Need Advice .....Suggestions ...ETC!

esme · 11-07-2005, 11:10 AM

I'm looking for a digital camera, I'm still stuck on 35mm film developing!

I'm not looking for anything too out there and not too much $$ ....200 give or take a few bucks .....don't need a "professional" camera just need one to take good pictures of my "growing too fast" little girl

This is what I like to do w/my pictures ....

enlarge up to 8x10 - occasionally larger
upload to an online photo service ...shutterfly, snapfish ....etc
i take pictures all the time ....outside, inside, bars (w/friends) vegas and so on

i can't say that i'm 100% up to date on all of the digital camera specs but once i read the manual and play w/the camera i'm ready to go .....all suggestions are appreciated!! thanks guys

Markel · 11-07-2005, 11:29 AM

A few years ago I started with a 2MP camera with a 3x optical zoom. It was OK, but a while later I switched to a Kodak DX6390 (I think that's the model) that's 4MP with a 10X optical zoom. Having the extra zoom range is SO nice. You can find the 6390 for around $260-280 or so, or the 5MP DX7490 (same lens) for a bit more.

There are other decent cameras with similar optical zoom ranges. I think it's worthwhile to have the better zoom. Take a look at www.steves-digicams.com for a lot of good information.

esme · 11-07-2005, 11:47 AM

thanks Markel!

someone recommended the canon powershot SD400, does anyone have input on this camera?

AlpineJay · 11-07-2005, 12:23 PM

SD400 is discontinued but I do own it. It's better than the one I had before - Powershot S400 before I lost it

- I'm very happy with it.

You should be able to find something in the 200 dollar range if you look for one, or you can go up to the SD450 (not sure what improvement there is over the SD400) for around 250 or so.

At that range, SD400 would be my first choice. Without looking at the price too much, I feel pretty safe in saying that you should be able to find it around at that price.

Beware, however, that at a very minimum a digital camera purchase will require an additional purchase of a memory card which will add 20-100 dollars to the cost depending on how large you want to go. So if 200 is your bottom line budget for everything, then I'm afraid SD400 is probably out of the picture. Awesome camera though, very happy with it.

Begin by reading reviews at www.dpreview.com.

esme · 11-07-2005, 12:32 PM

thanks AJ ......my budget for now is for the camera alone ....the memory card will be aside ..... thanks for the help!

_=DeltaForce=_ · 11-07-2005, 02:11 PM

My vote is for the Canon SD 400... Keep watching the Dell deals and you should be able to get one at $200

MikeD · 11-07-2005, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by _=DeltaForce=_

Keep watching the Dell deals and you should be able to get one at $200

From the Deals page today:

HOT! Expires TONIGHT! DellHome - Casio Exilim EX-S500 for $279.20! Other Digital Cameras and Electronics Sale! (Posted by: Brian)
New electronics sale for you guys. These coupons may not be combinable with dollars off, percentages off or select other promotions. Offers subject to change. There`s a $2.20 shipping for digital cameras. Don`t forget that Dell Home doesn`t collect tax for some states!

First go to Dell Home Electronics & Accessories. DELL ELECTRONICS & ACCESSORIES DEALS
Selected Digital Cameras:
- HOT!! Casio Exilim EX-S500 5.25MP 0.63" thick Digital Camera for $349 - 20% off coupon 7N9$3BNX63MXM2 = $279.20! (Expires 11/8/05 5:59am CST or after 1500 redemptions) CASIO EXILIM EX-S500 DEAL

esme · 11-07-2005, 02:29 PM

thanks guys!

zippyjuan · 11-07-2005, 02:32 PM

In general Canon and Olympus are good. The memory card that comes with a camera is typically small and will not hold very many pictures. Four megapixels will be plenty.

esme · 11-07-2005, 02:37 PM

i've had a good experience so far w/olympus ....my film camera is an olympus and i bought it in '01 .....takes amazing pictures but i need to updgrade

.....plus all the film/developing is leaving me in the poor house!

_=DeltaForce=_ · 11-07-2005, 02:50 PM

Remember Memory cards for Sony, Olympus, Fuji's are expensive

Olympus and Fuji uses XD and Sony uses their memory stick
Canon, Kodak, HP, Panasonic, Nikon, Casio uses SD and some of the older Canon, Kodak models use Compact Flash

SD cards are the cheapest and so go with a Canon or a Casio camera...

esme · 11-07-2005, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by _=DeltaForce=_

Remember Memory cards for Sony, Olympus, Fuji's are expensive

Olympus and Fuji uses XD and Sony uses their memory stick
Canon, Kodak, HP, Panasonic, Nikon, Casio uses SD and some of the older Canon, Kodak models use Compact Flash

SD cards are the cheapest and so go with a Canon or a Casio camera...

thanks for the info .....i wasn't aware of that!

i think i will be purchasing the canon .....i'll be reviewing it a little more

Jeffbx · 11-08-2005, 05:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by _=DeltaForce=_

Remember Memory cards for Sony, Olympus, Fuji's are expensive

Olympus and Fuji uses XD and Sony uses their memory stick
Canon, Kodak, HP, Panasonic, Nikon, Casio uses SD and some of the older Canon, Kodak models use Compact Flash

SD cards are the cheapest and so go with a Canon or a Casio camera...

There are a number of Olympus cameras that take CF cards. Check here for lists that show camera features by model, including mem card type.

zero2dash · 11-08-2005, 08:59 AM

The greatest advice I can give to you is to buy a camera with an optical zoom; screw the digital zoom.

When we bought our camera, we basically returned a 2mp Samsung with built in memory to get the new one we have now, which is a Sony PSC32 (3.2mp, comes with a 16 meg Memory Stick). We upgraded the memory stick to a 128 (takes about 80 something 3.2mp pictures) but all we have is a digital zoom. Digital zooms are CRAP. We have a 3x digital zoom but in order to get that, the resolution has to be dumbed down to 640x480 which is CRAP. CRAP CRAP CRAP.

We skimped on this camera...we just wanted something basic and simple. Now we have problems with blurry pictures (you know, because our 11 month old doesn't hold still enough to take a photo of with this camera) and the lack of a zoom is...frustrating. I think we're gonna buy another one pretty soon (I'm at my wits end with the blurry photos and my wife, who's not-technologically-savvy and who normally doesn't care about gadgets - is also getting aggravated).

1st priority...get a camera with an optical zoom.
2nd mention - don't get a Sony. The proprietary "Memory Stick" is ridiculous. Even buying a 3rd party brand (like the Lexar we bought) is still several $$$ more than other memory stick formats (xD, SD).

Learn from our mistakes.

I think we'll end up purchasing a Canon Powershot probably...I've always like those...those are really nice. A little pricey but full of features for what you pay.

esme · 11-08-2005, 11:09 AM

any opinions on the HP Photosmart R817 ??

GilbertsGrape · 11-08-2005, 11:28 AM

i love the CAnnon SD500 i jsut got a few weeks ago. it is great. about $316 is teh cheapest you can slip into that camera.

Paymaster · 11-09-2005, 09:47 AM

We are on our third Canon now (S60, approx $260). (My wife dropped the first two.. several times... on concrete...) Anyway, we keep buying them, and we love them.

Since you are looking to take pictures of kids, make sure that you get a camera with a fast response time. Some cameras take about 1/2 second between the time that you press the button and it actually takes the picture. By that time, whatever cute thing she was doing will likely be gone...

(We are happy with the Canon S60 response times.)

esme · 11-09-2005, 10:00 AM

thanks everyone for your advice!!

I WILL BE PURCHASING A CANON

11-07-2005, 11:10 AM	#1
esme Commander Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 1,089	Need Advice .....Suggestions ...ETC! I'm looking for a digital camera, I'm still stuck on 35mm film developing! I'm not looking for anything too out there and not too much $$ ....200 give or take a few bucks .....don't need a "professional" camera just need one to take good pictures of my "growing too fast" little girl This is what I like to do w/my pictures .... enlarge up to 8x10 - *occasionally* larger upload to an online photo service ...shutterfly, snapfish ....etc i take pictures all the time ....outside, inside, bars (w/friends) vegas and so on i can't say that i'm 100% up to date on all of the digital camera specs but once i read the manual and play w/the camera i'm ready to go .....all suggestions are appreciated!! thanks guys __________________ -Esme ..... "There is no remedy for love but to love more."

11-07-2005, 11:29 AM	#2
Markel Chief of Naval Operations Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 11,733	A few years ago I started with a 2MP camera with a 3x optical zoom. It was OK, but a while later I switched to a Kodak DX6390 (I think that's the model) that's 4MP with a 10X optical zoom. Having the extra zoom range is SO nice. You can find the 6390 for around $260-280 or so, or the 5MP DX7490 (same lens) for a bit more. There are other decent cameras with similar optical zoom ranges. I think it's worthwhile to have the better zoom. Take a look at www.steves-digicams.com for a lot of good information. __________________ stay low... keep moving...

11-07-2005, 11:47 AM	#3
esme Commander Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 1,089	thanks Markel! someone recommended the canon powershot SD400, does anyone have input on this camera? Last edited by esme : 11-07-2005 at 11:53 AM.

11-07-2005, 12:23 PM	#4
AlpineJay Commander Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Medford, MA Posts: 1,011	SD400 is discontinued but I do own it. It's better than the one I had before - Powershot S400 before I lost it - I'm very happy with it. You should be able to find something in the 200 dollar range if you look for one, or you can go up to the SD450 (not sure what improvement there is over the SD400) for around 250 or so. At that range, SD400 would be my first choice. Without looking at the price too much, I feel pretty safe in saying that you should be able to find it around at that price. Beware, however, that at a very minimum a digital camera purchase will require an additional purchase of a memory card which will add 20-100 dollars to the cost depending on how large you want to go. So if 200 is your bottom line budget for everything, then I'm afraid SD400 is probably out of the picture. Awesome camera though, very happy with it. Begin by reading reviews at www.dpreview.com. __________________ If con is the opposite of pro, then what's the opposite of progress?

11-07-2005, 02:32 PM	#9
zippyjuan Picture of the Day Guru Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Sunny San Diego Posts: 8,756	In general Canon and Olympus are good. The memory card that comes with a camera is typically small and will not hold very many pictures. Four megapixels will be plenty. __________________ I add new pictures to my photo gallery pretty regularly. You can see them here if you are interested: http://www.pbase.com/jeffryz

11-07-2005, 12:32 PM	#5
esme Commander Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 1,089	thanks AJ ......my budget for now is for the camera alone ....the memory card will be aside ..... thanks for the help!

11-07-2005, 02:11 PM	#6
_=DeltaForce=_ Captain Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Planet Mars Posts: 1,699	My vote is for the Canon SD 400... Keep watching the Dell deals and you should be able to get one at $200

11-07-2005, 02:29 PM	#8
esme Commander Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 1,089	thanks guys!

11-07-2005, 02:37 PM	#10
esme Commander Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 1,089	i've had a good experience so far w/olympus ....my film camera is an olympus and i bought it in '01 .....takes amazing pictures but i need to updgrade .....plus all the film/developing is leaving me in the poor house!

11-07-2005, 02:50 PM	#11
_=DeltaForce=_ Captain Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Planet Mars Posts: 1,699	Remember Memory cards for Sony, Olympus, Fuji's are expensive Olympus and Fuji uses XD and Sony uses their memory stick Canon, Kodak, HP, Panasonic, Nikon, Casio uses SD and some of the older Canon, Kodak models use Compact Flash SD cards are the cheapest and so go with a Canon or a Casio camera...

11-08-2005, 08:59 AM	#14
zero2dash Commander Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Fenton, MO - but I wish I was at the beach. ANY beach. Posts: 1,367	The greatest advice I can give to you is to buy a camera with an optical zoom; screw the digital zoom. When we bought our camera, we basically returned a 2mp Samsung with built in memory to get the new one we have now, which is a Sony PSC32 (3.2mp, comes with a 16 meg Memory Stick). We upgraded the memory stick to a 128 (takes about 80 something 3.2mp pictures) but all we have is a digital zoom. Digital zooms are CRAP. We have a 3x digital zoom but in order to get that, the resolution has to be dumbed down to 640x480 which is CRAP. CRAP CRAP CRAP. We skimped on this camera...we just wanted something basic and simple. Now we have problems with blurry pictures (you know, because our 11 month old doesn't hold still enough to take a photo of with this camera) and the lack of a zoom is...frustrating. I think we're gonna buy another one pretty soon (I'm at my wits end with the blurry photos and my wife, who's not-technologically-savvy and who normally doesn't care about gadgets - is also getting aggravated). 1st priority...get a camera with an optical zoom. 2nd mention - don't get a Sony. The proprietary "Memory Stick" is ridiculous. Even buying a 3rd party brand (like the Lexar we bought) is still several $$$ more than other memory stick formats (xD, SD). Learn from our mistakes. I think we'll end up purchasing a Canon Powershot probably...I've always like those...those are really nice. A little pricey but full of features for what you pay.

11-08-2005, 11:09 AM	#15
esme Commander Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 1,089	any opinions on the HP Photosmart R817 ??

11-08-2005, 11:28 AM	#16
GilbertsGrape Captain Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: You can’t get there from here, USA Posts: 1,797	i love the CAnnon SD500 i jsut got a few weeks ago. it is great. about $316 is teh cheapest you can slip into that camera.

11-09-2005, 09:47 AM	#17
Paymaster Commander Join Date: Jul 2000 Location: Middle Earth Posts: 1,367	We are on our third Canon now (S60, approx $260). (My wife dropped the first two.. several times... on concrete...) Anyway, we keep buying them, and we love them. Since you are looking to take pictures of kids, make sure that you get a camera with a fast response time. Some cameras take about 1/2 second between the time that you press the button and it actually takes the picture. By that time, whatever cute thing she was doing will likely be gone... (We are happy with the Canon S60 response times.) __________________ "eh, take your opinion and shove it... somewhere else other than this thread" ~ welfareloser

11-09-2005, 10:00 AM	#18
esme Commander Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Orange County, CA Posts: 1,089	thanks everyone for your advice!! I WILL BE PURCHASING A CANON

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