little help...

[POWdER-man]

I want to buy a digital camera and I am trying to decide the best one for my money. I am a novice when it comes to deciding so I want to hear from those of you who have bought recent cameras and see how you like yours.

I know I want one with 7 megapixels or more, with good zooming capabilities, easy to handle, and can adjust well to different lighting. I want to get one a little better then the average ones, but not top of the line. I don't want to spend more then $500.00 canadian.....probably about $400-450american...

 

[jaguarr]

Start by reading this thread in the Tech Support Forum. There is some fantastic information in there to help you with the process of picking a digital camera. It depends on what's important to her. Does she want something small and compact or is she after more of a digital SLR type camera? For small and compact, the Cannon SD700 Digital Elph with image stabilization is hard to beat right now. For Digital SLR's, the Canon Rebel EIDOS series is also hard to beat. Olympus also makes good cameras and, believe it or not, HP actually has a few models that are worth your time as well. Just depends on what you're going to use it for and what type of form factor and features you want. Take a poke through that thread and maybe throw your questions in there.

jag

 

[POWdER-man]

Well its for myself.....but I don't want one of the small compact types.....yeah I have seen that Canon model.....basically I want it to take really clear pictures for any activity....sports, outdoors, quick movement, bad lighting, etc....and still take quality short videos.....I want a camera that has a battery I can just simply plug in and charge....I was looking at some sony and kodak types but am I just waisting money on a good name....I am suprised to hear hp has some good ones....I didn't realize that they were comparable.....

I am surprised to see a lot of cameras below 7 megapixels...I thought that was the standard now for good quality...

 

[jaguarr]

Don't get hung up too much on how many megapixels a camera has. A lot of that is just marketing BS. I've seen 8MP cameras take far worse pictures than a 5MP camera. What really counts is the optical system they're using. Check out some of the camera review site links I posted in that other thread I showed you in my last post. They'll give you the real skinny on all the cameras out there. I'm not a big fan of Sony or Kodak digital cameras. At all. Canon, Nikon and Olympus are the clear leaders and yes, HP's got a few cameras that are worth a damn (their whole line isn't, but there are some models that are good).

jag

 

[Vilya]

You might want to consider this one if zoom is your game.

http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/product.asp?product=1289

 

[POWdER-man]

Thanks Jag that's great....I am now really surprised, I thought megapixels actually meant a damn......what should I look for in an optical system?

I like Canon and Nikon models......but I will look more into hp and Olympus cameras....

Yeah thanks Vilya, I saw that camera at Futureshop...a little above my price range......at first it would look like it had all what I wanted at the beginning but now I am not sure....

 

[the_ultimate_evil]

one thing i will say is to forget about digital zoom, its utter s**t, digital zoom does not actually zoom but enlarges the pixals, go for optical zoom everytime

 

[Erzengel]

Use http://www.cnet.com, they give their own reviews as well as reviews by readers. You can search for cameras there by manufacturer, best reviewed, megapixel, price etc.

 

[jaguarr]

I agree with TUE; digital zoom is worthless.

jag