Digital Camera Info

[David]

The important specs:

Resolution:
This is measured in Megapixels and simply means how many dots make up the picture. More megapixels mean bigger and better quality pictures, but pictures take up more space. You ideally want a 1Megapixel+ camera. 1Megapixel gives pictures at 1280x960 in size, 2 Megapixels is 1600x1200.

There is a difference between actual megapixel resolution and interpolated resolution. Interpolation is simply where an image is taken and made more detailed by guessing what color some of the pixels should be. This is often used in scanners as well.

Zoom:
This is not vital for point and shoot photography, but nice to have. Digital Zoom is siply enlarging the picture as you could do on a PC, and isn't fantastic.
Optical Zoom is the best zoom, but costs more. This is like on normal cameras where the lens moves out to enlarge far away objects.

Memory Cards:
Watch out for cameras that provide just 4 or 8MB internal memory. These are the cheaper ones. You should get a camera which can use external memory cards. SmartMedia and Compact Flash cards are common, not too expensive and come in 2MB, 4MB, 8MB, 16MB, 32MB, 64MB, 128MB and 256MB sizes. Sony Memory Sticks are used on some cameras. IBM Microdrives are also used for some cameras and can store up to 1GB (ie, a lot :D) of images.

Connection to PC:
The three most common connection methods are Serial, USB and Firewire. USB is the best of these, as serial is slow (very slow) and you will need a firewire card for a firewire connection, as very few computers come with this built in. USB is the way to go. USB1 cameras can transfer data at 12MBps, and USB2 cameras at 480MBps. USB2 devices are backwards compatible, so it doesn't matter that much.

LCD screen:
Very useful. This is a little screen that allows you to view and delete images that you have taken. Look for 1.5 inches or bigger. Backlighting is also an advantage as it allows the screen to be viewed even in low light environments.

Optical Viewfinders:
Most cameras include an option to use the LCD screen as viewfinder, but if you prefer to use an optical viewfinder (as on normal film cameras) then make sure the camera has one.

Flash:
An absolute must. Be careful as some cameras have the flash sticking out. If this seems flimsy and you are a bit clumsy, avoid such cameras.


Hope this helps you find the right camera for you.

David

Originally posted by Penguin4x4
Top Manufacturers: Canon, Fujifilm, Kodak, Minolta, Nikon, Olympus, Toshiba, and Sony

CNET's Digitial Photo Site (http://electronics.cnet.com/electronics/0-1429209.html?tag=dir)

[Penguin4x4]

Top Manufacturers: Canon, Fujifilm, Kodak, Minolta, Nikon, Olympus, Toshiba, and Sony

CNET's Digitial Photo Site (http://electronics.cnet.com/electronics/0-1429209.html?tag=dir)

[Bigsexy]

Very strange you posted a thread like this almost the same day I decided to buy a new cam! Good post - good it is stickied - it really deserves it!

OK - here are my questions: I have a 1 Megapixel cam @ the moment - really nothing special (HP C200). I am planning to buy a new one in about three - four month (maybe xmas) - what prices do you expect then and what cam to get? I don´t need really professional stuff but s.th. better than mine. The cam is supposed to shot pics indoors and outdoors - I need an alround talent. Three Megapixel ??? Four Megapixel ??? Maybe two are enough??

Well if you want to know what kind of pictures I take usually you can take a look on my website (http://www.rene-endres.de) and klick on "Bilder" and then on any pic in the middle - e.g. "Fuerteventura 2001".

Thanks for your suggestions! And plz remember to give a price forecast :D.

[Penguin4x4]

What size pictures are you planning on doing? e.g. 8x10, 4x6, 5x7

[Bigsexy]

Well usually I do not print my pics - I keep them on my hdd - and put them on my website - so size doesn´t matter that much. I thought the more pixel, the better the quality?!

If you take a look at this pic:

http://home.arcor.de/reneendres/images/fuerteventura/_DSC00034.jpg

Size is ok (could maybe a little bigger....), but the quality is crap! And indoors the quality is even worse!

[Penguin4x4]

2.8 or 3 Megapixel. Check my CNET link.

[Maxvla]

Originally posted by Bigsexy
If you take a look at this pic:
i want to be where your pic is :D very nice view

[Bigsexy]

Originally posted by Maxvla

i want to be where your pic is :D very nice view

Oh yes - that would be great! I´d like to be there once again, too :cry:! Maybe next year - this year I had to decide beetween puter or vacation (result is in my sig :D) - since I am a student my yearly budget is very limited!

Thanks for your advice Penguin! - Any ideas if prices will drop?

[Penguin4x4]

Yes, they should drop. Check with pricewatch, pricegrabber, and nextag, as zdnet isn't that reliable.

[Spec_Ops2087]

I got a Kodak DC4800 Digital Camera...it is 3.1megapixels and I would HIGHLY recommend it....very nice quality, the only bad thing I can think of is that it only has 3x optical zoom and 6x digital zoom:(

Oh well...I tihnk it was worth the I think I paid 250 for it...it was floor model though sooooo it was probably 400 maybe



Spec

[Bigsexy]

sounds you´ve made a really great deal!!

Well 3x optical zoom would be enough for my purposes! And 250 would fit well in my budget! :D

[Penguin4x4]

This one's perfect then (http://www.csd.toshiba.com/cgi-bin/tais/pc/pc_prodDetail.jsp?comm=ST&plin=Digital%20Cameras&pfam=Camera%20Bundles&poid=237070&Adoid=140382).

[Bigsexy]

Thanks .... but I just read the cnet review and the "The bad" is exactly what I wanted to prevent (-> "Poor low-light performance") - and it´s 300 bucks over here - and as I saw on cnet - in the States you can get it for ~230 !!

Damn - writing about this stuff I just feel like ordering a cam right in this moment! :D

EDIT: Maybe I have the possibility to order a cam to my American friends that will visit me this October... so I´d appreciate further recommendations! Must have: 3xoptical zoom; good quality, USB connection. Would be good: Compact Flash I (cuz then I could use my old 64MB card :D). Budget ~ 300 - 320

[Maxvla]

Originally posted by Bigsexy
Thanks .... but I just read the cnet review and the "The bad" is exactly what I wanted to prevent (-> "Poor low-light performance") - and it´s 300 bucks over here - and as I saw on cnet - in the States you can get it for ~230 !!

Damn - writing about this stuff I just feel like ordering a cam right in this moment! :D

EDIT: Maybe I have the possibility to order a cam to my American friends that will visit me this October... so I´d appreciate further recommendations! Must have: 3xoptical zoom; good quality, USB connection. Would be good: Compact Flash I (cuz then I could use my old 64MB card :D). Budget ~ 300 - 320
check out the FujiFilm FinePix 2600 its a 2.1mpixel with 3x optical i think it uses compact flash. you can find them here in the states for about 195 so i'm sure you can find one in your price range there. this is the camera i WANT! but i keep buying computer hardware... :rolleyes: hehe.

[Bigsexy]

Thanks Max - sound pretty nice - well no self-timer and no TV-Out - I can live with that @ that price range!!

Problem: Is "Flash Smart Media" = "Compact Flash I" ??? Would be interesting!

And are the 2 Megapixel really that big difference to my old one?

[XgladiatorX]

Go with the Fujifilm 2600z I did it's great-200 bucks (american)
It does have self timer on it.
use's smart media came with 16 and 32 megabyte cards
came with charger and 2 AA batterys
software-finepixviewer
usb
3xoptical 2.5 digital zooms :D

[Penguin4x4]

Originally posted by Bigsexy
Problem: Is "Flash Smart Media" = "Compact Flash I" ??? Would be interesting!

And are the 2 Megapixel really that big difference to my old one?

Link (http://electronics.cnet.com/electronics/0-3622-8-7148074-2.html?tag=st.ce.3622-8-7148074-1.txt.3622-8-7148074-2)

[Cisco Kid]

check out the Olympus line up they have a new 720 zoom out 10x , but it gets a bit of shake at that zoom unless you use tripod but it is very good

Olympus from wehat I have read is recognized as one of the best lens


I recently bought a c-3020 zoom 3.2 megapixel
does tiff, jpeg, and 3x optical with 7.5x digital more than enough for me

love it so far and I came from using a fuji mx 2700

cisco kid

[stompah]

I am happy with my Kodak DX4900.

It is your basic point and shoot camera. It is 4megapixels, 2x optical zoom and some crappy digital zoom 3 or 4 I dont care to check (it sux), it came with a 16mb compact flash card. It is a decent size and semi light.

I bought it on sale at Dell.com. It retails for $399. not too bad for a 4mp as most start at $500 and up.

The photos are clear and exposure is good. upclose it is finicky but with picture at full size you can cut out a little peice and get a good clear close up.

Remember its an entry level camera. I would not buy it again. But I would not hesitate to advise someone to buy it for use as a basic photo cam....

[AlanSr]

I have to put my .2C in:)

2MP is good for "photo quality" 5X7
3MP is good for " " " " 8X10
4MP is good for " " " " 8X10 not much better than 3MP just bigger file size on your computer.
5MP is good for " " '" 11X16 but with my Dimage 7I
I've had pix blown up to 16X20 and they look great. "when you compare them to 35mm, They can't compare to medim or large format cameras"

6MP is the best right now but your also looking at between US$ 2500-6200!!!


any pix that may want to print (STAY OUT OF DIGITAL ZOOM) all digital zoom does is the camera crops the pix for you and interploads to fill the rest of the space.

Becareful when buy fugifilm, I know they used to sell their cameras at the interploated file size. which sucks cuz the actual file size is a little better than half of it.
When printing interploated pix you'll see that the sharpness is gone, the colors run together and the overall pic is flat.

I've found "after experimenting with all the different companies" the best (Sub Pro) has to be olympus. My oly 3000 is still an awesome camera, the only reason I went to minolta for my upgrade is because of the manual features, zoom, and price it offered compared to the oly E20

I hope I didn't offend any fugifilm users:)

[Bigsexy]

Thanks again for all your input :) - just today I got prices and need your opinion on what would be the best deal. So please take a look to the "Cyber Deal" section where I´ll post it. Thanks!

http://forum.oc-forums.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=113304

[AlanSr]

I'm one of those guys that can't just give a straight answer.

what exactly do you want the camer for,
do you want just a point and shoot or do you want to get in depth with manual features?

I would go for at least 3MP right now with the way prices have dropped.

There is a huge difference in quality between 2 & 3MP.
Not so much with 3 & 4 because during that time they didn't make any real strides in CCD. Now they are looking into a new CCD that is even closer to film.

[Bigsexy]

Thanks that you point to this again!

Well as you wrote before


2MP is good for "photo quality"


that is what I´m looking for!

If you are feel like checking my latest shot pics from a LAN-Party (made with HP Photosmart C200) - click here (http://home.arcor.de/reneendres/images/lan). And this "quality" is too bad for me - blured, pixeled, overall! And the question is: Will I get much better results with any cam of the ones mentioned in my Cyber Deal Thread (http://forum.oc-forums.com/vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=113304)?

EDIT: And the prices for 3mp are still about 70% higher than for a 2mp!

[Tismedt]

You might want to look at this site also if you are looking for Digital Camera Info. Lots of information and a comparison tool to help you decide which model is for you and within your budget. I used it and I am very happy with the HP C912 i bought. Heres (http://www.digital-camerastore.com/) the link. Browse around you will learn alot about digital cameras.

BTW great thread and it will I'm sure help a lot of folks make the decision thats right for them.

[Bigsexy]

Did anybody read a review of the new 3MP HP PhotoSmart 720 ?? If yes - please let me know the link!

[XgladiatorX]

Heysexy
That must be a new camera I did a search on google and came up with nothing along the lines of a review closest thing I got was from hpshopping.com basically a spec. report.

that camera hp720photosmart looks pricey for the features
i still love my 2600z fujifilm If you check out E-bay you may get a better deal.

[AlanSr]

Here (http://www.dpreview.com/)
Check this site, for digicams they review every one that comes out.

Very helpful but the people arn't very friendly

[Bigsexy]

Thanks AlanSr - I´ve noticed their site earlier - but unluckily they only have the specs of the HP 720 til now - no review!

[Pcmod]

I have an olympus d-100 1.3 megapixel. Oly 120 bucks, works great thats what all my pics i post are from, the flash is about as good as my friends coolpix 990, and no redeye, wooo. But somepeople says the flash blinds them. I say it is perfect for web images, even more when I am on a 56k modem. Hehe. The lcd is backlight, it doesn't have an optical zoom,:(. Hope this helps someone. ....................... i have a 16mb smart media and an 8mb. It came with both....It said it was just to have an 8mb.. mmm

[foxforcefive]

Personally, I have a Canon Powershot G2, and it is one of the best (if not the best) pro-sumer camera on the market. Not what you are looking for (price, not point and shoot.) Canon's Powershot S line are also great cameras. The S30/40/45 series take great photos. The S45 is the newest of the 3, has 4MP, and a 3X optical zoom Fast, great shots.

If you are looking for a camera that takes great low-light shots, the Sony DSC-F707 has night vision technology. Expensive though, and again, not point-and-shoot.

Kodak has the DX4330 that is 3.1MP, recharges in the base, 16MB internal memory (expandable), and will take video that is only limited by the size of memory card that you have. 3x optical zoom. Around $350.

Hope this helps.

BL

[MajinSSJVegetto]

Canon Powershots are great. I beleive they use CF I.
I know most Canon's use CF, not sure if thats CF I or not though.

One note though, MP is nothing to do with image quality.

It is image size. Number of pixels.
MP does not = quality.

[Makkarah]

Word of advice, I made the mistake of buying HP Photosmart 318 camera. I should've known from the start that this camera will not work for long...
At first it didnt want to turn the little screen on, where you would see the pic in minisize...
Now the screen doesnt turn on at all, and it displays that there's room for 0 pictures. And it doesnt turn off without taking batteries out.

So I'm not giving cookies for HP Photosmart 318. I'm glad it's still under warranty so I'm taking it back to see if I can get a new one.

[Ugmore Baggage]

A note about compression: All cameras will compress their data a certain amount*, losing color data and/or pixel info. Try to find out what the largest file size that the camera generates is and what method of compression it uses.

*Okay this isn't true but images saved in pure form can take over a minute to transfer to the flash card.

A note about the Fuji octagonal ccd. What they are doing in essense is creating a second grid of pixels, each "new" pixel is placed at the meeting of the 4 corners of the "old" pixels. The problem that arises is there is no monitor that supports this method: see "pic" below
o="old"
i=in between
n=new
oioio
inini
oioio
keep in mind that the screen is divided in boxes, so of course you have to expand or reduce the arrangement by reducing the "in between" letters (it takes some imagination, just envision the o's and i's are octagonal coins and the i's are where you can see the table between).

The good part is that the spaces between the octagons is closer than the space in the rectangular process (like dot-pitch in a monitor the pixels can never actually touch). Ifyou were looking at yourself in a mosaic of mirrors you would see more clearly in the octagon because there is more mirror and smaller gaps.

The bad part is the information isn't usable to a computer, it has to be processed. Basically the computer has to either alter the known information to in the "old" pixels by the info in the "new" ones (then delete them) or average the values of the "old" and "new" to put info in the "in between" pixels.

Reviews say that the Fuji ccd performs about equal to cameras of the same _actual_ number of pixels even in super mode, and worse in "ignore the new pixels" mode.

I like this camera. It's very small and stylish, and at least some models can use regular alkaline batteries. But ounce for ounce, the Canon Digital Elph takes the best pictures.

[Tbird man]

anyone have any experence with the Sony mavica(sp?) CD or FD? i am concidering the CD versin as the media is not that expensive for 180-200mb. i realise it will probibly take longer but thats ok i really like the idea.

[Korgun]

http://www.steves-digicams.com/

that site has such great reviews including sample pics, incase you guys didn't know :)

[jd300]

this is the camera i bought personally i love it great camera http://electronics.cnet.com/electronics/0-6613935-1304-5606216.html?tag=pdtl-list

[AlanSr]

Very true ugmore

Fugi's interpolosion
is basicly taking a picture
stretching it 2-2.5 its original size
and then filling in the rest with color.

That is why you loose so much sharpness and the pictures seem flat.

I recomend to anyone looking into a digicam, STICK WITH THE COMPANIES THAT ALREADY KNOW HOW TO MAKE A CAMERA....ie olympus, nikon, minolta, cannon...etc.

but everything does fall back to
what do (YOU) want your pix for???
printing (personal)
selling (business/stock photography)
email
scrap book

[AmigoThree]

I recently got an Olympus C-720 Ultra Zoom and I would recommend it to anybody. I was going to go with the one that has only 3x optical zoom but 4MP but I was kinda glad that I got the 3.1MP and 8x Optical zoom, I have used it many times.

[ZathrothATL]

Thank you for the post. This answered some questions on what i should look for. Yes im clumsy and the one i looked at had the flash sticking out a little =p

[ender026]

What about brand recommendations for:
- NiMh batteries
- Battery charger
- Flash memory
- Card reader (for PC)

I've already decided on a Canon A40, but I'm still not sure of what to get for accessories.

[kelvinblade]

are there any difference between the flash memory made by different manufacturers? are some suppose to be faster or are they all pretty much the same except for the price cuz some seem a lot more expensive than others....

[Strobel]

I purchased a Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-P20, it's ok but i was missing a needed driver from Windows ME to install the camera and Lexar USB Memory Stick Reader..took forever to find the right driver to download, but now i'm happy with it except,
the included batteries have a very short life-span, i hear it's best to use NiHM.. and i wish a larger Memory Stick was included.


Format Compact
Price (street) US $250 ..got mine on sale for $180

Max resolution 1216 x 912
Low resolution 1024 x 768, 640 x 480
Image ratio w:h 4:3, 3:2
Effective pixels 1.1 million
Sensor photosites 1.3 million
Sensor size 1/2.7 "
Sensor type CCD
ISO rating 100, 200, 400
Zoom wide (W) 42 mm
Zoom tele (T) 42 mm
Digital zoom 3 x stepless
Auto Focus
Manual Focus 5 presets
Auto focus accuracy TTL
Normal focus range 60 cm
Macro focus range 3 cm
White balance override 3 positions
Aperture range F4.5 - ?
Min shutter 8 sec
Max shutter 1/725 sec
Built-in Flash
Flash guide no. 2 m (6.5 ft) m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off
Exposure compensation -2EV to +2EV in 1/3EV Steps
Movie Clips MPEG EX (only storage limited - no audio
Self-timer 10 sec
Storage included 4 MB Memory Stick
Uncompressed format TIFF
Compressed format JPEG (EXIF)
Quality Levels Standard, Fine, TIFF
Viewfinder Optical
LCD 1.5 "
LCD Pixels 123,000
Playback zoom 5 x
USB
Battery AA (2) batteries (NiMH recommended)
Dimensions 123 x 62 x 46 mm (4.8 x 2.4 x 1.8 in)

[whiteemcee]

just thought i would let everyone know about the deal i got.. an olympus c-3030 3.2 megapixel digital cam... this camera has so many features i don't even know what all of em do yet.. got it for $125 in a local classifieds ad...

[TheNamelessOne]

Does anyone have any opinions on buying digital cameras off ebay? Is it safe?

[Arjuna]

Imaging Resource (http://www.imaging-resource.com/)

This site was useful to me when I picked out my camera. I went with the 3 megapixel resolution, and I would echo what the others have said about it. At this point, the price difference between 2 and 3 megapixel cameras is small, and 3 is now the standard. High res pics are always nice.

I went with the Olympus D-550 (http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/D550/D55A.HTM), as I found that it combined ease of use with superb image quality and good features. It's a fine middle of the road camera. I got it for $299 at Best Buy. I would recommend buying locally, or at least browsing locally, as once you've done the research, it helps to actually hold the camera in your hand.

Also, I would plan on expenses for accessories. You will want a bigger memory card. Practically all cameras include an 8 or 16 meg card, and that will be enough to hold you over if money is short, but if you go on vacation, you won't be able to fit all the pics you want on such a small card. I would spring for the 128 or 256 meg card. Also, NiMH batteries and a charger cost money as well. I would budget at least $25 for this, and as much as $50 for name brand, high capacity cells with a nice charger.

As for buying online, I found that online vendors tended not to offer substantially reduced prices compared with local stores, so I chose to avoid the added hastle of credit cards and shipping. That's just my preference. As for ebay, it depends on if you're buying new or used. Then the usual advice would apply.

[DaveMode]

A warning to those buying their camera online. Most price comparison sites (like cnet shopping, my simon, etc) list a company called big apple photo which almost always has the best price. I bought a Minolta DiMage X from them for $265. If you want to know what it feels like to use the worst online retailer in the world, then big apple has you covered. Otherwise, I would stay away from these guys. You'll be waiting ages while they ask you to call back only to try to pressure you into buying high priced add ons, etc.

[AlanSr]

When you order online just make sure that your not getting a (grey market) camera!

Most of the time the prices that are too good to be true are grey market and not covered by US warrenties. Or the the company will try to sell you a warrenty for some outragous amount.

[kfunk]

I got a coolpix 4500. Takes very good pictures and you can also take pictures in awkward angles. I would definitely recommend.

[TheNamelessOne]

Does anyone know of a site where I can see the differences in image quality between 1megapixel, 2megapixel, 3megapixel, etc.

[AlanSr]

I don't think you would be able to really see the difference because you're still dealing with the resolution of your monitor.
The real difference would come from looking at prints taken from different cameras. ie 1MP,2MP,3MP.

The biggest difference is the size of prints your looking at getting out of the camera.

[TheNamelessOne]

So if I just want to view the pictures on my monitor, it wouldnt matter how many megapixels my camera is? The Image Quality would look the same?

[AlanSr]

For the most part yes,
There will be slight differences in image quality just because of the different quality in the lenses.
Just for monitor and email use I recomend a 1.3MP, that should be big enough to fill your screen. Unless your running your monitor at 1600X1200 then you'll want a 2MP.

If you have any desire to print these pictures "at any time" then start out at 2MP and go up, depending on your budget.

Hope this helps

[TheNamelessOne]

Indeed it does. Thank you.

[Mr.Guvernment]

did not read all threads BUT

DO NOT buy an IBM micordrive - they are being pulled due to too many problems with them, But they do now have out 1g flash cards

:D

[Movax]

Wasn't this a sticky in the old forum?

[The_Mowman]

*cough* STICKY *cough*

[The_Mowman]

Anyone get a hold of the new Canon Powershot S400. I want one really badly now because they finally put the 3x optical lens on it and its 4 MP. On another note, I was talking to a guy in a camera shop and he remarked how camera makers really never drop the price on their digital cameras, they just bring out new ones to replace the old ones, and the older ones just dissapear. Just something to keep in mind when shopping for a camera because the standard "wait till it gets cheaper" doesn't always work.