which Digital Camera?

Wolfman11511 · 04-10-2003, 01:30 PM

I am looking for a good (not necessarily the best) digital camera. I have read a few reviews. I have never owned a digital camera so I dont really know what to look for. I hear higher pixels is good but all the reviews are kinda confusing. What I am looking for is actual owner input on their cameras.

I will be wiorking with a budget between 200-600 dollars depends on the features. Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Wolf

iNeb · 04-10-2003, 01:43 PM

I own the canon A40, nice camera

$250 - 2MP, then you need a bigger membory card (Comes with 8MB) Rechargable batterys, and a card reader

If you want best-of-the-best

http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProduc...tby=14&order=1

Either the G2 or G3, comes with large flash memory, and battery recharger (Comes with PHOTOSHOP 5 also

)

EndobioticChaos · 04-10-2003, 01:58 PM

HP has a very nice line of digital cameras. I haven't read a whole lot of reviews on them, but I'm very impressed with the way they're designed - button layout and all. I've got a friend who's had a 2.1megapixel HP model for several years that he's really liked.

Theophylact · 04-10-2003, 02:05 PM

I would go with a camera made by a company that has a history of making good cameras: Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Minolta, maybe Fuji. The lenses tend to be better, and they're the limiting factor. (I have a Canon PowerShot S45 myself.)

SickPup404 · 04-10-2003, 02:19 PM

I got a Canon S40 from Dell a few months back with a 128MB CF card. VERY Nice, but I ended up buying another battery and the AC adapter. ~$440 when I bought it... Does panoramas, video w/ sound, and supports the IBM MicroDrive. Nice Optical zoom too.

jamis · 04-10-2003, 02:30 PM

To be honest, I think you need to figure out what you will be doing with the pictures and where you will be taking the camera before we can give you some good suggestions... For instance:

Does size matter? Digital cameras range from the ultra small that can easily fit in your pocket (Canon Powershot S110, S230, S330, S400, Pentax Optio, Keyocera S4, etc) to the honkin' digital SLR's which you'll need to keep around your neck or in a hefty camera bag.... and everything in between. Think of WHERE you will have it most and if size would be a concern.

What are you going to do with the pictures? If it's pretty much for putting shots on the web or emailing to friends, you won't need more than 2MP (3MP at most). If money isn't that big of a deal and you think you'll be printing high quality 5x8's or larger, then 4 or 5MP might be justified.

Do you want a point and shoot camera or do manual settings matter? Do you need to control aperture and shutter speed or do you just want to turn the darn thing on and start shooting some nice pics? Manual features often (but not always) add to size and price.

Check out the following sites, too:
http://www.dcresource.com
http://www.dpreview.com
http://www.imaging-resource.com

iNeb · 04-10-2003, 02:32 PM

AH yes, don't forgot

http://www.steves-digicams.com/

SickPup404 · 04-10-2003, 02:39 PM

One thing I forgot: Our S40 is a 4MP camera. The images are just too big for on screen viewing, so I end up always using it in Medium res mode. Never printed any yet, so that may change, but if all you want is for viewing, e-mail, etc., maybe consider saving a couple bucks and getting a 3MP model...

rastorize · 04-10-2003, 02:42 PM

I just purchased a Nikon Coolpix 2100. Best camera I've ever owned.

I went to Circuit City where they let me take pictures with all the cameras they had there...and then they printed them all out for me to compare quality.

The Nikon won hands down. I looked at Fuji also, which I might have purchased accept they were out of stock. I tried the Canon Elph(crap), the Sony's (not too bad), and Kodaks (not bad either).

However, the Nikon did really amazing macros...it's incredibly small...had optical zoom...every kind of automatic shooting mode (sports, low-light, etc)...but isn't limited to automatic presets, it allows manual control over most functions too. Great camera. The pictures are incredibly clear, and color reproduction is excellent.

http://www.nikonusa.com/usa_home/home.jsp

smurffart · 04-10-2003, 02:45 PM

If, on the other hand, you are looking to print those pictures, and print them BIG...I have a Sony DSC-F717. It's 5mp of tack sharp perfection. It has an infered sensor and lighting system that allows it to focus in total darkness and shoot in total darkness (in a nightshot mode that is really cool.) It's a little out of you budget, but if that's the type of output you are looking for then I highly recommend it.

Like Jamis said though, it all depends on what you are trying to accomplish with the camera that should be the biggest deciding factor in which camera you buy.