What is a good digital camera? What about canon powershot A640?

Question

I want a digital camera for Christmas. But I'm not so sure on what camera to get..

What about the Canon Powershot A640?

Or you can recommend one, but please tell me it's features!

Answer 1

I'm not familiar with the A640, but I have an A540 and am very pleased with it. Just make sure that whatever camera you get, that it takes AA batteries, and has a viewfinder in addition to the display on the back.

I don't think you can go wrong with a Canon!

Answer 2

Dear Kendra,

First know smothing about Digiral Camera.
Fact is that all the digital cameras that use ordinary batteries are outdated, as the camera consumes more power when flash & optical zoom is being used. It's advisable to opt any digital camera which has a Li-Ion Rechargeable Digital Camera Battery. Got it.
For home purpose you can go-ahead with any digital camera with following specifications:
* Minimum of 6.0 Mega pixel,
* 3x Optical zoom, (need not worry about digital zoom,
it's useless),
* Li-Ion Rechargeable Battery,
* Image stabilizer/anti-blur/anti-shake reduction,
* Wide & Bright LCD display,
* Memory (External min - 512 MB preferred).
lastly make sure it is compact.
A640 has the best features, go-ahead.
Happy Christmas in advance :-)

Regards,
Vish

Answer 3

First I will tell you what you should consider, because choosing a camera is like choosing a outfit, it should fit what you need it for.

First off, what are you willing to pay?

Digital Cameras can cost anywhere between $50 and $1000 as far as I know. Pick a number that fits in your budget.

You will also want to try to get as many mega pixels as you can for your dollar. Mega pixels are how many pixels the picture will contain. Basically if you have a camera with 2 mega pixels and you try to print a poster sized picture, it will come out blurry. Most low priced cameras now come with at least 4 mega pixels. This should be fine for everyday use.

Next you want to know what size of memory card you will need, and if that camera will support it. If you are going to take less then 200 pictures that are average size, a one gigabyte memory card will do. If you are taking more pictures, look into the 2 gigabyte or even 4 gigabyte memory cards. The more gbs the more pictures you can store. Now you will need to make sure you choice of camera can support this size of card. It should tell you in the product description.

Zoom can be a big part of your choice. Optical zoom is more important then digital zoom but digital zoom is also important. The reason optical zoom is more important is that it is the zoom the camera will give by moving the lens, and not just blowing up the picture. This is help in providing a clear picture after you have zoomed in. Most cameras in mid price range come with 3x optical zoom. Digital zoom is how much the camera will zoom in on an area of a photo. It's not really getting closer to the subject but rather picking a small area on the larger photo and enlarging it. Most of the time this will result in a very grainy looking picture, which is not good. The amount of digital zoom just depends on the camera, and not really the price. If you are just taking pictures for, lets say, a birthday or something, 3x optical is fine; but if you are taking pictures of far away subjects, you will want lots more optical zoom.

If you care about flash modes like "Red-eye reduction" or slow sync, you may want to look into what that camera comes with. It's a personal choice.

Another personal choice is the size of the LCD display. Some people find that they want to preview the photo they just took, so a bigger LCD would show minor defects, in the picture, better. A 2.5 inch, or larger, LCD is a good size for that.

Consider a digital camera with auto focus, this will reduce the blur in the picture automatically. Some people want to change this themselves. I recommend trying to find a camera with both auto and manual.

Shutter release will determine how long light will be exposed to the camera when taking a picture. Depending on what you are taking pictures of, you choice will vary. For moving objects, a fast shutter speed is recommended, and for objects like a waterfall, most often a slower shutter speed is recommended. This will collect light over a period of time, making the waterfall look smooth. If taking a picture of something with slow shutter speed, and you move your camera even slightly, a blurry picture may be produced. I suggest looking at something that can be set so you can have the most photo opportunities.

Some people like a battery pack more then AA batteries. Battery packs can be recharged but if you run out of battery and you aren't at home or the hotel, it can be almost impossible to recharge. AA batteries can be replaced if they run out, but they do tend to run out sooner which can be pricey. I recommend a couple sets of rechargeable AA batteries, so you can change them and then reuse them afterwards. See what the camera will take, and think about what you want to do.

Check if the camera is connected to a computer through a USB cable, Firewire, or even straight to a printer. USB cables are mainly for PCs, while Firewire is for Mac computers. Also you might just want to click the camera into a printer and print, so see if your camera has that capability, and check into the printers and how much they cost.

For any other info ask the dealer you are considering buying from. They should be able to answer further questions. I hope this helped. :)

I am about to purchase a Samsung S850. This camera is what will be good for me, which is why I suggest choosing what you want, and not what others suggest.

Answer 4

The Powershot A640 is an excellent choice. If you plan on taking lots of pics get a couple sets of GOOD re-chargeable AA's' otherwise just use alkalines. You can get a good 1gb SD card for $20. The major difference I found between film and digital is I take a lot more pics. 2 week vacation on film = 8x24 exposure 35mm rolls. 10 day vacation on digital = 873 pics.