I need a digital camera reccomendation

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SickBeast

Lifer
Jul 21, 2000
14,377
19
81
Hello,

I just purchased a Canon i9900 printer, and would like a digital camera that will match its capabilities.

I'm currently using a 3-megapixel Tosiba PDR-T30. Will this suffice for 13X19 photo output? If not, how many megapixels should I be looking at?

I would like to stick with Canon as I have read rave reviews of their products, and their printers have been very good to me. I would also like to try out the PictBridge feature.

I need AT LEAST a 3X optical zoom. The more zoom the better, within reason of course.

Last but not least I want something fairly compact, pocket sized if possible.

Is this all too much to ask? Do we have the technology? Oh, and how much will it cost me!? Thanks guys!
 
Metron

Metron

Golden Member
Oct 16, 2003
1,163
0
0
I think you'd need at least 6 megapixels, and would probably want something on the order of an 8 megapixel camera.

Review of the Canon D60 (6 MP), making a nice 11x16.5

Be ready to spend between $800 and $1,000 for a camera of that capability.

Metron

*edit*

Pocket sized will be difficult, since you're talking professional level capability. Think more along the lines of "traditional" 35mm size. However, if you're willing to compromise a bit on size, I commend you to the Canon S500. I recently bought one, for many of the criteria that you're searching for. It's pocket sized, has a 3x optical zoom, and is 5 MP (so it will take up to 8x10 high quality images with no problem). Larger than that though, you will probably want a higher megapixel CCD. About $500 for the camera, spend another $100 on a high speed (40x or 45x) 512 Mb Compact Flash unit.

Canon S500 Review here...

Metron
 
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sellmen

Senior member
May 4, 2003
459
0
0
You will have trouble finding a pocket sized camera that meets your requirements. Really, with a printer that nice, nothing other than a $800+ DSLR camera would be acceptable, and they tend to be large.
 
G

GoSharks

Diamond Member
Nov 29, 1999
3,053
0
76
5mp is good enough for 12x18 (have one sitting next to me - looks great), 13x19 should be no different.
 
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BShaunM

Junior Member
May 29, 2002
9
0
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I have a Cannon G5, (5MP) and use genuine fractals 3.0 (http://www.lizardtech.com/) to print very nice 13x19 photos with an epson stylus photo 1280 printer. There are a few flaws with the g5 though. It can have trouble with chromatic abberation (i think i spelled that right), also known as "purple fringing.". Also, if you use the flash with the lens extended, it can cause a small shadow, though that could be solved by using an external flash.

here are some links to sites that review digital cameras:

http://www.dpreview.com/

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

http://www.dcresource.com/

hope this helps
 
S

SickBeast

Lifer
Jul 21, 2000
14,377
19
81
So in a nutshell, we do not have the technology yet considering what I want to do. That's unfortunate. I'm very pleased with the 8.5X11 output of my 3-megapixel camera, so I figure a 6-megapixel one would make flawless 11X17 prints, and maybe even 13X19 ones.

$800-1000 is out of my price range. It looks like I'm going to have to wait for a bit. Although that new Canon Digital Rebel is tempting. D-SLR for under $1000.

I do need this kind of quality though. I do professional work and output my images to 13X19, so I do need something substantial. Thanks to everyone for the replies! :beer:

OH YEAH: So there are no pocket-sized 6-megapixel cameras yet? Because I know there are 4-megapixel ones (I just saw a Pentax one at Costco for $449CDN), and I'm pretty sure I've seen 5MP ones as well. Any ideas?
 
S

SickBeast

Lifer
Jul 21, 2000
14,377
19
81
Originally posted by: Mday
you dont print 13x19. you print 11x17 on 13x19 paper. 1 inch margins.
Click to expand...

No you're mistaken. The i9900 prints 13X19 borderless, along with all the other sizes.

On another forum I have been reccomended a Minolta G600, and I'm leaning towards purchasing one. It is a 6MP camera, and is pocket sized with a metal body. If I can find one for a reasonable price I will buy one.

Does anyone know of a good store to buy digicams at in the Toronto, Canada area? I would be willing to purchase from the web provided that they will ship to Canada for a reasonable price without those nasty brokerage fees.

Thanks! :beer:
 
O

oldfart

Lifer
Dec 2, 1999
10,207
0
0
Number of PPI needed for a good print is debatable. Most good quality printers can use 300 PPI (not to be confused with DPI). I would say you want at least 150 PPI for that print size. PPI requirements goes down as the print size goes up since you typically view the print from a greater distance. You look at a 4 x 6 print differently than a 11 x 14 hanging on the wall. You also have to figure you will lose some of the pic due to cropping. Most cams take a pic at 4:3 ratio, some also do 3:2. Different print sizes require different ratios.
Here is a PPI chart for common print sizes. I would say a 5 - 6 MP camera is right in the ballpark.
 
S

SickBeast

Lifer
Jul 21, 2000
14,377
19
81
Thanks very much guys. :)

Oldfart, I've been told that 180PPI is the magic number, or thereabouts. So you're saying modern printers can do 300PPI? That's very impressive, but it would require a 12MP camera or something ludicrous to produce that kind of resolution. I'm not willing to wait 3 years for technology like that to reach the consumer level.

Thanks for the 5-6MP reccomendation. Since my 3MP camera produces prints that are acceptable to me at 8.5X11, I figure 6MP should do the trick for 13X19. I'm just curious as to whether a higher resolution picture would look that much better. I mean, the 3MP images look fine, but I have a feeling that if I were using a 5MP camera to output to that size I would notice a substantial difference. Thoughts?
 
S

SickBeast

Lifer
Jul 21, 2000
14,377
19
81
Originally posted by: batmanuel
Before you get too obsessed with the megapixel count, check out this article.
Click to expand...

12X18 output from a 2MP camera? I'm sorry but I'm very skeptical of that article. I'm guessing that the author is a layman who knows very little about what today's printers are capable of. If he saw that 2MP image next to one that was shot with a 6MP camera, I'm certain he would be able to see the difference.

That said, I'm going to try printing out a nice photo taken with my 3MP digicam just to see if he's correct.
 
L

LarsWS

Junior Member
May 31, 2004
14
0
0
8 megapixel Canon PowerShot Pro1

There you have lots of resolution in a reasonably small camera. It's not a DSLR so you'll experience some picture noice, but the truth is that you'll hardly notice it once it's printed.

But check out the sample shots from the 8 megapixel cameras. Personally I have (and prefer) the Sony DSC F828 camera, but that's not exactly a pocked cam. ;)
 
K

kaizersose

Golden Member
May 15, 2003
1,196
0
76
Originally posted by: SickBeast
Originally posted by: batmanuel
Before you get too obsessed with the megapixel count, check out this article.
Click to expand...

12X18 output from a 2MP camera? I'm sorry but I'm very skeptical of that article. I'm guessing that the author is a layman who knows very little about what today's printers are capable of. If he saw that 2MP image next to one that was shot with a 6MP camera, I'm certain he would be able to see the difference.

That said, I'm going to try printing out a nice photo taken with my 3MP digicam just to see if he's correct.
Click to expand...

He writes articles for PC Magazine. If you read his bio, he has been a tech editor for over 20 years.

Long Story Short: I highly doubt he is a technology "layman"
 
S

SickBeast

Lifer
Jul 21, 2000
14,377
19
81
Originally posted by: LarsWS
8 megapixel Canon PowerShot Pro1

There you have lots of resolution in a reasonably small camera. It's not a DSLR so you'll experience some picture noice, but the truth is that you'll hardly notice it once it's printed.

But check out the sample shots from the 8 megapixel cameras. Personally I have (and prefer) the Sony DSC F828 camera, but that's not exactly a pocked cam. ;)
Click to expand...

Very nice camera, but it's both too big and too expensive.

I don't know anything about D-SLR...what is the difference between a D-SLR and a regular digital camera? I assumed it was simply megapixel count, but based on your "noise" comment, I'm guessing there's more to it than that. Maybe I should be considering the Digital Rebel. Then again, too big and too expensive though.
 
S

SickBeast

Lifer
Jul 21, 2000
14,377
19
81
Originally posted by: kaizersose
He writes articles for PC Magazine. If you read his bio, he has been a tech editor for over 20 years.

Long Story Short: I highly doubt he is a technology "layman"
Click to expand...

Yeah OK fine so he's not a layman. I just view his article with much skepticism as it goes against what most photography experts have been saying since the digicams were released.

He made many valid points, such as cropping your shots before you take then as opposed to using photoshop. I find his claims of high image quality at 12X18 from a 2MP image very hard to believe however.

Maybe he's a tech guru but a photography layman. :D
 
S

SickBeast

Lifer
Jul 21, 2000
14,377
19
81
Originally posted by: Scifience
Take a look at this:

6 Megapixels for $299: Link

Don't know anything about it aside from what is on that site.
Click to expand...

Image Sensor: CMOS Sensor (2048x1536 pixel) Sensor area 1/2 inch
Click to expand...

Seeing as my 3MP camera shoots at 2048x1536, I would say that this camera relies on interpolation to reach 6MP. That's total garbage. Adobe photoshop will interpolate my camera to 100,000MP for FREE. WOW! I must have the world's first 100,000MP digital camera! Maybe I should sell it on ebay with a small disclaimer stating that photoshop is necessary for it to reach it's full potential!

Sorry, but that smells, looks, and sounds like one of those "too good to be true" deals. Nowhere do they post the name of the manufacturer or a link to anything to do with whoever makes the thing.

Thanks very much for trying to help, but unless you can prove otherwise, I'm assuming that camera is a scam.
 
S

SickBeast

Lifer
Jul 21, 2000
14,377
19
81
I don't get it, it's 3MP times 3? So 9MP effective? Strange. Anyhow, I need something compact. I know I will get much better quality out of a larger unit, but I find them far to inconvenient to be useful to me. Thanks though.
 
O

oldfart

Lifer
Dec 2, 1999
10,207
0
0
The PC mag article is flawed. 2 MP for large prints is not gonna fly for too many very obvious reasons to go into here.

You are on the right track looking @ 5 - 6 MP. You dont NEED 300 PPI, that is ideal, but not required. 150 PPI should be fine. Compact and high MP is a difficult combination. High MP and small sensor = noise. There is software such as Neat Image to deal with that in post processing.

How compact do you want?

The Minolta G500/600, Canon S50/S60, S500, Olympus C-60 are all models that fit what you are looking at.
 
S

SickBeast

Lifer
Jul 21, 2000
14,377
19
81
I just need it to be small enough to fit into a moderately sized pocket. I just don't want to lug around one of the huge 35mm-ish ones.

So the PC Mag reviewer was a layman after all? :D
 
O

oldfart

Lifer
Dec 2, 1999
10,207
0
0
I agreed with some of the points such as the value of image stabilization. It is a feature I really like on my Minolta DiMAGE A1.. I dont agree with his comments on resolution. First, 12 x 18 is a 4:3 ratio typical of a digital camera, but not of print size. You would need to crop that to 11 x 14 to put it in a frame and not have such a rectangular print like a 4 x 6. You would be at less than 100 PPI which is getting pretty low. I wouldn't go below 150 PPI if I could help it. When the image is printed, a printer will typically upsample the image to the resolution it wants. I'd rather have the resolution there to begin with. Upsampling adds in information via interpolation that wasn't there to begin with. Some programs such as Genuine Fractals and Qimage are pretty good at this, but there are limits.
 
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