Camera question?

Question

I am looking to buy a good camera. It would be used to take general pictures of family and friends but also I would like to get into the photography field. Even if it is just for friends kids pictures and such. I want a good quality camera that has a good zoom feature. Not really sure what megapixels and stuff are all about. If anyone could give me some info and advice as to what to look for in a camera and a good brand and camera, I would greatly appreciate it!! Thanks in advance!!

Answer 1

Wow, a lot of canon fans out there.

You did receive some good answers, but a little heavy on the technical jargon.

What you are looking for is a good "point and shoot" camer, with maybe a little more "oomph" to it, as you want to get into the photography field.

May I assume this is your first digital camera?

Kodak has a bad rap because they didn't do a lot of high end, real fancy cameras back in the film days. What they fail to mention that back in those days they made the the best "basic" camera, and they also had the highest reliability of any company on the market.

Now with respect to digital photography, they invented it! They developed the logarithms (Don't ask me...) which are used in the firmware (software inside the camera) of ALL digital camera on the market.

Canon, Sony, Fuji, Casio, you name it; they all pay a proprietary fee to Kodak whenever they sell a camera.

What you are looking for is exactly what kodak does best.

Now for the technical stuff...

Your photograph is really just a bunch of dots. Each one of those dots is called a pixel. You have noticed, I see, that different camera make pictures with different numbers of pixels.

All that this has to do with, for the most part, is what you want to with the photograph once you have officially downloaded it into your computer.

Let's say that for some reason you wanted to take one of your photographs and blow it up poster size, take it to Kinko's and have them do it.

It would stand to reason that a picture made up of very few pixels would look horrible if you tried to blow it up that size. It might be all blurry, or probably just look like a bunch of dots.

Also, let's say you were at Yosemite, and took a picture of one of those spectacular water falls. Then, once you got it home and into the computer you realized that if you could take a smaller section of the picture (cropping the photograph) with the water fall in the middle, that would be a phenomenal picture!

In effect what you would be doing is taking a much smaller part of the picture, and enlarging that to a regular size photograph.

Once again, if the camera had very few pixels, by enlarging that smaller section into a regular size photograph, you are really spreading those pixels out. The new picture might be blurry, or worse yet, it might just look like a bunch of dots.

So what do you do?

I'm going to disagree with a couple of the answers and say that at minimum you don't want any camera with less then 3 megapixels, and you really don't have to go any higher than 5 megapixels. I have a very good friend that works in a photographic studio. He isn't a photographer, at least in he professional department, but he is a maniac in photo editing, and that's what he does.

I've seen a lot of what he can do, and with a 3 megapixel photograph, they can be blown up to an 8x10, or slightly larger with no problem, but you aren't going to get anything poster size.
On the other hand a 3 megapixel camera is a lot less money, too.

This is where you have to decide.

My own personal feeling is to go with a 5 megapixel, only because, who knows... Two years down the road you just might want that poster size photograph for a birthday party, or something.

If it's really a question of money, you will do okay with a 3 megapixel camera, but they are more limited with respect to your options. With my water fall example, with a 3 megapixel you won't be able to take that smaller section and make it an 8x10, but if you can go with a 5x7, you won't have any problems.

I'm writing a book here, and I wasn't planning on 17 chapters..

With respect to zoom, most importantly, don't pay any attention to digital zoom. All that really is about is enlarging the photograph. It's more of a pretend zoom and not a real one.

I'm not going to get technical here, but rather, suffice to say that most likely you won't be happy with anything less than a 7x to 10x zoom, and Preferably the 10x zoom. But once again this is a question of money. That's your department...

I will also tell you that the camera I own is a Kodak Z7590. It's a 5 megapixel camera with a 10x zoom. It's got more features than the basic "point and shoot" models, but it doesn't require an engineer's degree to operate.

In fact, I just looked at it. After I turn it on, there is a dial, one button, and a thumb wheel, and those are the only "controls" I use. I didn't include the shutter release, because I figured that was obvious, and the button operates the flash release. Pretty simple...

What I like about the camera is that it has an automatic mode, and also has manual mode. The automatic mode is like a point and shoot camera, whereas the manual mode allows me to set the F-stop, and all that technical stuff that perhaps you'll be getting into later. It also has a timer if I want to take a picture of myself (I'm so vain), and like a lot of cameras, it also has video capability, and that's fun to play with.

If you are looking for a camera that takes good photographs, give you enough options, and not a lot of stuff you have to fool with just to take a photograph, I'd really suggest you take a look at the Kodak cameras. They are the easiest to use, and the easiest to learn.

Answer 2

All of the major brands have their fans, and I have no doubt that they are all good cameras. The only camera available at the moment that I would stay away from is the Fuji S9500. I bought one and the photos are just not sharp and clear.

Take your time looking, they are getting better and cheaper as time goes by.

Optical zoom is the most important thing, get the most you can for your money.

Digital zoom is a complete waste of time, do not consider this as a factor when buying a camera. Once you have bought a camera, turn digital zoom off.

Get the most megapixels you can for your money.

As a very rough rule of thumb when comparing your final choices in camera, take the number of megapixels and multiply that by the amount of optical zoom. Buy the camera with the highest number.

Try to avoid a camera that uses two 'AA' batteries (except perhaps the Kodaks that can use the CR3 Lithium ion Battery Pack). Get a camera that either uses four, or one with its own dedicated Lithium Ion battery pack. (If you want to keep it for a long time, check the price and availability of replacement batteries. perhaps ebay?)

Answer 3

Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus, Pentax, Casio. These questions are hard to answer it really depends on the user. I use Canons because they are reliable. If you want a cheap camera I'd say go for the Canon A630 or A640. Both take really good pictures. Nikon CoolPix S6. Sony CyberShot T series. I'd say Canon takes the best pictures out of all of the other brands in consumer cameras. If you want a more serious camera like an SLR you can get the Pentex K100 or 110. Pretty cheap and takes better pictures than P&S cameras not in the same range of a Nikon or Canon. Canon XTi takes really nice pictures just like the Nikon D80. Words of wisdom. Megapixels mean nothing, just how big you can blow it up. Its all about hte sensor. You want a camera with excellent sensors. Canon and Nikon both have superior sensors.

Answer 4

I'm not that good in the photo field either, so...but here is what i've learned..
A good brand is FujiFilm or Canon-Canon being #1. If you are looking for a digital cam, than consider getting a Canon with about 5x zoom. I'm not sure what megapixels are either..but I think it is something involving the picture clarity. My cam is 4.1 megapixels with a pretty good zoom. Good for a beginner, like me. It is FujiFilm. more megapix and more zoom is good.
but i like Sony Cybershot. It gives clear pics and vids. MAKE SURE THAT IF YOU GET A CAM WITH VIDEO, THE VIDEO IS CLEAR!!
some kodak cameras reduce red eye. i dont like this brand, so i just upload the pictures and take out the red eye by hand. Kodak gives good prints, but i personally dont like the brand for CAMERAs. it is not bad though.
i hope this helps...refresh: best brand from best to least...
1. canon
2.fujifilm
3.sony
4.kodak
5.other

i may have missed a few. all cameras are pretty good though. so if your looking for a cheap one, than probably go for a fuji that is fat not slim, unless you'd like one. ($$!!)

Answer 5

When it involves being at the back of the digicam, I'm a digicam whore. However, being in entrance of it? Very shy... so much people regularly inquire from me for latest snap shots and I so very hardly ever take them. heck. my internet cam has simplest been on in this new pc due to the fact that I did not recognise the settings. Since then? Once.... Now when you consider that I have no longer shot anyones' percent in a even as.....and I've obtained plenty of movie...and a few virtual cameras....

Answer 6

i was looking for the same thing too, i dont know much about digital cameras either but i went to office max tonight and talked to someone that worked there and i bought one and when i got home i took some pictures and they came out great!
its a kodak and i got it on sale for 199 (originally 249.99) it's what the guy recommended too.


its a kodak Z710 i'd give u more details on the camera but the site isnt working for me. if you want you can check on officemax.com and check all the info on the camera there.
GOOD LUCK =)

Answer 7

You received a lot of excellent answers. Don't forget the good old memory card you must buy. Camera brands to choose from are Sony, Fugifilm, Canon, Nikon and Olympus.

Answer 8

Look for a camera with a 1) minimum 5 megapixels (mp), this is very good and sufficient for most users. (Simple terms: How many pixels/dots to make the image in a given area). 2) 4x optical zoom is good, don't worry too much about digital zoom. 3) Best to stick with regular (or rechargeable) AA batteries. Lithium battery are good, but not easy to find if you're on vacation and need batteries at a convienence store or can recharge quickly. 4) I see that many digital cameras are doing away with the optical viewfinder (the old fashioned way of looking through the viewfinder to take a picture), and strickly having just the LCD screen to compose a shot to take. I, personally still like the optical viewfinder to really focus on a particular subject, or use on a really sunny day where it's hard to see your subject(s) on the screen, or just to save battery power on my camera. These are just a few things to consider for your first camera. With that said, here's what I have...

I LOVE my Canon PowerShot A620. It's a 7.1 mp camera which takes awesome still shots, and just as awesome video. Great for home and everyday use. Easy to take on vacations and you can take some really artistic/creative photos too. A great all-around camera. My 35mm cameras are Canon too, and I still love and use it. .

I had a Sony, and I gave that to my daughter, and purchased the Canon PowerShot A610 for my teenage son. The Canon A610 is exactly like my A620, but is a 5 mp digital camera. They both take GREAT pictures, but my favorite thing about the camera, is the vari-angle LCD screen. You can even hook it up to your tv and see your pictures/video on whatever size screen you have. It's pretty neat on the big screens! (The necessary cords come with it). It is very easy to use, and a camera you can grow with. http://www.usa.canon.com
Go to 'products' to 'consumer products' to lead you to the cameras.

Our A610/A620 has a setting, call "kids&pets". Typically you use these on the subjects that usually has a hard time keeping still. But I also use this setting when taking pictures of my soccer team during game play. I've also taken pictures of my kids, nieces and nephews jumping in the air, a la cheerleader jumps, with great results. Lag time is very, very, very minimal. (e.g. delay from pressing button to actual camera capturing the shot). This is just one of the many settings the camera has to offer and you can also manually set and program your own settings.

For ease of point and shoot, just choose the setting in which you're taking pictures of, (i.e. indoor, outdoor, nighttime, portrait, fireworks, snow, beach, and 'auto' [automatic]), and it'll adjust accordingly the proper exposure/settings. And it even has an 'underwater' mode to use, but that's if you purchase the special housing for the camera. (I don't have the housing. I'll wait to save up or find it for very inexpensive). If you get more experience or for the experienced, you can manually choose exposure and settings like the old 35 mm.

I'm a bargain hunter. I purchased both NEW Canon this late spring 2006 on line. My son's was under $200 and mine was $204. Just Google (or Froogle) or Yahoo! Search any Canon model, and then see which merchant has the best price with those low price websites and order on-line. The price is waaaay better than going physically to the stores. If you need it right away, just upgrade the shipping. It's still cheaper than buying at the stores. No matter what model camera you're searching for, better prices are on-line.

I don't know if you'll find this model (A610) at the stores. They have newer models, the A630 (8mp) and the A640 (10mp), they boast more mega-pixels and ISO settings. But 5mp is more than sufficient for most users. What I did was physically touched and feel the camera at the store, then go on-line to purchase. But if you prefer to purchase at the stores, some good places are Best Buy, Wal Mart and Target. Suprisingly enough, they have good selection at Wal-Mart and Target.

Here is the link if you'd like to check out the specs on these models and other Canon cameras: http://www.usa.canon.com
and go to 'products' to 'consumer products' to lead you to the cameras. It tells you what the camera has and what it looks like up close.

While you're searching on-line, you'll also find many reviews on these cameras. All with many positives things to say about the camera and you can also find information on these 4 Canon models if you search in Yahoo! Tech http://tech.yahoo.com/rc/digital-cameras...

Good luck on your search!