Digital camera for stills...

[HappyHammer]

Guys,

I have finished my first woodwork project (letterbox) and it needs all the help it can get to look passable when I post it on to the board for critique. The wife has a couple of hundred dollars available from her tax return and I'd like to buy a digital camera, thought you guys would be able to help me out. I'd like something with a reasonable resolution and easily attachable to the 'puter....

HH.

[goat]

look for a camera with highest megapixal that you can afford optical zoom is better than digital zoom look on ebay to see what you can get. I resently got a 8 megapixal camera with3x optical and 4 x digital zoom for $130 came with software and usb cable

[silentC]

To be honest, I don't think you'll get much for a couple of hundred. I think you need to spend at least $600 to get something decent.

We got the previous model of this one a couple of years ago: http://www.sony.com.au/dis/catalog/product.jsp?categoryId=22119

Price has come down a bit. Very simple to use, runs through USB and appears on your PC as a removable disk. You can copy files to and from the memory stick too. Prints are pretty good. We upload them to a site on the web and they send us prints in the mail.

[silentC]

I think you need to spend at least $600 to get something decent.
Ummm, that is if you buy retail. I'm sure you can do better on eBay or second hand....

[Honest Gaza]

I too, think you will need to spend around $600 - $800, depending on specs.
Olympus MJU-400 is 4 Megapixels with 3 x Optical Zoom, whereas their C-770 model is 4 Megapixels with 10 x Optical zoom.

To equate this to SLR Terminology, 3 x Optical Zoom is equivalent to 105mm lens and 10 x Optical zoom is 300mm lens.

Advantage of the MJU-400 is it's small size....easy to fit in your pocket.

There are heaps of brands available....and I am sure they all work just fine.

[craigb]

This is a timely thread for me as I am also in the nmarket for a digie.

Isn't there a Cannon 3 mp for around $300 ?

In no way am I a photographer, it's just happy snaps for me so do I need all the bells and whistles?

[Honest Gaza]

Guys....whatever camera you pick, and whatever megapixels you choose....keep in mind your long term requirements. Even though it is simple to copy pictures across from your Camera to PC (via USB cable), there may be times that you are on holiday and nowhere near your PC. Therefore, you might want to think about buying an additional Memory Card...or at the least, upgrading to a larger size.

Make sure that the battery in the Camera is rechargeable, some models use standard batteries which means you will be replacing them forever.

3 megapixels is ok for viewing on the PC screen, but if you want to blow them up to A4 size for printing at home, 4 megapixels is better.

[BobR]

You are about to enter a whole new world if you purchase a digital camera. Whilst the sales info makes it sound straight forward, if your expectations are slightly high, then you are going to have to embrace a whole new terminology/technology. The first thing you are going to have to give some thought to is what you are going to use the camera for. If it is just "happy snaps", 6x4 in size, some computer displays, and colour accuracy does not have to be spot-on, and you intend to shoot in automatic mode, then just about any 4M pixel camera will meet your needs. You can print on most photo printers as low as 240 dpi ( another term for you) - 300 is better. A 5M pixel camera will capture an image of just over 6 x 8in at 300 dpi or 10 x 8 at 240 dpi (sorry about the imperial measurements - photography has not gone fully metric yet). Most family type photographs will print OK without any manipulation. Some cameras come with a basic manipulation software package. Can do things like crop. remove red eye, some colour correction, ect. Be careful if you connect the camera to the computer and access it like another disk drive. The memory cards are manufactured to provide a number of read/write actions during its life. For the average user this should quite adequate. However, if you leave it connected to the computer, then part of the computer's housekeeping is to access drives on a regular basis. This will use up the read/write access life of the memory card. Copy the images to the computer and then disconnect. Take the jump though. Digital is future of photography. Hope this is of some help - or just added to the confusion.

Bob

[vsquizz]

I use 2 dig cameras for work. I only purchase cameras which will take CompactFlash cards as these are reliable and cheaper than most (but not all). I think its the Sony stick that is very expensive.

Keep in mind I'm crawling around inside ballast and fuel tanks, bilges etc in all sorts of ships, taking photos under shocking conditions and invariably getting everything dirty/sweaty etc

I have a Canon Powershot A75 about $500.00 and a Canon A310 for $250 from K-Mart. The only real difference betwen the two is the A75 has optical zoom as well as digital. Both are 3 Megapixel which is heaps.

Most of the time I have the resolution cranked down so the images are easier to E-mail. SWMBO uses the highest res for scrap booking and an A5 print is excellent if you have a good printer. I have 256 and 64 Mb compact flash cards for work and a 64 and a 32 for home.

I think people get a bit carried away with the Megapixels.

The A75 packed up oneday probably as a result of my working conditions although I wasn't using it for work at the time. I sent it back to Canon and get it back 10 days later with the offending component renewed and the warranty date reset. Reasonable service I think.

I have also had a good run out of a Pentax Digital as well. Make sure you get a good case.

The Canon came with some very good software but you can download a version of ACDSee imaging for free.

Cheers

[bitingmidge]

I have always had "good" camera gear, and like Squizzy bought a 3Mp Canon Ixus for work a few years ago. I too think that people get carried away with megapixels.

People who would shoot with a conventional instamatic are now not happy unless they have 7Mp!!

If you have never printed an 8 x 10 in your life... 3 is just fine, buy the best one you can.

Having said that, I am struggling with what to replace my SLR gear with, and how I am going to cope with this "digital revolution".

I watch with interest, and happily click away with the old Ixus while I make up my mind!

Cheers,

P

[Dean]

Look for cameras with larger lenses, they can capture more light.
I don't think you can go wrong with Olympus or Nikon. Canon not too bad either. The quality of the lens makes a huge difference too.
I have a 4 yr old Olympus C-700 2MP which has given me good service and hasn't faulted once. They now have C-7xx series 4MP cameras with a few improvements at very good prices that might be worth looking at.

[Grunt]

Having said that, I am struggling with what to replace my SLR gear with, and how I am going to cope with this "digital revolution".


Have you had a look at www.dpreview.com.
I'm sort of leaning towards the Canon EOS 300D. It's under $2k. A real SLR.

[Dean]

>>I'm sort of leaning towards the Canon EOS 300D.

put some of the coins in the other pocket and straighten yourself up :D
I'd take one of those, if I had 2k spare :)

[bitingmidge]

Have you had a look at www.dpreview.com.
I'm sort of leaning towards the Canon EOS 300D. It's under $2k. A real SLR.
Hmmm yep! Every other night!

I am sort of leaning there too, but then I think about how much I will spend on another lens and I could have a Leica Digilux 2 with a ripper lens and electronics and not many magapixels (comparatively) - stunning. Or the Panasonic version of the same for a lot less.

One of my kids has just bought a Canon G5 (runout model) for under $1k and I am seriously wondering if I need more these days!

Probably wait till next year and get a 300 D mkII !!!

As no doubt you will have noticed from some shots taken, I have become a very lazy snap-happy photographer...trying for lowest resolution more than anything!! Just get the message across FAST...that's what work and the web have done to me. I think I 'll grow out of that phase though!

Cheers,

P :D

[Grunt]

BTW, I've been leaning for a long time. Not sure if I want one of these because it's a great toy or really need one. I've got a 4 year old Olympus 1.3mp camera which does the happy snaps pretty well.

[bitingmidge]

One of my other long-time leanings is for storage.

I have just about convinced myself that the $600 spend on an iPod will be the cheapest way of conveniently storing big gobs of photos on the next world trip... (Cliff could try this over the next month and report back!)

40gig of memory should hold all the music, and download as many photo's as one needs in a lifetime, all in the size of a cigarette packet.

Although I know others solve the problem by taking portable cd burners. It was all so easy when one would arrive home with thirty rolls of film and get them processed three a week to eak out the cost!

Cheers,

P

[craigb]

One of my other long-time leanings is for storage.

I have just about convinced myself that the $600 spend on an iPod will be the cheapest way of conveniently storing big gobs of photos on the next world trip... (Cliff could try this over the next month and report back!)

40gig of memory should hold all the music, and download as many photo's as one needs in a lifetime, all in the size of a cigarette packet.

Although I know others solve the problem by taking portable cd burners. It was all so easy when one would arrive home with thirty rolls of film and get them processed three a week to eak out the cost!

Cheers,

P

Midge,

Are the ipods really $600? I thought they were way cheaper than that.

Disclaimer: I don't know what I'm talking about :D

Craig

[vsquizz]

Midge,


Disclaimer: I don't know what I'm talking about :D

Craig
ROFLMAO Neither do I but love that one, can I use it for my signature

Midge, There are portable USB hard drives around cheaper than the Ipod.


Cheers

[bitingmidge]

Are the ipods really $600? I thought they were way cheaper than that.
They start at $399 for the 4g model, and go to $650 for the 40 gig version.

Since this is only a dream, I'll stick with the stuff on the top shelf!! (You never know when you'll want to store 20 million songs do you?)

:D :D :D

Don't wake me, 'cos I don't have the bucks for a pack of blank CD's this week! :D

Cheers,

P

[bitingmidge]

Midge, There are portable USB hard drives around cheaper than the Ipod.

Yep, but see above!! :D :D :D
I have to admit the thought of keeping the whole music collection in the car without needing to carry cd's is also appealing...at less cost than a decent CD stacker.

Cheers,

P

[Barry_White]

If you just want to post pictures on the forum you really don't need anything fancy.

I have the first digital camera that came out a Kodak DC20 which is about 8 years old and I don't even know what Megapixel it is but she aint much but the pictures I post are ok from the camera, so you probably wouldn't want any more than 2 megapixel.

But if you want reasonable photos to print out you wouldn't want to go below about 3.2 megapixel.

[jackiew]

got a 3Mega pixel canon from office works about a year ago. Just got back from a 2 week holiday in NZ - bought a 256 compact flash card in the duty free on the way over to supplement the 64 that came with the camera. I felt like I was being totally snap happy and still didn't fill it or need my spare batteries.

I've had some of the photos printed up and don't have any problem with the resolution. For happy snaps its more than adequate and at a price point where if it gets stolen or I drop it and smash it it isn't going to be the end of the world.

If you're buying new shop around - bought the same model on the same day as a friend and paid $100 less!!!