Digital Cameras, what features to look for, etcetera....

Marion David Poff

Marion David Poff

Joined
Oct 8, 1998
Messages
5,403
Good Day,

I am going to be in the market for a digital camera, and so I am turning to y'all and your collective experience to help minimize a bad purchase.

What do I want to look for in a digital camera?

At what price-point will I find the greatest total package for the best price?

Where are good places to go to buy one?

What else do I need to know?

Basically, I am wanting a camera that will take good images of knives and gear, outdoor stuff, and some family stuff, so, like, I want it to do it all, and only cost me......

$20......

Just kidding, though I am looking for an economical digital camera.

Or, do I have this backwards, and should I figure out how to use my real camera, and have those images digitized?

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Thank you,
Marion David Poff aka Eye mdpoff@hotmail.com

My website, guided links, talonite/cobalt alloy info, etc....
http://www.geocities.com/mdpoff

>>--->Bill Siegle Custom Knives<---<<
-http://www.geocities.com/siegleknives-

"To wait for luck is the same as waiting for death." -Japanese Proverb

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OK, my rambling on Digital Cameras.

Real vs Digital - Go Digital, the ability to see what you have done the moment you have done it is worth its weight in gold. With film you never know if you will be happy until its developed, then if your not satisfied you have to set everything up again to take the shots.


For pics of knives, etc I would suggest getting the most pixels you can afford. Take pictures at the highest resolution and the least amount of compression, that will ensure that you have the best quality images to work from. I would not get anything less than a 2.1 megapixel camera.

Digital zoom is crap, you want optical zoom, at least 3X. You also want macro, for the pictures you will be taking macro may be very important.

I can recommend Nikon (but you pay for the name) Canon ( my current favorite) Fuji (2nd favorite) and Olympus. You pay too much for Sony's avoid them. There are tons of cameras on the market, spend some time looking and holding each one and see what you like.

I am on my 3rd camera in 3 years, found limitations with each of my previous purchases. Best to make a list of what you want/need and then shop for those features.

There are lots of digital camera sites out there, many do nice reviews. Dont buy too early, there are new models coming out constantly and that drives the prices of the older (but still quite good) models down.

My favorite place to shop is www.pricescan.com, that way I can compare prices and models across the country.

Good Luck, email if you have questions.
 
Hi Marion,

I've been looking for a digital camera also and the last year when I visited the US I met with our doctor Walt Welch and he showed me the Casio QV3000PLUS with an built in IBM Microdrive with 340 MB capacity.
this allowed him to save more then 240 picture in the highest and "finest" resolution possible for that 3.4 Mega pixel camera.
The picture I saw that he had taken were very nice.

The cheapest price I found was at Abe's of Maine, $729.95 for that Casio 3000Plus including the microdrive.

Best scouting wishes from Holland,

Bagheera

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Other things to consider:

- portability: what do you want to carry around (in terms of camera body weight)? Also, extra lenses (telephoto, etc.), and batteries, charger, USB connection wires...

- operating speed: I'm taking this to mean how fast the camera can start operation. Some cameras take a long time just to turn on, while in the meantime you miss your shot.

- battery life: the more mechanisms or the fancier the options, the more likely this will take a toll on your batter usage. Can you use regular (read: emergency) batteries, or does the camera use its own proprietary battery?

- flash: some great cameras have pretty weak flashes, meaning your night time shots don't turn out that great. Thank God for Photoshop, however.

- software: how easy is it to connect to your computer and upload your images?

- the megapixel advice is good; nowadays, nothing should be bought under 2.1 megapixels, while digital zoom is a gimmick.

cool options: some have automatic stitching functions which let you take panoramic shots while using the camera. Some also allow you to take 10 seconds worth of video.


- memory: yeah there are even 1 GB IBM microdrives available. But do you plan to take 400,000 pictures without uploading any of them? How important is this to you? I find 64 - 128MB Type II flash cards to be sufficient. Plus you can use these cards for most other cameras. But not all cameras take microdrives.


- environment: are you planning to take this camera to places where you will not have an electrical outlet (to charge batteries, for example), or where the environment will be wet or cold? Check to make sure the camera can operate in these kinds of environments.


Also, here is more info than you will ever want to know:
http://www.dpreview.com

This site will give you a range for prices and will list out several you can choose from. I'd pay special attention to Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Kodak - that is, any company which has been in the camera industry for a while. If none of these companies have offerings which fit your needs, then I'd look at the other companies.

Jerome
 
Greater than 2.1 meg pix cameras are nice, BUT if you are going to be taking pics of things that are going to be posted on the web
that don't need to be shot at high resolution then a 1.3 meg camera is more than adequate.

As Jerome stated above about the batteries, it is VERY important. I had a Fuji camera that was great, BUT the special rechargable lithium for it was at least $50+ where my current camera uses NiMH AA rechargable batteries. In a jam I can use std 'AA' which you can buy everywhere.

Digital zooms aren't much good IMHO, optical ones can be a problem as well if you can't hold the camera steady.

I have had good lucky with my simple and moderate priced Olympus D340R which is over 3 yrs old now. Works fine since I don't have a need for high resolution shots. Works for me.
smile.gif


What kind of media it uses is another consideration. Beauty of the some of the Sony
cameras is that they use cheap floppy discs. I can tell you that you want to BUY a seperate card reader to down load pictures unless you are real patient.
wink.gif





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Ray 'md2020'

ATKI member #A001042
 
I would agree with most of the points that others have made.

I think that Canon, Nikon, and Olympus are the best choices. I'm not enamored with Sony's Memory Stick because of the Sony-only compatibility. While 1.3 Megapixels looks good on the screen or for 4x6" prints, 2or 3 Megapixel CCDs will provide much better pictures for printing.

Obviously, the type of DC you will be interested in will be influenced by how you use it. I prefer a camera that is lightweight, small enough to put in a cargo pocket (but big enough to hold comfortably), at least a 3X optical zoom, fast recycle time, and a long battery life.

Currently, I have a Sony Mavica FD-88 1.3 Megapixel. It uses the floppy disk to hold images. I like the image quality, but I don't print pictures. The Li-Ion rechargables are superior to NiMH for the capacity and weight. Yes, I it would be nice to have backup "standard" batteries available, but alkaline AA's last about 15-30 minutes in a DC. They just can't take the high current drain like rechargeables. Ilike the 8X optical zoom (the main reason I bought the camera), and the macro function works pretty well. Using floppy disks as storage media is both good and bad; you can download images to any computer, and the disks are available at alot of stores, but the capacity sucks. At the highest resolution, I can only fit around 4 images per disk. The flash on my model is really strong for most indoor situations, even with the flash level reduced. Frankly, it's annoying. The camera itself is quite large although it's pretty flat for its size.

In summary, I like the optical zoom, the battery, and the lens qualtiy. I don't like the storage media, the time for folllow up shots, and the size and weight.

If I were to buy a another camera, the Canon G1 is at the top of my list. It has 3.4 megapixels, 3x optical zoom, type 2 Compact flash (microdrive compatible), a rotating viewscreen, Li-Ion battery, and a pocket size. Others that would be good choices for me are the Nikon Coolpix 990/995 or 880, the Olympus C-3040/3030, or the new Olympus with the 10x optical zoom (I can't remember the model, but it's 2 megapixel). That's not to say that other makers aren't good choices. I read happy owner's reviews of Kodaks, Casios, Fujis, and Toshibas. I don't think that Sony's are bad per se, but I don't like the Memory Stick interface. I use SmartMedia for my MP3 player and have the option of using the flash cards for other devices. Memory Sticks are exclusively Sony. Sony DC's offer good lenses, good consumer features, Li-Ion batteries, and compact size. I don't think that Sony's are the best deals, but they're not completely overpriced.

Considering that you can get a Canon S-100 digital elph for around ~$450 online, there are alot of good options in that price range. I think that you can gt a 3 megapixel camera online for $650-$800 and a 2 megapixel for around $400.

Have fun.

gm
 
for myself, I have yet to see the digital camera that can match the output of my 35mm SLR (except when I forget and get the film developed at ProEx ;)

 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by shadowfax:
for myself, I have yet to see the digital camera that can match the output of my 35mm SLR (except when I forget and get the film developed at ProEx
wink.gif

</font>
Click to expand...

I agree with you there. I use mine as a replacement for the point and shoot. It's easier to e-mail the pics to friends, and I don't worry about taking bad shots. That probably doens't make me a good photographer, but it let's me experiment. I get the best results in sunlight. Indoors is usually pretty grainy, even worse than 35mm.

gm
 
My second digital camera (I guess I have about 4 or 5 now) was a model or make that I had never even considered: a Toshiba PDR-M4. Had never been reviewed, wasn't advertised in the glossy mags, wasn't even stocked at my local photo emporium! Read the reviews on several Internet sites and bought one from www.Computers4Sure.com. Still VERY pleased with it; check it out.

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Holger :c{{{&lt;
AKTI Member No: A001324
CKG-F
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www.cockroachfarm.com
 
Lots of good info here for you to digest, Marion. I'll offer up a few additional random thoughts to help fill in the blanks.

-The advice given concerning maximum resolution vs. your intended uses is very well taken, indeed, especially if cost is a factor. The greatest value in DCs at present is likely found in slightly older models featuring 2 megapixel and less resolution. And has been stated, these are more than adequate for Web work. But the difference between 3.3mp resolution and 2.1mp resolution is very noticeable when doing print work. Tough call.

-Also regarding manufacturers resolution claims; be very wary of the term "interpolated resolution". Some makers use lower resolution CCD chips in conjuction with color averaging/blending techniques to "fill in the blank spots" and try and give the illusion that their camera provides true high res pictures.

-One option is to purchase an economical DC for the majority of your Web work, and save your 35mm for shots requiring greater detail. Even though the negative size in the 35mm format is fairly anemic (when compared to the film used in medium and large format cameras), it still provides many times more "megapixels" worth of information than even the highest resolution consumer DC. The only hurdle here is that your 35mm to digital conversions will only be as good as your scanner, another piece of equipment that, when of decent quality, is not inexpensive.

-I like the Canon G1 that was mentioned above because, among other things, it has a large diameter lens which allows for wide aperture setting across the entire focal length range.

-I haven't used one personally, but I've heard very good things about the color reproduction of the Kodak DCs.

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Semper Fi

-Bill
 
Bagheera: I recall with fondness your trip to CA, and the dismay with which you and your family viewed the appetizer salad. "Enough for a meal" indeed! Of course, we grow almost all the lettuce in the USA right here in CA, so we can afford to be generous.

Regarding the memory storage, I suggest the hard drive. I just photographed my youngest daughter's wedding and managed to use up 200 Meg or so of memory.

Make sure the camera has a USB port; some early ones had only a parallel port connection, and they were SLOW.

Happy shutterbugging, 'eye.'

Walt
 
Guys,

Thank you ever so much.

I am mightily confused, but I may be able to decipher all this. Though it could take a day or so
smile.gif


Thanks again,
MDP
 
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