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| Thread ID: 93003 | 2008-08-31 05:54:00 | Need help in purchasing a digital camera | RollEXE (13311) | PC World Chat |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 701578 | 2008-08-31 05:54:00 | Hi guys, Our family is in dire need of a new digital camera.... the newest camera we had was bought some odd years ago that I can't remember because it's so old, being the type of camera that requires roll of films. My mum wants to buy one within the price range of $200-300. We're a family of four, 2 adults, two teenagers. :) I think we would use it to take photos of memorable occasions, such as birthday parties, family day out, school balls, events, etc etc. I want to use it to take photos of my baking so I can post it on my blog as well.... so I can make people feel hungry. :D It must be run on rechargeable batteries. Must have decent megapixels. It must be withing the price range of $0-300. I think that's the only requirements my mum is looking for so far, since we're not very familiar with digital cameras, I would like to ask for help from tech savvy people. :) Please recommend cameras, preferably with a link to some website that gives us the features of it. Thanks so much guys. Cheers. |
RollEXE (13311) | ||
| 701579 | 2008-08-31 06:21:00 | There are far too many cameras to list but I know Fujis take normal batteries I have had 3 so far and they all take AA batteries as opposed to an internal battery pack which is a waste of time. Look for a decent zoom but ignore the digital zoom focus on the optical zoom size and the more megapixels the bigger the picture you can print 6 mega pixels seems to be a sort of baseline figure these days I think | gary67 (56) | ||
| 701580 | 2008-08-31 06:34:00 | If you stick to the main manufacturers you can really go wrong and most camera's start at 7 Mega Pixels these days unless you are buying "old stock" as it were. I still use a 5 Mega Pixel camera and its fine for normal stuff. I bought a Panasonic LZ3 for my mum which has a 6X optical zoom and 5MP for $199 and it was a bargain (you can't get them now). Actually for less than $300 you would get the 10X optical zoom Fuji S5600 (or similar) which is not a "micro" camera, but you get a versatile camera. Actually I think the S5700 which replaced it may be available for around $300. |
dolby digital (5073) | ||
| 701581 | 2008-08-31 06:49:00 | Try here for your requirements. http://www.dpreview.com/ Then go shopping to suit your needs. |
Sweep (90) | ||
| 701582 | 2008-09-01 12:02:00 | My mum wants to buy one within the price range of $200-300. We're a family of four, 2 adults, two teenagers. :) I think we would use it to take photos of memorable occasions, such as birthday parties, family day out, school balls, events, etc etc. I want to use it to take photos of my baking so I can post it on my blog as well.... so I can make people feel hungry. :D You'll probably want something with manual aperture control to allow a wide depth of field in macro shots. It must be run on rechargeable batteries. They all run on recharable batteries. You have the option of choosing a camera that can run on AA nimh recharables, or a non generic form of battery that will be supplied with the camera. The latter can be expensive to replace though. Must have decent megapixels. Megapixels have only a minimal relationship with image quality. It is a false metric that people use because they don't understand the technical specifications :( . Sensor size has a far stronger relationship with image quality. It must be withing the price range of $0-300. It is worthwhile getting the one that suites your needs even if it means spending a bit more. Otherwise you'll be buying another one later. You will need to spend money on a memory card, and on AA rechargables + charger if you get an AA-based camera. I think that's the only requirements my mum is looking for so far, since we're not very familiar with digital cameras, I would like to ask for help from tech savvy people. :) Please recommend cameras, preferably with a link to some website that gives us the features of it. Thanks so much guys. Cheers. Here are some useful links http://www.dcresource.com/ pricespy.co.nz pricespy.co.nz If you're like the looks of a camera, post about it here and we can tell you whether it's worth getting or not. There are far too many cameras to list but I know Fujis take normal batteries I have had 3 so far and they all take AA batteries as opposed to an internal battery pack which is a waste of time. Most Fujis take AAs but some don't. I'm not sure what you mean by an internal battery back, do you mean the oblong lithium batteries? They tend to have inferior battery life to AA battery based cameras, but not always. Look for a decent zoom but ignore the digital zoom focus on the optical zoom size and the more megapixels the bigger the picture you can print 6 mega pixels seems to be a sort of baseline figure these days I think Because of the laws of physics, the compact cameras with a long optical zoom often have small sensors which means poor image quality. This is not always the case, but it is something to watch out for. |
GoodHour (12218) | ||
| 701583 | 2008-09-01 20:43:00 | The Canon Powershot cameras are all good. Don't fall into the marketing hype of "The more megapixels the better". Any camera sold nowadays will have sufficient megapixels. The only reason you may need 8 mp or more is if you plan to enlarge your photos to poster size (LARGE poster sizes). I have enlarged photos taken at 3 mp (actually less than 3 since the resolution was set a notch or two lower) to 12 x 14 inches with no pixelation. If the camera is going to be used by all family members, I would suggest getting a camera with a decent ergonomic grip. What I mean is to avoid the cameras with all smooth sides (usually small types that can fit in a shirt pocket) because they will slip drop and break - this has happened to friends' of mine on more than one occasion. |
Strommer (42) | ||
| 701584 | 2008-09-02 08:55:00 | It might be $50 over your price range but the Canon power shot A720 IS is very hard to beat. However whatever you choose make sure it has an old fashioned range finder as LCD screen can be impossible to view in bright sunlight. | tutaenui (1724) | ||
| 701585 | 2008-09-03 06:01:00 | Megapixels have only a minimal relationship with image quality. It is a false metric that people use because they don't understand the technical specifications :( . Sensor size has a far stronger relationship with image quality. Yes, don't be mesmorised by megapixels unless you want to get some big enlargements of your images. Still you may want to do some serious cropping. Misty ;) |
Misty (368) | ||
| 701586 | 2008-09-03 20:19:00 | The cameras in the Panasonic TZ series are good all round cameras. The current TZ5 is out of your price range, last year's TZ3 should be around that area and is still a good camera (7MP, 10x optical zoom, widescreen video recording etc). | maccrazy (6741) | ||
| 701587 | 2008-09-04 11:41:00 | Just bought a TZ5 while passing through USA and it's NZ$350 compared to the 550+ being charged here. what a rip off price. Awesome camera, though too 3000+ photos during my 3 month holiday. Very few duds and so easy to use. |
Fishb8 (484) | ||
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