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Community Newsletter: Q&A: I'm ready to purchase my first digital camera. Need advice!
- 11/19/07 6:16 AM
I'm ready to purchase my first digital camera.
by rjustice03 - 10/26/07 8:29 PM In reply to: I'm ready to purchase my first digital camera. Need advice! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
The first bit of advice I would give you is this, more expensive doesn't mean a better camera or better photos and the higher the megapixels are doesn't always mean better either. Prices have fallen on digital cameras just like they have on most electronic gizmos over time and you can get a pretty good 6 to 7 megapixel camera for $200 to $300. That having been said there are a few things you should consider. The first might be how are you going to use the camera, i.e. are you going to carry it around with you and take pictures on the go or is it going to be mounted on a tripod in a studio. From your post I believe the first option to be the case. Size will most certainly be a consideration in that case. Second, how will you access the pictures taken on the camera? Do you have a computer with a memory card reader, and if so what types of memory cards will it accept? Or will you connect it directly to the computer via a usb cable? There is a third option here too, and that is a wireless or WiFi connection, although those cameras, being newer technology are a bit more expensive. You may also want to consider the type of memory card the camera takes, SD, XD or Memory stick are probably the most common. Some cameras also have internal memory and will work without an additional card, but you probably won't get too many pictures on it in that case. A third consideration might be the options you are looking for. I would tell you if you want to keep things simple, look for a camera with autmatic settings, which most have now days. Also a few other items to look for might be the display size and how clearly it can be seen outdoors, what type of battery does it have, as some come with their own rechargable battery and others take AA batteries. Of note, digital cameras generally use batteries like a kid eating candy so be careful here as it can get expensive if using AA's, unless you want to invest in a set of rechargable ones and a charger. Also the type of zoom tha camera has may be important, optical zoom is better than digital zoom because optical zoom is a function of the lenses and not an interpolation of the image to appear closer, which causes some altering of the image and loss of clarity. Most cameras offer both types but a camera with 10x optical zoom will take a much better close up shot than a camera with, say 4x digital zoom. The key here is the word "optical" and "digital", not the numbers. Two more things and I will close here: You may want a camera which has the ability to shoot video clips, as this comes in handy from time to time, and if you are going to use the camera outdoors more than indoors you may want to also consider looking for one that is weather resistant.
Before considering any of the above, first decide how much money you are willing to spend and go from there. You can find some excellent deals out there if you know what you want and are looking for. Good luck shopping.
Selecting a 'first-time' digital camera
by grayja - 10/26/07 8:36 PM In reply to: I'm ready to purchase my first digital camera. Need advice! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi Walter, Probably the main things to think about:
1. You need a computer so you can download the digital images into it - so you can see them 'full size' on the computer screen - so you can 'edit' pictures if you like (all the tricks of a dark-room without all the mess) - and if you want, 'print' the pictures. You could get away without the computer and use a printer which can connect to your camera, or take the camera into a shop which has a photo-machine you can use in lieu of a computer to edit, resize and print any pictures from your memory card, or (heaven forbid!!) just give the camera to them and ask them to do the prints for you.
2. What's it going to cost - what's your budget
3. What do you expect in terms of quality? What category will most
of your pictures fall into? - Snapshots?, Family life scenes?
8" x 10" works of art? etc?
3. What size are you expecting the camera to be? - something as big
as a Box Brownie (dont ask a youngster what that is!!), or must
it fit comfortabley in your shirt pocket?
As with anything else, What you get depends on how much you pay. You don't need to go overboard, but dont go for a 'cheapie' bargain either. Reputable brand name cameras (Kodak, Sony, Epson, Canon, Panasonic, and many anothers) start at around the $100 mark, all the way up to several thousand!!! Modern Digital Cameras are Hi-tech instruments and will easily outperform old 'cheap film-cameras' for the most part.
As for the technical specifications, you really dont need to concern yourself with megapixels. Unless you really want to go beyond the snapshot print size (which will also look good on a standard PC Monitor) there is really no need to pay for more than 2 or 3 MP (megapixels). However, even the low price cameras these days come with more than that, but don't let the salesman sell you a more expensive camera just because it has more MP's. As with any type of camera, a good lens and a comfortable feel with ease of operation is what you should spend your money on. Although all come with a small screen on the back of the camera to let you compose the shot, and review it afterwards, I recommend you get a camera that also has an eye-level viewfinder. There are many light situations where you will have trouble seeing much of anything in the little screen - ever tried watching your TV outdoors in direct sunlight???. A viewfinder on the other hand will let you compose a picture in all but a dark night.
The film (more correctly called a Memory Card) is a tiny thing not much larger than an average postage stamp and less than 1/8" thick. Forget about the one that comes with the camera, and buy one with a bigger capacity - don't get stuck with the old '36 exposures' concept, just ask for one that will hold a couple of hundred or so. The memory card is reuseable and cost is just a 'one-time' thing. You don't nned to keep the pictures in them for very long - you transfer them (or just the ones worth keeping) into your PC, and then erase the images in the memory card before using it again - "ad infinitum".
All digital cameras have an 'Automatic' mode of operation to adjust focussing, shutter speeds and light exposures. Most come with a few or many different modes and settings you can twiddle with yourself if you like!! Most of the extra features are contolled by pressing various buttons positioned around the camera and are also visible on the screen when you are composing a picture. Make sure to choose a camera where your hands fit nicely on the camera (this can be tricky to do with the very small 'shirt pocked' cameras) and without accidentally pressing any buttons.
Finally, if you had never owned a car before, would you go out to buy one on your own if you knew next to nothing about cars and driving?? - same with cameras, try to find a friend or acquaintance who has some experience or knowlege that can help you penetrate the quagmire, or just lay yourself in the hands of an assistant in a reputable shop.
There are many books available to help novices buy a digital camera, but often they will tend to confuse with excessive detail and technology. I realise my effort here is at the other end of the scale. Don't overspend, and ask the store for a trial test, perhaps just a 10 - 20 minute trial around the store and in the mall or wherever. Ask if they have a exchange policy if you buy it and take it home and then a week or so later, find you don't like it and would exchange it for another model.
Finally, digital photography will grow on you and you may well wish to upgrade to a 'better' camera in the future, so don't 'go the whole hog' right away, take a gentle dip in the ocean before swimming out into deeper (more exciting) water. Good luck, Arthur
First Time Digital camera
by Thomas E. Mangus - 10/26/07 9:01 PM In reply to: I'm ready to purchase my first digital camera. Need advice! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi Walter: If you are interested in a fairly simple digital camera without any fancy frills I would recommend you take a look in Ebay for either an Olympus C-700 or C-720. Both are older models (3-4 years old)You should be able to buy for around $50-$80 or less that includes all you will need for taking quality pictures, download to your PC and share with friends and family. The C-700 has 2MP and a 10x zoom. The C720 has 3MP and an 8x zoom. One advantage the 720 has over the 700 is you can buy a hand held remote to take pictues via a tripod remotely. If you should go in this direction make sure you have the PC cables, CD software, memory card (these cards come in several capacities depending on how many pictures you would take before you download to your PC. I just saw a 720 on Ebay # 320173116991 as an example. You can buy about any mega pixel and they all take good pictures. The more mega-pixels the larger you can blow-up a photo (enlarge)with a high quality clear picture. These cameras pictures will enlarge to an 8x10 print with quality. 4x6 is a normal print which you can either print your own or take or send to a processer via the internet and they will send your completed prints in the mail, usually about .29 per print. Shop around for reprint prices. You can go to a camera store and look at what cameras are available and get very confused. I too am an older senior citizen at 71. If this is the type of answer you are looking for I am available for additional questions. No I don't work for Olympus or anyone. I am retired. Tom Mangus 10/26/07
Digital Camera
by jimkr4ef - 10/26/07 9:04 PM In reply to: I'm ready to purchase my first digital camera. Need advice! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
In answer to the last question posed on here about the grandpa wanting to purchase a digital camera.
The most important thing about a digital camera is the megapixels it carries. Mine is a 5 megapixal HP735 and it takes the clearest most detailed pics I have ever taken. My other two cameras are 3 megapixels.I do not work for tiger direct and I do not advertise for them. But with this price I have to say something about it. They have a 7 megapixel GE digital camera with a 2.5 inch lcd screen for the lowest price I have ever seen for a digital camera of this quality. It is 99 dollars. I am ordering me one and thought I would reccomend to the grandpa that he check out www.tigerdirect.com and purchase it. They also have a movie on the page of how to use and focus them. I am a grandpa too and use a Canon pixma for a photo printer and it prints pics so clear that they look like you had them developed at a photo business. Thanks for letting me put my 2 cents in......Jim
"BEWARE" of the Kodak trap.
by tom johnsen - 10/26/07 9:08 PM In reply to: I'm ready to purchase my first digital camera. Need advice! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Firstly, do not get a Kodak camera. You will have nothing but problems with thier proprietry software.....So, shop for a camera in your budjet. The most megapixels, you can afford. Eight to ten will allow you to print very, very, fine pics up to about 16" square. Get a cam. with the largest preview, (viewfinder) possible. Four times magnification with 3X zoom will get you up close. SD chips are the best, I think. If possible choose a cam. with a rechargeable battery, and buy a spare. A auto cam. with a few settings will give you the best results until you gain confidence. Most cams. come with decent software to view, edit and print your pics.
There are lots of choices out there. A few are Casio, Sony, Cannon, etc.. You should find what need for $200.00 to $400.00.
Happy snapping ....relice_1
digital camera
by bdarnell46 - 10/26/07 9:10 PM In reply to: I'm ready to purchase my first digital camera. Need advice! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Ihave two one is a cheapy nogood second one a polaroibut it is not good at download to computer and it uses to much power.so getting a card reader with that camera is a good solution to use that camera and I do get good pictures.
Advice for Walter H
by Graham Marsden - 10/26/07 9:20 PM In reply to: I'm ready to purchase my first digital camera. Need advice! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Speaking as another grandad (72yrs) I would advise starting out simply. I have an even older friend(76yrs) with a little Samsung compact and he takes great pictures. I hope this doesn't contravene your rule against ads but the 6mp version is crrently being sold by Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk for £50.
Digital Cameras
by Ian F. Macleod - 10/26/07 9:52 PM In reply to: I'm ready to purchase my first digital camera. Need advice! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Your main concerns should be 1 Is it Pictbridge capable? Your printer has to be for Pictbridge direct printing to operate
2. Does your computer and printer accept the media card that the Camera operates? It should do so that you can either print photos direct through your printer if it has media card reading capabilities. Ideally you require something like the HP Photosmart series Printers.You should be able to load your media card into your computer and save your photos to which ever photo programme you have or direct into My Pictures folder for future printing /editing. Megapixels only determine the definition of your photos . The higher the number the better the photographic quality. Ihope that this answers your question Good shooting with your new toy. Ian
Budget? Size? Simplicity?
by redbeard74 - 10/26/07 9:52 PM In reply to: I'm ready to purchase my first digital camera. Need advice! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
First of all...how much are you willing to spend? What seems to be an appropriate price point to YOU?
Second...what physical size of camera are you looking for? I mean, while many of Canon's SureShot line are not much larger than a pack of cigarettes, for ME they are too small and therefore difficult to use; thus negating many of their options and functionality - because of the LACK of ease in accessing them.
Third...please delineate what YOU mean by 'simplicity'. I ask this because what is simple to ME photographically may well not be simple to you. I mean, I've been doing photography for years (and sold photographic equipment and supplies for a time) and I prefer SLR type cameras to the point-and-shoot variety for several reasons; not the least of which is that I get to see in the viewfinder what the camera is showing at the film plane - pretty much "what you see is what you get".
As you can see Walter, there are several variables that need to be clarified before I/we can really make any recommendtations or suggestions.
Steve
Camera buyng suggestions
by mwooge - 10/26/07 10:00 PM In reply to: I'm ready to purchase my first digital camera. Need advice! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
There are several things to consider in a new camera, the first being budget (ugh).
Walter will want a simple point-and-shoot.
Here's more thoughts:
Not much of a recomendation anymore, but get 3 mega-pixels minimum.
Name-brand is usually best.
How much zoom do you need? For 10x or more make sure you have an image stabilizer. Not all cameras mention that they have it.
Should use replaceable batteries, in case you go dead before the day's done. Most cameras are okay, but some eat batteries fast and will need new ones half way through the day. A big screen is especially power-hungry.
How will you get the pictures out?
How are the controls? Buttons hard to reach? Too easy to hit by accident? Too many shooting options?
A big screen on the back is good, the bigger the better. Must flip out and twist.
Personaly, I don't like using the flash. I think it annoys people. Can the flash be disabled, and will it still be disabled when the camera's turned on again? My camera has the flash tied down.
Finally: go to a store to see what's available, find reviews on the internet.
Digital camera/Manual Camera
by Devulcan - 10/26/07 10:02 PM In reply to: I'm ready to purchase my first digital camera. Need advice! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
You should know that in spite of the advantages of Digital Photo (one thing is that you nedd not go to a photoshop any more) but besides that, there are som technical features that should be corrected: when you push the button it takes a long while before it takes the picture; you cannot catch it right away; that should be altered, another thing is that it actually is necessary for any kind of artistic photo is to have full control, manually, of the lenses different possibilities.Allso a set of filters, built in digitally plus a distance-measurer and settings for day/Night and infra-red/-ultraviolet (digitally) would be interesting. Kind Regards Johnny De Vulcan
grandpas digtal camera
by grandpaterry - 10/26/07 11:58 PM In reply to: I'm ready to purchase my first digital camera. Need advice! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi being in the same boat as yourself a couple of years ago i looked in magizines and camera shops and found that the fuji range of digtal cameras more then coverd my needs and since purchaseing my first one i have now purchsed a slr digital camera from fuji and even my grey hair old brian is getting great shots i would not change at any price
digital camera choice
by martyx - 10/27/07 12:22 AM In reply to: I'm ready to purchase my first digital camera. Need advice! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi Walter.
At some stage megapixels Mp) will need to be considered, so lets clear that up right now! The term relates to the number of picture elements, (pixels)that populate the sensor. The more pixels, then generally the higher potential quality of the reproduced image. Camera phones with in -built camera typically have a 2 megapixel sensor, which is expanding as technology advances. At that level you could expect to have decent postcard sized print from your shots. As the number of pixels increase then so too does the actual file or image size. Consequently images from say an 8 Mp will fill a 17" inch screen many times over and have a file size of some 13megabytes (Mb). For most users anywhere from 2 to 6 Mp will provide adequate quality and also be manageable on most computers. Additional image storage is easy too by use of cards and memory sticks.
The rest is relatively easy, pick the features you are likely to find use for. If point and shoot appeals then go for a simple P&S job of which there are many. If however, you are likely to want to manipulate settings to achieve effects or overcome a variety of shooting situations then a more serious camera will be appropriate along with the increase in MP and $$, but you guessed that already. At the top end are the digital SLRs, (DSLR) the equivalent to the single lens reflex cameras that afford the user the opportunity to add a variety of lenses and often filters to their 'kit' to obtain pictures under a wide variety of conditions. Apart from the addition of filters, most digital cameras now feature zoom lenses that offer intermediate settings between a wide angle,(see a lot) and telephoto, (see less of)
lenses.
At the top end the brands offering quality equipment and performance are Canon, Nikon, Kodak and Olympus which would be a good guide when looking at the range of cameras now available.
Hope this helps you in your quest and starts you on a fulfilling journey in to photography.
Digital Camera
by AdminLogon - 10/27/07 12:31 AM In reply to: I'm ready to purchase my first digital camera. Need advice! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Hi Walter,
There isn't a great deal to look for. Megapixels are important up to a point depending on what you're going to do with the photos. If the most you're going to do is print them, then anything from 3 megapixels upwards is good. Your main priority for good shots is optical zoom - digital zoom absolutely sucks as it only tends to stuff a shot if you need to enlarge it. Along with optical zoom a decent genuine glass lens, NOT the cheapy plastic ones which can affect your shot.
By no means last is comfort in use and, hopefully, not too many settings to confuse. Don't under any circumstances forget to READ the manual and have a play around to get a reasonable amount of confidence with it.
Of course, if you intend to take a lot of photos, get a big memory card.
Good luck
Allan
Figure out what you want out of a camera
by jlgallacher - 10/27/07 12:43 AM In reply to: I'm ready to purchase my first digital camera. Need advice! by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Digital cameras these days can do lots of things, and you need to figure out what you want your camera to do before you go shopping for it. To help, I'll define each term before I address it and how it relates to your usage of the camera.
Firstly, "megapixels" literally means "millions of pixels", and represents how many pixels are in the image. Because digital cameras capture images through an array of tiny light-sensitive elements, the pixel count of the image is limited to the number of elements in that array and how tightly they're packed together. An image that is 2048 pixels across and 1536 pixels high is said to be 3.1 megapixels, since it has 3,145,728 pixels; thus a camera that's rated at 3.1 megapixels (or MP) will put out an image that's 2048x1536, which is large by most monitor standards, but not so much by print standards.
While the pixel count is generally overrated, it does have an effect on the quality of the picture, especially when printed - and even more so if you will be wanting enlarged prints like 8x10s. As an example, a 1.3MP camera will make pictures suitable for e-mailing friends and family, at a resolution of 1280x1024. However, if you try to make a 6"x4" print with that the 1280 pixels across will be spread over 6 inches, resulting in about 213 pixels per inch, which isn't even as good as a cheap inkjet printer, and will result in blurry or grainy prints. Similarly, a 4MP camera might make a 6x4 print decently, because the ~2300 pixels across result in about 385 pixels per inch... but when you spread that across 10" you're again down to 230 pixels per inch. If you plan on making enlarged prints, I would recommend a 6-10 megapixel camera. There are other benefits to a higher resolution as well, but unless you plan on doing photo editing on your computer after taking the pictures (which is actually rather easy now with the abundance of free and cheap software out there, and some are even packaged with the cameras) you won't be able to take advantage of those benefits.
Next up is the zoom factor. Zoom, as the name suggests, allows you to zoom in on your subject (at the expense of field of view); there are two different types of zoom employed by digital cameras, digital and optical - most cameras use both in combination. Optical zoom is achieved through use of lenses, and results in little to no loss of picture quality, though sometimes the image can get a bit of a "fisheye" effect. Digital zoom is calculated by a processor in the camera, and since it's essentially working with a small fraction of what the camera captures so digitally zoomed images tend to be inferior. Wikipedia has a nice detailed explanation of digital and optical zooms. The thing I pay attention to is optical zoom.
Often when you look at digital cameras in ads you see them offering cameras with "30x zoom" or some similarly absurd zoom factor. This is usually the combination of optical and digital... cheaper cameras will have a relatively weak optical zoom of about 3-4x, and then a 8-12x digital zoom. While digital zoom does have its purposes, I tend to ignore it when shopping for cameras and instead seek the optical zoom factor, which is sometimes hidden in the fine print of the product description (though usually any camera with a decent optical zoom will advertise it quite plainly).
A third factor to consider is storage. Digital pictures can quickly devour large amounts of space, with a single picture from a midrange camera consuming 2-3 megabytes. Fortunately memory cards for cameras are cheap and large these days; unfortunately there are many different types (or formats), most of which are incompatible with one another. The common formats are:
* Secure Digital (SD), a fairly standard and widespread format which comes in four flavors (SD, miniSD - a smaller card, microSD - an even smaller version, and SDHC, for capacities of 4GB and more)
* MultiMedia Card (MMC), which has mostly been replaced by SD but is usually interoperable (most SD systems can read/write MMCs, but check your documentation, or better yet just stick with SD)
* extreme Digital (xD), a proprietary format commonly used by Fuji and Olympus with a few confusingly incompatible subformats (standard, type M, and type H)
* CompactFlash (CF), a long-standing format that is also widespread, especially in professional-grade cameras; the media also tends to be more durable than other types
* Memory Stick (MS), a proprietary format used almost exclusively by Sony
If you already have a computer with an SD/MMC card reader, you'll want to make sure you get a camera that can use that type of storage (SD cards, in this case); on the other hand, if you have a lot of Sony devices already (VAIO computer, PSP, whatever) you might want to get a Sony camera so you can share the media between the devices. If you don't have any current devices that use flash memory, you may want to base your format decision on the strengths and weaknesses of each format. For example, SD cards are cheap and widely available, but if you want more than 2GB you'll need to make sure the camera and whatever reader you use support the SDHC version. Similarly, if you're concerned about durability of the media, CF cards are a bit pricier but their packaging is tougher and can generally withstand a bit more abuse.
The next thing to consider (and this may or may not be an issue for you) is battery type and battery life. Many digital cameras now are using AA batteries, which is great because you can buy a huge pack of off-brand AAs, or if you're more environmentally conscious you can use NiMH rechargeable AAs. However, some cameras still require the specialty camera batteries, which are somewhat harder to find and more expensive. Although battery manufacturers like to market lithium batteries as great for cameras, I discovered that during extended use they can get quite warm and may have actually been the cause of my old camera's demise as a result of heat damage to the camera's circuitry; Fuji actually explicitly states in their manuals not to use lithium batteries due to this. Unless your camera explicitly calls for lithium batteries either by the battery form factor or in the manual, try to avoid them. That being said, you'll want to find out what the expected battery life of any prospective camera is - you certainly don't want to find yourself having to fiddle with batteries during your grandchild's graduation ceremony (whether it be kindergarten or college), and at the least, if you get a camera with a short battery life you'll want to know how many spares to keep on hand.
Something you may or may not bother with when buying a camera would be all the bells and whistles. My new camera has an "image stabilization" feature, which helps to reduce blur caused by an unsteady hand; I've found it works quite well, and is nigh-indispensable for zoom shots (since zoom unfortunately tends to magnify any shaking of your hand too). Another common feature is a "reduced light" mode that is great for dusk or indoor shots, or perhaps even an actual "night vision" mode that uses infrared to take pictures in total darkness. If you plan on using the LCD screen on the back of the camera instead of the viewfinder, I would recommend looking at them in-store to get an idea of not only the size but also the clarity of the screen - it doesn't matter if the camera has a 3" screen if it's fuzzy or dull.
Last but not least, when you're about ready to buy a camera, jot down the model numbers of potential candidates and start looking up reviews here on c|net! If the camera hasn't been reviewed here, you can always turn to Google - usually putting in the manufacturer, model number, and the word "review" will turn up some good results. You might find a camera with great specs and a great price, only to find out that it has sub-par image quality, or eats batteries like crazy. When looking for my new camera, I went through all my other criteria to narrow it down to three models, but between the price and reviews, the choice became obvious.
...oh and one last footnote - Thanksgiving is coming up soon, and that means Black Friday sales! Lots of electronics stores have huge sales on digital cameras and accessories (like flash memory) the day after Thanksgiving, and you can get some absolutely amazing deals. The caveat would be that you generally have to check the ads the night before and find the one camera you're absolutely certain you want to get, then prepare yourself to camp in line to get it (or have a child or grandchild do your dirty work for you).
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