I need suggestions for a good digital camera

[Pokey93]

I want to get my wife a good digital camera for X-mas and I have no idea what is a good camera and what?s not.

The things I would like to see is:
1. Good quality pics. Something that will look good if I print it out on photo paper
2. Large memory capacity with potential for memory upgrades.
3. USB or some other easy (and fast) data transfer.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Pokey

 

[GTaudiophile]

Start your journey at DPreview.com.

Most new cameras have the features you want. You didn't mention a price range, so I'd suggest looking at the Canon PowerShot A20 (~$299) first and work your way up. The current top-of-the-line "prosumer" digicams are the Canon PowerShot G2 ($700+), Sony F707 ($900+), and the Nikon CP5000 ($1000+). If you are looking for professional/SLR digicams, then expect to pay $2500+ for the likes of the Canon D30 and $5000+ for the Canon D1.

Nikon and Canon both make great digicams. Sony is good too, but they use proprietary memory that currently has a 128MB ceiling and costs significantly more than CompactFlash or SmartMedia. If those brands are too rich for your blood, check out Olympus and Fuji next.

I personally have a Canon PowerShot S10 (check my web site for pics), but I will be giving it to my father soon to make room for a PowerShot G2. Canon really makes a good all-around camera for the price. So does Nikon, but they are a little more expensive. If Carl Zeiss really gets you off, then your only option is to go with Sony.

 

[aka1nas]

As far as resolution goes, 2.1 Megapixels is usally ok. You should be able to get a photo quality 5x7 print with that. 3.1 Megapixels and above will allow 8x10s and some cropping and editing along with that. As far as good brands to look at, Olympus, Canon, Nikon, and Sony are all good. Sony is very expensive for their accessories, IMO.

Some models to look at:
Olympus: D-510(2.1) and C-3000z(3.34)
Nikon: 775(2.1) and 885(3.1)
Canon: A20(2.1) and S30(3.34)

As far as memory goes, Canon and Nikon use Compactflash, which scales up the highest. Either way, I would reccomend getting a 128MB memory card. At 2.1 Megapixels, pics are ~1MB apiece. At 3.1, they can be around 2MB a shot. Olympus uses SmartMedia, which isn't bad, but tops out at 128MB. The 128MB cards offer the best Price per Megabyte right now.

 

[aka1nas]

<FONT face=Verdana size=1>GTaudiophile types faster than I do</FONT>

 

[DcHoliday9]

I just bought a Cannon A10. I should be here sometime this week. I will keep you posted. Also GTaudiophile where did you get that price for the A20. I got my A10 for $244 and that was a deal.

 

[DcHoliday9]

Also to get Flash Mem to to www.crucial.com. They have great prices.

 

[GTaudiophile]

<< I just bought a Cannon A10. I should be here sometime this week. I will keep you posted. Also GTaudiophile where did you get that price for the A20. I got my A10 for $244 and that was a deal. >>



Sorry to burst your bubble. Using PriceGrabber, I found the Canon A20 here for $299.

 

[Doggiedog]

I have a Canon S100 which is 2.1MP but I will be selling it since I just bought a 4.0MP Canon S40. If you want larger capacity for future memory upgrades stick with Compact Flash not Smart Media since all CF cameras can accept new sizes.

If you've never had a digital camera before you'll discover yourself taking a lot more pictures than you did before. Welcome to the club.

BTW: Anything above 2MP should look good on photopaper unless you blow it up really large. I've got an HP 970cxi and my pictures truly look like 35mm photos.

 

[Pokey93]

Thanks everyone