Digital Cameras

[SuzeQuze]

I think I'm going to buy the Kodak Easyshare but I wanted to create this thread to ask folks what type of digital camera they have and how much they like it.

So, if you have one, what type of digital camera do you have? And how would you rate it on a scale of 1 - 10? What is the best thing about it? And what is the worst?

Thanks in advance! :wavey:

[DrummerDeanna]

I have a Kodak EasyShare CX7430 w/ loading dock...

I got it for free -but I LOVE it...the pictures are beautiful...the ones I've had printed...

It's a 4 megapixel 3x zoom camera....not too fancy - but it serves the purpose of a nice point and shoot camera :D

And it's easy to use and figure out...I've been very happy with it so far :nod:

[SuzeQuze]

I have a Kodak EasyShare CX7430 w/ loading dock...

I got it for free -but I LOVE it...the pictures are beautiful...the ones I've had printed...

It's a 4 megapixel 3x zoom camera....not too fancy - but it serves the purpose of a nice point and shoot camera :D

And it's easy to use and figure out...I've been very happy with it so far :nod:

Very cool. They have the 7530 now which is 5 MP and only $250 which is a steal compared to other cameras on the market.

What is the loading dock? Do you need one? And the 3x zoom, does it actually make things appear closer than they are? The camera has really good reviews online.

[heyjupiter678]

I also have an EasyShare (DX4530, 5 megapixel 3x optical/3.3x digital zoom). The best thing about it is probably its ease of use. There really isn't a worst thing . . . I was a bit disappointed with the pictures I took at a FM concert last year -- they came out grainy -- but I had the zoom maxed out most of the time, so I'm guessing that was my fault. Other than that one time, the pictures I've taken have been perfect.

All in all, it's a great little camera. On a scale of 1-10, I'd give it a 9.

[wondergirl9847]

I have been upset lately in the fact I think I paid too much for my camera. :( I bought it mainly to take to England, but also just to have a camera. It was over 300 bucks...and now I'm seeing digitals for less than 200. :mad: Gah!

I have a Konica Digital Revio KD-500Z. It's 5.0 megapixel and 3x optical zoom.

Pros:

When it's good, it's VERY good at getting clear pictures. I have a few AMAZING pictures of FM and Keith shows. Although, I'm sure it's more the photographer, not the camera. :rolleyes:

You can take video (30 seconds) and audio.

It's very durable and small.

It takes out red eye. Thank goodness. LOL

Has a big enough screen...not too big, not too small. I say not too big, because at concerts, you don't wanna get caught taking video. We weren't supposed to at the Keith concert I went to, but I took some anyways. I had to hide the fact it said recording. LOL

Cons:

Slow at taking pictures. I've tried changing the shutter speed, but it still seems too dang slow. At concerts, I need it to take at lightning speed. LOL

Only takes 30 second videos (LOL), but hey, at least I can get a some stuff at concerts!!

When you use the zoom, the pics come out very grainy.

[Stephanie]

I have a cannon digital elph. Pros it is very small, though not as small as some, and it takes great photos with no flash. I really like it a lot. if you zoom greater than 2x it looses resolution. It also takes audio/video, around 3-4 minutes or enough time for about one song.

[SuzeQuze]

I have been upset lately in the fact I think I paid too much for my camera. :( I bought it mainly to take to England, but also just to have a camera. It was over 300 bucks...and now I'm seeing digitals for less than 200. :mad: Gah!

I have a Konica Digital Revio KD-500Z. It's 5.0 megapixel and 3x optical zoom.

Pros:

When it's good, it's VERY good at getting clear pictures. I have a few AMAZING pictures of FM and Keith shows. Although, I'm sure it's more the photographer, not the camera. :rolleyes:

You can take video (30 seconds) and audio.

It's very durable and small.

It takes out red eye. Thank goodness. LOL

Has a big enough screen...not too big, not too small. I say not too big, because at concerts, you don't wanna get caught taking video. We weren't supposed to at the Keith concert I went to, but I took some anyways. I had to hide the fact it said recording. LOL

Cons:

Slow at taking pictures. I've tried changing the shutter speed, but it still seems too dang slow. At concerts, I need it to take at lightning speed. LOL

Only takes 30 second videos (LOL), but hey, at least I can get a some stuff at concerts!!

When you use the zoom, the pics come out very grainy.

I think you did well since the cnet site gave this camera a really good rating. But I am looking for inexpensive because I just want to finally get a digital camera and am too cheap to spend a lot of money on it right now.

In other news, the Canon Digital Rebel has come down in price to $799. That's because they have a new one now that is 8 MEGAPIXELS. Last year's was "only" 6. So now I have something else to drool over.

[AliP]

I would definitely recommend a Kodak. I have a Kodak and love it. It is very easy to use and the pictures are great. You can take up to 5 minutes of video (actually, I think this depends on the size of your memory card).

I got my mom a Nikon Coolpix for Christmas....and uh, big mistake!!! First of all, it is very confusing. All sorts of little buttons and settings to make things complicated. My mom is basically like all other parents, I'm sure, where she can't figure out how to use the DVD player, much less a camera with all sorts of little buttons

To make things worse, the Coolpix takes about 10 seconds to recycle the flash after every picture!!!! So that means, lets say you are taking a picture of Stevie as she twirls about, you will have to wait 10 seconds to take another picture, likely missing some very good shots!! It was very annoying. Luckily we were able to take it back and exchange it for a Kodak Easyshare. The Kodak camera does not have this problem. You can snap pictures right after another w/o waiting. Plus with Kodak - the easyshare program is really easy to use and you can take out red eye etc.

Also, it's not too expensive and, I think, offers the best value for your buck.

[sara1998]

I LOVE my Nikon Cookpix 3100. It's 3.2 megapixel, and has a 3X zoom. It's small enough to hide, and takes a small memory card that plugs right into the printer, (if you have a memory card slot) or you can just run the wire. Every photo I've shot has turned out great. If I don't have it on the right setting, they don't come out very well, but there's a setting for everything, and it even has scene assistance, so you can center things perfectly. I don't know that there's anything I don't like about it, except maybe it eats batteries fast. I spent around $350 for it, but that was right after it came out.

[WelshWitchPMD]

Well, I have a Pentax Optio S4. I don't think that they make that any more. Mine is 4 megapixels and it is very tiny and can fit inside an Altoids tin. I love it because it is so small and I take with me everyday. I took some great photos at the Mac concerts but I do find that it is slow sometimes for the concert photos. I always use a faster read/write speed media card for concerts however.
I took some photos of the Queen Mary in Newport last summer and I was not too happy with the way that they looked when they printed out. However, the pictures that I took (the ones that I posted the link to) last weekend look absolutely fabulous. I guess that CVS must have improved their equipment. I was very surprised.
I know that I paid a lot for it but that was the price of digitals a year and a half ago. Had I waited I would not have gotten those concert photos that I love.
We talked a bit about digital cameras in my photography class on Monday.
The instructor told us that you really don't need any megapixel higher then 6. He told us don't even bother using the digital zoom just shut it off. Make sure that the camera has an optical zoom. He also told us that the sensor inside the camera is very important but he did not tell us what kind to look for. :shrug:
He said to make a list of what price range you are looking for and what accessories you need. Then check out Consumer Reports online. He also said that if you go to Cameras.com it would show you who sells what and for how much.

Personally, I heard that Kodaks are easy to use. I have seen people get great photos at concerts with them. I think that they did have a DX model, which has a really nice zoom lens but is a bit bigger then some point and shoots.

Here is a link from Pentax. This is the model up from mine.
http://www.pentaximaging.com/products/product_details/digital_camera--Optio_S5i/reqID--1010/subsection--optio

[macfanken]

I have a Sony Cyber-Shot which I really like. It takes great quality pictures and getting the pictures from my camera to my computer is a piece of cake. My only complaint is that taking pictures is a bit complicated (maybe it's just me). There are lots of buttons and settings and I still have no idea what most of them do. I've had the camera for over a year and I still keep the instruction booklet with me when I use the camera.

[EnchantedSLN]

This is what I used at the SYW shows: http://www.steves-digicams.com/2002_reviews/fuji_f401.html. It's a great little camera... you can get one for about $160 now.

I'm about to take the plunge and buy a Nikon D70 this month :blob2:, though I know I won't be able to take it to concerts.

[Lee]

I just got a Nikon Coolpix 3200 as a Christmas present to me from me last year. I got a good deal on it. I really love it. It's small, takes great pictures, & has something like 15 different settings. I got rechargable batteries for it. They only bad thing about it is in the movie mode, there's a clicking sound when you play it back, but you can still hear the sound OK. I download the pictures on my computer & print them out on my Lexmark printer & they look great. They look just like regular pictures. I'd recommend the Nikon Coolpix 3200 & I'd rate it a 9. Hope this helps.

Lee :)

[SuzeQuze]

Thanks for all the great info everyone. Pattie, I love how small your camera is! Best Buy has it for $300. I'll have to check them all out "in the flesh" now to decide.

[SuzeQuze]

This is what I used at the SYW shows: http://www.steves-digicams.com/2002_reviews/fuji_f401.html. It's a great little camera... you can get one for about $160 now.

I'm about to take the plunge and buy a Nikon D70 this month :blob2:, though I know I won't be able to take it to concerts.

Nice. I want the Canon Digital Rebel myself. Why are you getting the Nikon? Just curious since the Rebel now has 2 more MPs and the 6MP model is "only" $799.

[SuzeQuze]

I have a Kodak EasyShare CX7430 w/ loading dock...

I got it for free -but I LOVE it...the pictures are beautiful...the ones I've had printed...

It's a 4 megapixel 3x zoom camera....not too fancy - but it serves the purpose of a nice point and shoot camera :D

And it's easy to use and figure out...I've been very happy with it so far :nod:

Deanna, what exactly is the loading dock and do I need it?

[EnchantedSLN]

Nice. I want the Canon Digital Rebel myself. Why are you getting the Nikon? Just curious since the Rebel now has 2 more MPs and the 6MP model is "only" $799.

The Canon has more megapixels, but the Nikon is actually the better camera in terms of the range of features and versatility. Once you hit a certain point (around 6 MP), the importance of megapixels in determining image quality plateaus. There's not much benefit to be derived from going higher unless you want to make huge enlargments of your images (16x20 and up). The Nikon D2Xs (12.4 MP!!) are insane. The D70 has a better metering system, custom hue adjustment, more focus and flash modes, better flash and exposure compensation, ability to fine tune white balance, and faster continuous shooting and shutter speeds than the Rebel. Some Canon brand-loyalists will argue otherwise, but I definitely think out of the big 3 "prosumer" DSLRs (the D70, the D100, and the Rebel), the D70 is the best overall package for the money.

[Gypsy-Rhiannon]

I'm about to take the plunge and buy a Nikon D70 this month :blob2:, though I know I won't be able to take it to concerts.
That looks like a great camera Tiff. How much is it over there? Pretty expensive here... on Amazon.co.uk it's £709.99. I did find it slightly cheaper elsewhere online at £649.

[GODDESS6]

i have a sony cyber-shot 5.0 mega pixels, & i love, love it!!!~

[Lisa1769]

I have an HP 945 PhotoSmart. I got it in December of last year and just this week it froze up and wouldn't do a thing. Me without my camera is like a crackhead without crack. I take tons of photos, I love to look back on the memories.

HP has an awesome customer support, at least for me it went well. Supposedly my new one will be here tomorrow, it was still under warranty.

I like the camera, it takes nice photos, usually. When it goes into digital zoom they don't look the best, I need to try a tripod and see if that would help or not.

[Lisa1769]

I've had this camera for, like, 3 years and it's still alive & kicking, so that's got to be good, right?


Yup.. :D

The pictures look the best when I have them on my screen enlarged. They're really clear.

[SuzeQuze]

I have an HP 945 PhotoSmart. I got it in December of last year and just this week it froze up and wouldn't do a thing. Me without my camera is like a crackhead without crack. I take tons of photos, I love to look back on the memories.

HP has an awesome customer support, at least for me it went well. Supposedly my new one will be here tomorrow, it was still under warranty.

I like the camera, it takes nice photos, usually. When it goes into digital zoom they don't look the best, I need to try a tripod and see if that would help or not.

I'm not sure a tripod would help because isn't it grainy because the zoom is like enlarging a picture? Whenever you enlarge you lose resolution. So if you're zooming in 1x you are down to 2.5MP and then 2x down 1.25 and so forth, depending on exactly how each magnification is calculated. Does this make sense? Does anyone here happen to know exactly what digital zoom is?

[Lisa1769]

I'm not sure a tripod would help because isn't it grainy because the zoom is like enlarging a picture? Whenever you enlarge you lose resolution. So if you're zooming in 1x you are down to 2.5MP and then 2x down 1.25 and so forth, depending on exactly how each magnification is calculated. Does this make sense? Does anyone here happen to know exactly what digital zoom is?


Yeah, I see what you're saying. But my pictures aren't grainy, they're more blurred. It has something to do with hand shake. The more you zoom in the more steady you have to be. That's where a tripod comes into it. I just need to try it, but haven't bothered yet. I need to though cuz I love to zoom!! :p

Oh, and my camera did come today. HP was really on the ball. I contacted them on Wed., and Mon. camera was here.

[SuzeQuze]

This is what I used at the SYW shows: http://www.steves-digicams.com/2002_reviews/fuji_f401.html. It's a great little camera... you can get one for about $160 now.

I'm about to take the plunge and buy a Nikon D70 this month :blob2:, though I know I won't be able to take it to concerts.

I wound up getting the Fuji Finepix E550. It has a 4x optical zoom and 6MB! I also got a 512 MB card to go with it. That's where they get ya, expensive! But I got such a great deal on this camera, it was tagged at $350, marked down to $299 plus 10% off. I got a lot of camera for my money and I am thrilled! :D

[WelshWitchPMD]

[QUOTE=SuzeQuze]I wound up getting the Fuji Finepix E550. It has a 4x optical zoom and 6MB! I also got a 512 MB card to go with it. That's where they get ya, expensive! But I got such a great deal on this camera, it was tagged at $350, marked down to $299 plus 10% off. I got a lot of camera for my money and I am thrilled! :D[/QUOTE

Wow, that sounds like a good deal. Where did you get it from? Good luck with it. I am sure that you won't leave home without it! :nod:

[EnchantedSLN]

I wound up getting the Fuji Finepix E550. It has a 4x optical zoom and 6MB! I also got a 512 MB card to go with it. That's where they get ya, expensive! But I got such a great deal on this camera, it was tagged at $350, marked down to $299 plus 10% off. I got a lot of camera for my money and I am thrilled! :D

That is a great deal! Enjoy your new camera :).

[SuzeQuze]

Wow, that sounds like a good deal. Where did you get it from? Good luck with it. I am sure that you won't leave home without it! :nod:

I got it from Best Buy and it was the last one. :D I was so happy! I had to jump through a few hoops to get it though. The key guy took 15 minutes to show up in the camera dept. For some reason 7 other people showed up to buy cameras that nite and overwhelmed the jittery sales person. I was supposed to automatically get a gift card for the accessories I bought which I didn't get so I had to go to customer service where they filled out forms and conferenced before figuring out what to do, but I got the $25 gift card! :thumbsup: Thanks for your well wishes, I intend to have it with me all the time, yes!

[SuzeQuze]

Wow, that sounds like a good deal. Where did you get it from? Good luck with it. I am sure that you won't leave home without it! :nod:

I got it from Best Buy and it was the last one. :D I was so happy! I had to jump through a few hoops to get it though. The key guy took 15 minutes to show up in the camera dept. For some reason 7 other people showed up to buy cameras that nite and overwhelmed the jittery sales person. When I bought the camera my receipt got chewed up by the machine so they had to get a copy which took a while. I was supposed to automatically get a gift card for the accessories I bought which I didn't get. So I had to go to customer service where they filled out forms and conferenced before figuring out what to do, but I got the $25 gift card! :thumbsup:

Thanks for your well wishes, I intend to have it with me all the time, yes!