I want to buy a decent DC but do not know where to start with. So far I gave myself a budget of 350 dollars. I believe I could get something in the 3 MP range, but should I put other factors into consideration too? (oh, I would like something small)
when purchasing a Digital Camera, should 'megapixel' be the primary decisive factor?
- Thread starter andylawcc
- Start date
so what else should I care about?
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_sd10.asp
so which of the specifications listed in the link above should be concern of?
I think MPs are overblown in digital cameras unless you intend to do professional shooting, and then I'd really suggest an "old fashioned" film SLR for that, or a very high priced high MP camera.
There is the lens to consider.....much more important than MP count, IMHO. Also, other features count depending on need. When I was shopping, I was looking for crisp pics, a highish optical zoom (more than 3X) instead of a high digital zoom (digital zoom has a way of distorting the photo while optical zooms do not), and a through-the-lens viewfinder.
Personally, I just hate the parallax viewfinders myself....they're always off a bit and I just hate having to remember, "Now, the pic is just off to the right and down from what you're really seeing." when trying to take a pic.
There is the lens to consider.....much more important than MP count, IMHO. Also, other features count depending on need. When I was shopping, I was looking for crisp pics, a highish optical zoom (more than 3X) instead of a high digital zoom (digital zoom has a way of distorting the photo while optical zooms do not), and a through-the-lens viewfinder.
Personally, I just hate the parallax viewfinders myself....they're always off a bit and I just hate having to remember, "Now, the pic is just off to the right and down from what you're really seeing." when trying to take a pic.
StageLeft
No Lifer
- Sep 29, 2000
- 70,150
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Not really. I bought the fujimax s5k 3 MP/10X optical last month. At the same price I could have gotten a 5 megapixel 3x I think, but I wanted more zoom, and really once you get up in megapixels the only benefit to them is if you're printing large pictures. If you've got a 25 megapixel image but you're printing an 8X10, or you're shrinking it down to 1024X768 for the internet, you're just wasting capture-power. 1 mP will do great with 4X6 and 3 megapixel will do great with 8X10 prints (these estimates are large though, based on what that link above says about the myth of megapixels).
A benefit of a huge megapixel shot is that you can crop it later on and still maintain quality. Alternatively, if you can't zoom in to something close enough you can take the huge shot, and then digital zoom it yourself at home later, and if it had enough pixels to begin with the digitalled zoom will still be good. In my case I just went with a high optical to begin with, even though it's only a 3 megapixel shot. A 10X optical with 3 megapixel will give better definition of an object than a 10 megapixel shot unzoomed (if you plan on cropping out the same section from that 10 megapixel shot to try and mimic the zooming of the other).
BTW, you probably know that digital zoom in cameras is a total waste of money. It's horse crap and you can do the exact same thing later with photoshop, if you're interested in cropping part of the image. Optical is the only important zoom you should be looking at.
A benefit of a huge megapixel shot is that you can crop it later on and still maintain quality. Alternatively, if you can't zoom in to something close enough you can take the huge shot, and then digital zoom it yourself at home later, and if it had enough pixels to begin with the digitalled zoom will still be good. In my case I just went with a high optical to begin with, even though it's only a 3 megapixel shot. A 10X optical with 3 megapixel will give better definition of an object than a 10 megapixel shot unzoomed (if you plan on cropping out the same section from that 10 megapixel shot to try and mimic the zooming of the other).
BTW, you probably know that digital zoom in cameras is a total waste of money. It's horse crap and you can do the exact same thing later with photoshop, if you're interested in cropping part of the image. Optical is the only important zoom you should be looking at.
I have a minolta S404 4mp w/ 4x optical that I bought about 2years ago. It takes great pictures and the 4x zoom is very handy.
Now, while the MP and Optical zoom are good, there are some things I've found that don't work so well on this camera:
Focus time/accuracy - slow and hit or miss. You have to learn to use the camera and work within the constraints. It pisses me off because the focus on a much cheaper P&S camera works great, I don't see how having digital as the media impacts that.
Low Light performance - this is mostly lens, but, the digital sensor and firmware play a roll here as well in the end result. The noise reduction circuitry, etc. Low light for me is anything not in bright sunlight, then the camera sets ISO to 200-400 and all those extra MP are lost to noise. The pictures can be cleaned up for 4x6 if I don't crop, but if I do they are grainy.
If I was to get a new digicam I'd go with either the Canon SLR models or a Sony Fxxx (707+). They do well in the areas my Minolta (and from what I've read, many others) do not. But you pay a price for it.
FYI, minolta has a s414 model but they really didn't fix any of the problems of the 404. You can get the 404 on ebay for relatively cheap. $150-200. I think in that pricerange it's still one of the better cameras.
Now, while the MP and Optical zoom are good, there are some things I've found that don't work so well on this camera:
Focus time/accuracy - slow and hit or miss. You have to learn to use the camera and work within the constraints. It pisses me off because the focus on a much cheaper P&S camera works great, I don't see how having digital as the media impacts that.
Low Light performance - this is mostly lens, but, the digital sensor and firmware play a roll here as well in the end result. The noise reduction circuitry, etc. Low light for me is anything not in bright sunlight, then the camera sets ISO to 200-400 and all those extra MP are lost to noise. The pictures can be cleaned up for 4x6 if I don't crop, but if I do they are grainy.
If I was to get a new digicam I'd go with either the Canon SLR models or a Sony Fxxx (707+). They do well in the areas my Minolta (and from what I've read, many others) do not. But you pay a price for it.
FYI, minolta has a s414 model but they really didn't fix any of the problems of the 404. You can get the 404 on ebay for relatively cheap. $150-200. I think in that pricerange it's still one of the better cameras.
we still use our 2mp canon powershot a20 which we purchased in 2001.
the pictures come out amazing on our canon i470d photo printer in 4x6.
the pictures come out amazing on our canon i470d photo printer in 4x6.
Since you're looking for something small, I would recommend the Canon S400. It can be had for under $350 nowadays.
Budmantom
Lifer
- Aug 17, 2002
- 13,103
- 1
- 81
My recommendations are the Fuji S5000($319) and the Minolta Z1($321) both have 10x optical and just over 3 mp. The other things you will need is 8AA(nimh) rechargeable batteries and a 256mb card and you will be good-to-go.
I went with the Z1 but it wasn't an easy choice.
Tom
BTW these cameras aren't small
I went with the Z1 but it wasn't an easy choice.
Tom
BTW these cameras aren't small
Ryan
Lifer
- Oct 31, 2000
- 27,519
- 2
- 81
for your budget: Canon SD100 at retail. or the S400 if you can get a discount. I have often recommended these whenver someone has a budget around yours and mention "small".
And no, megapixel should not be. Here's a list of what I consider to be important:
optical zoom
megapixel
camera speed
manual settings
AF Lamp
here are some I consider to be important for those with a bigger budget
MORE manual settings
programmable settings
external flash
ability to use rechargeable Li (they last longer per charge)
filter thread or filter adapter
multi-point autofocus settings
manual white balance
fast shutter speed\low down time between pics
features i dont care about:
movie mode
digital zoom
color special effects (sepia, b&w, etc)
Just so you know, Ken Rockwell is kind of a douche
Specs are fun to read about on the net, but what you're really looking for are samples. Download some full-size (this is important) samples, and look at them in your graphics editor, and then make some prints at the size you expect to print at often. If you like what you see, then find somewhere where you can handle the camera in person, and see if you like using the camera. A camera can produce some really nice images, but if you hate using it you're not going to take it with you ever time you would like, and it will just collect dust. Things to note are size, weight, balance, shutter lag, write times, etc. Use your own media to take some pics with it and examine them. Take some pics in low light, with and without the flash. Really get a feel for how the camera handles for the kinds of things you'll be doing with it.
Originally posted by: lirion
Just so you know, Ken Rockwell is kind of a douche
LOL. I wouldn't be the guy's buddy, but his articles are often pretty solid, especially this one.
no, it depends on a lot of things. for example, if you have a really small ccd but large mp, then your quality will probably be worse than if you had a larger ccd and slightly less pixels.
I think you'd be hard pressed to find anything less than 3MP today, besides it's all you really need. How many of us are printing anything larger than 5x8 or emailing/uploading images anyways?
I think you need to look for zoom capability, both optical and digital. You want something with decent optical zoom, and digital zoom is crap. You also want something that uses some form of a media card. Internal memory alone sucks. You'll have to decide what you prefer between CF, MS, SD and a host of other formats.
You also want a DC that has a low lag time between when you press the "take picture" button and the actual taking of the picture. A camera with a long lag time can cause you to miss that one great shot. And you want to think about connnectivity with your computer if you plan to download/modify images.
Not knowing what level of photographer you are, you can also consider the different types of image formats your DC will take. JPG only? TIFF, RAW? But with $350 to spend, you'll have a lot of great selections.
I think you need to look for zoom capability, both optical and digital. You want something with decent optical zoom, and digital zoom is crap. You also want something that uses some form of a media card. Internal memory alone sucks. You'll have to decide what you prefer between CF, MS, SD and a host of other formats.
You also want a DC that has a low lag time between when you press the "take picture" button and the actual taking of the picture. A camera with a long lag time can cause you to miss that one great shot. And you want to think about connnectivity with your computer if you plan to download/modify images.
Not knowing what level of photographer you are, you can also consider the different types of image formats your DC will take. JPG only? TIFF, RAW? But with $350 to spend, you'll have a lot of great selections.
gsellis
Diamond Member
- Dec 4, 2003
- 6,061
- 0
- 0
Actually, this question cannot be answered completely unless you tell us what you plan to do with it. Is it for travel pictures? Then most of the answers are great. If you plan to sell pictures, you have budgeted way too low. What do you want to do with it? Is a MPEG 1 video feature cool or do you have a video camera that you use. Or, did you really not care about the picture quality and a video camera would be good? We know you want something small, so I am assuming that a video camera is out.
But yes, optical zoom, MP, speed are my top three. Figure that 3MP is about the same as your prints from WalMart. Optical zoom of 6x is roughly equal to a 200mm lense on a 35mm camera in what it can zoom to. Do the math too. At 3MP, 32MB is a short roll of film! If you plan on taking it on vacation, you will want towards 1GB or more of storage if you use it alot at 3MP.
See, what you do with it helps 'adjust' what you get for your budget.
RossMAN
Grand Nagus
- Feb 24, 2000
- 79,044
- 445
- 136
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