digital camera advice?

[shermanslave]

Posted: 1/6/04 at 6:13pm

Hello all. I am about to buy my first digital camera and need your opinions. If I just plan to use it for vacations and birthdays and stuff and never print anything larger than a 4X6, how many megapixels do you recommend? Also, I use an iMac and are there any particualr camera brands that you think are more compatible with that as opposed to a PC? I want to spend under $200 so i am not looking for an amazing top caliber camera. Any other tips?

This is about as off topic as one can get, but off all the message boards I have ever seen, this is the one where people really think about what they have to say. If I trust your judegement on Broadway topics, then why not this? Thanks.

http://www.shermanslave.com/

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 1/6/04 at 6:51pm

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.

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 1/6/04 at 6:55pm

My family has a Kodak 2 megapixel and its full page printouts are great, so you definately don't need more than that. But I reccomend going with a good professional Camera company like Olympus, Kodak is ok but one of my friends has an Olympus and its pictures come out clearer than our kodak, I've noticed that with the Fuji too, but we also have a cheap Kodak so there you go.

[DofB5]

Posted: 1/6/04 at 9:00pm

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

[shermanslave]

Posted: 1/6/04 at 9:06pm

thank you all! you know, I posted the same question on an Apple message board and their responses were not nearly as thoughtfull as all of yours. Thanks. Go Broadway World!

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 1/6/04 at 9:11pm

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.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 1:45pm

My boyfriend uses the following. It's 2 megapixels and takes excellent photos. The images are very easy to transfer as well.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 3:31pm

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

[ckeaton]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 3:36pm

Kodak all the way...their products are fantastic, and support the US Economy. Where Kodak has everyone beat is ease of use.

Check out the CX6330 for compact 3+ megapixel 3x optical zoom... All for less than $200. http://www.kodak.com

[Phantom2]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 6:07pm

Mister Matt- Are you gonna show us your portfolio?

[ckeaton]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 7:27pm

Digital cameras are great for creating a lovely personal "portfolio".

[broadwayguy2]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 7:51pm

**gasps**

[shermanslave]

Posted: 1/7/04 at 10:12pm

ckeaton, you are the winner! you and several others before you (on another board ) had suggested the same camera and just today i bought the Kodak Easyshare 6330. thanks to all of you for your advice.

[ckeaton]

Posted: 1/8/04 at 3:51pm

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

[JakeB]

Posted: 1/8/04 at 4:01pm

My digital camera sucks. Well it doesn't, it does everything I need and only cost about $130 (I'm doing currency transfer in my head here). You take a photo, and then you have to wait about 20 seconds before you can take another whilst it loads/saves. But, it's 3.3m pixels and I've got 64MB memory, so that's good. Plus it takes videos :)

[iflitifloat]

Posted: 1/8/04 at 4:49pm

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.

[shermanslave]

Posted: 1/8/04 at 5:55pm

what is all this about portfolios? how does one go about making one? please fill me in.

cookies for ckeaton!!

[DofB5]

Posted: 1/8/04 at 8:31pm

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

[shermanslave]

Posted: 1/8/04 at 9:04pm

actually I already have a digital video camera but the stills on it are not so great because it has no flash. great for video though.