If you were to buy a digital camera what would you buy and why? What features are important to you and why?

I bought a H/P 618 last year.
2 mega pixel, optical zoom/plus digital zoom (never use) prints great 8"x10" I wanted a little higher but at the time money was an issue! (cost apx. 380.00) I started a few years ago with a 1mp but only could get a good print at 4"x6".
The reason I chose H/P is..... I went to the google search site and did a lot of comparison checking and for the price this one stood out for what I need it for. Optical zoom was a must and the ability to buy additional lens add ons.
I also had an H/P before and never had one problem and haven't with this one all year.
There is a menu on this 618 to adjust everything as you would a normal 35mm. Although I still am much faster with settings with my 35mm!
This takes great close ups to lanscape. I have been very happy with this but will be trading up again as soon as I can for a camera with a higher pixel count.
I like the weight of this camera, some were so tiny, they felt like a toy. Personal choice! I like the heavy weight of my old 35mm Nikkor!

Sandra,

I have a Canon S-10, which was a Christmas gift two years ago. I am well satisfied with the quality, but there is no provision for lens interchangability. After using many cameras through the years (mostly instamatics through medium format SLR's, and 4 X 5 and 8 X 10 cameras on occasion), I was a little surprised at the quality this digital put out. There are a lot of options for the user, but there are no manual settings for shutter speed and f/stop. In other words I miss the control, but it performs better than expected. It is 2.1 megapixels, and no problems making decent 8 X 10's. It can probably be bought for around $300.00 now. It uses a compact flash card, which I think is a plus.

Jill,

Does the HP offer manual control? It sounds as though it does, but I'm probably misinterpreting your post (for that price).

Ed

I haven't shopped the latest models but I do like Epson products so I might turn to them first to see what options I could get.

What I would go for is the maximum amount of Mega Pixels because I would like to use it for scanning photos with matte finish grain as well as regular photos so I want to get a large enough file size. Next, I would get the best zoom capability. I bought one when digitals were relatively new to the market so I didn't get in on the Mega pixels and the zoom feature wasn't available in my price range. Neither was the camera for that matter. :D
DJ

Ed, You were right. There is a menu on the back lcd viewer to manually choose all settings. exposure, iso speed, white balance, focus, ae meter, image stamp, date/time, text, logo, file type (tiff,jpeg) sepia/black and white setting,time lapse.....all sorts of choices that I have yet to make use of for the most part. I almost always get a good shot just using the default settings...If I don't I just delete and set it to the right settings. I use it to do close ups of photos that I can't scan (glued on wood for one)and get a very good size file to work with. I would love to get one of the really high end camera's (besides the extra pixels, they look so cool! :)but out of reach...still this has everything I need. 3 mp would be nicer......oh yes, one neat feature is a recorder so you can add your voice to the picture file. Very cool, but rarely use. I think this same camera is now going for about 100 dollars less than last year!

A good site:
http://www.dpreview.com

A friend of mine has a sony dsc 505v, and she's very happy with it. What I like most about the dsc 505 and 707 is the Zeiss lens. I've seen some pretty good macro work with this camera.

However, if I had money, I'd go for the Nikon D1, which uses standard Nikon lenses (costs the price of a small house here in South Africa). I like the idea of being able to change the lens in different situations.

The Canon EOS range also has interchangeable lenses.

I have an Olympus 2020 zoom, and love it (my third Olympus digital).
I chose this camera because:
Good picture quality
Threaded lens (able to add filters, etc)
Manual or automatic settings (fstops, aperture, shutter speed, iso, etc, can all be manipulated)
Zoom (3 optical - don't even consider digital zoom)
Comes with a remote (great for low light shots & tripod)
You can attach an external flash unit.
Excellent macro capabilities
Accepts rechargble batteries
The camera is small and compact.

Although I know practically nothing about photography (fstops, etc.) I wanted a camera that had advanced features, just in case I ever do decide to learn how to use it.

Sanda,

I bought the Olympus 2100Z last year
Reasons
2 megapixel CCD which gives me enough resolution to make acceptable enlargements to 5"x7"
10x zoom Equivalent to 38 - 380 mm lens on 35 mm camera) - which is important to me for photographing wildlife.
through-the-lens viewing
offers manual setting as well as aperature or shutter priority or programmed shooting,
USB transfer of images to the computer (which now I don't use as I use a USB card reader and just pop the card out of the camera into the reader attached to my computer.)
received good reviews (dpreview.com and www.steves-digicams.com)
Price

I hope to someday get a Nikon (D--whatever it will be when I can afford it), :) so that I can use my current 35mm lenses with a digital.

I have an Olympus 3040z which has all the usual digital facilities. I only want a camera for snaps and this fits the bill. There’s a tremendous amount of customisation available within the camera but its difficult to configure via the rear screen when your out in the field. Big plus is it uses rechargeable AA batteries instead of expensive proprietary cells such as Fuji. There’s superb back up for the camera online as well. Dislikes ? not much, the supplied photo handling software is generally agreed to be rubbish but that’s not really important.

The camera has been superseded by the 4040 which has various slight improvements. Most of my snaps in the gallery have been taken using it on ‘auto’.

I bought a Fujifilm Finepix 1300 last year, because it was about the cheapest digital camera I could find! It's a real snappy-happy, it goes everywhere with me, I have taken HUNDREDS of photos with it and I love it to bits. But I wouldn't recommend it to anyone wanting to take "serious" (i.e. professional-quality) photos!

It depends on what you want to use the camera for, if only personal use I also would suggest Olympus or Sony cameras.
I have owned the Sony CD-1000.

If you are going to use it for prints or making your living get one of the Nikon D1 series.

I have the Nikon D1x and I would highly reccomend it to anyone that is serious about their photography.
Hope this helps....

best wishes,

Thanks for all the advice guys. I just bought a Nikon coolpix5000. It wasn't my first choice but I was able to get a great deal on it. Apparently this model had problems when released in the US but they tell me that the problem chip has been corrected now.
It seems preety good so far, but I've only had it 2 days and am still learing how to operate it. I've attached (I hope) one of my first pics taken with it. My dog Junior.

Thats an excellent picture Sandra. That camera seems very good in capturing the details. It's a picture worthy of framing. Well done. Wish I could take pics like that. Of course he's a good looking subject. Love those markings.
DJ

Personally, I want the new Canon 1D ..... now all I have to do is find me a "Sugar Mamma" to pony up the funds for it! I don't think I could convince my wife that this is a "necessary" item in life.

In realistic terms, I wouldn't mind having the Canon G2 or the Nikon 995. Still a pretty penny to be layed out for either of those!

Very nice definition in the white hair Sandra :). You should try one with a black cat/ dog for the opposite test to see how well it resolves black hair.

Adorable :) Such a sharp picture!

I've just read this thread because I am in the market for a digital camera right now. I see it is dating back to Feb last post so I decided to revive it. A lot changes in the digi camera world in 5 months. Many new cameras have or are just coming out.

It's such a tough decision. I am really seriously looking into the brand new Olympus C-720. It seems like an awful lot of camera for the price. It is only 3 megapixels however and there are some new 4 and 5 mp cameras available now for not much more. I am not sure how bad I need the extra resolution above 3mp but I do love the other features of this camera.

The optical zoom is quite important for me. I want a camera with option of manual settings as well as good auto.
WB is nice, RAW format is a must.
Anyone else out there shopping for a camera right now .. or just recently bought one?

Well, I made the same choice as Sandra. I chose Nikon Coolpix 5000. I am very happy with my choice. I have researched digital cameras for several months before I made this purchase. For me, I needed a camera that was multifunctional. I wanted to be able to add on to my camera. So, the Nikon Coolpix 5000 is all that and more for me. I can add additional lenses (macro is almost not necessary with how incredible the built in zoom is) but I'd like to be able to use a wide-angle or telephoto from time to time. I also want to be able to use additional flash. The last two digital cameras I owned had no hot shoe which I later discovered was absolutely necessary. Indoor lighting was always an issue with my past two camera's. Also, I found that the standard 2.2 mega pixel camera did a nice job when printed as a 4x6 but as I went above that, I began to notice pixelation. Clearly a 5 mega pixel camera does not have these issues. Now with my raving review - the are a few shortfalls... of course :)

1) It will take me a life to to figure out the manual settings
2) I have to buy and add on attachement for additional lenses (which is generally not a big deal but Nikon has them on backorder forever)
3) Cost - they aren't cheap
4) You need a huge compact Flash card
if you want high res images.

Albiet it's an awesome camera but not a beginner by any means.

Lisa

ravenmd,

I know what you are going thru. I been there and finally decided on the Fujipix 2600. Just like a kid in a candy store. Everything looks good but what do I choose?

I just picked up the fujipix 2600 zoom this week and I am really impressed with the results. It is a 2.0 mega pixel, 3x optical zoom The depth of field is great. A friend of mine e-mailed me a photo taken with this camera and I printed it out and was surprised at the sharpness and detail.

I really wanted the nikon 5000 but the price was and is still to deep. I also decided not to spend a lot of money, because like you said, look at 5 month ago how so much has change. I'm one of those people that buy $1000 equiptment and 6 months or one year later it is half the price.(Ouch)

Also, I read people replies at amazon.com who brought the camera. Like the people comments said, for the Price I can't complain.

Thanks for the input Lisa. I know you are very enthusiastic about your Coolpix and that made me think about that camera quite a bit. I definitely has some desireable features. Price is a bit more than I was planning to pay but I will go into a shop and have a really good look at one.
The two big attractive pluses on the Oly 720 is

a) price is $400 less than the CP500 (of course there are a few less goodies)
b) the 8x optical zoom which is a huge plus for me.

still..

Oh thanks for the tip Hydia. I will look into this camera. I think I'm getting a bit buggy here reading dpreview.com and Steve's digicams etc.

I keep changing my mind between a cheaper camera or just going for the one I REALLY want. I am also a bit of a techno-junkie. I want the latest and greatest but in the digital world that is a short-lived experience... alas I know whatever I buy something better will tempt me in 6 months so I am trying to decide what camera will make me really happy for a couple years.

I am NOT a photographer by any stretch, however, I know myself. If I get into something.. I get INTO it. If I buy a featureless camera I will be unhappy in no time with it. hehehehe.. what a dilema. :tongue:

Hi all!

I have a Nikon 995 and really like it. Great macro capabilities. Does need an external flash for serious work. I use a Lexar card reader and the photo transfer is a snap. As a photo lab manager I see more of our bussiness going this way. (myself included)

Bob

My, I'm gone for awhile and everyone's Avatar gets fancy. I feel so...out of it.


I'm glad that you're pleased with your purchase Sanda and it seems like you made an excellent choice.

I have always recommended that people buy a 1.3megpixel (w/ opitcal zoom if the price is right for about $100 or so) and see if it would be enough camera. Some people might then be able to see if they CAN justify a more costly camera and simply sell the cheap on to a family member. The low end cameras are of very good quality. I regularly travel around w/ my camera in the car around town and blatantly taking pictures of whatever i find interesting. Who knows? I might be able to sell a picture to a newspaper or something sometime?

<grin> I even use it to approach ladies and ask if they can donate their features to my database. (Business card required and no overt drooling to chase them off)


I usually buy them a drink for their trouble.

What can I say? I'm shameless.

Rick
The Lech.

Excerpt from dpreview website announcing possible new standard in digital cameras.
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0209/02092410olydak43inch.asp

"Current digital SLR cameras with interchangeable lenses are essentially based on conventional 35 mm camera systems. As a result, they must be equipped with image sensors that are comparable in size to 35 mm and APS film. However, because the imaging characteristics of these large CCDs are fundamentally different from those of film, a number of issues can prevent them from achieving their full performance potential. These include the following:
"... To achieve the resolutions required by the micron pitch of today's CCDs, the demands of optical design tend to result in the use of larger and heavier lenses.

Moreover, manufacturers of the digital SLR camera systems have until now adopted the mounting systems used in their own respective 35 mm film SLR cameras, making bodies and lenses produced by different manufacturers incompatible with one another.

In light of these circumstances, the new Four Thirds System standard was conceived to facilitate the design and development of digital SLR cameras and lenses that maximise the performance potential of digital imaging sensors, and provide users with product advantages such as compact size, handling ease, and enhanced functionality.

Benefits :)
The major benefit of Four Thirds System is that it will allow the design of dedicated, high-performance digital camera lens systems that are more compact than their 35 mm film SLR camera lens counterparts. The impact of the more compact lens size will be especially marked on telephoto lenses, making it possible to produce a Four Thirds System 300 mm telephoto lens, for example, that offers performance equivalent to a 600 mm lens on a 35 mm film SLR camera." (end of excerpt)

:( Sounds like an excellent idea, but there is a negative for those of us who have kept their film-camera lenses in anticipation of using them in the future on a high-end digital WHEN prices come down. If this standard is accepted by all, then future digital cameras will not accept present-day camera lenses.

prototype camera -- at Photokina show
(http://www.dpreview.com/news/0209/02092411olympus43show.asp)

Hi Sanda

Glad you found a camera that you like.. This is Liesel our friends dog..I thought Junior would like her..This was taken with a cannon g2 on programed Ae setting..I really like this camera..I'm sure you will like yours when you learn all of the capabilities..

Jerry

Jerry, what a cuuuuute lil doggy! And the picture is nice and sharp too, so your camera does a good job. I'm still waiting for more pixels at lower cost...maybe a few more years?

Phyllis

I am looking forward to Olympus' next offerings. Hopefully a 6-7 MP SLR at a sensible price for wedding work
Charles

Has anyone used Canon A40?
Does anyone hate their camera?
Read all these replies with great interest as I am shopping for my first digi camera. Actually it was my Xmas present from my hubby last year !! Currently all my work is from scanning for restoration/retouching.
It sounds like everyone is happy with their choice. I am dizzy from reading the details on dcresource.com etc. Every time I think I've made a decision another camera sounds good to me . Price is definitly a factor. I want at least 2mp and optical zoom. And possibly some manual control. Glad someone mentioned the hotshoe so I will be sure to include one.
I want to use a bright viewfinder as that is what I'm used to but I do wear glasses. Can anyone comment on viewfinders on various cameras.
Does everyone go over the using the LCD instead of viewfinder. If so how important is size to those of us sight deprived folks.?

My Olympus C-2100UZ (ultra zoom) is now discontinued, I believe, but has some features that you're interested in hearing about. It has a 10x optical zoom, and an electronic viewfinder that matches the view on the larger LCD. I'm sight deprived, but with the zoom to help me, I don't use my glasses to compose/focus my image. After I've taken a few shots, I can look at them on the large LCD (or viewfinder) and ZOOM in to see all parts of the images that I've taken -- to check for eye blinks, bad focus, poor lighting, background, etc., etc. IF the subject is something that hasn't already flown away or stopped doing what I wanted to capture in an image -- then this really helps me to re-take a better photo. :) It allows for an external flash, but ONLY an Olympus one -- someone's made digital flashes that are supposed to work on most or all of them, but I haven't tried them.

I've found the viewfinder quite bright, and the 2 megapixel quality is good for smaller images (4x6, 5x7).

If you haven't already checked out dpreview.com's camera reviews, I would do so. (I know, it's really hard looking through so much info about so many cameras -- there's so many that sound good! GOOD NEWS IS -- a LOT of them are good! You'll be happy with whatever one you get after checking out those features that are important to YOU... and then you'll want a new one in a couple of years that has NEW features! :D

dpreview -- digital camera reviews (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/olympusc2100uz/page2.asp)

Canon A-40 (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?cameras=canon_a40&method=sidebyside)

Another excellent website for reviews:
Steve's Digicam Reviews (http://www.steves-digicams.com/2002_reviews/a40.html)

My daughter recently asked me for a recommendation on a digital camera in the $350.00 range. After checking out a few different models, I thought the Nikon 880 seemed like a good choice since it accepts add-on lenses, it's a top name in the camera industry, Nikon is known for good quality lenses, and the 880 offers manual control (which many don't offer). I don't remember if it has a hot shoe or not. If I remember correctly, it's around 3.4 megapixels. I found the camera from around $330.00 up to $450.00 or so online. One thing I recommend, if you live in the U.S., is to make sure the vendor offers a U.S. warranty. The one I found at $330.00 offered a 4 month U.S. warranty, and a three year extension could be bought for an extra $39.00 (I think that was the price). This camera also had some other virtues that might be welcomed. If I were in the market to buy another camera, I would seriously consider this one. There are, however, many cameras available today that are worthwhile cameras, as had been mentioned. What price range are you looking at, and what do you hope to do with the images? Best of luck on your choice, and let us know what you wind up with.

Ed

I am going to check out the Oly C2100, Nikon 880 and several others that have been mentioned in this thread. I didn't realize I was stuck looking at the same few cameras over and over. Was surprised to see a HP 618 included in the raves.
I want it for general photography, especially the zoom.so I can photograph children and animals without being in their face.
I'd also like the camera to be somewhat small. Not Elph size.
My $$$ limit is about 350 as one has to buy accessories. Will let you know what I decide.
Finding a store where I can actually touch, feel and examine a camera is a challenge. Frequently the cameras have no battery, are tethered to a post, and no one to help or else they are too busy. So I leave !! Also I have yet to find one place to see all the ones I am interested in looking at.

Getting to see, handle, and look through the cameras is really important when you're not sure of what you want and need. The big discount stores don't often have knowledgble sales folks (although I find Circuit City to be good). Is there a pro camera store in your area? Stores that are frequented by the pros in your town/city also sell to the rest of us, and they have staff that are experienced and can help you learn about the differences of the cameras. They may NOT have the best price, so you may just go in to learn about the cameras and then buy online when you know what you want -- of course, this strategy is killing the small stores, but you can decide where to spend your money better AFTER you find out which camera(s) would best suit you at this time.

Good idea. I will look in YellowPages for stores geared for PROS
Thanks

The story continues. I bought a Canon A40. on sale with a 128MB flash card bonus. A very good deal. Camera is relatively easy to use. Downloading to PC is quick and easy. BUT I didn't like a lot of the photos. I finally took photos of my typical birthday, Xmas poses, using my hubbie as the model. I zoomed, didn't zoom, used manual controls. While none of photos had red eye, several had pixelation around the eyes. Like I spattered paint . Too erratic for me so today I returned it. Back to square one.
Maybe a nice SLR camera is what I want. Also, I'd like to be able to zoom more so I could capture a monarch butterfly.
Sigh.