What's a decent camera??

Question

Sorry to ask this again...
I would like to buy a digital camera... however, I have no idea what would be a decent camera for my price range. ($200 or less; maybe more if it's a good camera) I'm interested in the "technical stuff" -- numbers and the such. I'd like to use this camera to dabble into a bit of "serious" photography; not stuff like taking pictures of friends and on trips.

The last time I asked this, three ppl (out of five) mentioned that Canon is the best for professional photography... but it's also rather expensive.

Also what are some things I should look for in a digital camera??

Answer 1

You don't say exactly what kind of photographs you would like to take. Sports? Portraits? Macro? Landscape? This is important as you would ideally choose a camera knowing this.

It's very difficult to find a top notch camera in your price range. Like many said before, Canon makes good point and shoot cameras but the other major manufacturers such as Nikon, Olympus, Kodak, and Casio make fine cameras too. It comes down to personal preferences so you should go and "play" with them at your local camera shop and ask questions.

The minimum megapixel you'll probably need is 4.0 in case you want to make prints up to 8x10. Keep in mind that zoom lenses, while convenient, have drawbacks - makes the camera larger, more expensive, smaller aperature (needs more light) and, most importantly in my opinion, not as sharp (especially at the edges). You can also get more distortion with zoom lenses. What point and shoot do I use? A Canon SD10 with a fixed lens (no zoom). Canon has since made successors - SD30 now? My main camera is a Nikon D200 SLR but that's way out of your price range!

If photography is new to you, I would suggest enrolling in a digital photography class at your local community center to get your feet wet. I'm sure there are local photography clubs too. There's a lot more to creating fantastic photographs than just having a good camera!

Answer 2

The problem with your question is there is a gap between your price and your expectations of the product of the camera. The quality of pictures depends on the lens and the resolution of the photo. The best pictures come with large resolution and a large lens. In your price range you usually only get one item large, usually the resolution.

The closest looks like the Kodak EasyShare Z740. Circuit City has it for $250, but it can be had online for just under two bills.

Good Luck!

Answer 3

whatever camera you get, make sure it has a Carl Zeiss lens. I've heard that those are the best, and we're absolutely happen with the one that we have.

For serious photography, you're probably going to need to spend a lot more than $200, but good luck anyways.

One piece of advice... don't pay any attention to 'digital zoom' Basically that means you can make your pictures zoomed in a pixely (which you can do on your computer anyway).

Answer 4

I recently bought a Nikon Coolpix L1 at the local Costco store for about $210. It is really awesome. Big screen, good on batteries.

I considered Canon, because of the PRO thing, but did not like what I saw in their cheaper models.

I used to own an Olympus, but it broke.

Answer 5

Consumer Reports rated digital cameras in last months issue.

Answer 6

My wife got a Canon A540 for Christmas. It is pretty sweet. Great features. Big screen. Takes great photos. I am a Canon fan. They make great cameras.

Answer 7

why dont you try the pentax p30 t. this is a realy good camera. ive got one and it goes ecvery where with me. i also done my sitting guilds with this camera at college.

Answer 8

look it up at www.bestbuy.com they have really good electronics