I have finally decided to buy a Digital Camera. Suggestions?

Hey Tim - check out: http://www.onlinereviewguide.com/

 

Tim,

I am in the same boat as you. I have been waiting about 1.5 years to get one. I settled on the Sony T1 for its super sleek style, but the reviews weren't superb. Thus I decided on Canon Elph S500, you should look into that. Great camera.

 

Im very happy with my camera. It is on the cheaper side, takes great pictures and pretty good quality videos, and is relatively small...You can fit it into your pocket if you dont mind a bit of a bulge

I use the Sony 3.2 Megapixel Cybershot.

 

canon s50, it's not too expensive (i got it for $400 and i'm sure you can get a better deal on ebay) and it's worth the money. Not too big either, i have no trouble carrying it with me.

 

Do yourself a favor and shop around before buying one. I saved almost a hundred bucks! I bought a FujiFilm 3800 about two years ago, getting a bit outdated now, and rather on the large side, but takes good pics and is easy to use. Check out some of the comparison sites like Bizrate.com. Good luck with your search!

 

My experience with digital cameras (keep in mind, I'm just a casual user, not a pro).

Get as much warranty as you can, no matter the cost.

Memory : with a 2.1 MP, and a 256Mb card, we can store 400 pictures. During a 2 week holiday, I snapped 250 pics (just to give you an idea). If you don't have access to a computer on a regular basis, it's a must. 32Mb is fine if you can have a puter easily available.

Get as much warranty as you can, no matter the cost.

Batteries : this is just a matter of opinion, but I find the AA battery-powered cameras more convenient. A set of rechargeable batteries will last for a while, and when you have no juice, any store will have standard batteries.

Get as much warranty as you can, no matter the cost.

Definition : I feel 2.1 is adequate (gets you 1600x1200 pictures). Don't get fooled by more MP is better, though. No matter what camera you buy, ask to take and compare pics by yourself. I had a Canon S10, then an A40, and a friend has a Kodak, 3.2MP or something. The Kodak pics are fuzzy at full resolution, very bad definition. Colors are quite bland. In contrast, my A40 is only 1600x1200, but is more precise, although it requires lots of light to reproduce the colors with some "wow". The S10 is the oldest, and was twice as much (900cdn$ vs 400-450), and it showed. The pictures had a great definition, and awesome colors right out of the box. All cameras I've tested are horrible for low light shots. BTW, bland colors or light are easily fixed through Photoshop.

Get as much warranty as you can, no matter the cost.

The film feature is a nice one. It puts out decent quality footage.

Get as much warranty as you can, no matter the cost.

Zoom. Optical is the only way to go. Don't get fooled by digital zoom or whateva, it's crap. They just enlarge your picture, and you end up seeing pixels. Stupid. 2x optical zoom isn't enough. 3x is barely fine.

Get as much warranty as you can, no matter the cost.

Most of these cameras are very fragile. I'm a motocross/atv/snowmobile/4x4 rider/driver, and my camera is only taken out of the pouch for the picture. But I ruined the S10 within a year, and the A40 has already been in for repairs twice in 6 months or so. They are very touchy, and can cost big $$$ to repair. Don't expect it to last 10 years like our parent's cameras.

Did I mention you should get all the warranty you can?

 

I'm seriously looking at getting a Canon 10-D so I can use my SLR lenses. I miss using filters and other photo accessories.

 

I am now on my 5th digital [gotta love those mega pixels!]. I woudl highly recommend the Canon Power Shot s500. It is compact but with up to 5 MP, the images are stunning.

Good battery life and with memory cards as cheap as $40 for 256 [at Costco] you can take several spare cards with you.

 

Tim,

The issue with a digital zoom was always that the camera software would extropolate the zoomed image from the original, cbase on the manufacturer's code. This was particularly problematic with earlier cameras [1 - 3 MP]. However, with the 5 MP you have such a high density resolution to start with that you do not give up a great deal amount of image quality when you use the digital zoom.