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Hubby just gave me approval to buy a new digital camera.......mine seems to be washing out colors all of the sudden :( and it's only about a year and 1/2 old! I've never shopped for a camera before.. the last one was a gift from my brother.
So.....here's my question.. what camera do you use and do you recommend it? What kind of features are helpful? I'm going to be doing alot of 'internet window shopping', so as to do my homework, but any information ya'll can lend would be truly appreciated!!
I have an Olympus SP-350, 8.0 MP I have been very happy. It is NOT one of the really tiny ones, but still rather small (it fits in my small purse, but my girls still say it is too big though!) It has multiple settings (which I haven't completely figured out yet). I think it was around $500 this past memorial Day at Best Buy. It iuses the xd memory card. Hope this helps a little...
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I have a Kodak Easyshare DX6340. I really have been pleased with it. My only recommendation is to get a high OPTICAL zoom. When I got mine, I researched the megapixel angle to death. But, it's the zoom action I lack. Go for 10x if you can find it.
BTW, I have an 8x10 picture of my DS on our fridge that was printed out on my $99 HP All in One printer. It is gorgeous! Very crisp. Everyone comments on how professional it looks. It was taken with my Kodak Easyshare 3.1MP camera. Also, the reviews comment on the fragility of the Kodaks. I've dropped mine several times, even on a ceramic tile floor. No problems at all. For the price, I recommend Kodak Easyshare cameras. I figured my kids would break ours, so I went the cheap route. Three years later and it's going strong. I just need more zoom for those Christmas recitals and ballgames.
HTH. Good luck & happy shopping!
__________________
Bridget
Proud to be a former SU Demo & forever USC Gamecock Fan!
I'm going to chime in for you because I was in your boat last year.
I didn't go digital because I take SO many pictures. The place where I get mine developed gives me FREE doubles for overnight developing. For a 24 exp. I pay around $5 for overnight and free doubles. Anywho...
I did my homework and called my sister in-law who herself just bought a $3000 digital camera :shock: She went all out because her kids do very active sports and needed something that could capture the activity.
She and I both went for CANON. I went for the 35mm Canon EOS Rebel K2. It has everything that I need for now. A zoom lens that goes from 28-80mm with the option to get more elite lenses. Also with this if I EVER DECIDE to go digital my lenses interchange.
I have the option to get more technical and do a manual mode. With this I have to set all of my options I have to focus manually etc... I also have the automatic mode (which I always use). I have options for anything (a button for everyday pictures), face, wide (for a country scene), flower (means I can take pitures of bees on flowers {or something REALLY close}), action for those shots of DS running without it being fuzzy, backlight option (if I am outside in dusk and the sun is behind me I get more flash so I don't have halos), and a no flash option.
I also have a function where I can take continious photos every 5 seconds. So for those times (if I ever get to) that I go whale watching I can set my camera to that so I can get the perfect shot. Or if DS ever plays baseball I can get pictures of him swinging.
I also have a timer, but no date stamp. Kind of bummed about that, now I have to look at the back of my pictures and figure out when they were taken from there.
Take a peek at my gallery of the "frog" page and you'll see how close I can get and how clear my pictures are with DS moving to touch the frog.
I have a Sony Cybershot 5.0MP and I love it!!! Its small, easy to use and you don't have to keep buying batteries. It comes with a Lithium Ion battery that you can recharge directly from the camera (instead of having to take it out to charge). Everyone is always amazed at the clarity of the pictures. When looking at zoom options, try to get a high optical zoom, not the *other* zoom - the word escapes me. It makes for clearer zoomed in pics. This one only has a 3X optical zoom, but its a few years old. I know they make a Cybershot with a 12X optical zoom.
Depends on the kinds of shots you'll be taking. Like Michelle said, are they sports shots? Action shots? Distance? Still shots? Just around the house? That makes a HUGE difference when it comes to zoom--oh, and get higher OPTICAL zoom for better distance. You can just forget the "total" number or "digital" zoom.
Also think about what kinds of prints you'll be making. That's where the megapixels come in. The larger the prints, the larger the megapixels you'll need for higher quality.
My OLD camera is an Olympus Camedia C-720 and I forget what version they're up to by now, but it offers manual as well as auto options. LOVE it!!! ;-) I think it's maybe the C-770 and even offers a hot shoe option where you can add a stroner flash. Wish I had that....sigh... ;-)
HTH! HAVE FUN SHOPPING!!!! :-)
__________________ Diane H.
TAC Demonstrator #1484/Manager, Smilin' Stampers My TAC SiteMy BLOG
I've got an Olympus C-765 and am pleased with it, but if I were in the market for a new camera I would check out the Fuji Fine Pix. I have been reading and seeing a lot about how this camera corrects lighting problems and it somehow reads faces and provides the correct lighting. If I'm not mistaken I saw on the news that Consumer Reports rated it highest.
I'd google "Fuji Fine Pix reviews" and see what comes up. I do this on any product I am considering and it pulls up a lot of consumer reviews which I have found very helpful.
Here's an excellent web site with hundreds of reviews and more information than you'll ever need: http://www.dcresource.com/
It's a non commercial site and you can search by price, brand, megapixel, etc. I found it very helpful.
Both my DH and I own Canon powershot Elphs and we like them very much. Mine is a couple years newer than his and though smaller in size, has a much larger viewing screen.
Don't forget to check places like Amazon. I found their prices very competitive (mine was $50 cheaper on Amazon vs. Target's sale price).
OFFICE MAX has a super sale on the OLYMPUS FE-190. The camera costs $199 plus you get a free 512 memory card ($44 value) with the purchase. I just bought it last night.
I've owned Olympus before and I am very happy with their quality.
I like the FE-190 for these reasons:
--Super Thin compact - this camera is smaller than my tiny cell phone! It's light so I can carry it all the time.
--Image Stabilization - my hand shakes when I try to hold it stead and with this feature, the photo won't blur. Same thing true if your image moves slightly like my active puppy. It shoots at such a high speed that it captures the image without blur!
--Large Display - 2.5" display so I don't need to squint to see what I am shooting.
--Ease of use - I don't want to study a manual to take a photo
THE SALE ENDS TOMORROW (Saturday) SO DON"T WAIT!!! CHECK IT OUT.
I have the DRebel XT from Canon. I have a couple of lenses so that I can get the shots that I want...to me that was a big deal...my kids are small and they move faster than my shutter lag could catch when I had a point and shoot...so I got the digital SLR so that I would have more control over shutter speed and depth of field. I've become sort of a camera snob because of it....and even though there is a new 10mp version out my "old" 8.1mp is still holding on strong!! As a matter of fact I have a new portrait lens and bounce flash on my list for santa....
Like Nadine, I love my Sony Cybershot- mine is 4.1 MP. The things I like are rechargeable batteries, and a HUGE view screen (like 2 inch by 1 1/2 in) which is great for my old eyes. I did invest in a big memory stick and extra set of rechargeable batteries, so I can keep shooting.
I bought the Canon Powershot S3 last year and absolutely love it. It takes the best pictures I have ever seen! My favorite feature is the vari-angle LCD. It flips out to the side and rotates 270 degrees! Since I'm a demonstrator, that feature is huge...I was able to stand behind a crowd at the Convention display boards, hold the camera above my head with the LCD pointed down, zoom in and get great shots of the samples. It looked like I was standing right in front of them. I was also able to sit at a table with swaps laying flat on the table and take perfect photos of them...just hold the camera right above the swap, flip the LCD upwards and get photos without having to stand up or crane my neck. It was great!
Another reason I bought it is my boss is a complete camera nerd with an unlimited budget. He was looking for a new camera so I waited until he did all the research and made his decision. He bought the S3.
It also takes great photos in low light situations plus it doesn't eat batteries like candy. I can't say enough good things about this camera. Here is a review and specifications link:
I just bought the Fuji S5200 (I think that is the number) for $299. It is 5.1 mp, but it has a 10x optical zoom (which is extremely important if you want to take good close-ups). The camera is extremely easy to use, and I am very pleased. I bought it at Wolf. There is a Canon that is almost identical, and it is $100 more. The guy at Wolf saaid these cameras are the same quality wise, but that the Canon is over-priced just because of its name.
Also, when I bought the protection warranty, they dropped the price of the camera. The warranty covers damage even by me dropping the camera, sand, water, etc.
__________________ mel mom to carson, cooper, cole, and cammie
I did a lot of research on digitals online. I was able to compare a bunch of them.
We have a Fuji and love it, and also a Panasonic DMC-FZ5. Both have great optical lenses and mp.
I bought a Canon Powershot A40 about 3 years ago. It is only a 2 megapixel camera, but I don't print larger that 5x7, so this works great. One of the BIG sellers of this camera is that it takes 2 AA batteries, which if I am on vacation and my batteries go dead, I just have to go to the nearest convenient store and buy a pair of AA and plop them in and go. It is a little clumsy, but I like the convenience of using regular batteries!! I also have rechargable nickel clad, that I use regularly.
Also, if you upgrade your printer to a CANON printer, the have what they call the PictBrige, where you can print directly from your camera without downloading to the computer first. Also, I really like the SOFTWARE that came with my Canon printer. It is very easy to edit and print the pictures.
It really depends on if you want a DSLR or if you are wanting a point and shoot. I would recommend if you are looking at DSLR's to go to a store and play with them they all feel different.
I just got the Sony Alpha 100 DSLR and I love it. The pictures are crisp and bright and the kit lens is excellent. If you would like to see some pictures you can look at my blog to see what it takes.
Great thread. I just purchased a new digital and I'm in love. I take pics all the time, the camera travels to every event. I have two high school girls that play 3 sports each, and my Kodak Easyshare just wasn't doing what I wanted. I wanted to see my daughter's fastpitch and by the time the camera took the pic, the pitch was across the plate, she was looking at it either in the catchers glove or the runner was on base. So, I purchased a Nikon D50. It doesn't travel as well as the little ones, but for GREAT pics, rapid shutter so you don't miss the reaction shots, plus being able to add other lenses made it just want I wanted. Now when my daughter pitches that ball, I have her 'in the air, arm stretched out, and the ball is also in the pic.' It's fantastic. I wish I had the time to figure out all the bells and whistles it has. Good luck in your search.
If you are the kind of person who forgets to charge up your batteries, you really need to search for a camera that takes AA regular batteries as another poster suggests. I have to have this feature because I am so bad about remembering to recharge the batteries myself, especially at a birthday party or Christmas or something! I have rechargeable AA's but I can always use regular ones in a pinch.
Another important feature is the DS memory card, I believe this is correct, someone correct me if I am wrong! This memory card is more available and cheaper, I think! I am also in the process of buying a new digital and this is what I have found out so far!
The Canons were rated pretty highly by Consumer's Reports, they also liked some of the Kodaks and Fuji's too. You can't really go wrong with most of the Canons, but they certainly might be more expensive.
Good luck! Post what camera you decide on!
ps. I have a 7 year old SLR Canon Rebel and I just love it! It isn't digital, but takes outstanding pictures, and has a removable lense that can be used with digital cameras like an earlier poster suggested. My neice just tried two different digital cameras and then recently gave in an bought a Canon Rebel just like mine, she said my pictures were so much better than hers! You can get it with a standard 3X for about $200. If I had my choice, I would get the Canon Rebel SLR Digital, like Jessica (Faerygirl) suggests, but the cheapest I have seen it new is $800!!
I love my Canon - it is two years old and I have had no problems at all, it has the AA's and I love that feature. I bought a second set of rechargables and I keep them in the case - just in case.
I know it isn't a fun job researching all the camera's out there and it can very confusing cause there are way too many to choose from.
I love my Cannon. I suggest the powershot a620 or higher. I have gotten great shots, rarely blurry, unlike my sil's fuji which is always blurry and burns though the batteries. I recommend buying the more expensive batteries made for digitals. They are worth the extra $$$$ I went 10 months without changing them. I take lots of photos. I also love the display on the Cannon because it can be turned around and closed. Great for putting in you pocket or purse with out hurting the screen. Good luck on your quest. Check out Circiut City and don't forget to buy the protection plan. Always a must with this kind of electronic. Happy shopping.
Holly - I didn't read thru all the responses, but if you are looking for a camera to take pics of your art, I would DEFINITELY suggest one with a MACRO setting! This will enable you to fill your frame with the card rather than having to crop so much. I've had or still have digital cameras from Fuji, Olympus, Panasonic, Canon and Kodak. I have loved every one of them when it was my main camera and I will love my Canon Digital Rebel until I can talk DH into letting me upgrade to the next one! LOL! The Panasonic TZ1 is my latest in the point and shoot family. It has 10x optical zoom, a macro feature and a decent sized screen on the back. I am liking it a LOT.
I have the Canon Power shot A620 7.1 mega pixels with 4x optical zoom. And I LOVE it!!! It takes gorgeous pictures and is super simple to use. Did I mention that I *love* it!?!?!? ;)
Here is a little variety of pictures I have taken with this camera to help you see the colors and clarity of the pics.
Hope this helps
__________________
*Mandy* Heading to the Southern Caribbean!!
Just earned Alaska 2/27/10!!
I have a Kodak digital. I got it when 3 megapixals was the most you could get w/o costing an arm and a leg. It is a great little camera but......... You need to get a camera w/ as Julie said the most optical zoom you can afford!! & also a nice size viewing screen on the back of the camera would be very useful also. Those are the main things that I wish I would have.
So many great responses, I'm not sure where to begin, but i'll definitely be considering everything I've read here
I guess for me the most important feature is to be able to take nice crisp close up shots (whether it be kids or cards ;) ).
I'm going to take a trip to our new Best Buy store this weekend and do a little hands on window shopping. I think lightweight is a key feature, but as long as it is comfortable to hold, I'm not stuck on the minis.
Going Camera Shopping~ Any Suggestions?
