Seeking ur valuable suggestions for buying my 1st Digicam!!!?

Question

Dear Friends,

I'm planning to buy a digital camera. Please help me in selecting the right one. My priorities r as follows:

1. Price: Under 15,000 INR. (+_ 500 permitted) (333 US$ aprox)
2. Should be capable of quality video recording.
3. Should be handy. BUT PICTURE QUALITY COUNTS ABOVE ALL.
4. Should have a bit of manual adjustments.

Please help me. I've selected a few models like CANON POWERSHOT A540, NIKON COOLPIX L5. What about SONY and KODAK?

I'll remain grateful to all of you if you please leave your valuable comments.

Answer 1

1) You can go ahead with Canon Powershot A630 or A710is , the second one has image stabilistation but it has got 7 Mega pixel. Every camera has plus n minus. You need to experience the quality of Canon offers compared with anyother co.
A630 or A710is will cost you somewhere around Rs. 15000-16000. If you are in US you can save some 50-75 dollars compared to Indian price. Buying camera's in US is pretty cheap.

Second option is Nikon P3 or P4 , they also fits the bill for this price range. Infact Nikkon is pretty cheaper than Canon. You can save some 2000 Rs against these models.

2. You cannon expect a quality video recording in digi cam, quality wise I would say OK... If you are intended to take long hours quality video then you need to go for Cam corder again you cannon expect a quality photographs to be taken with a cam corder.

3. The models which I have mentioned above have got 7-8 megapixel.

4. I dont think that is available for compact digi cams. If you are going for SLR versions then you'll have manual adjustments.

Canon A540 is a good model, Nikon L5 as got a disadvantage of redeye reduction. But still a good camera.

You can access to www.ebay.in if you are India or go ahead with www.ebay.com also you can read the user reviews in http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/digital-cameras/
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/

Answer 2

First of all, any digicam with a megapix of 4MP or 5MP is more than enough unless you are going for a digital SLR. Next, go for more optical zoom. Usually basic cameras go for 3X optical zoom. I would suggest to go for anything from 3X till 10X optical. Don't confuse with the digital zoom. Digital zoom makes the picture a bit hazy and so the more the optical zoom, the better. Also, a 1/3 CCD is basic. If you get a cam with anything greater, go for it. Check also if image stabilization is included. Most cameras don't have it and you might want to view that. Sony is good for point and shoot but they are a little costly. Also, the Sony memory card can be a ***** for money. The Canon Powershot is pretty good and so is the Nikon Coolpix l5. Try not to go for Kodak. Olympus is also pretty good deal. There are a lot of Olympus cameras that are good. For more information and reviews, and comparisons, try the site http://www.dpreview.com I have used the Olympus FE series, Sony cybershot series, had an Olympus UZ 740 and a Nikon Coolpix L3, before going to a Nikon D50 SLR.
Video recording is not advisable for a still camera, but the recording can be a little ok.

Answer 3

I have owned digital cameras for years, but am currently looking to upgrade and have been doing research for 2 months on this topic. I have found the Sony DSC-H5, Fuji Finepix S9100, and the Panasonic DMC-FZ50 to be the closest to what I need.

These are all high-level, high resolution (7MP or higher), tight zoom (6x or higher) "prosumer" digital cameras, which means professional quality with consumer-level operation and price. They all have video capability as well. The main reason I am looking at this level of camera is so I don't have to upgrade again until a major technology improvement occurs.

If you don't want to go to quite such an advanced level for your first camera, each brand also has several lower resolution (6MP or higher) versions that are still excellent quality and even less money. That includes the Sony DSC-H2, Fuji Finepix S6000 or S7000, and the Panasonic DMC-FZ20 and FZ30.

You can find more information, reviews, and prices for hundreds of digital cameras by doing a Google search using the brand name and model number. After sorting through a ton of links, I found the reviews on http://www.cnet.com , http://www.amazon.com , http://www.steves-digicams.com , and http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com to be the most helpful.

Congratulations on entering the world of digital photography and best of luck!

Answer 4

I own a couple of Kodak prosumer fixed lens zooms... but 10x Optical and they are great. Don't sell the Kodak short... it is as good a camera as the Sony, Canon or Nikon. I've won many contests against the other cameras...

Answer 5

Well you have already done your homework and you are right to narrow your choices between Canon and Nikon. I'm a Nikon user but for point and shoot, my Nikon camera club members hate me for having a Canon in my bag. Avoid the "A" series of Canon point and shoot cameras because they have small lenses. Go for the Canon "S" series and pay a premium on bigger lenses (rather than megapixels). The megapixel race is also over. Now the race is "cleaner" imaging which Canon is famous for, especially in their point and shoot cameras.

Nikon coolpix is also ok but I think the Canon "S" series has bigger lenses.

Answer 6

I suggest you use Canon..
3 to 5 mega pixel is enough to make clear photos..
get one that has both audio and video recording..
it's good if you can zoom by at least 5x or more..
it should have a memory card or whatever chord to make transferring files to the computer and printing pictures a lot easier..
and as much as possible, it should be trendy, thin and small.. =)

Answer 7

i would recommend Canon S2 IS or S3 IS ..
the s3 is a little costly .. approx 350 USD .. s2 would be around 250 USD ..

both give great pictures, lovely 'optical' zoom, image stabilization, lots of manual and auto options, great video recording .. they are like psuedo digi SLRs..

the only con would be they are a little larger in size than those good 4 nothing pocket digicams ..

you wont realize the importance of high optical zoom until you use it ..

Answer 8

1. Digital zoom is NOT actual zoom so ignore any value of digital-zoom shown on the cover of the camera. look for the optical zoom. the higher , the better 2. look for the size of the lens the bigger the better. OR in other words, look for a number written just next to the lens(very close), the lower the better. 3. go for a camera with three-chips for colour / picture manipulation rather then one-chip camera 4. look for the 'Frame per Second' rate on the cover of the camera (the fps rate). the higher the better. 5. the software bundled with the camera (given in a CD) must have mpeg-2 (or higher) encoding supported. it must also support mpeg-2 VCD-burning (note: Nero doesnt support mpeg-2) ======================================... if you are still confused , email me your email-id . i will send you some guides, in your mail-box ======================================...

Answer 9

I like the Panasonic mini DVD cameras. Good quality video, not too expensive, and portable, light. One problem, however, the directions aren't too easy to understand, and there are lot of features that goes along with the camera, but directions are kind of confusing.

Answer 10

http://www.dpreview.com is a good website that provides you with the information about the different cameras you need. but in my opinion, for a point and shoot camera, they quality are about the same. just get something that doesn't rely much on the LCD as it takes up a lot of power.