i need to know everything and what is the price of a good one 4.0 mega pixels are higher gets you great resolution even if you print out an enlarged photo. Also the optical/ digital zoom is important. With Optical zoom, the camera actually extends out to zoom in on an object. This is better than digital because the zoomed in picture comes out clear. 3X optical or more is good. Go to walmart, they have inexpensive cameras but find one with these qualities you should be fine Go to some review sites like mouthshut.com and select camera and check out for reviews given by users. You can buy a Kodak easy share for close to $200.00. You need at least 4.0 or higher megapixels. The higher the megapixels the better quality the pictures. Generally 3 or 4 megapixel camera should be more than enough for you unless you want to be in professional level. Usually small sized cameras are good because of portability and lightness. I would say spending about $200 - $400 range camera would be good for you. Ask yourself the following questions before you buy
1. how many megapixels do I need?
2. what kind of lens do I need?
3. what are my storage options?
4. what kind of battery is best?
5. what else can my digital camera do?
Snapshooter
I want to take photos that I can e-mail to friends and family, post on the Web, or print in sizes smaller than 8x10 inches. I'd like a digital camera that is easy enough for the whole family to use and small enough to take anywhere. I'll be printing on an inexpensive, all-purpose inkjet printer, though I'll consider buying a photo printer if I like the pictures enough.
THE SPECS THAT MATTER:
Resolution3 megapixels or greater
Price$150 to $500
Lens typeZoom (range encompassing at least 38mm to 114mm, 35mm equivalent)
Storage mediaInternal memory, CompactFlash, Memory Stick, xD-Picture Card, or Secure Digital/MultiMediaCard
Photo file formatJPEG
InterfacesUSB, NTSC/PAL television connection
Exposure controlsAutomatic, programmed scene modes, exposure compensation (for tweaking the automatic exposure)
Focus controlsAutomatic
Flash modesAutomatic, fill, red-eye reduction
SoftwarePhoto stitching, photo album, slide show
MultimediaVideo-clip recording with sound
Cool features to look forDirect-to-printer (PictBridge) output compatibility; in-camera red-eye removal
Budget buyer
I want to find a basic digicam that costs less than $200 that will let me post snapshots on the Web; e-mail them to friends; print them in small sizes (4x6 or smaller) on my inexpensive, multipurpose inkjet printer; and get me up and running quickly without requiring me to read the manual. I want a camera that will satisfy me for a few years.
THE SPECS THAT MATTER:
Resolution3 megapixels or greater
PriceLess than $200
Lens typeFixed (between 38mm and 55mm, 35mm equivalent) or zoom (range at least encompassing 38mm to 76mm, 35mm equivalent)
Storage mediaInternal memory, CompactFlash Type I, Memory Stick, xD-Picture Card, or Secure Digital/MultiMediaCard
Photo file formatJPEG
InterfacesUSB, NTSC/PAL television connection
Exposure controlsAutomatic, exposure compensation (for tweaking the automatic exposure)
Focus controlsAutofocus or fixed focus
Flash modesAutomatic, fill, red-eye reduction
SoftwareBasic photo editor
Cool features to look forWebcam capabilities, automatic scene modes, continuous-shooting mode, autofocus assist lamp
Q1-answer:
The short answer
For any images you plan to print or retouch, we recommend you stick to 3-megapixel resolution and higher; Web- and e-mail-only photos should be fine at resolutions below that. For prints 8x10 or larger, look for digicams with 4-megapixel resolution or higher.
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The long answerThe long answer
It depends upon what you're doing with the picture and how you're doing it.
Hint: If you're going to display or print pictures at smaller-than-actual-pixel size, resolution doesn't matter much--opt for the camera with the best color.
Q2-Answer:
There's a lot of variety in the world of digital-camera lenses, from tiny, built-in fixed-focal-length plastic lenses to big, glass, removable zoom lenses with special optical coatings. Each lens type influences the overall design and feature set of the camera that uses it. We've broken digital-camera lenses down into four broad categories so that you can determine which lens type is best for you.
Lens types: Fixed-focal-length lenses | Retractable zoom lenses |
Fixed zoom lenses | Interchangeable lenses
Fixed-focal-length lenses
These lenses offer no optical zoom. Look for autofocus instead of fixed focus, as well as selectable macro and landscape focus modes.
Best for: snapshooter, budget buyer
Advantages:
鈥?Allows compact or ultracompact camera designs.
鈥?Easy and quick camera operation.
鈥?Inexpensive.
鈥?Lenses usually offer relatively wide angle of view, which
is good for landscapes and group shots.
Disadvantages:
鈥?Can't zoom in close to faraway subjects.
鈥?Lens doesn't usually accept converters for different focal lengths or filters.
鈥?Usually lowest optical quality available.
Retractable zoom lenses
These zoom lenses retract into the camera body when the camera is off and extend when it's on.
Best for: snapshooter, budget buyer, undecided, trendsetter
Advantages:
鈥?Allows very compact, portable camera design.
鈥?Lens is usually protected by a built-in cover.
Disadvantages:
鈥?Generally doesn't support lens converters or filters.
鈥?Zoom range is often limited to 2X or 3X magnification.
鈥?Lens extension may increase camera start-up time.
鈥?Limited manual-focus controls through buttons or switches.
Fixed zoom lenses
These zoom lenses are fixed to the camera body and do not retract into it when the camera is turned off.
Best for: undecided, serious amateur, business user, trendsetter
Advantages:
鈥?Zoom ranges up to 12X magnification.
鈥?Lens is usually threaded to accept lens
converters (wide-angle, close-up, and so on), filters,
and even ring flash units.
鈥?Cameras typically offer advanced controls.
鈥?May offer more precise zoom and manual focus control via rings on the lens
instead of buttons.
Disadvantages:
鈥?Camera design bulkier than with retractable lens.
鈥?Camera controls may be more complicated than what casual snapshot
photographers want.
Interchangeable lenses
Digital SLRs use interchangeable lens systems, which means that you can detach the entire lens from the camera body and replace it with any other compatible lens. If you already own several lenses for a 35mm film camera, you might want to find out if there's a digital SLR body available that's compatible with them.
Best for: serious amateur
Advantages:
鈥?Deliver the best quality optics.
鈥?Provide the most flexibility to handle a variety of scenes.
鈥?Don't have to buy a new camera to upgrade quality of lens.
Disadvantages:
鈥?Expensive to implement and buy.
鈥?Lenses tend to be big and heavy.
鈥?Focal lengths generally differ for the same lens mounted on a film camera,
which can be confusing and cause vignetting.
Q3-Answer:
Digital cameras store pictures on some kind of removable media, though certain cameras ship with only internal memory and leave extra memory purchases to the consumer. Flash-memory cards--which come in various shapes, sizes, and capacities--are the most popular type of storage media. The number of pictures you can store on a memory card depends upon the compression settings you choose when saving the files, as well as on how an individual camera compresses. Higher compression allows you to fit more pictures on a card, although image quality will suffer somewhat.
Before you buy a camera, carefully consider the type of media that it takes, as you may own (or plan to buy) an MP3 player, PDA, or other device that takes the same kind of card. You can save a few bucks by thinking ahead.
Media types: CompactFlash Types I, II | Floppy disk | Hitachi Microdrive | Mini CD-R/RW |
SD/MMC | SmartMedia | Memory Stick/Select | Memory Stick Duo |
Memory Stick Pro | xD-Picture Card
CompactFlash Types I and II
0.13 by 1.6 by 1.4 inches
Pros: Comes in very large capacities; fast; competitively priced
Cons: Larger than other flash memory formats
Supporting manufacturers: Canon, Fujifilm, Konica Minolta, Nikon, Olympus, and Sigma; used mainly in digital SLRs
Floppy disk
0.13 by 3.5 by 3.6 inches
Pros: Works in older PCs; inexpensive
Cons: Using floppy disk and drive makes cameras relatively large and bulky; very little storage space
Supporting manufacturers: Sony
Hitachi Microdrive
0.2 by 1.7 by 1.4 inches
Pros: Large capacities; fast
Cons: Expensive; CompactFlash capacities are quickly catching up
Supporting manufacturers: Canon, Fujifilm, Konica Minolta, Nikon, Olympus, and Sigma; used mainly in digital SLRs
Mini CD-R and CD-RW
3.1-inch diameter
Pros: Readable by CD and DVD drives found on most current PCs; inexpensive; reasonably large capacities
Cons: Using 8cm discs and drive makes cameras relatively large and bulky
Supporting manufacturers: Sony
Secure Digital/MultiMediaCard (SD/MMC)
0.06 by 0.9 by 1.3 inches
Pros: Very popular across consumer electronics devices; small; fast; wide range of capacities; competitively priced; small size permits compact devices
Cons: Not compatible with old MMC slots
Supporting manufacturers: Canon, Casio, Concord, Contax, DXG, Epson, HP, Kodak, Konica Minolta, Kyocera, Leica, Nikon, Panasonic, Pentax, Samsung, and Toshiba
SmartMedia
0.003 by 1.5 by 1.8 inches
Pros: None
Cons: Old format replaced by xD-Picture Cards; slow; limited capacities
Supporting manufacturers: Older models from Fujifilm, Olympus, and Samsung
Memory Stick; Memory Stick Select
0.06 by 0.8 by 2.9 inches
Pros: Compatible with all Sony consumer electronics devices; growing popularity
Cons: Limited to a maximum capacity of 256MB; not widely supported by camera manufacturers other than Sony; Memory Stick Select is awkwardly designed
Supporting manufacturers: Sony
Memory Stick Duo; Memory Stick Duo Pro
Memory Stick Duo; Memory Stick Duo Pro
0.8 by 1.2 by 0.1 inches
Pros: Tiny format means tinier devices
Cons: Requires bundled adapter for use in Memory Stick slots
Supporting manufacturers: Samsung, Sony
Memory Stick Pro
0.06 by 0.8 by 2.9 inches
Pros: Large capacities
Cons: Not compatible with most devices from circa 2002 and earlier; unsupported by camera manufacturers other than Sony
Supporting manufacturers: Sony
D-Picture Card
0.06 by 0.9 by 0.8 inches
Pros: Smallest format means smaller devices
Cons: Relatively new and still proprietary format; possibly too small; hasn't yet ramped up to the capacities of SD, CompactFlash, or Memory Stick
Supporting manufacturers: Fujifilm, Olympus
I recommend cameras from Canon. A 5-megapixel camera would cost roughly 180. i look for the price expensive is good cheap is bad |
