Digital Camera Question

[Kathy in Cambridge]

I am looking on CNET and other websites for information on Digital cameras, and am becoming more confused by the minute. I am looking for a camera for personal shots-nothing fancy.

What should I look for? Which Digital Video Format is better: MPEG, AVI, or Quicktime? And does it matter?

Thanks!

[RC]

1. A still camera or movie camera? n/t

[Kathy in Cambridge]

2. Still Camera

for family and kitty photos!

[CanuckAmok]

3. Make part of your purchase be based on...

physical comfort. I bought a Fuji FinePix F601 Zoom, which is a great camera. It shoots on Jpeg (which is more universal than some other formats), and it even does short video, depending on the size of the memory card you're using. Digital and optical zoom, built-in flash, etc. It can be used as a webcam and voice-memo recorder, too.

The only downside is something I never even thought about while shopping: I don't find its vertically-oriented case very comfortable to use. I'm used to shooting with a camera which is wider than it is tall, and this is just the opposite. I'm not crazy about the way it "handles", so I'll have to take some time getting used to it.

[BlueJazz]

4. If you're going going to be taking "Kitty Shots"

have the salesperson show you how to do close-ups.
Amazingly, some cameras are a breeze when doing close-ups and some are $%&*#$%#@!! :)

[radwriter0555]

5. JPEG is the best format... Kodak Easyshare DX4330 is a rocking

little cam for a couple hundred. User friendly, long, short shots, easy to DL and move things around.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

7. They all have JPEG...here are my choices so far:

I've narrowed it down to:
Nikon Coolpix 2500
Nikon Coolpix 2100
Kodak EasyShare CX4230
Canon PowerShot S200 Digital Elph

Thanks for your help!

[geniph]

10. Well, shoot

I was going to say that, when I bought mine, I gave preference to companies which are primarily camera makers over computer manufacturers (so I bought an Olympus, which I'm still very happy with), but all of yours are by camera makers.

Consumer Reports just rated digital cameras like last month or the month before; I'd highly advise running over to the library and taking a look at their recommendations.

The Kodak is very easy to use, but I think one of those Nikons got rated pretty highly.

[Deja Q]

14. Nikon has the best lenses, and go for the 4300

4 megapixel quality will last you a greater number of years and allow you to make larger blow-ups of your favorite pics...

I wouldn't get anything less than a 3 megapixel camera...

[SoCalDem]

6. I love my Kodak LS443

It came with the uploading dock and it's so easy that a dummy like me can use it effortlessly..:) I ordered it from their website and had it within a week :)





Upscale Kodak camera Equipped with a Schneider-Kreuznach 35-105mm zoom of German design, Kodak's four-megapixel EasyShare LS-443 is a great looking camera in a brushed aluminum casing. It also sports a new LCD monitor, with anti-reflection coating for convenient image viewing in sunshine. In addition to high resolution, the EasyShare LS-443 offers numerous features and extras such as three color modes, a burst feature for high-speed sequence shooting, and advanced autofocus options. This upscale camera comes with a special edition EasyShare Dock for uploading pictures at the touch of a button and for quickly recharging the high-performance Lithium Ion battery. (Street price: $599 for the kit.)

I paid way less than the street price they list

[Qutzupalotl]

8. MPEG, AVI & Quicktime are movie formats,

so you might be looking in the movie camera section. Still cameras will use JPEG, which should present no problems.

One thing to look at and ask about is how it connects to your computer. Some save images on floppy disk, but these have to be fairly small and therefore lower quality. Some cameras use USB, so you'd need to be sure your computer has USB ports...and so on.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

9. Thanks, NRK.

I'm confused because when I clicked on specifications, the long list includes:


Still image format JPEG


Digital video format QuickTime

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6501-5061926.html?tag=prmo1

[geniph]

12. Most digital still cameras

can shoot short videos as well. Not all can, but most can anymore, since they started using the 64 and 128MB memory cards.

[Julien Sorel]

11. Here's a great site for this sort of stuff:

http://www.dpreview.com/


It might go a little too in-depth for what you need, but there's lots of info there.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

13. Thanks everyone...hopefully I can find a bargain!

I appreciate your input!

[mmm]

15. nikon coolpix2500 and similar

Very easy to use, nice features, good price.
However, resolution of 2 mega pixels will not print
a great picture in many cases. Be sure the vendor you buy from allows trade-up without penalty within 30 days.
Once you print some pictures, you will want to trade up.

Buy what you want or you will have to learn to want what you have bought.

[TrogL]

16. get as many pixels as you can afford

I've got 1.2 Megapixels and it's not nearly enough.

Make sure the battery charger and rechargeable batteries are included or you'll pay through the nose for them or bankrupt yourself buying batteries for the damn thing.

[Deja Q]

17. 3 megapixel minimum, I agree

Personally, I'd go for 4MP or greater, my own Sony Mavica is 5MP.

And that's a good point on batteries! I've got two for my digital camera, fortunately I've never needed to use the second one yet. But it's good to have!

[papau]

18. Elf - per Tech TV - 320x240 movies, great snaps, easy, tough

but who knows

and the small size can be a problem - I set mine down and it was stolen in 5 seconds and I had no clue who of the 20 folk around me had taken it.

[Kat45]

19. If you get it this week, bring it to the Boston DU gathering.

:-)