I want one with a decent resolution that can take videos but doesn't need alot of other bells and whistles.
What is a good quality affordable one (maybe 200-ish or less) what would be the best to buy? Look for a camera with a 1) minimum 5 megapixels (mp), this is very good for most users. 2) 4x optical zoom is good, don't worry too much about digital zoom. 3) Best to stick with regular (or rechargeable) AA batteries. Lithium battery are good, but not easy to find if you're on vacation and need batteries at a convienence store or can recharge quickly. 4) I see that many digital cameras are doing away with the optical viewfinder (the old fashioned way of looking through the viewfinder to take a picture), and strickly having just the LCD screen to compose a shot to take. I, personally still like the optical viewfinder to really focus on a particular subject, or use on a really sunny day where it's hard to see your subject(s) on the screen, or just to save battery power on my camera. These are just a few things to consider for your first camera. Here's what I have...
I LOVE my Canon PowerShot A620. It's a 7.1 mp camera which takes awesome still shots, and just as awesome video. Great for home and everyday use. Easy to take on vacations and you can take some really artistic/creative photos too. A great all-around camera. My 35mm cameras are Canon too, and I still love and use it. .
I had a Sony, and I gave that to my daughter, and purchased the Canon PowerShot A610 for my teenage son. The Canon A610 is exactly like my A620, but is a 5 mp digital camera. They both take GREAT pictures, but my favorite thing about the camera, is the vari-angle LCD screen. You can even hook it up to your tv and see your pictures/video on whatever size screen you have. It's pretty neat on the big screens! (The necessary cords come with it). It is very easy to use, and a camera you can grow with. http://www.usa.canon.com
Go to 'products' to 'consumer products' to lead you to the cameras.
Our A610/A620 has a setting, call "kids&pets". Typically you use these on the subjects that usually has a hard time keeping still. But I also use this setting when taking pictures of my soccer team during game play. I've also taken pictures of my kids, nieces and nephews jumping in the air, a la cheerleader jumps, with great results. Lag time is very, very, very minimal. (e.g. delay from pressing button to actual camera capturing the shot). This is just one of the many settings the camera has to offer and you can also manually set and program your own settings.
For ease of point and shoot, just choose the setting in which you're taking pictures of, (i.e. indoor, outdoor, nighttime, portrait, fireworks, snow, beach, and 'auto' [automatic]), and it'll adjust accordingly the proper exposure/settings. And it even has an 'underwater' mode to use, but that's if you purchase the special housing for the camera. (I don't have the housing. I'll wait to save up or find it for very inexpensive). If you get more experience or for the experienced, you can manually choose exposure and settings like the old 35 mm.
I'm a bargain hunter. I purchased both NEW Canon this late spring 2006 on line. My son's was under $200 and mine was $204. Just Google (or Froogle) or Yahoo! Search any Canon model, and then see which merchant has the best price with those low price websites and order on-line. The price is waaaay better than going physically to the stores. If you need it right away, just upgrade the shipping. It's still cheaper than buying at the stores. No matter what model camera you're searching for, better prices are on-line.
I don't know if you'll find this model (A610) at the stores. They have newer models, the A630 (8mp) and the A640 (10mp), they boast more mega-pixels and ISO settings. But 5mp, more than suffices for most users. What I did was physically touched and feel the camera at the store, then go on-line to purchase. But if you prefer to purchase at the stores, some good places are Best Buy, Wal Mart and Target. Suprisingly enough, they have good selection at Wal-Mart and Target.
Here is the link if you'd like to check out the specs on these models and other Canon cameras: http://www.usa.canon.com
and go to 'products' to 'consumer products' to lead you to the cameras. It tells you what the camera has and what it looks like up close.
While you're searching on-line, you'll also find many reviews on these cameras. All with many positives things to say about the camer and you can also find information on these cameras in Yahoo! Tech http://tech.yahoo.com/rc/digital-cameras...
Hope this helps in your hunt for a digital camera! I use a nikon coolpix 5700 when it 1st came out it was a $900 cam u can now get them for under $200 takes great quality pics... if you would like to see some examples of pics i took
http://www.flickr.com/photos/matty1378
all the pics were taken wit the nikon except the army ones I've had a Sony and a Canon and the Cannon was much easier to use and took better pictures. i recently got a Kodak EasyShare V603, and not only is it very stylish, around the price of 230$ (just a little over) but the quality is GREAT!!! i can take videos with it too. there is a awsome 8x zoom, and it has 6.1 megapixels. i bought it from Kodac Online, and it even came with a 1 GB memoery card. and another bonus about it is, you never have to worry about buying so many batteries bc it comes with a custom battery and it rechargeable too. plus it holds the charge for a long time. oh, and its very durable, which is very good because i am VERY clumsy! it may be a few extra bucks, but i have NEVER had a better camera in my life.
if you want anymore info on this camera, do not hesitate to ask! I LOVE THIS CAMERA!!!
(i feel like a salesperson. haha, sales person at 14yr of age. ) Have a look at some of the better Canon models available.
They take great quality photos & movies.
Canon's SD models are very popular. They are the perfect little ultra compact & stylish camera. SD600 or SD700 IS should be in your price range. They are mostly made of metal, so look and feel solidly built...are easy to use, and come supplied with a rechargeable Lithium battery and charger.
You will need to buy a fast SD memory card (1GB recommended). You can get a new digital camera from http://urlx.org/directtrack.com/b327d and all you have to do is enter in your zip code to see if they mail it to your area. My uncle got his camera from that site and it arrived at his house a few weeks later. You can choose between three different cameras and they are all free of charge. |
