Digital Camera Question....

[Spooner]

What are the important attributes I need to worry about when looking for a good digital camera?

How much am I going to have to spend?

 

[kami]

What do you want to use it for? Printing large sized prints? Just taking little pics to put on ebay auctions? Need more details before I can recommend anything.

 

[yoyo25]

Check out Dpreview , they have a good section on what to look for in a camera and good reviews also.

 

[Spooner]

I guess I'd say somewhere in between.

Mostly to take the place of the Kodak FunSaver cameras I keep buying and getting developed on CD.

I like pics in digital format to email to friends and such.

I wouldn't mind having the quality there to be able to print really nice ones.... but mainly for monitor viewing.

 

[BigSmooth]

Steve's Digicams is a good page to check out.

 

[RossMAN]

Spooner,

1) How much can you realistically afford?
2) Do you have an American Express Blue credit card? If not, can you apply for and get approved for one? Because they have an excellent price match policy which could easily save you around $100, maybe even more.
3) Do you intend on printing these pictures on a home printer or is this mostly for online purposes?

 

[kami]

Then a 2 megapixel camera would do fine...8x10 prints from a 2MP camera are actually quite decent, and on screen you get 1600x1200 pics. But now that 3MP cameras are so cheap I'd go for one of those. You interested in point and shoot or do you want to adjust manual settings?

 

[Spooner]

RossMan

1) I know the real good ones are like $800, i'd like to spend like $400 or less.
2) Don't have an AMEX Blue, but really should get one... i've been lookin to get a new credit card
3) Mostly online use i'd say.

 

[Spooner]

definitely point and shoot, kami

I'm not lookin to be a professional photographer by any means... just an all around good camera that takes good looking pics, can hold a bunch in memory, and is easy to hold/carry, and won't break

 

[kami]

Point and shoot, cheap price, and beautiful pics!
it also comes with batteries and a charger, has 3x optical zoom...

 

[Spooner]

Can someone explain what more megapixels do?

(sorry if that's a dumb question -- new to the digicam world)

 

[Way Cool Jr.]

IMHO, get at least a 3x optical zoom. Try to stay away from digital zoom's.

 

[kami]

more megapixels = more resolution...

1.3MP = 1280x960
2.1MP = 1600x1200
3.3MP = 2048x1536

etc.

that review of the 2600 also has a lot of sample pics...use the pull down menu

 

[BigSmooth]

Kami's recommendation is a good one for what you are looking for. Also, more megapixels=higher resolution pics.

 

[MCS]

Sounds like you want a reasonable quality point and shoot camera then. Go for a 2.0-2.2MP camera, these give excellent quality pics on screen and very good 8x10 prints. Other things to look at would be which memory storage type it uses, if it has a optical zoom or a digital zoom, does it come with a rechargable battery kit etc etc.

 

[BigSmooth]

If you do want optical zoom, I have heard good things about the Olympus Brio D-150 which is 1.3 megapixels (probably adequate for your needs) plus it has 3x optical zoom.

 

[Spooner]

Thanks for the link, Kami.

Any other recommendations so I can comparative shop?

 

[Way Cool Jr.]

I like my Olympus D-490 Zoom. It has 2.1 megapixel, 3x optical zoom, 2x digital zoom, Smartmedia. Can find them online for about $300.

If you want to see some pics I have taken, let me know.

 

[RossMAN]

<< RossMan

1) I know the real good ones are like $800, i'd like to spend like $400 or less.
2) Don't have an AMEX Blue, but really should get one... i've been lookin to get a new credit card
3) Mostly online use i'd say. >>



Fortunately prices on 2 and 3 megapixel digital cameras have come WAAAAAY down recently. Add that to the endless price match possibilities with an Amex Blue. Then top it off with a climax of sales from Dell, up to 20% off, $25 off coupon, 2% off from eBates.com PLUS free shipping.

Now is the time to order!

Before you do anything, apply for an Amex Blue (PM me for details on how to receive a free $16 bonus).

After you've applied for an Amex Blue and have either been approved or declined, we can show you where to find the digital camera you want for the cheapest price.

I suggest going full hog and getting the Nikon Coolpix 995 which can be had for around $300 after Amex Blue price match.

 

[Ionizer86]

The Fujifilm FinePix 1400Z also has 3x optical zoom, 1.3 megapixels (1280x960), and 2x digital zoom (digital zoom is very pointless though...takes 1/4 of the pic and stretches that area to fill the whole screen again; resolution suffers). It's also somewhere around $250-$300.

 

[Spooner]

That Nikon is $800!!!! :Q

how the hell can AMEX blue make it $300?

 

[kami]

MMmmm I want that Nikon but I'm broke

One thing to remember though, it's mostly meant to be a manual camera although it can do "point and shoot." It's also big and bulky in comparison...definitely something you can't pocket if you are interested in portability.

 

[Spooner]

yeah, that one looks a little too hardcore for me.

point and shoot and portability are just as important as picture quality and price to me.

(by the way, you guys are amazingly helpful... go ATOT!!!!)

 

[RossMAN]

<< That Nikon is $800!!!! :Q

how the hell can AMEX blue make it $300? >>



How dare thee question my Hot Deals prowress, that's like saying my earlobes are ...

(some of these deals may have already expired)

Nikon Coolpix 995 for $259.80

Nikon Coolpix 995 for $309

Nikon Coolpix 995 for $280

Nikon Coolpix 995 for $318.59

Nikon Coolpix 995 for $350

Nikon Coolpix 995 for $320

I found these threads by searching the Hot Deals forum by the model number of the camera.

 

[RossMAN]

If you want portability and power check out the Canon S110 (search the Hot Deals forum for S110).