there are very few decent cameras that use AA size batteries. Many small digital cameras with optical viewfinders would become unnecessarily bulky if they used AA batteries. Hell, not most film cameras don't use AA batteries.

Besides, the batteries in better digital cameras are good for 600 shots or more in many cases (I can get almost 1,000 shots out of the battery in my D70).

Also, just as a matter of nitpicking, it's not that digital cameras are more susceptible to blurriness from vibration, it's that any camera held at arms length will vibrate more than one held properly. A digital camera shooting at 1/60 shutter speed is no more susceptible to motion blur than a film camera shooting at the same shutter speed. In early digital cameras that could not handle faster shutter speeds, your point would be well made, but not so with the newer generations of digital cameras..

[fishwax]

18. As long as you get a trustable brand, you almost can't go wrong

All the cameras on the market today have plenty of megapixels for recreational use, so that's not as big an issue as it's often made out to be. We got our digital camera a couple of years ago, and it has only 1.3 megapixels--much less than anything on the market now--but it prints out 8X10s that look like they were printed from film. (Of course, we have a good printer, which I suppose helps.)

Olympus makes really good digital cameras, as do Canon and Nikon, but those are the only ones I can really vouch for ...

[GOPFighter]

19. I have a nice compact Olympus that I really like

I agree with most comments here, Get at least 4 megapixels, at least a 3x optical zoom (ignore digital zoom) and at least 512 MB of memory. Take your pictures at the highest resolution the camera provides. Your camera will probably have an ISO value you can set. Use a 100 setting if possible during the day and only go to 400 or higher for night pictures without a flash (high ISO settings result in digital "noise" that detracts from your pictures).

Try taking some night shots without the flash. You can get some intersting pictures. Use the widest zoom when doing it though and brace the camera if possible.

And drop by the DU Photography Group and post some of your pictures.

[HuckleB]

21. Sony DSC-H1

Best camera on the market for less than $500. Wonderful features, good lens, fantastic zoom.

[Quixote1818]

25. I am a professional photographer

We use Cannon D-20's on the advise of many other professionals. Probably out of your budget at around $1,300 but the cameras are unmatched. Every professional I know uses them.

We have one Nikon and no one wants to use it.

[yvr girl]

26. I suppose you're talking US currency too

I want to get a decent but entry level digital that I can use until I can afford a really good camera. It's also nice to have something small enough to throw in your purse for outings.

[Quixote1818]

28. You can't throw a D-20 in your purse

They are big and heavy. When you think of how much you will save by not having to pay for film, it may not be as expensive as you think though.

[yvr girl]

29. I can't spend that much now

Eventually, I want two digital cameras. I'm not spending money on film - I'm just not getting pictures. I went to Hawaii in 2003, and the film STILL isn't developed. I don't even know where it is? I haven't taken a picture since April.

[DS1]

31. I'm after a 20D

I have the first model Digital Rebel, but it's slower than hell focusing even with a USM lens, and sometimes just refuses to take a picture. Drives me up the freakin wall.

I'm really looking forward to the 5 frames per second, it'll do wonders for my sports photography when I won't be hoping to get just the right moment by sheer luck.

[Quixote1818]

35. The D20 auto focus is really fast and acurate. I love it! nt

[DS1]

36. 20D

:-)

[ghostsofgiants]

27. Go here and read the reviews...

http://www.dpreview.com

[we can do it]

33. Canon Here Too - I Love My Little Digital Elph

[bikebloke]

34. Pansonic FZ5

I eventually picked up a Panasonic with 12x optical zoom. But I also wanted to learn manual settings. Great photos. I'm still trying to shake off my frugality with film when I was a poor world traveller.

[On Par]

39. I'm A Nikon Fan. Love my SLR Film....

...so easy and self adjusting, and light. You can't beat the versitility, or the ease of adding a telephoto lens. Ebay has them at reduced prices. Plus, I think you'll spend as much or more on a digital as a film. If you're talking SLR digital. Yeah, those are still in the stratosphere price wise.

I also have a Nikon Coolpics 4600 digital. The problem with any digital is one, they eat batteries. You'll need to buy rechargables. Two, you need to take a lot of time getting them developed online or at a store. The benefit is you get to choose the ones you want for processing, and can take bunches of photos, and eliminate the ones you don't like.

Digitals are a new way of doing things but not necessarily better.