I have finally decided to buy myself a digital camera. I don't really take a lot of pictures - primarily b/c I hate carrying around a camera and I can't stand waiting for pictures to develop. For a variety of reasons, I have decided I want to get a digital camera, but I'm struggling to figure out where to really begin. Help me understand what I should be looking for. How much should I care about the difference between these details: Image Resolution Lens Zoom Brand (Canon vs Sony vs Nikon, etc) Other? I'm not going to be taking tons and tons of photos, but I'd like to be able to get a relatively small (but decent) camera. Any advice?
Yep. Optical zoom is a zoom that is accomplished with lenses and physical components. It is the only type of zoom that does not distort the image. Digital zoom lets the camera attempt to infer what should be in the picture at certain magnification. It tends to distort the image by pixellating it (creating boxy structures within the picture). Megapixels describes the image density. The more pixels the camera can store, the sharper the image is going to be. If you are going to print your pics, I would suggest a camera with no less than 3 megapixels. Brand is secondary, just get any name brand (Sony, Olympus, Canon, Nikon, etc.) rather than some off brand. Personally, I have a Nikon Coolpix 5700 with 5 megapixels and a 3X optical zoom.
For average pic takers like me, the best thing about digital is that you can touch up the photos after the shot. I was tired of getting back poor to average photos on pics I will never get the chance to take again. Be sure and get the highest OPTICAL zoom you can afford. This allows you to get in close without giving up resolution. Resolution is important if you want to create 8x10 or larger photos. It's also important if you didn't get a high enough optical zoom and you zoom in via digital means (software or camera) without getting too grainy. All 3 of those brands are good. Canon is my choice for digital. I have found that digital processing takes more time and money than just dropping your film off and picking it up, but it's worth it to me.
I'm getting a digital camera pretty soon, the one I like is a Kodak EasyShare CX6200. It has 2.1 MP and 30 second video with audio recorder.
Taken with my Canon A70. Cost me 300 bucks with a 128 MB Compact Flash card. www.newegg.com That's pic was reduced from 2000x1600 or so. I forget the exact resolution. It's an awesome camera though.
If you hate carrying around a camera, I would think camera size would be important. There are many super small digital cameras out there that also take great shots. Examples: Canon SD110, Pentax S4 (my camera), etc.
www.dpreview.com is the place to go for ratings, reviews, and discussions. It's really a good website for digital shutterbugs. I spent quite a bit of time at that site before I took the plunge, but I was going the digital SLR route so I needed to be as educated as possible. For a point and shoot, I really like the looks of the new Canon S1 IS. At over $400, its kind of pricey for a 3.2 Megapixel camera, but it has a 10X optical zoom and image stabilizer--neither of those things are cheap. With its larger aperature (f/2.8) and the IS, this camera would be incredible for low light (like indoors) applications. There are also optical teleconverters available that extend the focal length out to 608 mm, so this camera would also be great for close up shots at sporting events. For all you get, I even like the price. The only drawback I see is that it's only 3.2 megapixals. If all you want to print from your camera is 8X10's or smaller, you'll never need more than 3.2 MP's, but a discerning eye will be able to notice some softness once you get up to around 13X19. If you want to print poster size pics, you'll definitely need better resolution.
I agree, go for the Optical Zoom. I cheaped out and went for a digital zoom on my Olympus Camera D-380, back in 2002 and wish I spent the extra 50 or so dollars on one. As for megapixels, you probably will not need more than 3MP. 2MP is enough for me and I hate the hassel to downsizing the pics to put up on websites. For digicam reviews i would go to Steve's Digicams, great place for reviews. http://www.steves-digicams.com Check out Ebay for some good deals, I am watching a few right now, and get pretty decent 2MP with 2-3x Zoom for about $100-120 shipped.
Oh yeah, the view from your seat in Minute Maid Park is great Miguel, I love how the skyline shows in the background, it's great.
Canon is my camera of choice. I have a Powershot S50. Not too big or bulky. It fits in my pocket. It has 5 megapixal 3x optical zoom 13 shooting modes including continus shooting plus it takes 3 minute movies with sound.
Wait until they put these in cameras: Or get the new Sony Cybershot. (Gutter Snipe describes it below \/)
I currently have a 3.2MP camera... It's fine for pics, but my next camera is definately going to be 5MP+. I have seen alot of 5MP+ photos and the quality is so much sharper and better. I would definately not get anything less than 3.2 MP Digital Zoom is not all that. I have a 10X digi zoom and my pictures turn out like crap when I use it. I have 3X optical zoom that works fine. http://www.cnet.com (go to the shopper section) and http://www.epinions.com these websites have great user feedback on items. Good luck!
I just spent $600 on a digital camera and a memory stick. I was debating between maximum zoom and minimum size. I decided to go for minimum size and picked up the Sony DSC-T1. It is barely bigger than a credit card and is less than an inch thick. 5 megapixels, 3x optical zoom, and with the 256 meg pro duo memory stick I have, it can take 3 minutes of 640x480 video. It also has a HUGE viewscreen @ 2.5 inches. I also liked the Panasonic FZ10K, which has a 12x optical zoom and image stabilization and a similar movie mode, but I decided that I would use a camera that can fit into any pocket much more than something that I would have to lug around. Anyway, if $600 is in your budget range, that's what I would go for. Otherwise, I'd go for one of the small Canons - maybe the 3 megapixel 3x zoom one. I would think that 3x optical zoom would be much better than 2x - worth the extra money. http://www.compuplus.com/insidepage.php3?sid=uj6mb79u81c14vp&id=1001957 For whatever reason, most online camera shops are in New York - I recommend Comp-u-plus because they didn't try to screw me around on shipping like the others. They offered Fedex 2-day for $17, when all the other places wanted to charge $22+ for 7-10 business days. One other caution - be very careful shopping for accessories at some of these places - that's where they really try to make money off of you.
For me, another factor is the memory type. I already own a couple SD cards due to an MP3 player and palm pilot. Now I can take shots w/ my camera and slide the SD card into my Palm and view the pictures. I've got four SD cards that I can interchange between several devices on the fly. Thats really nice. And saves money.
My recommendation is AGAINST Sonys. I bought the P31 a year and a half ago, and now it's pretty much a paperweight. The picture quality was below average, especially in low light, the digital zoom was terrible, it was difficult to change options, etc. Now, I power it up and sometimes I can take a few pictures, but it consistently just powers itself off -- the LCD screen scrambles, then the power dies. I've tried almost everything outside of taking the POS apart to get it working consistently again. <a href="http://www.powershot.com/powershot2/s1is/index.html">I like this one a lot</a>, but it's only 3.2 MP.
My recomendation is not to get Kodak or HP... Sony's are fine, Canon and Olympus are my fav's but the T1 is by far my favourite camera right now....
