o/t Digital Cameras

Nick32Vic · June 01, 2005, 02:01:03 AM

Ok, I hate posting off topic stuff. Ill try to post something about my car soon to make up for this. haha.

Im in the market for a new digital camera. I've got about 400 to spend and i want to get somethin pretty nice.

So far im liking Canon's. The quality seems to be there with every Canon product I've bought. But im looking for opinions on other brands and stuff.

Im also looking for somethin at like at least 5 megapixels.

I would really appreciate any help you guys can give me. Im gonna be using it alot so i dont want to get something that will crap out on me.

Thanks everyone and sorry for the off topic post.

Nick

Bob K · June 01, 2005, 07:23:07 AM

Nick, I bought a sony 5meg last year and just love it. it was only 250 or so on the internet.

B

B

flt-blk · June 01, 2005, 09:47:49 AM

Plan to spend $280 on the camera and another $100 on accesories, extra card, batteries or charger, carrying case, etc.

I had a $150 budget and ended up spending almost $300 before I left.

Crosley.In.AZ · June 01, 2005, 10:06:00 AM

I've used Canon digital cameras, they work well. I have a 2.1 mp unit now for over 3 years, still works great

I like the compact flash memory for cameras. I just bought a new 2 gig compactflash card off ebay for 130 bux to my door.

I buy a camera that uses the AA battery, then I buy the nickle metal hydrid rechargaable batterys.

alchevy · June 01, 2005, 10:10:16 AM

I buy Kodak brand digital cameras and have liked the ones that I have used. It is correct to say that you will spend the extra money (that you save) on all of the extra items to go with it. If you get a camera that uses an SD card, then you can easily find them for good prices in many different sizes (mb's) in many different brands. I would stay away from some cameras that only use oem cards that are harder to find. You may already know this, but don't buy a camera that does not have optical zoom. Optical zoom is the one you care about. Kodak has their 5mp camera, the CX7530, for a good price right now. Look at the size of the cameras as to which one will fit your needs.

Just my 2cents...hey we use digital cameras to take pictures of cars at car shows and such so it's not too far off topic!

Uncle Bob · June 01, 2005, 10:28:02 AM

Good advice all, especially about batteries and storage.

My favorite of the three I've owned is Nikon, but they tend to be a bit spendier because of the features. It would pay to spend some time at a large camera store to evaluate each choice for ergonomics. How will it "feel" in you hand. While some look neat, they aren't as comfortable as others. Has a lot to do with your hand size and how "flexible" your fingers still are (or aren't

. Do some online research before going into the stores so you're prepared. That way the sales person won't have any undo influence on your choice just because they get an extra spiff on the commission for a dud unit.

kb426 · June 01, 2005, 12:50:21 PM

I have the sony w1. It has been replaced by the w5. It is the quickest from shot to shot of any I tried. It has a 2.5" lcd so blind guys can see it. It also fits in a t shirt pocket. I got mine on sale for less than $300. I bought a 512 meg card which will hold almost 300 pics or 13 minutes of video. My previous canon died and they wouldn't warranty it. It was 30 days out of the warranty period but had been used very little.

1FATGMC · June 01, 2005, 12:51:06 PM

Quote from: "Nick32vic"Im also looking for somethin at like at least 5 megapixels.

I think that how many megapixels it has would be one of the last things I would look at.

I have an older Nikon 800 that I still use every day and it is a 2.1 megapixel and I've never taken a picture at that setting and I've shot thousands of pictures. Unless you are blowing something up to 8 X 10 when you print it it just isn't necessary to shoot at anywhere near 5 megapixels unless you might be George who trys to find a lost Anasazi ruin in the side of a cliff 1 mile away

.

The two pictures with this post were taken with a resolution of about 220,000 pixles (1/10th of what my camera will do) and will print fine at 4 X 6. To post them here I downsized them more to only about 30,000 pixles, a long ways from 5,000,000 pixles. They do look better on my computer at the 220,000 pixel size than here.

The only thing I think buying a camera with a lot of megapixel capabilities has going for it is that it probably has more features.

I, like a couple of others like a camera that has AA batteries as they are so cheap and the NiMetal batteries last a long time and are easy to recharge. You have to have at least one set of extra batteries and if you are some place that it is hard to recharge them then more are better.

I bought the Nikon as I like to do macro pictures and it is great at that, so if you like to shoot items under 8 inches or so away make sure it will do it.

I wish mine had more optical zoom. As others mentioned this is important if you also like to shoot things at a distance.

I'm with the others that a camera that uses a popular storage medium is a good deal as far as price goes for storage of your pictures.

Size is important. Small is good for carrying, but personally I don't like to shoot with a really small camera as I find it harded to steady in my hand. This is probably something that is just a problem with me wanting to shoot close-ups.

If you like photography get one that lets you change the exposure settings.

c ya, Sum

MrMopar64 · June 01, 2005, 12:55:55 PM

Ive got 2 Kodaks an older DC125 and a new CX7330 and I've been very happy with both but granted I've never owned any other brands so I can't compare them with anything else

MM64

alchevy · June 01, 2005, 03:35:49 PM

Quote from: "MrMopar64"CX7330

My camera is the Kodak CX6330, the one that came before the 7330...same camera, they just changed the name of it. The one I had before was the DC215, just a 1mp. The 6330 is a 3.1mp and I have gotten several good comments on my pictures that were taken with it. One person even asked if I was a professional photographer when he saw the pictures I took with this camera. Nope, the camera does all of the work. The pictures he was talking about were taken during a light rain...I had one hand on the camera and the other one holding an umbrella. So this is a steady camera...too bad they stopped making it.

Nick32Vic · June 01, 2005, 04:25:43 PM

Thanks so much everyone. I really appreciate all the advice and stuff. Im gonna go shop around now.

Nick

Carps · June 01, 2005, 06:15:05 PM

I've been using a Panasonic Lumix, great results and good enough resolution for publishing in print media.

It has one of those weird batteries, not AA, however we also have a Fuji here at the office that uses AA batteries and it chews thewm up like crazy.

The Panasonic will shoot around 600 hi res images on a single battery charge, so I'm pretty happy with that. I often use the flash for a bit of fill also.

My new digital is a proffessional Canon SLR primarily because it's compatible with all my lenses and other equipment. Not cheap but it takes a stunning photograph and has a range of features & functions second to none. My second choice would have been the big Nikon SLR.

Sean · June 01, 2005, 08:50:59 PM

Check ebay before you buy. Many Cameras can be bought brand new in a "Kit" form with extra batteries, and other accesories.

I just bought a Minolta A-200 last week. Brand new in the sealed factory package, with a Wide angle lens, a 2x lens, an extra battery, a 1GB memory card, and a nice Samsonite camera Bag.

I looked at the Camera at my local Photo Shop and they wanted $750 for the Camera alone, with a note on the price tag saying that MSRP was $799. I got the Camera and all the other stuff I listed for $725. The memory card alone is $100 at Wally World. I know you're not wanting to spend that much on a Camera, but that illustrates my point about looking on ebay first.

I really love this Camera too. I took the Wife and Kids to the St. Louis Zoo today and tried it out. It is an 8 mega pixel Camera, and the amount that you can crop, while still having a crystal clear picture is amazing. These are two copies of the same picture, one is just cropped to zoom in on the Jaguar. This picture was taken at around 40-50 yards, with full 7x zoom (7x optical)...

MrMopar64 · June 01, 2005, 08:51:31 PM

Quote from: "40chevy"
Quote from: "MrMopar64"CX7330

My camera is the Kodak CX6330, the one that came before the 7330...same camera, they just changed the name of it. The one I had before was the DC215, just a 1mp. The 6330 is a 3.1mp and I have gotten several good comments on my pictures that were taken with it. One person even asked if I was a professional photographer when he saw the pictures I took with this camera. Nope, the camera does all of the work. The pictures he was talking about were taken during a light rain...I had one hand on the camera and the other one holding an umbrella. So this is a steady camera...too bad they stopped making it.

Oops mine was the DC215..... not 125 :oops:

MM64

Sean · June 01, 2005, 09:05:47 PM

Forgot to mention, my old Camera (now my wifes) was a Minolta DiMage Z1. It is only 3.2 MP, but makes excellent prints up to 8x10. It has Shutter and Aperture settings, will shoot B&W and Sepia, and will make movies with sound. It also has 10x optical zoom and the Macro will focus as close as a couple inches.

There are some on ebay right now ranging from $200 to $250, brand new. Minolta has another one just like it called the DiMage Z2, that is 4MP. Its higher, but I think it would be worth it for the extra Mega pixels.

Here's the Z1... http://www.photoxels.com/minolta_z1_execSummary.html