Which digital camera should I invest in?

[Preachers Sheets]

We used a one megapixel unit in work, it`s awesome, pictures are amazing but I know I am going to want more (not 5 megapixel`s but more than 1).



Should I go with 2 or 3 (3 seems to be VERY VERY, as good as regular film) and what brand should I buy? I`m not looking for all the toys to go with the camera, I rather save some money and just get the camera with the basic setup.



What do you guys recommend?

[Jngrbrdman]

I can only recommend the Canon A40 because its the only camera I`ve owned. Well, I guess I owned the A20 too, but the A40 is better anyway. You can usually find it for $250 or less. It has a 3X optical zoom and a 4X digital zoom on top of that. An optical zoom is very important because that is actually zooming. A digital zoom is just enlarging the pixels and you loose resolution really fast.



It has interchangable lenses so you can get more zoom if you want or even a wide angle lens.



It has a waterproof case available in case you want to take it snorkling or something like that. I`ll never need it, but its nice to know the options.



It uses compact flash cards. The 8MB card it comes with is good for 30 or 40 good resolution normal sized pictures. I`d invest in a 128 MB card when you get the chance though.



The A40 also takes video with sound. You can take about 45 seconds on the 8MB card. Its not meant to replace a real camcorder, but it is a nice feature that I use all the time.



The other features like photoediting from the camera, lighting effects, ability to change the camera settings like f-stops and so on are just really great. Its a 2 MP camera that I think is well worth the money. You can get a better camera if you want to get a 3 or 4 MP, but a 2MP works for me. Most of the pictures I post come from that camera. I`ve never wished that I had a better one. Its always been plenty of camera for me.

[Preachers Sheets]

Hey there man, thanks a bunch for the info, I am locating that model for 210.00. I am going to see the price gap from 2 mp to 3 mp. If it`s alot and your saying 2 mp is awesome than I will pick that.



210.... thats nice. I was thinking on an Olympus model but they are pricey compared to other models with the same res.



Thanks again for your help man.



*** Update ***



The 3 MP Canon camera is 372.00 shipped... OUCH!

[Jngrbrdman]

Not a problem. :xyxthumbs Hey, one other thing you need to get for that camera is a good set of batteries. It takes AA size batteries and it will eat through them like candy. I got some rechargable Energizer batteries from Target. They are silver and green. I don`t remember much more about them than that. All I know is that I can take a couple hundred pictures before they go dead. Awesome little things. I`ll try and find a link I can point you to. I think these batteries are good no matter which camera you get. As long as its one that uses AA.

[Preachers Sheets]

What would you guys pick for a 3 Megapixel camera here:



http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_attrib.php/page_id=48/popup1%255B%255D=40:975/popup1_attr_id%255B%255D=975/popup3_attr_id%255B%255D=974/popup5_attr_id%255B%255D=140/sortby=priceA/ut=402dad426c3cefbc



OR, would you rather get a really high quality 2 megapixel camera?



Jngrbrdman, hopefully you can chime in as well.

[Jngrbrdman]

That is quite a list. Just to give you an idea of what I was looking for in a camera...



1. AA batteries. I wanted to be able to get new batteries if the need should arise. I didn`t want some internal battery or something else that would be hard to charge or replace while on vacation.



2. Compact Flash card memory. Those suckers are great. They can be found anywhere and range from the included 8MB for most cameras to 256 MB. There are these nifty little readers that will pull the pictures off the card and onto your PC without having to connect the camera to do so. That saves on battery life too. CF cards are inexpensive too. That is a big plus.



3. Optical Zoom. I didn`t want a camera that had only a digital zoom. It doesn`t matter what your MP resolution is when it is all digital zoom. You gotta have the optical part to actually take advantage of it. The A40 has the 3X optical first and then the digital beyond that. I really liked that. I love how it has the different lenses you can get for it. You can get a telephoto lens and a wide angle lens with caps and cases for the A40 off ebay for about a hundred bucks together. That is next on my list.



4. LCD screen size. Gotta have a decent sized on. Not too small because then it would be pointless.



5. User friendly. I didn`t want to have to take a 5 week course in photography to learn how to use it. I knew my A20 was easy to use and so I trusted that the A40 would be easy. They made some huge improvements to it. It is way easy. Right down to the 3 boxes on the LCD screen that tell you where the center of focus is going to be.



Basicly what I would suggest is that you make a list of what you want the camera to do and then go shopping for that. If you find out that the camera that has all the features you want costs more than you want to pay then start making compromises. You may want a 5 MP but you are willing to settle for a 2 or 3 MP based on prices. You are already working your list. :)



Edit: I`d get that Fuji camera too if I had the 500 bucks (http://www.mysimon.com/isrch/index.jhtml?c=digitalcamera&InputModel=FinePix+S602+&pgid=shop&InputManufacturer=Fuji&InputKeyword=&InputPriceMin=&InputPriceMax=&_ttag=isrch&InputMegapixel=&v=2&pg=1&key=UC_20030224_080547_0530886918) to spend on it.

[Preachers Sheets]

3 megapixel Camedia D-550

295.00 shipped



http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=587083/prsrt=1/ut=402dad426c3cefbc



2 megapixels Canon A40

230.00 shipped



http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=563043/ut=402dad426c3cefbc



3 megapixel Fuji A303

260.00 shipped



http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_getprod.php/masterid=610946/prsrt=1/ut=402dad426c3cefbc

[Preachers Sheets]

Originally posted by Jngrbrdman

That is quite a list. Just to give you an idea of what I was looking for in a camera...



1. AA batteries. I wanted to be able to get new batteries if the need should arise. I didn`t want some internal battery or something else that would be hard to charge or replace while on vacation.



2. Compact Flash card memory. Those suckers are great. They can be found anywhere and range from the included 8MB for most cameras to 256 MB. There are these nifty little readers that will pull the pictures off the card and onto your PC without having to connect the camera to do so. That saves on battery life too. CF cards are inexpensive too. That is a big plus.



3. Optical Zoom. I didn`t want a camera that had only a digital zoom. It doesn`t matter what your MP resolution is when it is all digital zoom. You gotta have the optical part to actually take advantage of it. The A40 has the 3X optical first and then the digital beyond that. I really liked that. I love how it has the different lenses you can get for it. You can get a telephoto lens and a wide angle lens with caps and cases for the A40 off ebay for about a hundred bucks together. That is next on my list.



4. LCD screen size. Gotta have a decent sized on. Not too small because then it would be pointless.



5. User friendly. I didn`t want to have to take a 5 week course in photography to learn how to use it. I knew my A20 was easy to use and so I trusted that the A40 would be easy. They made some huge improvements to it. It is way easy. Right down to the 3 boxes on the LCD screen that tell you where the center of focus is going to be.



Basicly what I would suggest is that you make a list of what you want the camera to do and then go shopping for that. If you find out that the camera that has all the features you want costs more than you want to pay then start making compromises. You may want a 5 MP but you are willing to settle for a 2 or 3 MP based on prices. You are already working your list. :)



Edit: I`d get that Fuji camera too if I had the 500 bucks (http://www.mysimon.com/isrch/index.jhtml?c=digitalcamera&InputModel=FinePix+S602+&pgid=shop&InputManufacturer=Fuji&InputKeyword=&InputPriceMin=&InputPriceMax=&_ttag=isrch&InputMegapixel=&v=2&pg=1&key=UC_20030224_080547_0530886918) to spend on it.



I am trying to find something with AA`s, I forgot to look in the 3 links I just posted, GRRRR



I am trying to put aside a few bucks so I can get a 128 meg stick at least.



Now I understand the zoom, I`d like to get 3x at least.



I can`t view all of the cameras, some of them allow you to rotate them to see how they look. I just thought they all came with a nice screen, I`m going to look into what I have posted.



I posted those links because my mind is racing too fast about this stuff, sloooooow down Joe, breath, breath.

[Jngrbrdman]

That camedia one is actually not a bad looking camera. It definitely has an edge on the A40 in a few areas. Not bad at all... I`d do some research on what kind of memory sticks they use. I`ve seen the type that Camedia one uses. I can`t remember what they cost though.

[Preachers Sheets]

Thanks man, I`ll be all over this thread like bums on crack.

[Preachers Sheets]

One guy complained about the Camedia saying it was too heavy, give me a break will ya.



There is also a shutter delay, you press the button then a slight pause then the pic is taken, thats normal right? Once the flash goes off the picture is taken right? I don`t think the flash would go off then you would need to wait .5 of a second for the image to be taken, that doesnt sound right. So I can take the picture, once the flash goes off I can put the camera down as I am done with it right or do I want to wait for that sound of the picture processing?



Doesn`t state the lcd screen size of the Camedia.... :(

[Jngrbrdman]

There is a delay in most digital cameras from when you press the button to when the shutter actually opens. It is the time it takes for it to focus. The flash and the shutter are simultaneous.



Heavy could be an issue if you carry it around a lot. Mine is just right. I don`t know the weight of it though. I think we get really caught up in weight. When I was working for Sprint PCS I would hear customers complain because their phone A was 2 ounces heavier than phone B. 2 freaking ounces!! Even if you could feel that I doubt it would be enough to whine about. If there is 3 pounds difference then I would look around but I wouldn`t complain over a couple lousy ounces.



Have you checked on eBay for cameras? You may not want to buy a used one but there are a lot of dealers who sell brand new stuff all over eBay. Ebay serves several purposes for me. It lets me know kind of what the market value is on a product and it also sometimes gives more detailed information about the products. You might be able to find the LCD size there. :nixweiss

[Preachers Sheets]

220.00 shipped for a factory re-furb with the toys:



http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2913600230&category=30003



It`s used though........... :nixweiss

[Jngrbrdman]

avoid used. Used means that you have no recourse if it is broken. The warranty might be void even. Get it new unless you are buying it from a friend.

[paco]

For a 2MP

Either the Fugi 2600/2650 (50 having the newest and not necessarily the best memory chip).

Canon A40

Canon S200/S300



For a 3MP

Kodiak 4330

Canon S230/S330



Personally, I shoot for the 3MP. However, the 2600 is a great bargain. Only thing is that it doesn`t do sound. If that important for you, then definitely go with a Canon.



For the 3MP, both do sound so it`s not an issue.



Paco