digital camera advice?

I have an iBook and have used two different digital cameras with no difficulty. My old camera was a low end Kodak, 1 megapixel at its best. I was able to print out some decent photos even with a decidedly crappy printer, but mostly I look at my photos on the computer, anyway. I've moved up to a much better Fuji (FinePix 602) because I wanted something that could be used manually OR as a point and shoot. I also wanted to be able to shoot in low light and from a distance. I've been happy with it, but I know that a lot of its features are going unused. It is capable of shooting at 5 megapixels, but I usually leave it set for 1 unless I'm deliberately shooting a photo that I'm going to print.

My daughter's boyfriend has a Canon PowerShot, I think, that is two years old. I think it was about $200 when he bought it. He uses it for vacations and random picture taking...nothing artistic. But again, the quality of the pictures as viewed on the computer are very, very nice. His is a two megapixel, maybe... certainly nothing more. I don't think that he has ever printed a single picture....keeps them in online albums.

I assume you have iPhoto? With both cameras, I never had to install any software or do anything. I plugged the camera into the computer and it worked. Its almost idiotically easy.

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My only advise is to get as many pixels as you can afford and the best/highest optical zoom NOT digital zoom as you can.

I have a Casio 3.3 Mega Pixel with a 3 X optical zoom and 12 X digital zoom. I bought it because it has the "Best Shot" feature. I can look at sample pictures and pick one that has about the same lighting/set up as the one I want to take. When I push the "best shot" button, it sets the camera to match those conditions for me.

I don't have to fiddle with the flash/exposure/etc. Since
I don't know a lot about setting a camera up correctly this seemed the best choice for me. I'm very happy with it.

I've never really been interested in cameras before I got my digital but now I take pictures of everything--flowers, interesting clouds, etc, etc. I really like it. It's great knowing that if something isn't right you can either fix it with software (I highly recommend getting Adobe Photoshop or MS Picture It. I have both.) or just delete it and go on to the next. You also know right away if a shot is right or not with the screen. If someone closed their eyes at the moment you took the shot you can take another photo right away.

That's great for that once in a lifetime picture of you with your favorite person.

Hope this helps some. Enjoy your camera, whatever you decide to get.

D

Yeah, taking pictures with a digital camera is such a "no risk" experience. You can shoot away to your heart's content and it doesn't cost a thing. I found that some people are also more willing to be photographed when they have "editorial privileges" and can see the pictures they hate being deleted.

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Sorry....the link didn't work in the previous message.
Minolta Dimage

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Mister Matt- Are you gonna show us your portfolio?

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**gasps**

Yay! Do I get a cookie or something? Or perhaps first crack at the portfolio.

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That's an EXCELLENT point about the "reloading" time before you can shoot the next picture. That used to irk me no end with my "low-end" Kodak and I'd successfully blocked out the experience until you mentioned it. THAT is something to pay total attention to before you make your purchase. I can't tell you how many good shots I missed because the camera wasn't ready to shoot.

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You know, after I gave this some thought, I was going to sugest you wait until you could afford one of those new video cameras that let you take moving pictures and make still shots from that.

Thats on my "wish" list but I want to be sure I get one that has a good quality still picture. You always want as many pixels as possible.

I looked at one at Circuit City the other week and they have them but they run around a thousand and are bigger than the really tiny hand helds that are out now. I thought I would wait. Both the price and the size will go down in the next year, I'm sure.

D

Updated On: 1/8/04 at 08:31 PM