Buying digital camera advice.

Icebreak

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I know this has been discussed before so I apologize for the redundancy.

I was looking at getting a digital camera and wanted some advice. One thing I read here got me thinking. The best camera (kinda like flashlight) is one that you actually have with you. If I can stick it in a shirt pocket it will be more likely to be available when I want it.

Here are some things I think I want and bare in mind I know almost zip about cameras:

Optical and digital zoom.

Manual capability.

Macro capability.

Beamshot capability.

Landscape would be nice.

Cost is a consideration but I don't want to buy an off brand.

Thanks ahead of time for your help.
 

Raven

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www.dcresource.com

Check out the Canon A60 and A70. If you want something smaller, look at a Canon Elph.

Nikon also makes a similar model that has the same features as the A60 and A70, but I don't remember the name.

Raven
 

PhotonBoy

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Phones with built-in cameras will be really big soon. They might not match the performance, zooming capability and resolution of mainstream digital cameras, but like you say, at least you will be carrying it.

Even now, there are phones that combine the features of a Palm Pilot PDA, telephone, MP3 player and digital camera. Look at what Samsung has to offer.

http://www.samsung.com/Products/MobilePhone/GSM/MobilePhone_GSM_SGH_V200.htm
 

Sigman

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While you are checking out various models...take a look at a Pentax Optio 330gs.

I'm extremely pleased with mine for the cost!

I paid $300, but I think it's come down. Got free shipping from "Best Buy" also.
 

K A

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As PhotonBoy as said. If your really are looking for zoom capability then you need to watch for how much Optical zoom the camera has. The digital zoom essentially just crops & enlarges the picture, does not add anything else to it. Optical zoom does make the camera a bit bigger, because of the increased size of the optics. So it wont fit too easily into a pocket.

I got an Olympus C730. It's 3.2Megapixels, has 10x optical zoom and 3x digital zoom (the C740 and C750 are out now). I never use the digital zoom at all. I got the camera for a touch under $500 w/shipping ($470 or so). I noticed in the recent sunday ad BestBuy had the C740 for $499.

Here are two quick comparison photos of my camera and a D cell battery and a floppy disk.
Pic 1 Pic 2

As you can see in the second picture its not thin. You might be able to put it in a shirt pocket, though it WILL be heavy. Putting it into a pants pocket would be better. Just depends on what your looking for in a camera. More MegaPixels means a larger picture you can have printed and have it look good. If your never going to print anything larger than a 5x7 then a 2MP camera or less would do you fine. Though I will be surprised if you find a 2MP with better than 2x optical zoom though. Optics adds $$$.. especially with GLASS optics.

Optical and digital zoom.
10x optical / 3x digital / combined 30x zoom
Comparison: No Zoom 10x Zoom They are about 18K in size each. Not the originals.. i resized so they wouldnt be huge. Originals were around 250K and twice the size.

Manual capability.
It has manual capability, though not easy to play with. You have to be either looking through the viewfinder or using the LCD screen to finetune the focus.. all while trying to play with the buttons in the back.

Macro capability.
Supposedly can focus up to 1.2" according to the specs

Beamshot capability.
Not sure what you mean.

Landscape would be nice.
Do you mean Panoramics? It has a 'panorama' function where you can stitch multiple pictures together, can only be used with olympus cards.. the *******s! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif The stitching is not done on the camera. The pictures as flaged as 'panoramas' then you import them into the included edited software to stitch them together.
I played with it, taking 3 pictures from right to left. When I went into the software it would only stich from left to right.. so none of the pictures lined up. More playing is in order.. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif
 

RichardMT

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You should be able to find a name brand camera with everything you want. As for the zoom, worry about the optical zoom only. Digital zoom is like enlarging the pic on your computer, the more you zoom, the more detail you lose...dont know why they even bother with it. That being said, cameras from Olympus (my favorite), Nikon and canon are worth looking at and have plenty of affordable models in the 2 and 3 mp range.
 

Icebreak

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Wow! That was fast. Thanks everybody.

I started to do a word pad copy/paste to let each of you know my first impressions of your suggestions then realized I needed to take some time to more thoroughly review them on the sites you gave me. All of them looked right on first glance.

On optical/digital zoom, thanks for confirming what I had suspected.

The sites and suggested cameras were a big help.

I haven't talked to some of you in a long time. Glad to dialog with you again. For all of you, I hope you and yours have bright and shining faces this holiday weekend. Would you consider posting some pics?
 

K A

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[ QUOTE ]
Icebreak said:
Wow! That was fast. Thanks everybody.

I started to do a word pad copy/paste to let each of you know my first impressions of your suggestions then realized I needed to take some time to more thoroughly review them on the sites you gave me. All of them looked right on first glance.

On optical/digital zoom, thanks for confirming what I had suspected.

The sites and suggested cameras were a big help.

I haven't talked to some of you in a long time. Glad to dialog with you again. For all of you, I hope you and yours have bright and shining faces this holiday weekend. Would you consider posting some pics?


[/ QUOTE ]

Try here for reviews on cameras.
 

Sigman

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All photos taken with Pentax Optio 330GS. This camera can be very simple or complicated to use depending on what features you want to setup/use. So far I have used mostly automatic modes.

ARC LS ("Macro" mode)
fc9f55b0.jpg


"2003 McLarc" ("Macro" mode)
fc92bf8e.jpg



InReTech Trilight 3D Adapter w/o optics (no flash - "Night shot" mode)
fc85479b.jpg


InReTech Trilight 3D Adapter w/3 McFlood reflectors (no flash - "Night shot" mode)
fc8547b0.jpg


InReTech Trilight 3D Adapter w/3 NX-05 optics (no flash - "Night shot" mode)
fc854792.jpg
 

Charles Bradshaw

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The one other thing to consider is OS support for non-windows users, only.

My camera is a Kodak EZ 200. The digital version of the Kodak Brownie Camera (no flash and fixed 4 MB memory).

It is a multimode, including webcam. I only got it to take pics of things, if I want to post something on eBay. Though it did come in handy to document damage done to the driveway limestone wall, by those who plowed this past winter. (They are going to make repairs.)

I'm not into photography, so I tend to get things that are simple, just to meet a basic need.
 

itsme1234

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Icebreak: Digital zoom and landscape (if you mean panorama) is a non-issue (can be solved in software). Manual capability and beamshot capability are more or less the same thing. Read reviews. General advice (somehow outdated): buy a camera from a "camera" manufacturer (Canon, Olympus, Minolta, etc.) not from a "camcorder" manufacturer (Sony).
Very important to check also the prices on media used (for me sony stick is a no-no). You have to consider the battery used: you can have a smaller camera with a non-standard LiIon pack, but it's not funny to pay 100+ $ if you want an extra/replacement battery. If you are on a budget you have to consider the price for extra media, battery (if needed), case, etc. Also I'm used to have an UV filter always on my camera (to protect the lens from scratches and somehow better sky pictures).
Oh, one more thing: if you choose your media right you can find a (somehow) small reader for 10-25$ (can be used as a poor man keychain flash drive).

K A : Well, as long as we are talking about a "real" camera (as oposed to a 50-150$ HP/KODAK/no-name pencam/webcam/camcorder) you will have a hard time to find a camera _without_ a decent (>3) optical zoom in the 2MP range. Let's take Olympus: you have at least 10 cameras with more than 3X optical (2 with 10X), and only one or two without.

[ QUOTE ]
K A said:
Though I will be surprised if you find a 2MP with better than 2x optical zoom though.

[/ QUOTE ]
 

Tree

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Fujifilm FinePix 2600 Zoom Features:

2.0 Effective Mega Pixel (2.1 Million Pixels RGB Color Filter CCD)
3X Optical Zoom with 2.5X Digital Zoom

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 

Stainless

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Icebreak:
I've had a good digital camera for almost a year now. I agree with basically everything that has been said thus far. After several months of research, I recently bought an Olympus D-560 for a friend. See it here: http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_product_lobbypage.asp?l=1&p=16&bc=1&product=912 I did not yet have occasion to try taking "beam shots" with it, but my friend is quite happy with it thus far.
Regarding other comments that have been made:

Definately buy from a someone who was making cameras long before the digital revolution. There IS a lot of JUNK out there.

Definately IGNORE the digital zoom ratings. Assuming that you are even remotely computer literate, the OPTICAL zoom is the only part that counts.

Currently, the ABSOLUTE MINIMUM you will have to spend for a digital camera even remotely suitable for your purposes is $200, and $300 gets you A LOT more camera.

"Megapixels" are an important number. If you are planning for almost exclusive use of your images to be displayed on a computer screen, then 2MP is plenty (even 1.3 MAY suffice) If you are planning on doing ANY printing beyond a 5 x 7 or 8 x 10, then figure 3MP as minimum.

The storage medium is also important... older formats have reached thier design limits at about 128 meg capacity. Newer formats such as the xD are already available at 256 meg - with 512 and even 1+ GIG. in the pipeline.

Portability IS also an important issue - as you have said. My camera has a 10X OPTICAL zoom, but it DOES NOT fit in my pocket or even in my briefcase.

READ A LOT before you buy. Many supermarkets have digital camera magazines available for $5. It is a lot of money for a thin publication - but it can be money well spent to help you make a GOOD decision. And there is A LOT of detailed information available online... some reviews are FIFTEEN pages long including photos, dimentions, test shots, etc.

Digital cameras are WONDERFUL, but also FRAGILE. This is not to scare you off, but just to give you a heads up. You definately don't want to accidentally leave one in your freezer overnite.
 

Icebreak

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I apologize for not responding to each of you individually. There is allot of good information here that helps me to research. These are some great insites.

I have more to learn before I can ask more questions and much more to learn before I buy. What I've learned so far is a good start.

Thanks.
 

The_LED_Museum

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[ QUOTE ]
Stainless said:
Digital cameras are WONDERFUL, but also FRAGILE. This is not to scare you off, but just to give you a heads up. You definately don't want to accidentally leave one in your freezer overnite.

[/ QUOTE ]

I second this opinion. You don't want to leave one in the fridge, and you don't want to nock one off a table and have it hit the ground either (watch those cords!). Especially if it has an optical zoom lens that gets longer and shorter when you hit the "W" and "T" buttons like many of the better cameras will. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif
 

itsme1234

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One day I had hy digital camera (Olympus 2100UZ, about the size of a regular desk phone) in my shirt pocket ! And I had a liquid nitrogen container ...
 

keithhr

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I've purchased two digital cameras in the last year, both Olympus, but most of the rest are good as well. Make sure you have plenty of digital storage (my olympus take smart media and I've got enough storage to probably take 1,000 pictures at pretty good resolution and way more if I make the resolution lower. My Olympus D-520 is pretty good entry level camera for a bit over $200, it is a 2 megapixel cameras as is my other Olympus c-2100 which has a cult following. I've printed 8x10 pictures that frankly shocked a friend of mine who is a real shutterbug. Funny thing more pixels don't give you any more resolution just the ability to make bigger prints with no corresponding loss in detail
 

geepondy

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Digital photography is one of my main hobbys. I own a couple now and plan on getting another fairly soon and read lots and lots of reviews and comments from forums. In my opinion the camera with the combination of smallest size with best quality is the Canon S400. It is one of the famous Elph series camera that offers 4 meg pixel with 3x optical. It retails for $500 but can be had cheaper. The 3 megapixel, 2X optical zoom Canon S230 Elph retails for a hundred dollars cheaper. Although I've never touched one, I feel the newly released Canon A70 offers a lot for the money. A little bigger then the Elphs but still small, it offers 3 megpixel and 3X optical zoom with full manual controls including aperature and shutter priority. I believe it retails for $350. Manual Control makes taking flashlight beam shots much easier. A major differentiater of the three cameras, compared with much of the competition is that they all offer auto focus assist lamp which makes taking pictures in low/no light situations possible. After owning Nikons that struggled to focus in less then ideal lighting situations, I found that very refreshing. Not to sound like I'm hung up on Canon but I have used Nikon, Canon and Olympus and in my opinion of the current crop of digicams they tend to produce the best pictures. This is based on my own experience and also what I've read from reviews and user satisfaction comments. I know there are other fine choices as well though. A warning about the tiny digicams in which I own one, the Canon S230. Because they are so tiny, it's very easy to shake the camera when taking pictures compared to bulkier counterparts. I'm doing better but it took me quite a bit of practice to take steady shots.

Based on the orignal post requirements, I feel the A70 is the best choice out of the ones I mentioned. The Canon macro ability is not horrible but just so-so though. That is the about the only feature that I felt my Nikon's beat the Canon.

As other's have said, read the reviews. I take much more emphasis on digital camera sites such as www.dpreview.com and www.steves-digicams.com then I do PC sites that review digital cameras such as PCWorld. I've mentioned three "mid-range" cameras. Depending on your preferences, you can pay more or less.
 

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