Cameras

[KaiineTN]

Well, I told myself I would use Christmas money to finally get around to buying a digital camera. I must admit, I know next to nothing about them. I want something that is good enough for amateur photography, but not ridiculously expensive. My max price is probably about $300, and ideally under $250.

I hear Canon is more or less the best brand? Does anyone have any recommendations? What to look for? What to look out for? I see a lot of cameras these days are 7.1MP, is that enough for most purposes?

[Tikker]

megapixels isn't really the best way to pick a camera, unless you're going to end up doing a ridiculous amount of cropping, and blowing up

look for something that has a good lens, good optical zoom

[Kramer]

7 - 8 megpix is about average for 250 these days

[KaiineTN]

What makes a good lens?

[leah]

high optical zoom numbers are important--3x to 5x will do you just fine.

i've always loved my sony cyber-shots; i'm on my third one (a dsc-w80). the first one got put in a glass of water by a toddler (grrr) and the second one's screen got cracked somehow (:() otherwise i'd probably still be on the first one. A++ would buy again.

[Tossica]

Buy a digital camera from a company that actually makes cameras. Canon, Nikon, Minolta, etc all make cameras with good optics. Buying a digital camera that is compatible with standard film based camera lenses, etc is smart as well as it broadens the expandability.

[leah]

well it depends on whether he's shopping for a D-SLR type camera or a point-and-shoot. if all you need is a point-and-shoot you don't much need to worry about compatible lenses.

[Tossica]

well it depends on whether he's shopping for a D-SLR type camera or a point-and-shoot. if all you need is a point-and-shoot you don't much need to worry about compatible lenses.

There are plenty of point and shoot cameras that support regular optical lenses made for film based cameras.

[leah]

hrmmm, yeah, but i guess when i think of buying a point-and-shoot, i don't think about other lenses. *shrug* my bad.

[Narrock]

Kaiine, all the manufacturers make good quality cameras. Just pick one that has the highest megapixels that you can afford. Also, Newegg.com has some good deals on digital cameras. And yes, 7.1 MP is very good for most purposes. Try to get a 10MP if you can though.

[Eldred]

Kaiine, all the manufacturers make good quality cameras. Just pick one that has the highest megapixels that you can afford. Also, Newegg.com has some good deals on digital cameras. And yes, 7.1 MP is very good for most purposes. Try to get a 10MP if you can though.

Yeah that's completely not true. Megapixels translate into how large you can pint your pic's with photographic quality, that's it. A 4MP camera will allow you to up to a 11x14 print with photographic quality(meaning little to no overt pixilization,) a 7MP will allow you to print a 16x20 (hell a 6MP will as well, the problem is the largest print anyone can really make with out going into specialized printing processes is a 16x20 that will run upwards of $200 for a single large ass print.

Consequently 35mm film is rated at about 7MP for print size reproduction and roughly 16MP for color scale. Although the human eye can only register about a third of that.

As for glass it's a toss up between Nikon and Cannon on whom uses better glass I personally am a Nikon guy have been all my life. Sony uses Carl Zeiss lenses witch is a German manufacturer that is considered one of the best in the world, although the ones Sony uses are made in Japan witch knocks them down below Nikon and Canon because it is not "true" German glass. Kodak / Olympus use a high quality glass as well. Casio although I've not had the chance to use one myself is said to be very nice as well. The draw backs in my opinion to Sony / Fuji / Olympus are the memory cards they use. Sony uses the Memory Stick (little more expensive) and is less intergratable into other devices unless of course they are all Sony. Olympus / Fuji use the XD card (little more expensive) and even less intergratable into other devices than the Sony. Secure Digital SD cards used by Nikon Canon Kodak Casio (and many others) are imo the best bet there are so many items that use SD cards now days hell my GPS has one for use with an address book. Zoom like others said you want to only look at optical zoom (witch is the actual lenses moving in and out increasing image size) the bigger the size of the zoom the more expensive the camera, the biggest optical you will tipically find on a camera is about 10x although therea are some 12x out there, that is on a point and shoot camera. Digital SLR's (the ones with the interchangeable lenses) is a different story.

The next thing you want to look at is what kind of battery does it use. You want to stay away from camera's that use AA batteries and you want to stay with one that uses a Lithium Ion rechargeable battery. AA batteries just die so fast because of the LCD screen use, no one uses the viewfinder anymore if the camera even has one (many today do not).

When you say armature photography what exactly are you talking about, cause that's a pretty broad term. Are you looking to make some cash off this on the side doing weddings and the like or are you wanting to take photo's out with friends and family.

If your looking to make cash on the side you "Must" go with a Digital SLR, the point and shoots just don't have the controll and their lenses don't let in the amount of light you need for the next level of quality if your planning on making money off of it. If a Digital SLR is what your looking at your choices are pretty much either a Nikon or a Cannon the reason being is all their respective Auto Focus Lenses will work with the camera. Sony's / Fuji's / Pentax just don't have the lenes selection that Nikon and Cannon offer.

If your just looking at everyday family friends type stuff then it honestly boils down to feel. Seriously go to a Best Buy, Circuit City, Local Camera shop (Cord Camera, if your in the Ohio area) and pick up and hold each different "Name" brand camera and see how it feels in your hands. If it's too small you'll never use it, if it's to big and bulky you'll never use it. Then get the one that has the best features you want. Is there going to be a major differance between a Nikon / Canon / Sony / Kodak / what ever with the same MP rating. No not really it boils down to personal choice.

Word of advice for what ever camera you get, after you get it USE it within the return policy, print up some pic's. If you don't like the quality, take it back and try something different. Most places will wave a restocking fee if your going to exchange the camera for another on in their store.

If you have any other specific questions let me know I can go into much greater details about CCD's (the film of a digital camera and what gives it it's Megapixle rating.) Glass specifics on aspherical to ED lenses.

[leah]

Kaiine, all the manufacturers make good quality cameras. Just pick one that has the highest megapixels that you can afford. Also, Newegg.com has some good deals on digital cameras. And yes, 7.1 MP is very good for most purposes. Try to get a 10MP if you can though.

Yeah that's completely not true. Megapixels translate into how large you can pint your pic's with photographic quality, that's it. A 4MP camera will allow you to up to a 11x14 print with photographic quality(meaning little to no overt pixilization,) a 7MP will allow you to print a 16x20 (hell a 6MP will as well, the problem is the largest print anyone can really make with out going into specialized printing processes is a 16x20 that will run upwards of $200 for a single large ass print.

Consequently 35mm film is rated at about 7MP for print size reproduction and roughly 16MP for color scale. Although the human eye can only register about a third of that.

As for glass it's a toss up between Nikon and Cannon on whom uses better glass I personally am a Nikon guy have been all my life. Sony uses Carl Zeiss lenses witch is a German manufacturer that is considered one of the best in the world, although the ones Sony uses are made in Japan witch knocks them down below Nikon and Canon because it is not "true" German glass. Kodak / Olympus use a high quality glass as well. Casio although I've not had the chance to use one myself is said to be very nice as well. The draw backs in my opinion to Sony / Fuji / Olympus are the memory cards they use. Sony uses the Memory Stick (little more expensive) and is less intergratable into other devices unless of course they are all Sony. Olympus / Fuji use the XD card (little more expensive) and even less intergratable into other devices than the Sony. Secure Digital SD cards used by Nikon Canon Kodak Casio (and many others) are imo the best bet there are so many items that use SD cards now days hell my GPS has one for use with an address book. Zoom like others said you want to only look at optical zoom (witch is the actual lenses moving in and out increasing image size) the bigger the size of the zoom the more expensive the camera, the biggest optical you will tipically find on a camera is about 10x although therea are some 12x out there, that is on a point and shoot camera. Digital SLR's (the ones with the interchangeable lenses) is a different story.

The next thing you want to look at is what kind of battery does it use. You want to stay away from camera's that use AA batteries and you want to stay with one that uses a Lithium Ion rechargeable battery. AA batteries just die so fast because of the LCD screen use, no one uses the viewfinder anymore if the camera even has one (many today do not).

When you say armature photography what exactly are you talking about, cause that's a pretty broad term. Are you looking to make some cash off this on the side doing weddings and the like or are you wanting to take photo's out with friends and family.

If your looking to make cash on the side you "Must" go with a Digital SLR, the point and shoots just don't have the controll and their lenses don't let in the amount of light you need for the next level of quality if your planning on making money off of it. If a Digital SLR is what your looking at your choices are pretty much either a Nikon or a Cannon the reason being is all their respective Auto Focus Lenses will work with the camera. Sony's / Fuji's / Pentax just don't have the lenes selection that Nikon and Cannon offer.

If your just looking at everyday family friends type stuff then it honestly boils down to feel. Seriously go to a Best Buy, Circuit City, Local Camera shop (Cord Camera, if your in the Ohio area) and pick up and hold each different "Name" brand camera and see how it feels in your hands. If it's too small you'll never use it, if it's to big and bulky you'll never use it. Then get the one that has the best features you want. Is there going to be a major differance between a Nikon / Canon / Sony / Kodak / what ever with the same MP rating. No not really it boils down to personal choice.

Word of advice for what ever camera you get, after you get it USE it within the return policy, print up some pic's. If you don't like the quality, take it back and try something different. Most places will wave a restocking fee if your going to exchange the camera for another on in their store.

If you have any other specific questions let me know I can go into much greater details about CCD's (the film of a digital camera and what gives it it's Megapixle rating.) Glass specifics on aspherical to ED lenses.

i agree with this post hehe

[KaiineTN]

Kaiine, all the manufacturers make good quality cameras. Just pick one that has the highest megapixels that you can afford. Also, Newegg.com has some good deals on digital cameras. And yes, 7.1 MP is very good for most purposes. Try to get a 10MP if you can though.

Yeah that's completely not true. Megapixels translate into how large you can pint your pic's with photographic quality, that's it. A 4MP camera will allow you to up to a 11x14 print with photographic quality(meaning little to no overt pixilization,) a 7MP will allow you to print a 16x20 (hell a 6MP will as well, the problem is the largest print anyone can really make with out going into specialized printing processes is a 16x20 that will run upwards of $200 for a single large ass print.

Consequently 35mm film is rated at about 7MP for print size reproduction and roughly 16MP for color scale. Although the human eye can only register about a third of that.

As for glass it's a toss up between Nikon and Cannon on whom uses better glass I personally am a Nikon guy have been all my life. Sony uses Carl Zeiss lenses witch is a German manufacturer that is considered one of the best in the world, although the ones Sony uses are made in Japan witch knocks them down below Nikon and Canon because it is not "true" German glass. Kodak / Olympus use a high quality glass as well. Casio although I've not had the chance to use one myself is said to be very nice as well. The draw backs in my opinion to Sony / Fuji / Olympus are the memory cards they use. Sony uses the Memory Stick (little more expensive) and is less intergratable into other devices unless of course they are all Sony. Olympus / Fuji use the XD card (little more expensive) and even less intergratable into other devices than the Sony. Secure Digital SD cards used by Nikon Canon Kodak Casio (and many others) are imo the best bet there are so many items that use SD cards now days hell my GPS has one for use with an address book. Zoom like others said you want to only look at optical zoom (witch is the actual lenses moving in and out increasing image size) the bigger the size of the zoom the more expensive the camera, the biggest optical you will tipically find on a camera is about 10x although therea are some 12x out there, that is on a point and shoot camera. Digital SLR's (the ones with the interchangeable lenses) is a different story.

The next thing you want to look at is what kind of battery does it use. You want to stay away from camera's that use AA batteries and you want to stay with one that uses a Lithium Ion rechargeable battery. AA batteries just die so fast because of the LCD screen use, no one uses the viewfinder anymore if the camera even has one (many today do not).

When you say armature photography what exactly are you talking about, cause that's a pretty broad term. Are you looking to make some cash off this on the side doing weddings and the like or are you wanting to take photo's out with friends and family.

If your looking to make cash on the side you "Must" go with a Digital SLR, the point and shoots just don't have the controll and their lenses don't let in the amount of light you need for the next level of quality if your planning on making money off of it. If a Digital SLR is what your looking at your choices are pretty much either a Nikon or a Cannon the reason being is all their respective Auto Focus Lenses will work with the camera. Sony's / Fuji's / Pentax just don't have the lenes selection that Nikon and Cannon offer.

If your just looking at everyday family friends type stuff then it honestly boils down to feel. Seriously go to a Best Buy, Circuit City, Local Camera shop (Cord Camera, if your in the Ohio area) and pick up and hold each different "Name" brand camera and see how it feels in your hands. If it's too small you'll never use it, if it's to big and bulky you'll never use it. Then get the one that has the best features you want. Is there going to be a major differance between a Nikon / Canon / Sony / Kodak / what ever with the same MP rating. No not really it boils down to personal choice.

Word of advice for what ever camera you get, after you get it USE it within the return policy, print up some pic's. If you don't like the quality, take it back and try something different. Most places will wave a restocking fee if your going to exchange the camera for another on in their store.

If you have any other specific questions let me know I can go into much greater details about CCD's (the film of a digital camera and what gives it it's Megapixle rating.) Glass specifics on aspherical to ED lenses.

Awesome informative post. Thanks for that! A Digital SLR would be nice, but the ones I've seen are a bit out of my price range. I think a point-and-shoot would be best for a first camera. If I get really into photography and want to start taking it more seriously, I can always get an SLR in the future.

I've been browsing around the internet reading reviews of various cameras, and some of them seem very misleading. Lots of people give them high ratings, but it's not difficult to come across a review for just about every camera I've looked at that is critical of blurry edges or something, and expressing a lot of disappointment in the camera. How much can you trust reviews these days?

[Jay]

I really like my Sony Cybershot but then again I'm asian and if it says Sony on it I automatically want it.

*off to watch Bluray movies*

[10sun]

I use a simple Nikon Powershot myself, there are some things that I can fiddle around with, but for the most part I just point and click. I can typically get some great landscape pics with it & it doesn't do too shabby with action/close range stuff. It fights in the pocket of my jacket easily & isn't terribly slow with processing times after taking pics. I'll upload a pic or two that I took while I was out in Seattle to give a better idea.

-Adam

[Tikker]

I've got a Kodak something or other

5mp, 10x optical zoom, etc etc

it's great for everything, except when you need long range flash, then it sucks donkey balls (think taking pics across the hall at a wedding/dance/etc)

for day time landscape, beach, etc it's great, and the video that you can capture with it falls into the acceptable home video range (not as nice as the digital camcorder, but not bad)


but when in doubt, do the opposite of what mindia recommends, and you're probably on the right track

[Narrock]

What I said was completely true. A 7.1 MP camera is good enough for most people and for most purposes.

[Narrock]

Tikker said:

but when in doubt, do the opposite of what mindia recommends, and you're probably on the right track

Says the conductor of the idiot express.

[Eldred]

What I said was completely true. A 7.1 MP camera is good enough for most people and for most purposes.

Yes 7MP range is good enough for anything you want to do printing wise, but only idiots buy camera's based off it's Megapixle rating alone. Witch is basically what your suggesting.

As to what Tikker said on camera flash's are good up to a range of 12feet (give or take based on the model of the camera) Anything beyond that your going to get what I call the reverse halo effect. Subject in the foreground will be well exposed (lit properly) then exposure on your target subject(s) will be become quickly underexposed the effect increasing exponentially, on how far out of range they (the subjects) are out of range of the camera's flash.

Reviews I take with a grain of salt. You're always gonna get the guy who had bad luck with his camera and is going to bitch and moan and cry like a bitch cause he's more than likely to stupid to use it. Or the completely technology impaired person who uses it and they think it's the greatest thing in the world, cause it is easy to use. When it may be just your average camera. If you want honest reviews check out Digital Photography Magazine you should be able to brows copies at your local Barns and Nobles or Borders book stores.

Remember when it comes to photography peoples views are "VERY" different. I still shoot a ton of 35MM slide film, and if on a roll of 36 exposure I get a single frame I'm happy with, it was a well shot roll of film for me. Other people are happy if they don't have a thumb over every other shot. What makes a good picture to some doesn't make a good picture for others, and some people just have the "eye for photography" some people take shitty pictures. It's almost the same thing as some people are just photogenic while others are not.

[Tikker]

Tikker said:

but when in doubt, do the opposite of what mindia recommends, and you're probably on the right track

Says the conductor of the idiot express.

and yet, my assertion about you is almost always right

[Narrock]

Tikker said:

but when in doubt, do the opposite of what mindia recommends, and you're probably on the right track

Says the conductor of the idiot express.

and yet, my assertion about you is almost always right

No, you were wrong as usual. I'd be more than happy to show you some links that show that Megapixels = better picture quality, not just image size. But I think you're capable of Googling something like that by yourself.

[leah]

No, you were wrong as usual. I'd be more than happy to show you some links that show that Megapixels = better picture quality, not just image size. But I think you're capable of Googling something like that by yourself.

we write and edit a lot of articles about how to choose a digicam for one of our publications (http://www.firstglimpsemag.com) and one thing the writers say time and time again is the MP count should not be a deciding factor when choosing your camera and that MP basically just determine how large you'll be able to print with little to no distortion or pixilation. unless you plan to print enormous prints (which really only the pros should be concerned with), 6-7MP will serve you well.

imo, MP counts and digital zoom numbers are just a way of putting bigger numbers on the box to pull in customers with a "bigger is better" mentality who don't know any better. pay more attention to other things such as the quality of the lens and the optical zoom number.

[Eldred]

I've sold professional camera equipment for a few years and worked with a pro photographer who specialized in Architecture and design. This is a guy who's got a digital film back for his medium format camera, prints much of own stuff, and alot of other things you probably have no idea about. I know what I'm talking about I do not have to Google shit about cameras cause I know wtf they do.

I could give you a piece of shit off brand plastic lens 10MP camera. I'd use a 3.1MP Coolpix 950 (about a 6-7 year old Nikon) and shoot better quality photo's than you all day long, because I know how to use light. Light use = good pictures.

I hope you've heard that old adage don't believe everything you read.

Also anyone find it funny that he's only really trying to make fun of Tikker and not the people who are giving him valid reasons why he's wrong? Ohh wait nm he wants to have ass sex with Tikker I forgot.

[Savanna]

I'm a huge Canon fan and have owned a few of them now. I have my film Rebel, my digital Rebel, an older Aseries digital and just got my new one from my parents SD850 IS for Christmas. My brother shoots with a Rebel with a million different accessories/lenses and is pretty good, my mom shoots with a nice EOS-ID w/ all the extra crap too. Needless to say we love them and I'd rec. them to anyone!

Here's some very good sites for reviews

http://www.dpreview.com/

http://www.steves-digicams.com/

[Narrock]

Here's a couple nice quotes for you all:

This from About.com:

Deciding How Many Megapixels You Need
From Michael Carr,
Your Guide to Digital Cameras.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

Get the Perfect Amount for Your Photo Needs
Probably the most significant feature when choosing a digital camera is the number of megapixels, which determines the quality of your photos. Choose too few for your needs, and your images will suffer. Choose too many, and you might be spending more cash than necessary.

For most people, however, deciding on the elusive perfect number can be tough. Below is a guide to help you choose, including what size prints you can expect to get and basic prices. (The prices, however, can fluctuate wildly based on extra features, and the cost per megapixel is constantly getting lower and lower):

2 megapixels or less
This is typically found on smaller, inexpensive cameras or cameras in combination with other devices (such as cellphones or PDAs).
It will be hard to make a high-quality print of any size, but these are just fine for e-mailing photos or posting photos for a personal web site.
I wouldn't recommend it for family portraits or if you really need a nice-looking print.
Also see Top Digital Cameras with Two Megapixels or Less
3 megapixels
:
This is actually a good compromise between picture quality and low price for most casual photographers.
You can print lovely 4x6 images, decent 5x7s and, depending on the camera, might even knock out a good 6x9 or 8x10.
Also see Top Three-Megapixel Digital Cameras
4 megapixels
You're getting nicer. These images make practically photo-lab quality 4x6s, and great 5x7s and 6x9s.
You can print a nice 8x10.
Also see Top Four-Megapixel Digital Cameras
5 megapixels
Hello, enlargements! This will produce beautiful 8x10s, and even a nice 11x14.
Now you are getting closer to professional photographer levels, and the quality shows it.
Also see Top Five-Megapixel Digital Cameras
6 megapixels and up
Wonderful image quality, but high price tags. You can print large photos, even 11x14 or perhaps more, with satisfying results.
There are some high-megapixel cameras coming out with lower price tags than most, but they usually have very few features.
Unless megapixels are the only thing you care about (it shouldn't be), don't get a camera that sounds outrageously inexpensive for its megapixel range.
Also see Top Digital Cameras With Six Megapixels or More
Yes, I know it would be really cool to get that hot new 6 megapixel camera. If you have unlimited funds, great. If you're like the rest of us working stiffs, you don't want to waste money on extras you don't need. And I can tell you right now, if you're just e-mailing pictures to your buddies, you don't need it.

A couple things to keep in mind. People get nuts about megapixels, but more isn't always better. Higher megapixels means larger image sizes, which in turn means more expensive memory cards and more space devoured on your computer's hard drive.

More on Megapixels
Digital Camera Glossary: Megapixels
Top Digital Cameras with Less than Two Megapixels
Top Three-Megapixel Digital Cameras

This from Digicamhelp.com:

Megapixels
Pixels and megapixels
Digital cameras capture images as pixel elements, known as pixels. Simply put, a megapixel is equal to one million pixels.

Digital images are made up of thousands of these tiny, tile-like picture elements. The more pixels, the higher the image resolution. Resolution relates primarily to print size and the amount of detail an image has when viewed on a computer monitor at 100%.

The number of megapixels is only one aspect relating to the quality of a camera, or the actual quality of a photo it is capable of producing. Factors such as camera sensor and the optical quality of a lens play equally important roles.

If you buy a digital camera with too few megapixels for your printing and editing needs, your photos will be degraded.

Deciding the "right" number of megapixels does not have to be confusing. Two main factors should be at the core of a decision when purchasing a digital camera: desired features and the number of megapixels based on the maximum print size you plan to make.

This from Kodak.com:

Megapixel

[wg03_1_subtitle_3]
How it affects your pictures
Pixels are like dollars. Unless you’re applying for a college loan, the more you have the better. For you, more megapixels means more versatility and more creativity. You can make bigger prints and can crop your pictures more to zoom in on a face, a barn, a boat, or whatever you’d like to enlarge. With a 5- or 6-megapixel camera, you can even crop creatively to make several pictures out of one. And you can effectively use that digital zoom.
[wg03_1_subtitle_5]
How it affects print size
Take pictures with a 4-megapixel or larger camera and you can create inspiring poster prints of your favorite shots. Or zoom way in and crop your pictures and still make 5x7-inch and 8x10-inch prints. But if you take only snapshots, a 2- to 3-megapixel camera should be fine for standard 4x6-inch prints and small enlargements.




[wg05_1]
[wg05_1_title_1]
[wg05_1_subtitle_2]

What is a megapixel?
A megapixel is one million pixels. A pixel is short for picture element and is the smallest building block in a digital picture. Think of a wall-size mosaic picture made of tiny square tiles. A pixel would be the equivalent of one square. The more pixels or building blocks you have, the bigger you can print a picture—or the more you can crop it and still make an enlarged print.
The same is true for digital pictures. Having more pixels gives you better quality prints. But with more megapixels you can make bigger prints. Or crop your pictures more and still have a good quality print.

Yes more megapixels = better picture quality. Yes, I know that megapixel size is not the only factor to consider when choosing digital cameras, and I never said that it should be the only determining factor, but it is one of the most important aspects to consider. A 5MP camera is going to have a sharper image than a 2MP camera.