What should i look for? I am planning on buying a Digital Camara. What are some of the best brands out there?

Question

Should i be looking for the one with the best megapixels, memory or something else. Thank you.

Answer 1

Good reputation too.

Nikon, Canon, Kodak, Sony, Fuji all have pretty good reputations.

Sony and Fuji cost more for memory cards. Almost 50% more.

Sony and Canon seem very reliable.

Fuji, Nikon and Kodak are also reliable.

Canon, Nikon and Kodak all use cheaper costing cards.

Sony's with the Zeiss lenses are best

Kodak's with the Schinder lenses are best

Nikon and Canon come next

Kodak with the Ektinar or Retinar lenses are ok.

The more megapixles the larger you can make prints and more you can crop and use didital zoom, however, the amount of pictures stored drops.

4 MP good 5 x 7 and ok 8 x 10 You get 600 pictures on 1GB card
5 MP is good for 8 x 10 and can make nice 11 x 14 500 on 1GB
6 MP Great 11 x 14 ok 14 x 17, 390 on 1 GB card
7 MP Great 14 x 17 nice 20 x 24 210 on 1 GB card
8 MP Great 20 x 24 140 on 1 GB card

Zoom. Most of them are 3 power optical

Canon offers some 4 power opicals

Kodak has some 5 power opticals.

On the expensive side ALL offer 10 or 12 but you are now talking $400 for a 6 MP 12 X zoom camera.

Here the best is probably Sony HC 1

Next best is Kodak P 850 or Canon S2

Answer 2

I am a Canon guy so I would always say Canon!

You shoud look for a good brand s I woud stay with Canon or Nikon or Olympus.

I would suggest you look at some basics first and answer some questions:

1. What are you most likely to shoot?
a. People/People events
b. Nature - Large Mamals
c. Nature - Small mamals
d. Nature - Birds
e. Nature - Insects
f. Scenery
g. Sports events

If the most of the pictures are for (a) and (f), you will do fine with a camera that has 4 megapixels or more and an optical zoom f 3x to 5x.

For anything other than (a) and (f) go for at least 6 megapix. More is better but it hurts the pocket more too.

If you want the above and (b), you can look for a camera that has 10x or 12x optical zoom Some cameras cme with image stabilization (they may call it by other name - Nikon calls it VR)

If you want the above and (c) or (d), you need to get a SLR with a zoom lens with a max zoom of at least 300 to 400mm.

If you want (e), ensure that the Macro feature exists in the camera.

Ensure that the camera can handle at least 2 (I would prefer 4) GB memory cards so you can shoot many many pictures.

As you have said you prefer that the camera not be bulky you may not want and SLR but evaluate the option depending n your budget.

Answer 3

It really depends on what you want to do with a digital camera. If you want to do real photography (more professional) than look for something with a large zoom, image stabalizer, shutter speed, and then megapizels. If all you want is to take candid photos like at school or at a party etc. Then you can go with a smaller zoom and larger megapizel. An average camera that will give you a good zoom, fair quality picturers, and a relatively practical zoom will cost you between 2 and 3 hundred. If you want somehting a little less formal you can find something in the 150 dollar range.

I would check out Panasonic (they have some of the best image stabalizers)
Canon is great for picture quality
sony also has some cute new cameras if you're going for look
and if all else fails, the Kodak easy share isn't bad for a basic camera

Answer 4

Start with the budget. This may seem backwards, but it's not. You can find a decent camera to match any amount of money you want to spend.

Next, find a friend who will help you learn how to use the camera. This "friend" could even be the clerk in your local photo shop. Buy the camera that your friend recommends so that they will be able to teach you how to use it.

After you know what you are doing and are ready for your next camera - and this will come sooner than you think - you will be in a position to make your own choice.

If you have some vague ideas about price and ddesired features, go to http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare.asp and see what they select for you.

While I love Nikon cameras, I'd suggest you look into the Canon A620. We did a lot of shopping while trying to stay in the under $400 range and this is exactly what we bought for our adult son before he went on a trip to Europe. For that money, you can get the camera and a one gigabyte memory card. The A620 lets you control everything, if you know how, or it takes great shots in several automatic modes.

This has been one of the Comcast Shopping Top Choices for months now. It uses "AA" batteries, too.

Answer 5

Hasselblad is the best camera but also the most expensive. But if you are taking general pictures then go with Canon and get at least a 6 megapixel. Prices are about $100-400 USD.

I have a Canon Powershot S1 IS. It's a year old and only a 3.2mp but I have taken some of the best pics! My camera is able to shoot video also.

I shoot pics in all conditions and even jets flying by at 400mph are no challenge! I need to upgrade though. If you plan on making enlargements of 8 x 10 or larger then go with a higher mp.

Answer 6

There are a number of factors to consider. You say digital which narrows it down since we know you don't want a film camera. Now, do you want a point and shoot or a dslr?
A point and shoot has very few auto settings that you can override for special circumstances, does not have interchangable lens and limited focal ranges.
If you want something simple that will fit in your pocket, then go for a point and shoot that has the most mega pixels you can afford and has removable storage media. (the reason for the latter is that you won't be limited in the number of images you can take before you have to go home and download them all by getting extra media cards that fit your camera.)
If you want to use your camera for any portrait/wedding/advertising/nature photography, then you will want to consider a dslr.
While it is true that you can take really fine pictures with any camera if you know what you are doing, for any pictures you expect to print you need a minimum of 6 mega pixels, and I prefer a minimum of 8. The Olympus evolt series are very good cameras.
One piece of equipment you are sure to need is a tripod or monopod.
This site usually has some good deals on cameras, and on the left column there are links to some of the better outlets that usually have some cameras on sale.
http://www.silvaspoon.net/cameras.html
You might also find this blog of interest.
http://photographmuse.blogspot.com/

Answer 7

ok, all depends on how much you want to expend, then what you want to do, professional or just for fun, cause yes there ara so cool cameras out there with thousands of functions, but you need to have a degree to use them :). But this is important, look for a camera with a good resolution, that means above 8 Megapixels, and memory, try to find one that uses SD, or that you can connect to your pc via USB. A good amount of memory could be 512MB ideal 1GB. Zoom, Cannon is a good brand and also Epson. Hope this helps you.

Answer 8

lots to think about, and best bet is to go to a camera specialist and discuss the differences. consumer camera are getting above 10 meg pixels, but unless you plan to blow up small sections of your photos into large shots, that shouldn't be the deciding factor. best bet is to hold the camera in your hands and take some practice shots at the store. you'll know if you like the operation, the feel, the features, etc... and it will steer you in the direction best suited to you. i just went through the process and ended up with a canon. i love it.

Answer 9

Canon is the leader in cameras. go to a CAMERA store and ask, play around with them. I have a Canon Rebel XT. I Love it. Oh and your memory card is very important the rate of transfer can mean the difference between waiting 3 sec between shots and waiting 0.5 sec between them.
in short... CANON, CANON, maybe Nikon too...

Answer 10

The top rated point and shoot digital camera now is the Canon Power Shot A620...it is over 7 mega pixels...I bought mine 2 months ago...I really like it a lot...it is very easy to use...I got mine on the web and paid $217 plus shipping...most stores are asking $270...check out these places http://www.pricegrabber.com

or http://www.google.com or http://www.pricescan.com