I have been looking into buying a digital camera, but I have no idea what kind to buy, there are so many and frankly, I am not that smart when it comes to buying technology stuff, can you help me? Well, let us know what your looking for. I can say if your after point and shoot, light weight and high capacity, display size, battery choices, video, video with audio? Do you have a budget? What will you take pictures? Do you plan on saving them on the computer or printing them? Feel free to email me, I just spent 3 weeks shopping. I feel like I am qualified to sell them now. :)
Are you fixing to be a new parent or grand parent? is this personal or business. Maybe both? Do you have a video camera?
I would suggest off the top of my head the Nikon L4 or L3 or L2 series. If you want to move up in price, consider the Sony DSC-N1.
I chose the L3 and added a 4GB SD card.
Olympus makes a good camera, as well as Canon, Sony, Nikon. I would personally shoose to avoid Kodak. They are getting better. But for now, unless you want a bottom line starter camera you might want to look in another direction. Don't get me wrong, I love Kodak.
Love it. I'd start with something simple until you got used to using it and all of its functions. You should be able to take advantage of viewing and editing photos online and sending them to friends and family. I know a couple people who get digital cameras, take pictures, but then don't take advantage of viewing them on their own computer. They still pay someone to develop or print out their pictures.
You can get some pretty nice ones out there that are reasonable priced. I love FujiFilm. Comsumer Reports rates them well, too.
You may also want to find one that uses regular batteries (eg. AA) so they can be easily replaced. (I use rechargable AA)
Depending on how photo savvy you are may determine how many megapixels you want. I think 3 megapixels would be a good start, although you can get them much higher - good for making photos larger than 8x10.
Anyway, you can read the following from Consumer Reports...
HOW TO CHOOSE
The first step is to determine how you will use the camera most of the time. Consider these two questions:
How much flexibility to enlarge images do you need? If you mainly want to make 4x6 snapshots, a camera with a 3- or 4-megapixel resolution will be fine. Such a camera will also make an 8x10 print of an entire image without alteration that looks as sharp as one from a 6- or 8-megapixel model. But to enlarge the image more or enlarge only part of it, you'll want a 6- to 8-megapixel camera.
How much control do you want over exposure and composition? Cameras meant for automatic point-and-shoot photos, with a 3x-zoom lens, will serve snapshooters as well as dedicate hobbyists much of the time. The full-featured cameras in the 6- to 8-megapixel range offer capabilities that more-dedicated photographers will want to have. Two of the more important capabilities are a zoom range of 5x to 10x or more, which lets you bring distant outdoor subjects close and also lets you shoot candid portraits without getting right in your subject's face, and a full complement of manual controls that you determine the shutter speed and lens opening.
Once you've established the performance priorities that you need from a camera, you can narrow your choices further by considering these convenience factors:
Size and weight. The smallest, lightest models aren't necessarily inexpensive 3-megapixel cameras. And the biggest and heaviest aren't necessarily found at the high end. If possible, try cameras at the store before you buy. That way, you'll know which one fits you hand best and which can be securely gripped. In our tests, we have found that some of the smallest don't leave much room even for small fingers.
Battery type and life. All digital cameras can run on rechargeable batteries of one of two types: an expensive battery pack or a set of AA batteries. In our tests of the cameras, neither battery type had a clear performance advantage. The best-performing cameras offer upward of 300 shots on a charge, while the worst manage only about 50. We think it's more convenient to own a camera that accepts AA batteries. You can buy economical, rechargeable cells (plus a charger) and drop in a set of disposable lithium or alkaline batteries if the rechargeable run down in the middle of the day's shooting.
Camera speed. With point-and-shoot cameras like the ones we tested, you must wait after each shot as the camera processes the image. Most models let you shoot an image every few seconds, but a few make you wait 5 seconds or more. They may frustrate you when you're taking photos in sequence.
Your other cameras. If you're adding a camera to your lineup or trading up to a more versatile model, look first for one that's compatible with the other cameras. If it is, you can share memory cards and batteries. Designs within a camera brand line are often similar. So staying wit the brand you have lowers the learning curve on the new camera for family members who switch between cameras.
Price range: $200 to $400 for 3 megapixels; $250 to $400 for 4 and 5 megapixels; $300 to $1,000 for 6 to 8 megapixels.
See our latest Ratings of digital cameras and related information (available to subscribers). Take a look at the following websites. Tons of great information there, and they were very useful when i was researching my newest digital camera:
http://www.steves-digicams.com/default.h...
http://www.dcviews.com/ Just get the cheapest one you can find. For normal photography, any digital camera is good enough. It's only if you want to do fancy stuff like take shots at night or print them out you need a better camera. |
