Camera, what to buy

[Chillimau]

Hi,

Wife wants a digital camera. (me too )

What's good for around $500 or less and what should I look for in features. Her requirements are simple to use! Unlike my 35 mm.

Thanks

 

[TerryinMD]

Now that's a loaded question.

Try this link Computer Shopper - Digital Cameras to get a general idea about them. You can also search by price, brand, etc.

For myself, I wanted to keep my price somewhere in the $200-300 range. I settled on a Kodak DX3600. Zoom lens, 2.1 megapixels, USB connector to go the PC or TV, slot for additional memory, still shots or movie with sound are the things that caught my attention. It's simple to use - relative term here. You have to read the manual to understand some of the features. Much different than 35mm.

Good luck.

Terry

 

[MikePA]

How much optical zoom would you like?

How will you be using the pictures? Printing? Web site?

The Olympus E-100 offers 15 fps and a 10x optical zoom.

Stop by DP Review for a great resource about all thing concerning digital photography.

 

[GlueGuy]

Gary,

We've got a Kodak DC4800 (which I think is now discontinued), which is a great camera: 3.1 Mpixel, 3X optical zoom, 2X digital zoom, macro mode, etc. etc. We've been very happy with it. I think we paid around $470, but we also got a $100 rebate with that; probably because it was being discontinued.

At any rate, consider what you're using it for. For this forum, and for emailing pix around, a 1Mpixel camera works great. With 1Mpixel, you can make snapshots that look good.

If you're going to make a 5x7 photo, you need at least 2Mpixels, if you're going to 8x10, then 3Mpixels.

Make sure you get a decent optical zoom. The digital zoom just "blows up" the existing pixels, and does not give pleasing results.

The GlueGuy

 

[Jeff396]

Hey Mike,

Just wanted to let you know I did end up getting my wife a video camera for X-mas. I decided to get the TRV17 from Sony. Seems to have all the bells and whistles you would need including the Firewire connection and still shot capability. Although I understand the resolution on the stills isn't all that great but am hoping it will be better than the blurry rinky dink thing I've been using. Now I just have to get the Firewire software and hopefully I will be making my own Gif's soon!/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Thanks for your help on what to look for.

Jeff

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I'm a digital camera neophyte... but that E-100 looks like a winner with the exception of 1.3 megapixels... my gut tells me to wait and Olympus will introduce a replacement of that model surpassing the magic 2.xx megapixel numbers...

My girls play basketball and my current Kodak does a great job on "non-moving" plays... but the shutter speed is just a hair too slow for action shots... {thats where that E100 shines!}

I also considered the Olympus C-700 and C-2100 both with 10X optical zoom... the "digital zoom" means spit... optical is where you put your money...

Again, for me it will probably be a wait and see attitude for the new models being released after Christmas season... /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[MikePA]

Glad to be of assistance! I have a Sony as well (TRV720) and am very happy with it and my wife probably uses it more than I do. She's taken it to dressage events and clinics and come back with good videos. Since we do not keep much of the videos, we end up showing it directly from the camera to the TV via infrared and never transfer it to VHS for use in the VCR.

 

[treeboone]

Buying a digital camera can be as much fun as buying a tractor if you enjoy learning and research on the net. Mike gave you a hot tip on dpreview, but don't let it overwhelm you. I also got a good education from CNET and it is a great site for price comparison also. My 3rd and present camera is an Olympus 3000. It is a superb camera, but I would not recommend it as the controls take a bit of getting used to and might discourage you. You will not need to spend 500 bucks to get a good camera and do not let high pixel numbers lead you to think that is what you want. Good processing software (user friendly, not professional, too hard to learn) is very important ( I think Image Expert is great) While on that subject, one complaint I have with picture posts is many people do not crop the picture, so alot of time is wasted on sky and treetops. Mega pixel cameras are a waste for email and web use, since mostly anything you send or post will need to be reduced to a 640x480 to be practical. Cameras are alot like buying computers, you can get some great deals on what was hot 3 months ago, or you can spend alot of money for whats hot now. I love these things and have not shot roll film in 4 years.

 

[PaulinSD]

We bought a Kodak DC 215 with zoom, and really like it. Simple, easy to use. Being in the $300 price bracket, there are better ones out there, but it gives acceptable photos for our use.

Paul

 

[gws]

Does your computer have USB? Are you running an OS that supports USB? If so then you want a camera that supports USB, if not skip that. Next, What are you going to take pictures of? How far away will you be?
Figure 2megapixes or larger (larger = $$$$). You want some zoom, how much will depend on what your doing. close up photo's humans and animals then 2optical 3 digital is fine, If you want to be further away then increase the optical zoom. You want a camera with removable media, smart media, smart card, smart chip, pixstick, lots of names. Know how many photo's are your highest resolution you can get before having to return the camera to the computer to unload it. Resolution. The higher the better. (better = $$$).



Gary.