Camera

Hello,

I am ready to buy a digital camera but I would like some recommendations for the best one out there. I am looking for no less than 4 mp.

Thanks

Well... either the Canon EOS 10D (11 megapixels), or the Nikon D1X (6 megapixels), or the new Kodak based on the Nikon system, don't remember the model #, but it's about 14 megapixels. Now of course, these are VERY expensive cameras.

What's your practical price range / limitation?

:p

My price range is between $500-$650

Thanks for the post

I have a kodak Ls443,
4mp
very handy and high quality.... and within your price range I believe.
good macro photo .
good outdoor imaging.
excellent when you set it out of auto presets.
easy to charge/download images
a good buy.

Thanks for the info, I will definately consider this one. There are so many cameras there that it makes it real difficult to choose.

I'd go to all the photo type magazine sites and look in their review section.

Consumer Reports Mag's whole May issue was about digital photography. They break em down by how long of a delay between shots, shots per batter life etc..

I have Kodax DX4900 w/4mp. It works great and easy to use.
One thing to remember about digital cameras, they eat batteries.
Best to invest in rechargable batteries. Have fun looking for new camera.

www.dpreview.com/ (Digital Photography Review) is a great place too. You can compare camera features and read reviews on many different models.

I recommend www.dpreview.com also. In your expected price range, the Canon G2 gets great reviews... but let me offer another direction.

Almost ANY camera in this resolution / price range will take good pictures (of course, some better than others... typically Nikon and Canon models), but there are some additional things to consider.

When I bought my digicam, I already had a large investment in 35mm stuff, including multiple cameras, flashes, and motor drives which I used rechargeable AA batteries in. So... one of my prime considerations was to NOT purchase a digicam which would require either a special battery or storage card.

If these are concerns of yours also, pay careful attention to the storage media type (compact flash vs. smartmedia vs. memory stick, etc.), and the battery type (just can't go wrong with NMh rechargeable AA size).

Meanwhile, if you narrow your choices down to a top 3 or 4, I might have more ammunition for you. I hate to press my personal tastes into a discussion like this, but for me, nothing got considered other than Nikon, Canon, and Leica.

Good Hunting!!! :p

I second Shiva's suggestion re AA batteries. In fact, I consider battery choice almost as important as resolution and zoom ratio. Batteries are the only recurring expense with digital photography (assuming you view your pictures on the computer instead of printing) and the cost can be significant.

My preference would be a camera that includes cheap AA's and no charger. I can buy a recharger and rechargable batteries cheaper than any camera manufacturer will charge (MicroCenter stores had a charger and 2 AA's for $5.99 last month). Note that some cameras include a battery that looks like 2 AA's welded together. If you read the manual, you will probably find that you can also use 2 AA's.

I want a recharger that is separate from the camera so I can be shooting while a second set of batteries is charging. That rules out docking stations.

I would add Olympus (and Minolta if they get their recent quality problems resolved) to Shiva's list.

If you need a long zoom ratio, check out the HP 850: 4MP, 8x zoom, $500 list, Pentax lens. A couple of magazines rate it as best value currently.

Thanks for all the awesome posts. I will consider all of these in my decision. I went to a camera store and they stated that anything over 3.2 mp is a waste of money. What ever they meant I don't know. I thought the more mp the better quality as the picture get larger.

Thanks again

More pixels let you make bigger prints, not better prints. 3 MP is enough for 8.5x11, even with some cropping.

I've been looking at the Fujifilm S602zoom ,its only a 3.1MP ,but from reading the dpreview forums some have done up prints considerably larger than 8.5X11. It really depends on the content of the picture in question.Also are you looking for a "point and shoot " camera or something with a little more "Control"?I've use Manual SLRs for many years and a simple PAS ,just wouldn't suffice.

Fujifilm S602z

There is NO such thing as TOO much resolution. If you want to truly fool the eye into thinking that a 8.5" x 11" print came from film, not digital, IMHO 4 megapixels is the absolute MINIMUM resolution to start with.

My photographic work is more oriented toward fine art (landscapes in particular, with some still-life and misc.), and even using an Epson Photo 2200, with Genuine Fractals as my imaging format standard, if I want to produce a print larger than standard letter size, I REQUIRE more than 3 megapixels to begin with, and in most photographer's opinions (vs. computer user's opinions), 5 or 6 megapixels is the minimum for this quality / size ratio.

ok, ok, so I've now contributed almost 4¢ worth...!!!

I have a 1.3mp camera. It takes a pretty good picture.
I can fit it easily on floppy and take it to Walgreens, use their machine and it makes a nice 8x11. I was surprised at how good it came out.

That is not why I am posting though...

I just wanted to say...Good thread! :)

Hi pingme, i have an Fuji S602zoom n its a Great Camera....
Best buy i ever did.....If you want 8x10 or larger prints then you use the 6megapixel that gives you a file size of 2832 x 2128..
Use the JPG Fine Mode...That way you can crop n still print 8x10 n have an Excellent print...It is Great with Batteries, n you can use an External Flash with it...Go to dpreview.com and read about it..pop into the Fuji Forum, best forum around and a great bunch of peeps in there......Honest m8, you can't go wrong....
Good Luck...

Hmmm...

I had forgotten to mention in my previous post that another important feature which is missing on many otherwise great digital cameras is an external flash attachment. Pretty much all the professional level digicams have it, but many of the moderately priced models don't. Bad oversite on the part of manufacturers!

:(

What does mp have to do with cropping?? I went on the dpreview and was browsing around, What an awesome site!

http://www.canon.ca/english/index-pr...23&gid=2&ovr=1

Can I make this recommendation? I have the S200. Very compact, super easy to use, and solid metal (not plastic) body.
I've had it a year and very satisfied.

Howdy

Quote:

---

Originally posted by pingme
What does mp have to do with cropping??

---

Not sure if I can word this correct but I'll give it a try :)
Take a picture of a person with a 3 mp camera then take one from the same spot with a 6 mp camera...now crop just the persons head from each and print one of each at 8x10...You will see the benefit of 6mp. Others can be much more technical than that but that's a good practical test for you.

buck

Hi pingme, these are interesting articles, which explains MP.

http://www.megapixel.net/html/issueindex.php?lang=en

http://www.megapixel.net/html/issueindex.php?lang=en

Good luck.

Hello,

Thanks for recommending the web site dpreview, this site is awesome!!

From not knowing much about digital, I have narrowed my search down to the cameras listed below.

Canon -
Powershot S50
Powershot A70
S400

Pentax -
Optio 550

Olympus -
Stylus 400
C-50 Zoom
C- 5050 Zoom

Sony -
Mavica CD500
Dsc-P92
Dsc- p10
Dsc -F717

Kodak
LS443

Minolta -
Dimage F300

I don't know if you can call this narrowed down but it is a start.

I think the first thing you need to decide is whether you want something small that you can always have with you or a larger camera you take along for photography. I have both a Minolta D7i and an Oly C50. The Minolta is a more competent camera, but I take more photos with the little Oly because I never leave home without it. I like them both for their own reasons.

The D7i has an excellent 28 – 200 lens with a big manual zoom. Since it isn’t on your list I won’t bother you with the particulars, but I think it is better at most things than any camera you have listed.

I got the C-50 last year and several of the small cameras have come out since. I have a strong preference for 5Mp, but if you are sure you won’t need the pixels there are more to choose from. The Canon S50 is an overall more competent camera than my C50, but I wouldn’t trade even for one. The extra size and weight is a big factor for me since I always carry the thing. If you are buying only one camera and the size of the S50 is OK for you it is a great camera.

The only camera I would consider trading for right now is the Pentax 550. It is the exact same size and slightly heavier than my Oly, but has a 5X zoom. The S50 has slightly better optics, but the Pentax is amazingly good for a 5X lens on a camera that small. This is Steve’s report: http://www.steves-digicams.com/2003_.../optio550.html It is a good site for a second opinion. This is his main camera page: http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html

The Canon S400 is a very competent camera if 4Mp is suitable to you. One problem with small cameras is that the optical finders typically show only 80-85% of the image. You usually frame with the optical finder, so right away you are losing 15-20% of your pixels. The Canon S400 and S50 show only 82%. Other than the 4Mp the S400 is an excellent little camera.

Of the large cameras you picked the Sony 717 is excellent for low light situations. It has a fast lens and focuses with a special holographic focus aid which is great. You can see nearly in complete darkness through the viewfinder because the internal IR filter can be completely bypassed. It shoots only in JPG because of the limitations of the proprietary Sony memory when it was released. I’m not to crazy about the Sony memory cards.

The Oly 5050 has a fast lens, but has some shortcomings I don’t like. The main one is the optical finder. They are OK in a little camera that has no room for an electronic finder, but that isn’t a pocket camera and should have an EVF. An optical finder gives no feedback and makes you go to the LCD for settings – which is hard to see in bright sunlight. It is nice that the LCD flips out – I wish my Minolta did that. The 5050 is a nice camera, but if I can’t put it in my pocket I would want a longer zoom range and an electronic viewfinder. It is also noisy and has chromatic aberration more than most.

People with the Minolta F300 really like it, but in that size camera I think I prefer the Canon S50. The one thing the F300 has that the S50 doesn’t is a full time tracking auto-focus. It keeps focusing until the shutter fires, so if you are trying to nail perpetual motion rugrats the F300 might be the better choice. My big Minolta has that feature and my little Oly doesn’t. It really makes a difference trying to get shots of something that doesn’t sit still like a 2 year old.

Both the F300 and S50 use AA batteries, so you can buy NiMH rechargeables inexpensively. But the F300 uses SD and the S50 uses CF. CF is faster and about half the cost per Mb with all the specials going on CF. You will have to get a bigger card no matter what camera you buy.

The Oly Stylus 400 is water resistant, which is nice. But it is basically point and shoot. You might grow out of it. In a small 4Mp camera I would much prefer the Canon S400. It has a focus assist lamp, manual mode, manual focus, and has CF cards rather than xD on the Oly. It also has a noise reduction built in for night shots. That combined with a much longer exposure capability give it great night shot capability. Just keep it out of the rain.

I would suggest re-evaluating your size requirements and narrowing it down to just a couple of cameras. Then go to the boards that specialize in those cameras and ask for a comparison. You can count on the Canon boards recommending Canons and the Oly board recommending Olys, but you will get a lot of first hand experience reports.

Hi Slipe, Very well put, Well said m8....Notice you in dpreview from time to time....keep up the Good Work m8.....

PingMe my friend, all good cameras you have mentioned, but before you buy, try n pop into a shop n handle a few of em...
Decide on what you are going to use it for.....
Size, zoom, cards (what cards does it take) (do it use more than 1 type of card), batteries, (i prefere Ni-Mhs), does it take Raw, Tiff, JPG, or all 3..and lots more to decide on.....If you very good in PS7 or others then consider RAW, if Not, go for Tiff & JPG..
Don't just go for size alone, you could end up being dissapointed..
As I said earlier, I have a Fuji S602zoom (you did not mention it) maybe cause you decide it's to big.....But it does everything I want, n is near to dammit as good as my 35mm...Put into a bag for shoulder or waist belt n you can go anywhere...Even put a can or two of Coka cola in, or bottle pop...
The Sony 717 is good but like Slipe says, i Don't like the Sony Memory Sticks either....
Digital is an Expencive Commodity to start with, So THINK before You Buy....Once bought, your stuck with it......
Good Luck, n Please Let us ALL Know what you decided to Buy..
Take Care...Dennis..

Quote:

---

PingMe my friend, all good cameras you have mentioned, but before you buy, try n pop into a shop n handle a few of em...

---

Excellent advice, scarecrowdr. Make sure the camera "feels good" in use. Some of the small ones are easy to carry but difficult to use, even to the point you can't keep your fingers from in front of the lens.

Hello,

Looks like I might be buying the Olympus c-5050 soon.

Thanks

I bought the Olympus C3000 a year and a half ago and REALLY LOVE it! If Oly's other cameras are this good, I would recommend it for you.

Pick up a 128 MB card (you'll be glad you did) and I eventually bought 3 sets of GOOD NiMH batteries & charger.

These are excellent batteries (rated Editor's Choice by PC-Photo):
MAHA batteries and charger

After all the reviews I went with the Olympus c-5050. Thanks for all your suggestions. I should be getting it in 3 days.

I think you made a good choice (but I'm bias).

Respond back after you've used you new digi for awhile, and give us your opinion. ;)

Hello,

Now that I am getting my new Oly c-5050 on 6-27 I wll need to start looking for a printer. Are there any recommendations?? I am looking not only to print photos but also text. A all in one printer would be nice.

I not been around here for a while....
I see you bought the Olly c-5050.....Quite a Good Buy & a Very Good digi...Good Luck......
As for All in one printers, I Hate Em n would never buy em.....
But if you only going to print 6x4s they should be ok....
Take Care....

IMHO there is NOT an "all-in-one" printer that is acceptable for both text and photo, primarily because the printers designed for photo use typically sacrifice the text mode to accomplish the primary objective. That being said (and BOY are you going to stir up controversy with THIS question):

1) Photo Printer: EPSON - any of the photo specific models, although the P2200 is the best quality/dollar choice. This is purely a personal opinion, but I've owned and used HP, Canon, Epson, Kodak, Sony, etc., and overall prefer the Epson. Either the P2200 or the 1280 (or whatever this week's newest equivalent is) are the obvious choices.

2) Text: buy a laser printer and be done with it. If you MUST have color, many of the newer EPSON models, like Canon before them, use individual ink tanks for the different colors. These are much more cost-effective over time.

Good Luck! ;)

The Canon i850 is a 4 color utility printer that outputs very good photos if you don’t want larger than 8.5 X 11 size: http://www.steves-digicams.com/2002_...anon_i850.html

Probably the best choice in a standard sized photo printer is the Canon i950. It has the best print quality available and does excellent text for a photo printer. This article has a comparison with the i850: http://www.photo-i.co.uk/Reviews/int...950/page_1.htm

My choice of large format printers would be the Epson 2200. The Canon 9100 is newer and might give a slightly better image if you look through a magnifier, but the Epson has pigmented ink that will last longer than the Canon ink. Most of the Epson photo printers also use dye based ink rather than pigmented. The Canon 9100 has the same print heads as the i950 in wide format.

Canon printers are easy to refill and there is good ink available as long as you stay away from universal inks. Inks have to be made specifically for the printer. Epson has a chip in the cartridge that is a hassle to bypass to refill.

Both Canons and Epsons have a tendency to clog if you don’t use them for a while. The Epsons are a little worse at that because the piezo heads reportedly let more air in. Epsons have permanent heads but you can remove the Canon heads to clean them or replace them when they wear out. HP printers can be left for months without printing and still print. The Canon i950 and 9100 will pump out a photo about 3 times as fast as their Epson counterparts.

I purchased the i850 at Christmas and really love it for printing photos. If you use the Canon Photo Paper Pro, I challenge you to tell the difference between a Photo-Lab Print and this printer's results (they are simply beautiful). Based on the previous article about the i950, it sounds like they've gone a step further (I don't even know how that is possible).

Regardless, I HIGHLY recommend the i850 from my personal experience. (I'm not a professional photographer or work for Canon, but I do enjoy digital photography a GREAT DEAL!!!)
(BTW, I've had my Oly C3000 for over 1 1/2 years and have taken over 3,700 PICs (and that's only the ones I kept!!)

:D

Oh, and definately get the biggest SmartMedia card you can afford. I would suggest at least a 128 and probably even a 256 with that 5megapixel camera, you'd be surprized! On my vacation last week, I filled my 128 in 1 day (twice). (1 or 2 movies will consume it REAL fast!). Good thing I had a 64mb backup!

And as I said before good batteries too! (I have 3 sets!)

I wouldn’t consider anything but CF cards for the Oly 5050. SM is obsolete and goes only to 128Mb. There are terrific deals on CF cards. CF is at least as fast as the xD cards, more universal and about half the price per Mb. Get at least 256Mb for a 5Mp camera. More if you plan on taking it on vacation with no way to store the images.