What should I look for in a digital camera?

Planterz

Planterz

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Sorry if this gets asked a lot...I searched for related threads but didn't quite find what I was looking for.

I know next to nothing about digital cameras. All I know is that my dad's Fujifilm one sucks.

Mostly, I'm going to be using the camera for knife and other close-up pictures. Surely other stuff as well, but since it's mostly for home use, it doesn't need to be small. Smaller would be nice of course, but not a priority.

There seems to be a trade-off at certain price points between optical zoom and megapixel size. For example, bestbuy has the Nikon 7600 with 3x optical zoom and 7.1MP for $350, or the Nikon 4800 with 8.3x optical zoom, but "only" 4.0MP, also for $350. For closeups, which is more important, optical zoom or the amount of pixels? I'm assuming the additional zoom would be better, since even at "only" 4MP my pictures will be gargantuan and need resizing and downgrading to be easily posted on the web. Thus, I'm leaning towards the 4800.

Is this the better choice? What other brands/models should I look at? I'm not really sure what other features I'd need, but I'd like to keep the price at $350 or less. Video capability would be nice. As would a remote firing(?) device so I don't have to push the button on the camera (which shakes the tripod)--do digital cameras even have these? And of course tripod mountable.

Thanks.
 
Don't get hung up on the 'pixel wars' You should have 4 MP but beyond that you don't need.They state optical and digital zoom , but ignore the digital zoom it doesn't mean much.Ability to do close ups near 1:1 may be desired to photo details.There are lots of choices out there but for $350 you can get good value. You can get deals on last years models but you get an obsolete model. There may be very significant improvements from yesr to year. Then it's just a matter of learning to take good photos!!
 
i agree....dont get caught up in the MP race. great optics is what makes great pics. try dpreview.com for good reviews.

i own a konica minolta, but i bought it for very specific features. if you know next to nothing about digicams....buy a 4mp Canon. they just dont make any models that are turkeys :)

for closeup, zoom is not as important as Macro capability.

again.... look at dpreview for macro feature review of a particular brand
 
One thing to look for if you're going to be taking close-ups of objects is a "macro" feature. This is for extremely-close-in picture taking.

I'm very happy with my 200.00 Canon A75. Has everything from point-and-shoot to full manual, with all the typical Canon features.

The 3.2 megapixel capacity is fine for 90% of all uses, and set to a "medium" density level results in photos of excellent quality for posting on websites and such.

Two useful things for almost any digital; more memory (in the form of flash memory cards) and rechargeable NIMH batteries. Digitals suck alkalines dry muy pronto.
 
First, take a look at this:
http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/mpmyth.htm

Also, about camera choice, as a rule of thumb, camera manufacturers (Nikon, Canon, Olympus etc) know more about cameras than computer and peripheral manufacturers.

I would say that a Nikon Coolpix 4Mp would be great value for money for what you want to do, or maybe the Canon A series.

Another point is batteries: if you choose one that takes AA batteries, you will have a wide choice of off-the-shelf rechargeable batteries (and you can use alkaline AAs in an emergency).
If you choose a camera with a dedicated battery, then you will have to pay a lot for a spare one, and it might be more difficult to find.
 
Check out the size of the little monitor on the back of the camera. With my failing eyesight I can't make out anything on the small (around 1.25" screens) but I can see the big ones fine.
 
The more pixels you have, the better the resolution. You can never go wrong with getting as much pixels as you can afford. Unless you shoot alot of long distance pictures 3x optical zoom is fine.
 
Planterz, check out Consumer Reports and go visit COSTCO to handle a few. I don't like the real small cameras myself. Kevin
 
I agree. I've handled a bunch of those teeny-little high-end cameras and they just feel wierd. Handy to carry around, for sure, but everything is small, including the controls.
The A75 feels about right to me; at least I don't stick a finger in front of the lens!
 
Planterz said:
I know next to nothing about digital cameras. All I know is that my dad's Fujifilm one sucks.
Click to expand...

2005_0531Paxton_Pits_310520050031.jpg


Fuji FinePix S7000, super macro mode. (The damselfly is rendered about 3 to 4 times life size).

frontview-001.jpg


Detail Rating (out of 10)
Construction 8.5
Features 7.5
Image quality 8
Lens / CCD combination 8
Ease of use 8
Value for money 8.5

Recommended

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilms7000/page16.asp

maximus otter
 
OK, I did some reasearching (a lot on that website you posted Max, thanks) and I'm fairly set on the Kodak Z740. 10X optical zoom, 5.0 megapixals, long video capability, looks good to me. Plus Bestbuy has them on sale (along with a $50 rebate for that Epsom printer I've been eyeballing).

One question: WTF is a CR3V battery? I looked it up, and they're like $10 a pop! And I thought CR123As were expensive. Are there rechargable ones available? I assume I'll be able to find out when I'm actually at the store, but I can't find diddly on the website.
 
planterz: I know that my camera will accept either two cr3v batteries or four AA. I just bought some expensive NiMH2300mah rechargeables and use those. Generally I can take around 400 shots before recharging. Unless I'm using the flash alot of course.

Anyways, I think that most if not all cameras that run on the cr3v batteries have this capability. I would look into it if I were you though, I only know about half of what I am talking about! :)
 
roughedges said:
planterz: I know that my camera will accept either two cr3v batteries or four AA. I just bought some expensive NiMH2300mah rechargeables and use those. Generally I can take around 400 shots before recharging. Unless I'm using the flash alot of course.

Anyways, I think that most if not all cameras that run on the cr3v batteries have this capability. I would look into it if I were you though, I only know about half of what I am talking about! :)
Click to expand...
So one CR3V is the same as 2AAs? I suppose it sort of looks that way in the picture. If I can use my already abundant supply of NiMH AAs, that'd be great. I'd hate to pass up a particular camera because of batteries...
 
I am normally a fan of Canon, but currently using a Kodak DX4530 that I found on sale, buying locally on sale items can often be good.

Mine is 5 Megapixels but I normally shoot at only 3, more than enough for what I need, what I dislike about it is the lack of manual controls, I can do EV compensation but not manual exposure and focus.

I suggest that you make sure you get macro capability and optical zoom and stay with good brands like Canon, Nikon, Sony, Kodak, Fuji, Olympus. I like cameras that use SD cards and AA batteries (because I have a bunch, they are easily available and can be used in other gadgets).

To avoid shaking the camera when shooting with a tripod you can use the self timer, some cameras give you a choice of 2 or 10 seconds.

Luis
 
Don Luis said:
I am normally a fan of Canon...
Click to expand...

I am definitely a proponent of the Canon PowerShot Digital Elph series. I have an older SD100 that still does me fine. I intend to stick with Canon when I upgrade. I'd like to get the SD300.

Digital technology is moving so quickly that it's not difficult to get a bargain. Current cameras are those which have been issued within the past six months. If you got one 12 months ago, it's already outdated, but not badly.

The SD300 has since been surpassed by the SD400 and SD500, but not seriously so. Pick a camera model that's one or two versions older than what's being hyped right now, read up on it, read the reviews, Froogle it, and you're off and running.
 
I'll suggest Sony, but, only because I've had the most experience with them. When I had 35mm cameras, I used Nikons, but I went with Sony for digital. The picture below was taken with a circa September 2000 1.3 Megapixel Sony DSC-S30:

SpringtimeDaydream.jpg


I'd suggest going to a local computer store and check out the various models, to see how they fit your hand, how easily the controls are reached and used, and if each particular model has everything you want.

As others have stated, digital zoom isn't as important as the optical zoom, and, chances are, if you used the digital (digitally enhanced) zoom, you probably couldn't hold the camera steady enough not to get motion in the image. One place where having a larger optical zoom range would come in handy would be for taking closeups of subjects that you cannot approach too closely.

Don Luis is correct about using the self-timer for steady tripod photos. Between releasing the shutter, which begins the self-timer, there is approximately ten seconds for the camera and tripod setup to steady itself before the picture is taken.

The picture below was taken at night, camera mounted on a tripod, and using the self-timer to keep everything less shaky. The small dot in the upper right corner is Venus rising. (The shutter speed was 8 seconds and the aperture was either f/8 or f/11.)

MoonShine50.jpg


GeoThorn
 
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