looking for a digital camera...dont know much about them

kemet64 · Aug 22, 2004, 08:34 PM

Hey, I am thinking about purchasing a digital camera. Now, this will be my first digital camera...and will be mainly used to take pictures of me and my friends (nothing really professional).

I am just wondering if you guys can kinda give me a Digital Camera 101. What brands are good? What kinds of cameras are good? Price ranges, how much is enough (in terms of mega-pixles)...and any other information you may have.

In terms of price....anything from around $100-$300 range

Thank you for all who reply.

Nacht · Aug 22, 2004, 08:40 PM

hmm..i would say nothing more than a 3.2 megapixel..as this will give you 35mm quality photos up to a full page in size.

the zoom is also important. disreguard any information about digital zoom..as you can do that on your computer, and you loose image quality when using it. the optical zoom is all that matters.

other things you might want to look into are scene modes, and manual settings (exposure, wb, etc). these allow you to either quickly set up a shot, or get more in depth with it. about half the cameras on the market in this range also have the ability to shoot video, in a variety of resolutions.

the camera i would recommend is the one i myself have...the canon powershot a75. it is the highest user rated camera in it's category (3.2s), and has a wealth of features and settings that you can fool around with, as well as simple point and shoot modes.
http://reviews.cnet.com/Canon_PowerS...-30732128.html

dipstick · Aug 23, 2004, 11:52 AM

Nikon CoolPix 4300 is the best camera for under $300 and even than most that cost twise as much

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...123405-7751839

GutterPunk · Aug 23, 2004, 11:56 AM

i have a sony dsc-p51 and it was done me well as its not expensive anymore and has great battery life. Fallang_Jeff as you have seen a share of his photos in heavinly vision used my camera for awhile and he says its great. just sometin u can look at for low budget (when i bought it it was expensive as hell tho)