Buying a camera

[carolj100]

I'm going to buy a digi camera for the first time. I can't spend lotsa $$, and I don't need a fancy one, anyway. It will mostly be used for people photos. I have no idea what to look for. Can you people give me your criteria?

[mfarley]

MegaPixels and zoom abilities...that's all I care about.

I have a 2megapixel HP that works just fine, but you might consider picking up a 4MP. We also use a Sony (can't remember wha DSC model it is) 3.2MP and love it. Only has smart zoom but it takes quality pics for the price and even videos (though you will need a large memory card to hold more then 5 mins. of vids).

I'm interested to hear what the others recommend.

[Jane]

I have Cannon PowerShot A80 4MP , very nice . I've spent a lot of time looking and always came back to this one . Finally broke down and bought it :cool: :D

[BrianT1701]

Anything with 3 megapixles or more...is good. 2 is ok. optical zoom is certainly important. I have a Kodak DX6340 3.1MP
http://www.kodak.com/eknec/documents/aa/0900688a800bf2aa/PP05600_Front_200x150.jpg
and it works great. it cost's about 250 these days...I think I paid over 300 for it when it first came out.

[johng]

I am with the Canon A80 now and the price keeps falling and it is so full of features and has a swivelling lcd screen
John

[AussieRon]

Carol,
To obtain what you want and not be pushed one way or the other by a super salesman, I would make up a list of the things you want in your camera.
By the way, some camera's actually return a better photo than others even if they do not have as many megapixels etc., so a recommended one should give you a better result.
In OZ the national P.C. magazines from time to time run articles on digital cameras and often point out the camera's that give better results than there supposed equal opposition camera's.
On your list of things to look for I would have:-
1.Minimum of magapixels you require.
2.Optical zoom minimum say 3x. Digital zoom is only your camera zooming the shot you are trying to take,therefore not important at all.
3.Internal Memory. Try to get a minimum of 16 megabytes.
4.Try also to get a camera that you can install a memory card in to increase the camera's memory capacity.
5.Batteries. The type you feel you want.Some take normal AA batteries and some will take rechargeable AA's. There are also other types like Li-ion batteries that are rechargeable and dont have a memory problem like some rechargeable's do.
6.Try to get a camera case with your purchase.
7.There is such a thing as a video capacity also that most reasonable camera's now have also.
At the moment I can't think of anything else, but I'm sure there is.
Don't rush the purchase and make sure you get the best value for your hard earned cash.
Good luck with your shopping.
Ron D

[GolfProRM]

I've really enjoyed my Sony Cybershot DSC-P52, especially the ease of use... If you want a very easy camera that takes quality pictures, I'd definitely recommend this one. :) It's a 3.2MP. :)

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start;sid=9MbGD6A_01rGHOBFReXMBO8wv1zwYxOlb6I=?ProductSKU=DSCP52&Dept=dcc&CategoryName=dcc_DIDigitalCameras_Cyber-shotDigitalCameras

[carolj100]

My thanks to all for your suggestions and tips. I'm kinda slow figuring out what all the different variables mean, so I'll definitely be taking my time studying. I just get so confused by the array out there! Ron's checklist will be a help when I look at the specific cameras you all have mentioned. Keep the thoughts coming at me! :)

[mfarley]

I've really enjoyed my Sony Cybershot DSC-P52, especially the ease of use... If you want a very easy camera that takes quality pictures, I'd definitely recommend this one. :) It's a 3.2MP. :)

http://www.sonystyle.com/is-bin/INTERSHOP.enfinity/eCS/Store/en/-/USD/SY_DisplayProductInformation-Start;sid=9MbGD6A_01rGHOBFReXMBO8wv1zwYxOlb6I=?ProductSKU=DSCP52&Dept=dcc&CategoryName=dcc_DIDigitalCameras_Cyber-shotDigitalCameras Almost the same model that I referenced (now I can say with certainty a Sony Cybershot DSC P8). Not fancy, simple by all means but effective and easy to carry around as it is approx. 4x1.5x1 (all in inches).

OH, and with XP no software is needed, just hookl up to usb and XP will do the recognize it. =)

[Eve]

There is a really good review site, Steves Digicams, at http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html Well worth having a look at.
I love my little Kodak LS420 but if I was replacing it would definitely look for 3 megapixels and optical zoom.

[myardor]

Somewhere i posted what i thought was important.
First i was like Mike and thought number of pix was most important but then i learned a bit like AussiRon.
Go to steves site as Eves post states, good info site for cameras

Here is what i would look for,

1. how long will the batter last? you have to do research on this. do not ask any salesman cause they will try to sell what they have. not what u really need
my pentax takes about 500/600 pics on one CR3 battery.

2. what type of battery does it use? i like the AA kind, cause i can buy them for less than most other batteries and i can buy them anywhere in the world ie when i go on vacation in Bali, Manila, Surabaya, etc.
some like my pentax use AA, and a few other special AA types not called AA but CR3, AA nicads, etc. this is nice since u can use "different " batteries depending on what u can find/buy
some use priorperatory batteries, i would stay away from those, cause they are expensive and hard to find in some places

3. case not important. why? cause you will always want a bigger case to hold the accessories ie extra batteries, ac dc adapter/ charger. memory cards etc.
i always end up buying a bigger case, ie nomally at the local flea market, low priced

4. Mpixel. the more the better but normal is 3/3.2
why? thats where the price point break is most economical. yes more pix would be nice but they drive the price too high. i try to keep the price not much more than $350 but that includes all accessories. ie charger/ memory cards

5 type of memory card used. some memory cards cost more than others,
some are old technology. ie smartmedia is old tech. not many cards bigger than 128mb
i like compact flash...why? more cost effective per mb than most others and comes in up to 512 mb ..yes they make larger but some cameras do not "take" larger cards

6. what is the largest capacity of memory card that the camera can use?
since technology is changing, they keep coming out with larger and larger capacity cards but the current models might not accept them
example my pentax can only use up to 512 mb cards and not the 1GB

7. buy the largest memory card possible
why? well why buy a high mpixel camera and only have a 16 or 32 mb card?
research how many pics ....on high resolution.. fit in that card and u will see not too many.
minimun card size is 256mb IMHO. i bought two 512 mb cards for my camera. even at the highest resolution 2048 x 1536. i can still take hundreds of pics on each. thousands on the lowest resolutions but why buy a high resolution camera just to take low resolution pics..defeats the purpose of buying high mp camera.

8. as long as u buy a name brand and stick to a 3/3.3 mp model the lens will be a good one.

9. Zoom is not really that important but as long as u buy as above it will have decent zoom.

10. price should not go over 350 including accessories. yes u can buy some that cost over one thousand dollars but why?
this first camera should last at least 3/4 years by that time the 6mp cameras will be much much lower in price. then u can upgrade and give this one to one of ur relatives. or use as backup

11 some have "movie" mode ie video. some have sound included some do not . some take movies at different frames per second. movie will be smoother on the higher frames per second.
some have higher time limit/ mb used for the movies.
mine does max of 30 seconds
again more time requires more memory in the memory card so higher capacity is "required"

12. Macro? how close can u get to a object and still take a clear pic? some only go as close as 6 inches others down to 1/2 inch.
check my blossoms pics taken on my pentax at
http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=4194676&a=31136781&f=

13. some have the viewfinder that can rotate so u can take "self pics"
mine has it but i do not like taking my own pic. how self centered can a person be but it may be of some use to some ppl

14. some take fast action pics. some faster than others. ie
some 100 isa, 200. 400, 800, the higher number the faster action pics it can take. ie like standard 35 mm cameras.

15 Some can take nite pics better than others.

16. what is the highest resolution possible?
i say at least 2048 x 1536 but higher is better. but also more expensive u have to draw the line somewhere.


Other notes
Do not buy any that uses floppy or CD as your memory card. tempting at first but then u learn
why not? both use moving parts therefore more things to break down in camera,
make camera a bit bigger
and most of all make the time between taking pics too slow cause of the moving parts taking time to do theri thing compared to memory cards with no moving parts

some ppl also consider how fast can one take pics one after another. some cameras take so long to "charge" u get a blinking red lite till the camera is ready for the next pic.

some of my other pics:

http://albums.photo.epson.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=4194676&a=31178746&f=


i bought one 512 mb compact flash card on ebay for about 55 bucks and another one for 50 bucks on sale at office max but had to wait for rebates.
compact flash memory cards are becoming old technology but with two 513 mb cards. one 12MB and two 96MB cards , i think i am set for a while. ie untill i can afford the 6mp cameras in a few years. who knows what other features they will include in them

Now are u confused? not yet? ok then let me contiune ....
A. Figure what of the above is important to u
B. Do some web research, one way is to do a google search on diggi cameras
steves site is one place to start, pc mag and pc world also do review. comparision
D. do not depend on the salesman. he will try to sell u what he has, he has to eat
E do not depend on others to tell you
Why? how many ppl will tell you " i was dumb and bought this camera that sucks"?
no they will always say, " oh i got the best camera"
F Do research REASEARCH research...on the net ...its so easy to do.
GOOD luck and let us know which one u bought.

here are just some to give u a starting point, not recommending any of them
pentax 330GS, fuji s602zoom, canon models, nikkon models, olympus models
of course in the 3mp range.

oh its important to get the correct model some like the pentax 330 has about 4 different models. guess like cars, ie standard model, the SS model , ie, like mustang cars. many different models yet they are alll mustangs . so pay attention to the model numbers since sometimes they are very small differences in the name. ie 330 gs, 330, 330 xs, etc

Hope i did not forget anything but knowing myself, i most likely did.