Digital Camera suggestions

[kjsgrammy]

Ok, I need to finally break down and purchase a digital camera. Can TUGgers please provide their comments on what they would recommend? I'm looking for point & shoot, nothing very fancy (I'm not technical at all!) that takes great pictures, can be downloaded easily onto a computer (again something easy as I don't understand computers very well either! ). Currently using a Canon Z135 film camera which I really like, but tired of paying for film and processing.

Any one know of any good deals going on right now. I think I'd like to stay with Canon brand, but your suggestions would be appreciated on all brands.

Oh, and take into consideration that my eyesight is not as good as it used to be, so a camera with a larger viewing screen would be best.

 

[Travelnut96]

I personally love the Canon brand and a really nice, easy to use point and shoot digital camera is the SD500. It's got a 2.5 inch LCD screen, perfect for your eyes. It should run you about $250. Don't forget to buy a memory card with at least 1GB.

Happy picture taking! I think you'll be pleased with your new digital toy!

 

[happybaby]

I too am looking to buy a new digital camera. Dropped my Sony and now the zoom does not work. It's probably 5 or 6 years old and outdated by now. (mom bought it for us a Christmas present)

I was looking at Sony Cybershot 7.2MP Digital Camera at Sears for about 149.00.

It says to buy to 1gb memory card, but I am thinking of getting at least 2gb.

How many pictures will I be able to take with the 2gb. We will be on the road from San Fran to Portland for about 4 days before I can put them onto my d and sil computer and burn onto a DVD after our entire trip is done.

I know I will be taking alot of pics up the coast so I need alot of memory.

I too am not that familiar, so do you think the 2gb will be ok or should I go with the 4gb?

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

check the reviews at Steve's digicams. Here is their list of digicams that provide the best bang for the buck.

 

[TUGBrian]

very pleased with my canon sd870

 

[KCI]

Bought a Canon 710 IS about a year ago and use it a lot. I bought it for a couple reasons 1) it uses 2 AA rechargeable batteries that last several 100 pictures. 2) It has a view finder (most cameras today don't) and when the sun is shinning behind you it can be tough to see the screen on the back. It also saves a lot of battery power by not using the screen. 3) it has a 6X optical zoom which is great for getting up close. It cost about $300 and is very easy to use. I thought Canon's instructions on downloading pictures to the computer via the camera were somewhat harder than my original Olympus was.

 

[Elan]

Amazon has the Canon SD1000 compact for $150 right now. I have the Canon SD800 IS which is a similar camera camera except the 800 has IS and wide angle (two features I really wanted). I don't think you can go wrong with the SD1000. It receives very favorable reviews everywhere I've looked.

Jim

 

[Aussiedog]

Another great site for product info, ratings, prices, etc. is www.dpreview.com.

The site info for each model is very thorough and many camera shops recommend this as one of several resources for folks.

Of course this is such a personal decision - depends on what you are looking for. I wanted an excellent camera but not a SLR, long optical zoom, RAW capability and image stabilization. I ended up with a Panasonic DMC-FZ50 and went ahead and purchased the additional macro and teleconverters and have been very pleased.

Ann

 

[kjsgrammy]

Thanks to all for their replies - especially for the websites to check for reviews, ratings, etc. Will do research and check local stores (for that "hands on feeling") and then check prices on the internet. If anyone becomes aware of a good sale, please post info. Will let you know what I end up buying. Thanks again!

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Thanks to all for their replies - especially for the websites to check for reviews, ratings, etc. Will do research and check local stores (for that "hands on feeling") and then check prices on the internet. If anyone becomes aware of a good sale, please post info. Will let you know what I end up buying. Thanks again!

keep your eye on woot.com. They sell one item per day, and often have good deals on digital cameras.

I suggest you start by doing research and deciding the features that are must have, nice to have, and unimportant.

You've already determined that a large LCD screen is a must have, and ease of download is nice to have.

Based on my understanding of what you are looking for, I think image stabilization should also be a must have. IS will get you a lot more usable pictures from a point-and-shoot camera.

You should decide how important telephoto is to you. Totally ignore any mention of digital zoom. The only thing you should consider is the optical zoom specification. I have 12x optical on mine; after years of working with a 3x zoom getting a good optical telephoto was a must have for me.

Batteries are important. If the camera does not use off the shelf batteries (e.g., double A batteries) you will need to buy at least one backup battery so you can always have one fresh battery. If you intend to take pictures while you're sightseeing and your camera takes custom batteries, a battery charger that plugs into a car cigarette lighter is essential.

BTW - don't automatically consider it a drawback if the camera takes custom batteries. If the battery requires custom batteries, the battery pack is probably a long-life rechargeable battery. I have a rechargeable for my camers that will allow me to fill almost an entire 2 gb memory card - that's orders of magnitude more battery life than I ever got with my old camera using double-A batteries.

 

[Keitht]

BTW - don't automatically consider it a drawback if the camera takes custom batteries. If the battery requires custom batteries, the battery pack is probably a long-life rechargeable battery. I have a rechargeable for my camers that will allow me to fill almost an entire 2 gb memory card - that's orders of magnitude more battery life than I ever got with my old camera using double-A batteries.

The biggest downside of batteries designed for a specific camera is that if the battery does fail, and I agree with what Steve has said about battery life, then you are stuck.
If the camera takes standard AA size then at least you can use any AA battery in an emergency. The alternative is to purchase a second custom battery and keep that charged too. That obviously does mean you have to remember to take the spare with you.
On the wider subject of the original question, I would never buy a camera without an optical viewfinder. Even the best screens can be difficult to see in bright light, so although many of the viewfinders on compacts aren't great they are still a great improvement over the screen.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

On the wider subject of the original question, I would never buy a camera without an optical viewfinder. Even the best screens can be difficult to see in bright light, so although many of the viewfinders on compacts aren't great they are still a great improvement over the screen.

I completely agree about view-finders. I should have mentioned that as an essential for me.

Without even raisiing the issue of viewability in bright light, I simply find it far easier to compose a photo with a viewfinder. With the viewfinder your vision is pretty much filled with the image you're going to get, whereas with an LCD there are distracting background visuals.

 

[irish]

okay, battery life,IS, zoom, all important features to have BUT i am looking for a reasonably priced dig.camera that has all these features plus has a decent flash feature. it seems that most of the dig. cameras take "decent to great pictures in daylight but when trying to snap a photo outdoors at night the quality of the photo goes waaaayyyy down. any suggestions ?

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

okay, battery life,IS, zoom, all important features to have BUT i am looking for a reasonably priced dig.camera that has all these features plus has a decent flash feature. it seems that most of the dig. cameras take "decent to great pictures in daylight but when trying to snap a photo outdoors at night the quality of the photo goes waaaayyyy down. any suggestions ?

The only way I know to combat that issue is to get a high-end quality camera that has a bounce flash. Crummy pictures while using a flash is pretty much unavoidable with almost any point-and-shoot camera camera. There may be some cameras at the prosumer level that have bounce flash, but then you're not talking "inexpensive" any longer.

 

[Keitht]

okay, battery life,IS, zoom, all important features to have BUT i am looking for a reasonably priced dig.camera that has all these features plus has a decent flash feature. it seems that most of the dig. cameras take "decent to great pictures in daylight but when trying to snap a photo outdoors at night the quality of the photo goes waaaayyyy down. any suggestions ?

I don't think such a camera exists. Almost inevitably due to the design constraints, the power of an inbuilt flash will be comparatively low and there of limited range. The only way around this is to use an external flash gun which obviously defeats the object in purchasing a physically compact camera in the first place.

 

[mshatty]

My 2 cents is that you really don't NEED a digital camera with more than 5 MP for most photography. Therefore, you will normally find the best bargins, if these cameras are available, for the 5 or 6 MP cameras. However, these are a disappearing as an obsolete item because they are now making the 8 to 10 MP cameras.

In fact, with my 5 and 6 MP cameras, I still use the 3.1 MP setting for most photos because of the file size of the photos. For 4 x 6 photos, it's perfect.

I do agree completely with Steve (TRO) that you should get the largest optical zoom you can. I too have the 12x optical zoom and I love it!

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

In fact, with my 5 and 6 MP cameras, I still use the 3.1 MP setting for most photos because of the file size of the photos. For 4 x 6 photos, it's perfect.

I do agree completely with Steve (TRO) that you should get the largest optical zoom you can. I too have the 12x optical zoom and I love it!

The big advantage of more megapixels is the ability to crop photos and still get a decent picture. A lot of my favorite pictures are actually the result of cropping. My favorite photo of Polihale Beach and the Na Pali Cliffs is actually the upper left corner of an otherwise botched picture of my brother.

If you get a larger optical zoom Image Stabilization is mandatory. Without IS you have almost no chance of getting clear photos unless you have the camera set up on a tripod or stable surface and are using a shutter delay.

 

[Elan]

Dell has the Canon S5 IS on sale right now for $280. This is not a compact point and shoot, but it's a very nice camera (12X image stabilized lens, 8MP sensor) if you don't need something small enough to fit in your pocket. I have a predecessor to this model (S2 IS) and love it. $280 is a great price for this unit.

 

[Tacoma]

One thing I like the large screen at the back but also look for a viewfinder. In strong light you can't see through the screen so I end up shooting blind. THe viewfinder helps to eliminate this.

Joan

 

[boyblue]

A way around a weak flash is to get a camera that takes good pictures at a higher ISO. I find that the Fuji F30 is great at this and an all round nice carry around camera.