Digital Camaras!

[4PJ]

Ok, everyone.....:camera I need one, but there are so many on the market. I want to hear everyones feed-back :2 on what they use, what you need or don't need, and of course...what is the best one for the money??? (cheapest, but still good!)

[Ambersafghans]

We have one, but I couldn't tell you much about it I'm afraid. Sorry!

Amber

[RebeccaVelasquez]

a lot of the time, i use the camera on my cell phone... otherwise, we have an hp photosmart or something like that. i like it. one thing that is really cool about digitals is that you can change the quality - so when i take pics of the kids i can put it on high and get great great detail but only 35ish (all memory will hold).... otherwise, put on med and get a high number of pictures that are still very good (will hold like 300 or so this way)

 

we do have an extra memory card, though.... so i don't know how that falls into detail on this.... sorry

 

hope i helped a little

[crochetme]

Something you'll want to consider is whether you'll want to get prints made of any of your digital photos. If you do plan to have some printed up (either locally, or using a service like Shutterfly), then you'll want at least a 3 mega-pixel camera, so that your photos are of a high enough resolution. But if all you plan to do is keep your photos on your computer, then you don't have to worry about that (screen resolutions are so low that you don't have to be concerned with taking very high resolution photographs). Not sure if that helps...

[MommaChelle]

I think a good thing to consider when buying a digital is the battery. My last digital camera (which I still have) is an epson photo pc, and I had to change the batteries quite often. However, my new digital is a canon powershot - the battery gets recharged by leaving it in the camera and plugging it in, it does not use double or triple A's, so I dont have to worry about buying batteries for it. My epson is a 1 megapixel - terrible for family photos, good for when I used to sell baby clothing on ebay. My new camera is a 4 megapixel and is great for everything.

[4PJ]

Thanks all for your input! Yes, I was definately thinking of nothing less than 3 metapixals...plus now that it is now at 5 the 3's are down in price. I esp. like the hint about the battery! That is so true...like my last camara...went through to many...should be able plug it in like everything else! Now I was looking at the mini recorders....is there anything out that that has the capabilities of BOTH!? still shots (for pictures) & video?:thinking1 probably out of my price range if there its

[MommaChelle]

My canon power shot takes video, I have a G3 - but I heard the G4 is better. I put it on my computer just like my still pictures and watch it on the computer. I have the hp photosmart printer so I just pop my memory card into the printer and up it displays in a folder on my computer to cut and paste onto my hard drive.

[emeraldmoon]

I have the kodak easy share with the camera dock.. Its a great camera. I have never had any problems with it what so ever.. It takes real good photos as well as video..

Cathey

[head2toepets2go]

oooh i LOVE my digital camera, i could go on for hours about it :::::

 

anyways, about batteries: my camera takes 4 AA batteries (it doesn't take as long for the flash to be ready as my mom's which only uses 2) and i have rechargable batteries, just make sure that they are the high-powered ones for cameras & video games & such. and remember to pop in some good-quality batteries while the other ones are charging so you don't have to re-set the date & time. it takes about 15 hours to completely re-charge.

 

some cameras can take 30-second movie clips and can also be used as a web-cam.

 

also another thing to consider is how you're going to store your pictures long-term. i made sure i had a cd burner before i got my camera, so that i didn't lose all my baby's pictures when i had to re-format my hard drive. i over-heard a lady at wal-mart yesterday saying that "they only recovered 50-100 of her pictures" and she had a little-gaffer in her cart.

 

also take into consideration your computer, if its an older one large pictures files might really slow it down (or crash it all together)

 

ok that's it - have i told you lately how much i love my camera?? <grin>

 

 

fran

[4PJ]

Thanks Fran for your comments! Those ARE all good things to consider. Amazing when I first posted the comment I really didn't know a lot about them - now I am really considering what I need it for and the qualities I want. I just don't want to buy something that I end up being unhappy with-too much money to waste! Hey, by the way....what is the name of your so loved camara??? just a piece of information you forgot to add! I'm really thinking a mini cam is something I want...with the ability for still shots :camera so of course the price goes up...... the line of difference between them is blurry to me! ok, did I put enough smiley in this one?? ....... too much coffee issue!

[head2toepets2go]

my beloved camera is a fujifilm finepix1400Z (its three years old) and my mom's is a finepix 1650. i think i paid about $300 CDN at the time because it was a recently discontinued model AND the floor model (at total of 20% off) - i managed to be in the right place at the right time - yippe for me!!

 

if you're looking at a video camera-type-thingy this might be a good option and works pretty well. We (all 4 kids togther) got my mom & dad a hi-8 video camera (about $400 at wal-mart) it uses digital technology but saves onto a small VHS-type tape) BUT then i got my mom a "thingy" (basically a cable & software costs about $90) that takes the movies off the camera & puts it onto the computer (i don't know exactly how its done but my 65-year-old-sometimes-technically-challanged-mom can do it easily) and burns it onto a CD. it works very well directly off the camera but does a lousy job from the old VHS home movies (something about them being analog rather than digital). my mom can also get decent still shots out of this process. this works well because somehow the CD will play in our DVD player (a $45 model from wal-mart)

 

you can get a pretty good digital camera up here starting about $179-300, so when you add the camcorder & that other "thingy", you can do all kinds of neat stuff for about $700, which is about half of the $1500 it costs for a digital video camera (all in CDN funds - probably around $350-400US). plus you can buy/replace one piece at a time which is a heck of a lot easier on the budget than plunking down a pile of cash.

 

if you're still unsure as to what to do, i suggest going to your store of your choice (ie future shop, staples, best buy, or do some on-line comparisons) and telling a sales person what you have in mind, and what your budget, then DON'T buy anything right away but get them to write down the technical stuff (like mega-pixels,memory sticks, features etc .... sometimes it all listed on the price signage so just get a photocopy of that) that way you know exactly what you minumum requirements are ... and then whe you see something on the TV shopping channel or in a sales flyer (or wherever), then you can buy what you want with confidence and at a GREAT price.

 

ok so there's all secrets out in the open, and most of my technical knowledge, are you happy?!? lol

 

fran

[JPorter718]

Our favorite digital (and it's so small too) is the Canon PowerShot A80, it's 4.0 MegaPixels with a zoom lens 3x.

 

We actually got a great deal on that camera along with a video camera from St. Thomas when we went on our honeymoon. That was pretty much hubby's gift.

[4PJ]

Hey thanks fran! That sums up all the info to consider...I'm with you with comparing at stores and not over buying gadgets....you know which one I really want? the mini-cam that uses the cd's but it's about $799 and that is out of my price range! :2

Those Kodiak dig. cameras and then I think HP has a 'set'...you know you get the quick dock and I think the picture printer (with HP) those would probably be real good too. AH! Of course while I STALL tech. will change!....remember when 3 megPix was a big deal? Oh, well, just like with computers...I have one of the cheapest 40gigabits, Pent3...you know maybe $499 emachines and it's more than I will ever need!!(for pics, burning cds, internet, all the MS software) and still has huge amounts of room! one of those 'cheap' 3 megpix camara's with video would probably be just as efficient for us!

ok ....better go and get something done! Thanks for listening guys!!

[threeolivemartini]

i have a fuji finepix

 

I LOVE IT

 

 

it takes better pictures than the 900 dollar one my mom bought for my step dad and its easier to use...

 

as for batteries i use the rechargeable ones.. and i have a charger that holds 4... so 2 are in the camera and 4 are charging..

[Nashville Crocheter]

OK I just gotta put in my :2 worth. After several trips to Best Buy, Circit City, Walmart...I decided which camera I wanted. I knew the retail price at each store. Then I started searching Ebay for the camera. I saved my search and had ebay email me every time the camera I wanted was newly listed. It took about a month to get the camera I wanted at the price I was willing to pay from a seller that I trusted based on their feedback.

 

The seller is a store in New York. Its been about 3 years ago so I don't remember the name but I was pleased with my purchase. I saved about $150 considering I did not pay TN tax and the camera was less than the retail here.

 

It took a while but it was worth it. I did not win the first camera I bid on because the bid went too high. I waited and watched and have been very pleased with the camera.

 

Barbara