So, I made the descion that im finally going to go out and buy one today. Although as ussual I know nothing about them. I have a dell computer... I assume the camera is going to have to be compaitable somehow? What's the best brand to buy?What should I look for? Any advice here? So im not throwing myself off a cliff in a long spinned out loop. If anybody knows anything about digtal cameras help a bitch out!

StaticDeth said:

Well I'm no camera buff....but I have a Canon ixus400 and it serves me ok.

I'd say look for optical zoom 3X or above

4 mega pix or above

and look for the functionality...(for what you want it for)

I'd also say a lithium battery is better too...it's up to personal preferance

Most of all ...try a few out in the store and pick the one you feel best with

Everyones taste is gonna be different

Pretty much any camera will be ok, compatibility is not an issue. Eddie is right maximum optical zoom, max resolution for your money. SLR's are still way expensive but I have an S7000 Fuji and it does everything auto or completely manual. Plus most people agree the fuji software is one of the easiest and best to use

Totally depends on what kind of photography you do...

I have an Olympus C-740 3.2 Mega Pixel (will give you great enlargements up to 8x10) It has 10x optical zoom (digital zoom SUCKS as it just makes your pics grainier), and a lot of manual funtions like those found on an SLR camera. I paid under $400 and have taken some FANTASTIC photos with it. The model is discontinued, but now (of course) you can get a better camera w/more pixels and functions for the same $$$$.

Definately go to a store and actually handle the cameras; my hubby has larger hands and wasn't comfortable holding any of the real small cameras, they were to wonky.

I also have a Dell computer and my camera just attaches via a USB cable. With Windows XP you don't even need any addtional software


compatibility edit
[Edited 11/12/05 9:44am]

you can spend as much or as little on a digital as you want. i've had two cheap ones from walmart
(first one i lost and second one i returned for refund)


taken with a $50 camera


taken with a $100 3 megapixel camera - but it started distorting the horizon so i returned it


taken with my canon a520 4 megapixel camera - using the 4x optical zoom - moss growing on an old stump if your not sure what it is lol...

i had already bought an SD card (about $40 and it holds about 100 pictures) for the $100 camera so that limited me to what i could choose from for this camera (SD card is like the storage disc... there are many different types of storage depending on the brand of camera) but they all come with software and the usb cable that connects it to your computer. i spent way more than i wanted to this time ($300) but it came bundled with a photo/document printer so i convinced myself that i was getting a good deal. i have seen the model under it (a510) at costco for $200

but i would agree that get the most megapixels and optical zoom that you can afford. (don't pay any attention to how much digital zoom it gives - you will never use it) when i first started i just wanted a camera that i could use to post images with and didn't care about the quality. then i started to enjoy the great pictures you can get from digital and wanted better quality and more features.

have fun shopping

and it uses 2AA batteries... i bought energizer rechargable ones - steadwood likes his lithium but if he goes somewhere without his battery charger and it goes dead then he's s.o.l. edit
[Edited 11/12/05 13:28pm]

emm said:

Great pic of the small person sweetie

mdiver said:

lol she is my niece... she turns two tomorrow!

emm said:

That is so nice sweetie, i have a neice who is 27 months and she is so much fun, you wait she will start putting sentences together soon and then she will be so insistent on what she wants to tell you. Enjoy

A few months ago
[Edited 11/12/05 13:46pm]

awww muffy she is adorable!! makes you just want to pick her up and smootch her all over

emm said:

Beautiful photo...

Here's a good breakdown of megapixels and print sizes...

http://www.microsoft.com/...ality.mspx

In other words, if you want to print a good quality 8x10, don't get anything less than a 5 megapixel camera.

Two camera's with the same megapixel count won't necessarily give you the same image quality though either, so don't just shop for the best price. The cheaper cameras tend to have bad optics (distort around the edges of the pic), and fewer features (such as controlling the exposure, shutter speeds, flash options, etc).

Make sure the camera actually has a zoom lens (optical zoom), not just "digital zoom" which is a misleading marketing gimmick. Digital zoom is the same as you taking a pic and cropping and enlarging it on your computer, it reduces the quality of the picture.

Alot of the point and shoot, and prosumer cameras have all their features buried away in buttons and menus, so try them out to see which one is easiest to operate. Digital SLRs are nice because they give you more control, like being able to manually zoom and focus the lens by rotating the barrel. Zooming and focusing with buttons is slow and cumbersome.

Take a look at sample prints from each camera if they have some available, and look up close at how it handles highlights and shadows. Are the highlights clear or do they have a halo effect around them, does it pick up shadow detail good, are low light shots really grainy, etc...

emm said:

Tell me about it I am just a sucker for whatever she wants.

mdiver said:

There she is!!

Lizzy7701 said:

Ok so here is a funny one, a few weeks ago i had a poker evening with some friends. Got really hammered and the day after had to baby sit Amelie because my sis and her husband were house hunting. It was early.....well for me after a 4am poker session.I got there rough as, they left, i was on the sofa watching Nemo with her and did the old "pull my finger" trick.....about 30 seconds later she says "toilet" so i say " you need the toilet darlin?" and she says " No you!"...ha ha ha she is 2 for cryin out loud

mdiver said:

my boys are always fighting over who is the winner, and today they were fighting over who finished their pancakes first/ate the most pancakes, "I'm the winner", "No, I'm the winner" so I say "I"M the winner because I'm cool". My 5 yo looks at me and says "this is a PANCAKE competition, not a COOL competition, mummy! "

mdiver said:

Awww Uncle Phil playing "pull my finger" .... Too cute

It depends on how much you want to spend. Plus with this megapixle thing..I wouldn't go under 4 megapixles. This will give you a great looking print that you can enlarge if you want. But then again.....if you are thinking about making some of you prints REALLY big, you might want to look at something above 4 meg'.
Here's one that is good.
Canon PowerShot IXUS 55 Digital Camera


5.0 Megapixel
Canon 3x optical zoom lens
Huge 2.5 inch LCD screen
Super fast DiG!C II Imaging Processor
Print/Share* Button allows easy 'one push' printing of images straight from the camera
The 5.0 Megapixel Digital IXUS 55 offers a sharp combination of cutting edge technology and ultra compact style. Featuring Canon's evolutionary UA lens technology, the fully retractable 3x optical zoom lens delivers sharp, high resolution images. Capture all the detail with the DiG!C II processor delivering fast performance and industry leading image quality. Thanks to the Canon Print/Share* Button, true to life photo prints straight from the camera are a snap while a huge 2.5 inch LCD monitor is perfect for reviewing photos and movie clips.

I find Canon cameras to be a very good brand. They always produce great looking shots, much better colours than some of the other brands. Plus the software that comes with them is VERY easy to use.

UPDATE!!!!! to this thread!


I bought the camera today... much later before I was able to even check back with the reviews of this post. I ended up buying a nikion its very simple to use and the quilaty of the picture suits my needs it also has a video feature and zooming in and out and scene capturing twatever im still learing but boy did i take a lot of pics today!