Help me buy a digital camara please...

[MSNY]

I received 360 buks for x-mas and am willing to spend it all on a digital camara.

Please give me your advice as to the best bang for my buk. I am a complete novice (on camaras only, not computers) so please explain technical features in plain language.

I prefer your personal experience, but if you have any links to any good web reviews I'd appreciate it.

Please specify brands, models, software and either a good Internet vendor or brick n' mortor store.

Thanks, I always trust anandtech members as the best resource before I buy this stuff.

 

[pandaflux]

I recently purchased a Nikon Coolpix 995 and while this camera may be out of your price range... i have nothing but praise for Nikon cameras they are well built and feature great quality.

look to http://www.dpreview.com/ for your review needs....... they feature incredibly indepth reviews as well as the ability to compare several different cameras features side by side

matthew

 

[Quetzalboat]

Dear MSNY,

There are many 'brands' of Digital Camera, from the low-end one to the high-end.
If you want to get the good one, please check for these things :
a. "Megapixel capability" : higher pixel rate means smoother image
(the mid-range is about 2.3 up to 3 Megapixel, though there are below 1 meg or as high as 4 meg)
b. Flash-light : some cameras have built-in flash-light but some haven't.
The better camera has a flash-light mount on top of the camera (but has higher price)
c. Try to get the "wellknown" camera manufacturer, as they are more experienced in photography
(i.e. Nikon, Fuji).
d. The memory cards : some cameras have cheap in price but a little bit expensive in memory cards.
(memory range : 8MB, 16MB, 32MB, 64MB and 128MB)
e. Comparing some cameras before buying one of them, especially the specifications & features
f. What is your camera purpose : just for fun then get the cheap one with average quality, if you're
a photographer (a hobby, amateur or pro) then choose a camera with better quality.
g. You can read some reviews on digital cameras on some PC Mags or Photographic Mags, there are
some comparative tests on several brands so that you'd see the one you looking for.

Good luck, wish you get you looking for.

 

[azkiwi]

I have had nothing but good experiences with Olympus (though all my film cameras were Canons), but in your price range the most flexible unit might be the Fuju Finepix 2800 Zoom ($326). The Finepix series has been well reviewed. That will leave you a few bucks for shipping, a better memory card and a soft case to carry it.

 

[vlieps]

My advice is to go to:
Photo Net , and read the reviews of different digital cameras by a photography professional. They have tips and everything else on that site. Just do a little research and buy the one You like most. Too much investigation will bring You to a point where nothing seems perfect and You end up looking at more and more expensive models.

 

[MSNY]

Thanks for your advice and keep it comin' !

I appreciate all your input. I would prefer to not have a "basic" camera but I certainly don't need the high end professional model either. Again, best bang for the buk "middle of the road" is what I'm looking for.

 

[Crapgame]

www.steves-digicams.com is a great place for in depth reviews. I found it trying to help a friend with his new camera (Olympus E-10, wow but way out of your range ). It's kinda funny he knows camera and I know PCs and between the both of us were still lost.

 

[epod]

The best review site I've seen so far is:

DP Review

It has a very very comprehensive list of reviews with EVERY spec known to man hehe. Personally for $300.. you can get the Nikon Coolpix 775 which is an awesome camera. Dell had one after discounts for $299 free shipping. The Canon S300 looks badass, but it's not that good of a camera. Pictures aren't steady. Though it has cool features.. and it has movie/sound recording..

The Coolpix 775 has a quick preview button, which is by far the most useful tool. Take a picture and you're like hmm I wonder how it turned out. Most cameras you have to then switch to "Picture preview mode" and look there, and then Switch back to Camera mode to take more pictures.. oh my god that sucks. You can be missing out on events happening just because you're wondering what picture you last took.. the Coolpix775 has that quick preview which allows you to preview the last picture u took while you're in Camera mode.. --> AWESOME =)

 

[azkiwi]

Getting a little away from the thread here - but I don't get the 'preview' thing. With a decent memory card these days you can take a couple of hundred images before filling up, so why waste time previewing - just shoot! Then postview and delete the ones you don't like - I thought that was kind of the point of "erasable film".

All the sites mentioned above are good places to get an education - I like Steve's and DP Review the best. Option paralysis is ever-present when confronted with this amount of information. For me, I found my 35mm high end camera and accessories stayed home more often than not. A digicam small enough to fit in my coat pocket goes everywhere. 2MP is ample for most situations, I take mostly lo-res - for the web and email. Unless you're going to get way into photography and need to print 8X10's regularly don't bother with 3, 4, 5 and up MP cameras (mostly out of your price range anyway). Get the most zoom you can for maximum flexibility in framing your shots, but don't let the camera get so big it has to be around your neck all the time. You won't take many images in your closet!

 

[Toro 45]

"Option paralysis is ever-present when confronted with this amount of information."

LOL,been there done that

Good advise in this thread.Another thing to look for,when a camera has the zoom listed be sure to get one with a good "optical zoom". In your price range that should buy you a 3X or better.,Also look for a camera that comes with a battery charger & batteries.


For $360.00 you should be able to get a nice camera,I paid about $220 for my Fuji Fine Pix 2600Z
with a 16 & a 64mb mem card.The pics on this camera are amazing.

Toro