Choosing a Digital Camera

[Kathy]

Choosing a digital camera
Choosing a digital camera is exciting because you get to explore and play with the latest gadgets loaded with cool features.
Your main goal is to find a camera that lets you easily take and use pictures and that fits in your price range. You have to decide whether you can handle a totally cool, techno-loaded camera or would be better off with an easy-to-use one or something in-between.

Expense
Ease-of-use
Size & styling
Computer questions
Camera features
Compare cameras

Full explaination of each consideration below:
www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=38/6368/329&pq-locale=en_US

[starfire]

Thanks this is good. Now I know where to go for the info on the cameras!

[thrillbilly]

Also remember that cameras are like computers. This weeks new model is next months so called outdated camera being replaced with a yet higher priced model on the shelf.

So if you watch whats ging on you can get an excellent deal on digitals. I bought a camera last year that had been priced over 300 dollars even on sale for about a year. I bought it for 89 dollars and is as good as any 400 dollar camera I have picked up lately.

Dont buy into the hype a good properly researched 100 dollar camera will handle most anything most people want to do with it.

My cousin paid 500 for hers on sale and still just points and shoots. She doesnt use all of the features like differing flas exposure times etc. So why does she pay so much when a 100 dollar one will work?

[dlangland]

I know, thrillbilly, but that is the reason I haven't done anything before now...The more I read and more information friends and relatives send me the more confused I get, seriously. I have always considered myself electronically challenged. I want to take pictures and beep them on the internet to my daughter in Africa, yet I worry I won't even know how to go about hooking the thing up to my computer. That's how very bad off I am...I've been talking about this for over a yr. now. Past time for action. Deb

[thrillbilly]

Just buy you a nice little point an shoot no frills camera. Play with it alot. Experiment taking pics of everything in sight. Then just delete them.

As far as hooking it up. Thats the easiest part. All of mine have a single cable its a usb cable connected to one of the usb ports. I plug it in and turn the camera on and the software downloads the pics I want to keep onto the computer. It will even check while downloading to see if you already have that pic in your computer if so it will ask if you want to load it again or not.

If you don't want to hook them to the computer you can get one with a printer port etc. You just sit the camera in the slot on the printer and turn it on and print what you want.

Out of all of the cameras I have tried the most user friendly and easy to use is in the Kodak Easyshare series.

They are just about idiot proof. My step mom wanted one but was intimidated by all the info. I just told her to pick one up and if she liked how it felt in her hand and if it didn't clash with her clothes then buy it. Its that simple.

Stick with a known brand is the only real thing id recommend. There are some cameras in the same price range as an Olympus or Kodak but are far inferior. Kodak Easyshares with everything you'll ever want start at about 120 dollars and up. My Olympus cost as much as five of the Kodak Easyshare I have but has features 90 percent of the public will never use.
I use it for stuff I am trying to get published. But I drag the old Kodak out everywhere I go and it takes good enough pics that I have several 11x14 pictures on my wall I made with it. I just have piece of mind that If I slip on a rock or fall in a creek I'm out a 100 bucks and not 700.

[dlangland]

Gosh, thrillbilly, thank you so much for taking time to explain this to me. I appreciate it. Deb

[juju]

Digital Photo Info At Megapixel

Been thinking about buying a digital camera? Then take a look at megapixel.net ( www.megapixel.net/ )and read up on the latest and greatest digital cameras. Read reviews on cameras from 1998 on or search for information on a specific camera using the Camera Review Search. You can also use Price Search to compare prices of featured cameras. The site also has a glossary filled with photography terms and discussion forms covering a wide range of topics.

www.megapixel.net/

[starfire]

Interesting site with good info. Thanks!

[paganfrog]

My husband would enjoy this discussion...but would be itching to differentiate between 'digital imaging', and 'photography'.

While he has a digital camera for test shots and more 'Lomo' style point and shoot pics, for real photographs he insists on using one of his 35mm film cameras.

In short, he's a bit of a purist....Digital and film are like oil and water.....and never should attempt to mix.
The various photo-programmes that people use to alter their digital pics are blastphemous...While cropping a picture to frame it sympathetically is allowed, post-shutter alterations just breed lazy practice, and discourages improvement of technique.

However, about buying a digital camera.....I know that he would think that after price, results should be the next consideration. Thats not so much of an issue nowadays, as it's getting harder to find a digital camera thats below 3 MegaPixels...which is apparently the threshold for acceptable results.

I'm pretty sure that my husband will join this site.......so look out for Kaishowing....He'll be the one with his SLR slung over his shoulder (as always!) ;D

[Deleted]

I have 3 slr's and 2 digitals and if you get the right digital then there is no real difference between the 2. the biggest factors to consider are wether they are a single layer or triplelayer photo cell lens

mark

[flehmen]

My favorite digital place is www.dpreview.net with many good guides and user reviews. I'm a bit of a purist and like my 35mm camera but....

One thing that annoys the heck out of me is shutter lag. Many lower priced(and even some mid-priced that should know better) cameras will take up to 3 seconds between when you press the button and the shutter "click". Meanwhile the kid just drop his cute ice cream picture, and the chicken has just flapped off. My suggestion would be to hold the camera and take at least a picture of the salesman. If anything doesn't feel right... the way the shutter lags, the feel of the camera in your hand(too big, too small), the grinding noise of the zoom, too many menus, too many buttons.... anything..... you might want to think twice... cameras should be an extension of your eye.... not something you got to think about how they work....

Heh, how is that for an opinionated first post.

[mtnwomanar]

Paganfrog, I'm with your hubby...I STILL love me two OLD canons, and A1 and AE1...with all attachments...I will probably never be able to afford all that equipment in digital....that being said, I DO love my digital camera....My first was a point and shoot fuji, worked great, took great pics....but I needed/wanted more...so I went to ebay, found a fujis5200, 5 megapixel, 10X OPTICAL[that is what is REALLY important in regard to zooms on digital cameras], paid 225 for it. It was a 500 camera when it first came out. It is still basically a point and shoot, but you can put lens and filter on it too....so it's kind of a mutt..... Just decide what you want/need to do with it, and go from there. One thing a pro told me once, is that the number of mega pixels aren't as important as other things. Most folks get bound down thinking about that...me, I wanted more features for the money, and think I've gotten it with my fuji....also, I like cameras that DON'T use those expensive "camera" batteries...hence the fujis, they use AA batteries. This kit also came with a charger, and four new rechargeable batteries...another plus....