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Forum -> Shopping -> Household Products, Kitchen Appliances, Furniture & Cars

Digital Cameras

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su7kids

Tue, Oct 03 2006, 7:30 am

I'm in the market to buy one. I'd be curious to hear which one you have, and how much you paid for it (and how long ago) and what you recommend, if you had to recommend one now.

I'm looking for the most megapixels and the most optical zoom I can afford.

For those in the know, if I had to compromise on one, which one should I compromise on, the megapixels or the zoom?

Thanks.

brooklyn

Tue, Oct 03 2006, 8:03 am

If your looking at the point and shoot models, most of them don't really have much in terms of optical zoom, usually 3X to 4X. They will vary on the digital zoom which I try to avoid using as it will distort the image. For most family type pictures a five mega pixel camera is usually enough. You can get very good quality 8X10 with that. My DH bought an 8 megapixel camera a few months ago but he is more of a camera nut than me. It was his bday present so I let him get what he wanted. The biggest problem in my opinion with the point and shoots is that in many cameras the flash is not strong enough night shots of more that 12 feet away. check out this site to help you choose.
www.dpreview.com

MovinMom

Tue, Oct 03 2006, 5:35 pm

Canons are great.

shopaholic

Tue, Oct 03 2006, 9:28 pm

I would go for an Olympus or Canon. They are the best.

BeershevaBubby

Tue, Oct 03 2006, 10:54 pm

If you're a professional, and/or plan on printing larger than 8x10, 9 megapixels is necessary. If you're an ameteur, or a semi-professional, and plan on keeping things either digital, or printing standard photo sizes, 5 mgpixel is enough.

It also depends on your budget.

If you've got upwards of $1000, go for the Canons.

I just got a Fuji FinePix 5200, which is 5 megapixel. It has the ability for lense attachements for telephoto and wide angle, but the lense is one piece with the body (one less place for static and dirt to build up). It's not as automatic as I would have liked, but you can see some of the photos I've taken with it
here and here

I bought the camera at B&H online (it was a few dollars more, but I know the company) for about $230. I'm very happy with it.

su7kids

Tue, Oct 03 2006, 11:20 pm

Thanks. My son recommended B & H also.

I'm not a professional. Just want a digital camera.

I was thinking of one of the Canon Powershots, maybe 630 or a drop less of a 530(or is it 540)?

BeershevaBubby

Tue, Oct 03 2006, 11:27 pm

This is what I have and I've been VERY Happy with it. It's very easy to use, I can take nice photos at night, or in low light too.

busymom

Tue, Oct 03 2006, 11:36 pm

dh is all into electronics and gadgets and has done a lot of research on all this. interestingly enough, he thinks very highly of panasonic. can't tell u exactly why, but if ur interested I would ask him for more details.
he bought us a panasonic camera about two yrs ago, it's rather big, mainly bc it has a 12x zoom. (they definitely have smaller models too) it takes incredible pics! ppl have seen some of our blow-ups and couldn't believe that they weren't professional studio pics. (of course you need a good camera AND a good photographer too! Wink

) don't want to confuse you, but maybe u want to look into panasonic too.
I also think that 5 mgpixels is enough, but make sure the camera has some decent zoom too. it's equally important, though few ppl bother to inquire beyond mgpixels.

su7kids

Wed, Oct 04 2006, 12:28 am

Kmelion wrote:

This is what I have and I've been VERY Happy with it. It's very easy to use, I can take nice photos at night, or in low light too.

kmelion, those pictures you took are awesome. Did you just literally point and shoot with those?

If you had to find fault with that camera, what else would it be? You ssaid its not so automatic as you would like, what else? What about the weight. It looks very bulky.

BeershevaBubby

Wed, Oct 04 2006, 12:34 am

su7kids wrote:

Kmelion wrote:

This is what I have and I've been VERY Happy with it. It's very easy to use, I can take nice photos at night, or in low light too.

Most of the photos were just point and shoot. A few (maybe 5) were adjusted for contrast in Photoshop. The flag and moon shot IS one of the point and shoot pics though.

For the most part, not being a truely automatic focus (where you adjust the lense) is my biggest pet peeve. I think it's got GREAT zoom, plus you can take a wide shot, and zoom in when you're viewing the snapped photo.

It's not heavy at all, because it's all plastic. I keep it in my backpack. I love the liberating feeling I've gotten from the digital. No more looking at how many shots I have left, or worrying about how expensive film and developing is...

JMto2

Wed, Oct 04 2006, 9:44 am

I have a kodak it is 5 megapixels it takes great pictures. I had the canon before it was very fragile and did not take great pics also for the kodak I paid 250 verses 350 for the canon.

red sea

Wed, Oct 04 2006, 10:05 am

I have the canon a620 and am quite satisfied with it so far, its discontinued I think but similar to the ones you mentioned. I also got it from b&h.

Buddy

Wed, Oct 04 2006, 1:11 pm

I have a Sony cyber-shot 7.2 megapixel, recommended by a relative of mine @ B&H. It's a little more to the professional side, can have lense attachments etc... My indoor pictures are not that gr8 - sometimes has a reddish tinge, maybe if I play with the options I'll figure out how to do make them look better but my outdoor pictures are amazing - like post cards! it's quite bulky & I paid abt 550. For abt 700, u can get the same model but more compact. The canon powershot is a very popular model & very recommended. I would aslo suggest that u look for a rather larger lcd screen, which is more convenient for cropping & to see the clarity of the picture. (I always zoom the picture to see it it didnt' come out blury)
Also, I recommend that you right away buy an extra memory card & battery....

DefyGravity

Wed, Oct 04 2006, 1:13 pm

I also have the Sony Cybershot 7.2 megapixels. I like it, but really need to read the manual so I can figure out the different options.

drrivky

Wed, Oct 04 2006, 1:16 pm

canon powershot is great really happy with it. bought it a while ago - 2 years - and it's in great condition.

el2cg

Wed, Oct 04 2006, 1:33 pm

I just got canon sureshot sd550. so far I'm happy. actually it does not have a great zoom.

drrivky

Wed, Oct 04 2006, 1:50 pm

unless u want to spend lots of money - the 'regular' cameras will not have a good zoom.

BeershevaBubby

Wed, Oct 04 2006, 1:57 pm

drrivky wrote:

unless u want to spend lots of money - the 'regular' cameras will not have a good zoom.

Mine has great zoom.

it also has a large LCD screen and a feature than can switch you from an LCD screen to a view finder like on regular 35mm cameras.

Buddy

Wed, Oct 04 2006, 2:03 pm

Quote:

I also have the Sony Cybershot 7.2 megapixels.

Do your indoor pictures also have a reddish/orange tinge? where do u develop them? I find that some places do a better job than others...

BeershevaBubby

Wed, Oct 04 2006, 2:06 pm

Buddy wrote:

Quote:

I also have the Sony Cybershot 7.2 megapixels.

Do your indoor pictures also have a reddish/orange tinge? where do u develop them? I find that some places do a better job than others...

we're talking digital cameras, not film...

Reddish tinge probably means not enough light source.

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