What is a good combination for a digital camera?

Question

10X zoom,5Xdigtal zoom and 5.0 mega pixels? Is that good or not?

Answer 1

Yes. Never even worry about the digital zoom... it's not worth considering. Optical zoom is far more important if you're worried about quality.

5MP is generally a good size. It'll give you a good resolution for even 8x10 prints if you choose to make them that big... much past that is usually wasted unless you're blowing up to poster size. Generally I leave my camera set for 3MP and get size that are plenty large enough for my monitor and that can be printed should I choose to do so.

Another consideration is what kind of batteries and what kind of memory the cameras use. If you have a lot of SD compatible devices, it might be worth it to find a camera that uses that memory. Likewise, finding a camera that will run with AA batteries instead of a proprietary battery or something that gets charged within the camera may make things more convenient when travelling.

Honestly, though, try to find a camera that reproduces colors accurately. You'll have to read some professional reviews (www.cnet.com and www.zdnet.com have some decent reviews, but you're best off doing a search on yahoo for the model number and "review" to find specific ones) to get a good idea of that.

Numbers alone don't make a camera good... find out how well they work.

Answer 2

You are on the right track, but Consumer Electronics are different than PCs. It is good to find the SPECS you think important (like MP, Optical zoom, etc), but MOST important is the way it feels in your hand, the way you navigate to features, and how well it let's you capture the shots you want to take. Try setting a camera to fast action Sports photos, and then switch to indoor birthday party conditions. Each camera has a different way to getting to there. I have seen some cameras that have tons of features BURIED somewhere in their confusing menu navigations.

Look at Sony, Casio and Canon for easy to navigate menus. You can also look at Nikon, Panasonic and a few others.

Choose based on FUNCTION rather than raw specs. (Most of the CCD elements and even the LENS optics are made in the same places, so image quality won't really change very much). The electronics are unique to vendor and that includes the menu and navigation.

Based on your question, you'll find a wealth of choices in the $200-$300 price range. Go to BestBuy, CompUSA and CircuitCity and try a bunch of them before you buy.

Answer 3

One point. Don't use the digital zoom with a 5 meg camera. The results are generally awful. Also if you're intending to get enlarged prints, you might want to consider a camera with a higher megapixel rating. Don't get me wrong 5 meg is great for 'normal' picture taking and smaller prints but anything approaching A4 or 10x8 needs somethign with a little more 'oomph'.

Answer 4

Yeah Sounds like your talking Kodak 650 or Sony HC1 or Canon S2i

Have you looked at the Kodak 710, it's 6 or 7MP 10x zoom priced under $250

Answer 5

My opinion:
5 or 6 Megapixels and 10or 12X optical zoom is a real good combination.
Sony CyberShot DSC-H2
Canon PowerShot S2 IS
Fugifilm FinePix S5200

Answer 6

10 x optical with 5 times digital is quite rare,5 mega pixels is ok but you will notice pixleisation when enlarging.
I chose the nikon s4 becuase it was cheapish,6 mega pixals,10 optical ,4 digital,takes upto 2 gb sd card and has a swivel body which is grear for over head shots.

Answer 7

don't get the camera if it does not have an image stabilizer
because the pictures will be blurred when you use a high zoom

Answer 8

I've just bought the Fuji e900 for £135 from Amazon and it's the muts nuts It takes video with sound and is 9MP

Answer 9

It depends on what you are wanting it for. For my needs that's not a good camera. For you, it may be. As an entry level camera, that's an OK configuration. For a professional, it wouldn't be.

Answer 10

Yes. Five megapixels is pretty good. Not excellent, but good.