Buying a Digital Camera
 

OK so I'm finally going to buy a digital camera. Anyone have any input? Not sure who/where/what I should buy. I've done some research and it seems the critic's favorite brand is Canon. I'm looking at the S30. Anyone know aynthing about this model? One question, how much of a difference will I see between a 2megapixel and 3megapixel camera? Is it worth the money for me to buy the 3 megapixel? I plan on using this camera for work (doing SOME website work now) and play (tities!).

You will not see much difference in a uneditted photo between the two. The difference will come with the editting. With a 3 megapixel, you will be able to isolate/crop to smaller parts of the original pic and still maintain quality. many times I take a piture and I want to only use the middle third. The higher pixel count lets me do that with out sacrificing print quality too much. It basically equates to a digital zoom.

If you can afford it, get the higher pixel count.

I just bought the [url=http://www.fujifilm.com/JSP/fuji/epartners/Products.jsp?nav=0&parent=PRODUCT_CATEGORY_499950& product=43860768:a864c]FujiFilm FinePix 3800 Digital Camera.[/url:a864c] I'm very happy with it. It takes a great looking picture and is LOADED with features:

* 3.2 effective megepixels
* USB connection to PC
* 6x optical zoom
* 3x digital zoom
* LCD screen + viewfinder
* voice capture for audio captions with still images
* movie recording (about 10 minutes with 128MB memory chip)
* built-in tripod mount
* can utilize optional telephoto and wide lenses
* can be used as a webcam

Here are some points to think about when deciding on what camera to buy:

Megapixels
The higher the megapixels, the greater the resolution. The one I bought has 3.2 effective megapixels resulting in an image 2048 x 1536. It depends on what you'll be using it for. For titties I recommend the most detail possible. biggrin:

Zoom
Optical zoom is always better than digital zoom. Mine has a 6x optical zoom and a 3x digital zoom and will tell you when it switches from optical to digital. At max zoom (optical + digital) you get 18x zoom.

Features
What features do you need? Built-in tripod mount? Viewfinder or LCD screen or both? What type of memory? What type of batteries? Ability to record movies and/or voice captions with still images?

Good luck and have fun. I always say spend the money on what you really want and be happy, rather than pinch pennies and wish you had something else.

One quick comment to add to what bane said - the digital zoom number is worthless. It is a pure function of the megapixels. A full 3x zoom on a 3megapixel camera reduces the pixel count to 1 meg. Optical zoom is where it is at, digital zoom sounds good on the side of the box.

i have a canon powers shot g3, 4megapixels

works awsomw

If you want high quality high resolution pictures then make sure you buy a camera with at least a 3 megapixel capability. Anything below that and you are really limited at what size you want the photo to be. With a 3.1 or 3.2 MP camera you can take very high quality 8X10's. If you have a high quality printer then you will be able to edit and print almost (and I say almost because you still see pixelation in many cases) perfect photos. Also, make sure it uses a standard media for memory. There are many different types of memory sticks out there, and they won't all be around forever. I recommend Sony, Canon, and Nikon.

Wish i could afford a dig. camera, damn things are so expensive for a decent one

we just bought a Kodak. It was a great price, not the best camera but good for what we will use it for. The thing that threw me is all the extras you need. they cost as much as the camera did!

here are some pics with my G3 4 megapix

at 1024x768 rezzz too

[img]http://www.boomspeed.com/vercat/100_0027.JPG[/img]

[img]http://www.boomspeed.com/vercat/100_0025.JPG[/img]

Well someones gonna say it so it may as well be me...



"DUDE you got a dell".


eek:

Thanks for all the help guys. I wondered how it was possible to have 2 different methods of zoom. Now I know to look for Optical Zoom. Also it sounds like getting a 3 megapixel will be worth the cash. As far as the recordable media goes, I don't use anything that uses Flash or Memory Sticks, so I guess as long as its something thats not in short supply it'll be ok right? Thanks again guys, and discussion is NOT closed... I'd love to hear more from the same or from others.

Jibber, be careful with that Dell (pics look great btw), I've worked on a few computers with that same hinged case. I shorted out a CD ROM drive on one just by bumping the audio wire... not cool. Of course then I called Dell and made them think it was their fault. They came out the next day and replaced it for free. biggrin:

Smart media and compact flash seem to be fairly popular, just buy extra memory when you get the camera. Also consider rechargable batteries. I have two sets, one in the camera and one fully charged. I hear the cameras are getting better on battery usage, but they are still energy hogs. Minimze the use of the view screen to extend battery life.

i have a 64 meg card and its just fine anyhigher would be a waste of money (but thats me) plus dont get hooked into buying the card reader (you take out the card put it in to the card reader then it sends it to your computer) the dealer was trying to sell me that thing saying how its good if you dont want to waste your battery (i didnt buy it)[plus my printer allready has it] its a waste of money, dont but it....

but my digi cam uploads it to the computer byitself and it takes no time at all (using USB)

If you dont have a usb downloader, it is worth every penny. How many pics at 3 megapixel, highest quality, can you get on a 64mb card? I can get about 75 pics on a 32mb card, at 1.3 mpixel. So maybe 50-60 on the 64mb card. Nice to have extra for vacation. I think we took close to 100 pictures last vacation. Nice thing about digital, they dont cost anything, trash em if they suck, burn to cd every so often.

my advice...to get the best quality and make

Make sure it is from a likea photo company instead of a electronics company like sony

pick one that specilizes in photography.