Community poll forum: What will your next digital photo-related purchase be?

PentaxDS, SLR. Soon as I get my tax refund I finish paying for it. Then I am off to take some good pix, Frieda

I've used this camera for several months and I enjoy it very much. I can take multiple shots at 5 fps which is great for sport events I go to.

The camera body itself is awesome, but the lens that the bundled kit comes with is terrible. So anyone who wants to buy this camera should consider getting a better lens and buy just the body by itself. It may be a little more expensive, but the combination with be more ideal. I would recommend the 17mm to 85mm zoom lens.

Now, I'm looking for the EF 15mm f/2.8 Fisheye lens, but every store I've gone to does not have it in stock. I particularly like the 180 degrees feature (or only feature). That is what I want to get next. I already have super telephoto which I find is too heavy to carry on vacations and excursions.

As with the other stuff. I don't need a new camera. I use a Canon i9900 for photo prints and a Xerox Phaser 6350DP for quick and cheap prints. The i9900 is a very good printer and I particularly love the individual tanks (8 separate colors). The Phaser may seem like an office printer, but for personal use, you are able to save a lot of money as for each cartridge, I can print up to 10,000 pages. The initial investments is high, but the long run investment is worth it. I have a scanner, but I don't use it. The i9900 is the best quality you can get and with the EOS 20D, you should buy a printer that gives you top quality results to maximize your investments.

For memory cards, if you are shooting lots of photos and you plan to shoot multishots (continuously until you run of memory), consider getting one the Sandisk Extreme CF cards as these are the only ones I've tried that can keep up with the speed of the camera. Also since each photo is 4.5MB compressed or 25MB RAW, get the biggest card you can afford.

For software, I use Photoshop CS2. It may seem expensive and you may want to go for the lesser Photoshop Elements. My advice is to download the software off BitTorrent to save yourself money. If you don't want to be too cheap, you can also download the previous version (Photoshop CS) and then buy the upgrade to the CS2 that way you legitimately own the software.

I wondered when I'd see someone mention the very important tripod. Anyone serious about photography has a tripod. They can't always be used, but should always be used when possible.

I use my digital camera for all my videos now so a 2gb card will do just fine now. I gound one for $75 that should do just fine.

Most important features for me:

12X optical zoom digital camera.
Good image stabilization.
Fast AF at long zoom (for sports).
Good low light response with post-processing to push both display and photo results beyond ASA setting.
Accurate AF in low light situations.
Good sunset mode.
Flexible metering modes.
Standard "AA" batteries.
VGA video mode.
5 MP or greater.
Rapid recovery, or rapid multi-shot mode. Auto-bracketing a plus.
Under $350.

So far, I am considering the Canon S2 IS and the Sony DSC-H1. My first choice would have been the Panasonic DMC-FZ5 but its QVGA video eliminiated it from the running.

Do you have any other suggestions?

- David

Elfangor,

Thank you for suggesting the FZ7.

I had assumed that, because it was a new model, that it would not meet my under-$350 requirement. However, I was surprised to see that it is only a few dollars more than the FZ5.

- David

Bob,

Thanks for pointing out the new Kodak.

I had originally eliminated Kodak as a candidate because, when I tried out one of the older 10X models, I was dissatisfied with the slow AF at long zoom setting. The reviews of the P850 mention the slow AF in low light that you experienced.

However, I am quite pleased with my current Kodak DX3600 with regard to its low light post-processing. So I should also take a look at the P850.

The one major negative about both the Kodak P850 and the Panasonic Z7 is the proprietary batteries. That is not a definite show-stopper for me, but it could be a tie-breaker.

- David

may be worth a look but dont buy not worth the 400 bucks when you can get a Canon or Sony for 350 that are much much better.

The wife just got a Canon Powershot SD550. That thing is so tiny, but takes excellent photos. Next up is a digital SLR for me...I have the Canon 30D in my sights. It has everything the 20D has, but a larger LCD display which is what I was waiting for.

Looking to buy a camera bag for the wonderful Lumix FZ7 that I just purchased last week. And a wide angle lens for my Canon 350D.

I'm not getting evrything I want (and need) from my Adobe Photoshop Elements - time to update

Nikon is making a new 105mm macro lens with their great Vibration Reduction built in. This lens should be great for close up work, giving at least 2 stops more hand held exposure range. It will work with the Nikon Digital SLRs or the Nikon Film cameras. I will have one in my bag.

I want to get a rechargable NI-MH battery and charger for Kodak Z740. I have rechargable AA's but want the single battery and maybe an extra. Just makes sense. That way, I would always be prepared.

I'll probably go for a good dedicated film scanner since I love doing slides. That, and eventually a good graphics card featuring ATI's AVIVO technology.