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lawmax

lawmax

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Dec 31, 1999
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1,317
Hi,

I am in desperate need of a new camera ASAP. I would like 7 or 8 megapixels and the best optical zoom. What do you recommend?

Thanks so much,

lawmax
 
Oh, and I am definitely an amateur but would like a good macro and helpful background settings, flash, etc.
 
HOw much are you wanting to spend? I don''t own it yet, but I''m planning on buying the 8.0 megapixel canon digital rebel as a wedding present for my future hubby.. Its about $1000 right now, but they also have a more beefed up version for about $1500
Also.. I noticed my photographer for my wedding uses a FUJI finepix camera.. so those have got to be good!
 
Hi and thanks for responding so fast. I''m feeling time pressure-must start getting good photos of the kids and Halloween is coming! :)

I really would like to keep things at about $600 or less without extras but I''ll consider more. I''m going to try B&H or some other discount place that is reputable if I find something I want there.
 
we currently own a kodak digital camera. Its 6.1 MP which is a little less than you want, and the optical zoom is not all that great 3x maybe? We went for the more MP as opposed to the optical zoom, its kind of a trade off for the dollars.. We get such high quality photos though that we can zoom them in on the PC really well though. It was REALLY affordable though. I believe we bought it for $500, but the next week it was dropped to $400 so we got the price adjustment. My best friend just bought the same one now, I think for under $300
 
I have heard that the Canons are great...I have a Sony CyberShot 3MP from a few years ago that was something like $500 and it is good for some shots but it really is not for others. It's horrible with low-lighting, night shots, and macro. With the flash it just washes out everything and makes everything look white. There's no true color representation in the flash pictures.

I have heard raves about the Canons on everything from the Elph to the more expensive ones...and supposedly they are great in all the ways that my Sony is not. So I definitely plan to get one of those next, maybe early next year. The thing is that I always keep thinking you need a better camera that does XYZ but finding time to research and actually buy one takes me forever!!

Also, read CNET for reviews on all electronics before buying so that you can also get a feel for what the professional reviewers say etc.

Oh and maybe someone can tell me this but I was told that prints for paper in typical print sizes aka 4x6 only hold something like 4MP and that is what film prints at, so suppoesdly buying anything higher than that aka 10MP or whatever is not worth it if you plan to do alot of film printing onto paper and for photos etc. I heard that the larger MP's are more for getting higher-resolution FILES.

That said, our photographer who does all digital now uses 10MP and higher cameras that cost an arm and a leg. They also do alot of blowup prints so I don't know if maybe higher MP comes in handy for things like 16x20 prints rather than alot of 4x6's.
 
hey lawmax,
i have the kodak easyshare z740 and i absolutely love it. it really is easy to use and the pictures (of all types) come out so crisp and clear. i would consider myself somewhat of an amateur photographer and this camera is easily one of the best i have owned.
 
Hey,

Well, I have 3 bits of advice

1. Do some online research, there are so many great websites that have in depth reviews and search processes for cameras. I''m short on time or else I''d look through my links. I''ll try later though.

2. Head to a camera store. Not a Best Buy/Circuit City, but a real camera store. The staff where I have gone are always so knowledgable and helpful...they''re photography enthusiasts so they are really about getting you the right camera for your skill level and intended use.

and lastly

3. Canons rule
3.gif
hehe ok so that really isnt advice, just my personal experience...But I''ve just had the best of luck with Canons that they have definitely earned my loyalty...but then there are people that are just as loyal to Nikon or Olympus or whatever.
 
Thank you all so much and I welcome more advice. I have an old Canon and it takes great photos so I am interested in a digital one.

I have been doing so much online research and it is just so hard to wade through it all and figure out what is best. We are blessed to have so many options, but it does make it difficult to decide.

I have been to one small camera store and liked a couple of them, but want to go to one with more than 3 options.
 
OH...does anyone have a handle on this one? When I go to CNET, I can''t see any of the images and it takes forever for each page to load. There was a time when I did not have this problem! What is up with my settings and why is it so slow now? I have broadband, XP, typical settings I think!

This has been driving me crazy as I like to use the site to research many things.
 
Canon Rebel XT SLR. It''s a great camera! You can get a high quality optical lens later as well. I''ve had a G2, S500 and the XT is vastly superior.

List price is about $1000. You can find it for close to $700 at Dell with discount coupons and rebates.
 
Thanks.

I''ll check it out. I''m not all that talented (read...haven''t much of a clue and my photos typically look horrible) so don''t know that I could make best use of an SLR. I really would like a camera that''s on the smaller side. I had originally thought I''d like one to just stick easily in my purse that it lightweight, but I may consider otherwise.
 
maybe check out the elph, lawmax...that is a small camera which i have heard great things about, but i am not sure it goes to such a high MP. i think for alot of the smaller cameras the high MP is harder to find?
 
I have seen the Elph and a nice Olympus too. Ask me about diamonds and I can give a fairly intelligent answer! ;) Cameras? LOL Clueless but researching....
 
I have an elph s500. Compact and very convenient. The biggest differences are the image quality due to optical quality of the lens, response time (the XT is almost instant and can take a few frames per second) and red eye. With the compacts, red eye is almost always there due to the proximity of the flash to the lens. Yes size is an issue. If you deal with the size, the SLR is great since it has an auto mode which is point and shoot. For compacts, there are lots of great choices. Check out dpreviews, steve's digicams and dc resource sites.

good luck
 
I have the Canon SD400, which is only a 5 megapixel camera, but I have to put in a good word for it. It''s a great camera, and is so small that I carry it in my jeans pocket every day. One con is the 2" screen, which would be a pro if it were not so fragile! I have had to have it replaced already and guess what? It''s not covered under their warranty.

Good luck with your search,

I wish you well,

Bridget
 
I have the Canon SD400, which is only a 5 megapixel camera, but I have to put in a good word for it. It''s a great camera, and is so small that I carry it in my jeans pocket every day. One con is the 2" screen, which would be a pro if it were not so fragile! I have had to have it replaced already and guess what? It''s not covered under their warranty.

Good luck with your search,

I wish you well,

Bridget

ETA: It has a 12x zoom and takes great macro pics.
 
Wow! Thank you all so much. :)

Good points about the SLR vs. the compacts. I''m a bit intimidated by all the extras one appears to need to have a usable SLR. On basic scans of reviews, I get expensive lenses, extra batteries, etc.

I''ve checked out 2/3 of the sites you recommeded. Steve''s has great indepth reviews!
 
Digital Photography Review - www.dpreview.com
This is a great site to educate yourself on all things digital photography.
They do GREAT indepth reviews on cameras. (all kinds on SLR + Prosumer + consumer)
Do a little research. Read the reviews on the camera's you're interested in.
They also have a great forum.
It's like the Pscope of Digital Photography
1.gif


Scintillating...

*I have the Canon digital rebel XT - and I love it.
I'm not your basic user though, and I can see SLR's getting overwhelming for someone who didn't want that level of control.
 
My suggestion would be a Canon Powershot S80.
DPReview doesn''t have a full review up yet -
but if it''s anything like it''s predecessors it will be a great camera too.
My brother got the S70 last year, and extremely happy with it. It''s easy to use, takes great pics out of the box, and can adapt to a more experienced user (lots of options if you want them).

Canon makes great consumer cameras.
Great quality, consumer friendly, easy to use. Usually very small.
I think they are the best on the market.

Scintillating...
 
I own a Nikon D70

It''s amazing...the mp is 6 or 6.3 but I find for my artsy photography hobby pursuits it''s more than enough.

It''s a digital SLR and falls into the ''prosumer'' catagory. (my dream is to have a studio for fine art portrait photography, one day)

It''s Canon sister the 20D has 8 mp, but the lens is smaller, I love the beefy lens on the D70. Nikon hasn''t increased to 8, I''ve read because they don''t have to...who knows. Both are great choices, it was difficult for me to make a decision

Anyway, check out my fav website www.betterphoto.com plenty of reviews on cameras. It was very helpful to me before I made my decision.

I would wholeheartedly recommend the dig SLRs especially if you''re a hobbyist...oh, and these cameras are also widely used in pro photography as well.

Good Luck!
 
not as experienced a photographer as you but i have the canon powershot S2 IS and love it......

peace, movie zombie
 
I also have to chime in here for the Canon. I have the SD450 and it''s 5MP but it''s got the 2.5" LCD screen and takes great macro shots. I''ve always had Canon cameras and you can''t go wrong.
 
Date: 10/23/2005 12:31:16 AM
Author: Mara
I was on that digital photo review site recommended up above...the Canon SD550 looks interesting..7MP and under $500 with lots of bells and whistles. Does anyone have this model?


Also on this website it has sponsored links for purchase and it looks like NewEgg.com is having a weekend special with about $100 off retail:


http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16830120173&ATT=Digital+Cameras&CMP=OTC-C173T


Tempting...!!
Click to expand...



http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canonsd550/page5.asp


http://www.steves-digicams.com/2005_reviews/sd550_pg6.html
 
Lawmax if your current SLR is a cannon your lenses will fit on your digital.
 
Wow! You are all so sweet to help me out. It IS comfusing! So many cameras and the reviews make things a bit more confusing. I''ve found the same thing in researching cell phones and other equipment. Two people can either love or find major fault with the same item!

Mara, I''m checking out your links.

This is a link to a great tutorial on using the Rebel http://photoworkshop.com/canon/. Just click on the tutorial image.

Debating a larger camera and learning to be a photographer :D vs. having a point and shoot to stick in my purse.
 
Nikon D100 I have but the D70 or the D50 are the best on the market!!
 
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