147 replies to this topic

[Sasun]

I am trying to buy a digital camer but can't seem to find the right one. I have browsed a lot of reviews already and my head is dizzy. Does anyone have a suggestion? I am looking for a 3-5 mp one, and am willing to spend up to $350-400. A compact one is much preferable.

[Azat]

I like the Sony DCS - P92 and it has a good price
http://www.tigerdire.....6 P&CatId=128

I also like the Fuji F610 and the Fuji 3800 and 6800(I own one of these and am very happy with it)

[MosJan]

sasun jan call me on monday - i might have somthing good for you
v1 sony 5p

[Accelerated]

what about those small digital camcorders: do they take decent pics?

[Dan]

I am trying to buy a digital camer but can't seem to find the right one. I have browsed a lot of reviews already and my head is dizzy. Does anyone have a suggestion? I am looking for a 3-5 mp one, and am willing to spend up to $350-400. A compact one is much preferable.

I have a BenQ digital cam, and wow, it's GREAT. EXCELLENT quality. Better than Sony, I can safely say that..

Oh, and I got the 3mp one for 220 Canadian bucks from a wholesaler.

Edited by Dan, 28 December 2003 - 11:01 AM.

[Armat]

Sas jan, check this site where I often go for image advice. This site does the most comprehensive review of all cameras plus each maker has its forums, which you can find the potential problems before purchasing.
I have been using Casio 4 mg (great at its time) but Canon G2,G3 are cult favorites and Fujis have great color reproduction.
Sony the Azat's suggestion has a plastic body(read cheap) and lot of owners not so happy with the focus and software(sorry Azat)
Anyway check out the reviews on most popular ones.
http://www.dpreview.com

Edited by Armat, 28 December 2003 - 11:56 AM.

[Sasun]

Thanks guys for the advices. After wasting a lot of time browsing the web I decided to go and check in the store. Actually, I practically know nothing about digital photography, I am a novice. A lot of times I find the hassle of a large camera frustrating, so this time I am definitely going to buy a small one that fits in the pocket and doesn't feel heavy. I will make up my mind afther actually touching some cameras in the store

[Sasun]

Armat jan, isn't plastic better for weight? Does it affect picture quality anyway (deforming in heat, not protecting from magnetic fields from outside)?

[Azat]

Sasun, if you are looking for a small camera Casio has a really good one that was recently reviewed on The Screen Savers on TechTV.

Let me find the link and I will send it to you.

[Azat]

http://world.casio.c...xilim/en/ex_z4/

[Armat]

Armat jan, isn't plastic better for weight? Does it affect picture quality anyway (deforming in heat, not protecting from magnetic fields from outside)?

I guess if you accidentally drop it then the plastic will easily break but nothing to do with picture quality.I love canon cameras.They got a whole range of nice metal reasonably prised cameras.You don't need anything bigger then 3 or 4 mg .3mg does a great 8x10 pictues.Anything more then that will just take memorie space.Anyway lot of people are very happy with Canons and Nikons, no wonder they have been making cameras for long time.

[Azat]

ohhhhh, I disagree Armat, the higher the resolution the better the quality of your images and memory is cheap nowadays. So if you can go for the 5MP go for it. The quality will be visible in the print, but also if you have a higher MP camera when you zoom(past optical zoom[and do try to get 3-6 times optical zoom as well]) pixalation will not be a huge problem

[Armat]

ohhhhh, I disagree Armat, the higher the resolution the better the quality of your images and memory is cheap nowadays. So if you can go for the 5MP go for it. The quality will be visible in the print, but also if you have a higher MP camera when you zoom(past optical zoom[and do try to get 3-6 times optical zoom as well]) pixalation will not be a huge problem

Azat I agree with you in general that more pixels are better but to print a sharp 8x10 with 3 to 4 mg will be fine. To take a 5mg picture and printing it to 8x10 will be a waste because 5mg is intended for sharp 18x20 or larger.What am I saying is that the extra pixels your picture has gets diluted or become ineffective when printing a smaller size picture. My understanding(I could be wrong) is that the extra pixels gets lost in the process of resizing the picture.

[Armat]

Sasun jan few things to think about when buying.
Make sure your camera comes with rechargeable batteries and a charger plus decent size memory. Some just come with the Camera alone then you spend another 100 dollars foe accessories.
I am lazy and don’t have time fiddling endlessly trying to get a great picture. I like great point and shoot features which some cameras have including my Casio where the preset pictures are there to quickly switch like best picture set up for portraits, night scenes, birthday candle lights, panoramic etc. On my Casio I just flip it to best portraits and it automatically selects the best set up and I shoot. Of course I can do it manually as well but I got to have time…
Anyway things to consider.

[Dan]

Make sure your camera comes with rechargeable batteries and a charger plus decent size memory. Some just come with the Camera alone then you spend another 100 dollars foe accessories.

Armat -- I disagree.. Most packaged cameras actually have the price of the charger and rechargeable batteries included... i.e., if you have rechargeable batteries and a charger already, it's better to only get the camera, since you wouldn't need to pay for it anyway (as you have it anyway).. in my case, my CD player had a built-in charger and I already had rechargeable batteries, and didn't need to pay for those again.. so I got the camera only (I had the choice cos I got it from a wholesaler warehouse), and it actually saved me more than 100 Canadian dollars.. Also, most cameras come with the standard 8 mb card, and you have to get another one if you want more.. it doesn't really come with 64 mb or anything like that.. unless you buy the whole thing in a pack for like 500 bucks, which is really pointless -- if I can help it, I'd get my own parts for everything, including assembling computers... Packaged cameras are highly overrated.. My friend has a 4mp Fuji cam, and believe me, the noise it produced in the pictures is just terrible.. Known brands are also highly overrated.. I've had mine for I think half a year now, and it has never given me any headache, and the picture quality is just amazing. Far better than the Fuji or Sony..

Anyhow, bottom line is, I guess, don't be fooled by whatever combos they have in retail shops.

[spectra]

I am trying to buy a digital camer but can't seem to find the right one. I have browsed a lot of reviews already and my head is dizzy. Does anyone have a suggestion? I am looking for a 3-5 mp one, and am willing to spend up to $350-400. A compact one is much preferable.

Before I bought my Nikon CP 5700 Digital Camera, I went to IRC, on EFNet. There is a place called #photography, and #dslr (Digital SLR). From there I've got an idea that to own a decent digital camera, you'd need to have a budget of $800+.
The Nikon cameras are little expensive than Canon camera, however, if you are going to use lot of lenses, then my suggestion would be to buy a Nikon brand, since Nikkor lenses are cheaper* comparing to Canon.

Anyway, here is a useful website where you can actually compare the cameras by their quality of image and features: dpreview.com

To buy a camera go to B & H Photo Video store online.

*Cheaper; many professional photographers prefer Nikon, since its Nikkor lenses are affordable comparing to other same-level senses.

[Sip]

Sasun: Canon S400 ... it is the best one in your price range. I will elaborate later. But if you haven't bought one yet, take a very serious look at this one. I just bought one for $370 online (brand new) from http://www.isquaredinc.com a few weeks ago.

I can't say enough good things about this thing. I know 3 other people who have it as well, including my brother. The recent vids I posted of me doing doughnuts with the blazer were also taken with that camera and then later compressed for web use.

There are 2 drawbacks to this camera as far as I can tell ... 1) you can't zoom during video recording, 2) it won't let you time stamp pictures in the camera. But other than that, quality, features, form factor, and over all, it is the best one of the currently available cameras in the 3-5 MP up to $400 range.

[Sip]

http://world.casio.c...xilim/en/ex_z4/

Stay away from this camera for photography purposes. On the coolness/gadget factor it is TOP NOTCH but the picture quality is just rediculous. Nothing compared to comparable Nikon or Canon models. If you are going this route, get the much slimer non optical zoom version as "size" is the only thing this camera has going for it.

[Azat]

Stay away from this camera for photography purposes. On the coolness/gadget factor it is TOP NOTCH but the picture quality is just rediculous. Nothing compared to comparable Nikon or Canon models. If you are going this route, get the much slimer non optical zoom version as "size" is the only thing this camera has going for it.

Sepahnchikthis is from tech tv show that I was watching today
====

Super compact: Casio Exilim Z4U

In a crowded field, we like the $360 Casio Z4U mostly for its small size and 6-ounce weight. Unlike the Minolta DiMAGE XT (another favorite), the 3x optical zoom does extend from the face, but the overall fit and finish is sleek, sleek, and sleek.


I've seen better image quality, especially in low light, but the Z4U's got a lot going for it. Four megapixels, jackrabbit-fast processing, a vast 2-inch LCD, an amazingly simple hardware and software interface, good battery life, and an awesome list of preset exposure settings and digital effects.


The Z4U is an amazing point-and-shoot camera, and you'll capture many extra memories just because you have it on you all the time. You just have to baby the camera and its settings to get the best shots.


I don't like the fact that it has no video capture, nor do I love the 10MB of internal memory and the lack of an SD card. But hey, it's still a sweet, little camera.


I couldn't talk about every camera on the market today. If you have a favorite digital camera I didn't mention or if you want to talk about a camera you hate, leave a message on our message boards.

[Sasun]

Guys thanks again. I haven't bought one yet but I am close to understand what I need.
Azat, Casio looks really attractive and small (although didn't have the chance to touch it). And Sip, sure with such a small size one needs to trade-off the quality of picture. I would still consider it, but I read a review where someone had dropped it on a thinly carpeted floor and it just broke down completely. That's really bad I am not a dropper but sometimes things do fall and it would be terrible to loose a camera just like that
Sip, last night I had narrowed down to Canon S400 and Canon A80. the first one is really amazing, and so far I have read mostly good reviews and everyone recommends. The second one is a little larger and heavier, has more features wich probably I won't use, and is cheaper. Another attractive part is that it has a flip LCD screen, although I wonder how much practical benefit it has. Other than that both seem to be the same picture quality.
But Sip, do you mean there is no way at all to get a date stamp on S400? That's kind of frustrating, such a simple function and is not there.