~ I need some digital camera advice ~

[phoebe]

I am ready to buy a new camera and could really use some help/input if anyone has any suggestions...

I recently bought the Fuji FinePix camera (the bigger camera in the instant win game) thinking I would love it. After playing with it for a couple of weeks, I just wasn't comfortable with the shutter-speed. It seemed as though everytime I took a picture it came out much different than what I saw in my screen...so....I took it back.

I would like a good digital... with at least 3x's+ optical zoom and at least 3x's digital zoom with a minimum of 3.2 pix...

Any camera experts on board?

[skpaw]

I am not an expert, but I like to play with my digital cameras. I have an Olympus D-510 2.1 megapixel with a 3x optical and 3x digital zoom. I like the camera but I wish it had more megapixels. It is a couple of years old now. I also have a Nikon coolpix 2500 that I won from expedia. The specs are similar to the olympus. I like the olympus much better to use. You don't need special software to upload the photos. Nikon you have to use their software. You might want a camera with a viewfinder. This will give you a more accurate idea what the image will be than the screen will. The nikon only has a screen. The nikon has a special battery and charger. The extra battery was expensive, about $39. The olympus uses 4 AA batteries, rechargable NIMH, which are much easier to find. Also with digital you have to have a steady hand or the photos will be blurry. I hope to win a better camera some day. They are fun to play with.

[phoebe]

Thank you skpaw...there are so many things to consider!
I loved most of the features of the Fuji I bought...except the shutter-speed...I just couldn't get used to the "delay" in the photo. I did like that I could switch between the screen and the regular view finder....
I'll be camera shopping forever!

[phoebe]

Does anybody else have any input???

Anyone have a camera they just love and don't mind telling? :sherlock:
:gvibes: please :gvibes:

[skpaw]

I think the delay you are talking about is called "shutter lag" It is a common complaint that digital camera users have. The process is different than a non digital camera. If you keep the camera ready to go and press all the way down the camera will auto focus and take the shot. There is a little lag. It varies from camera to camera, but it will be on most digitals. You can get used to this. Most important is holding steady till the little light that indicates you are taking a shot goes off. Moving before the light is off is sure to get you a nice blur and a missed shot. There is also a second or two till you can take the next shot unless you are in a continuous shot mode offered on a lot of cameras. I think it is mostly a matter of practice and learning the features of your camera. If you want to compare a bunch reviews for specific models type the model info in to Google and it will bring up a lot of reviews.

Good luck.

[satnick]

I have one that is a couple of years old but had all the bells and whistles when we bought it. I'm very happy with it. It is a SONY cyber-shot. 3.3 pixels, 6x zoom and mpeg capabilities. I finally got around to getting a larger memory stick this year as I was working with the 8mb that they give you (back then anyway). It has different settings so I can get different size resolutions. That is helpful when you just want to take pictures to email and such. It saves on storage space. There are other times when I want a high quality picture that I may print out or something. Good luck!

[Mary Beth]

I have a Nikon Coolpix that I got about three years ago. I love it! A friend just bought the newer version of the Coolpix and she's been very happy with it, too.

[elainmir]

A friend of ours got the FUJI Finepix S5000 and I love the 10x optical zoom on it and so does my DH so thats what hes getting for his Bday this Friday. Our friends used it at my sons second birthday party last Friday and the pics are great! Crisp and clear .......I have heard other FINEPIX models are NOT as good...heard the S7000 is better than all of them but I guess it depends on the user! :cool2:

[ResourcePress]

I use my Sony Cyber-shot DSC-F707 (5 megapixel) a lot but I am disappointed with the shutter lag previously mentioned. To help get the shot that I want I set the camera on BURST3, which takes 3 pictures in a row with one click of the button. I have two 128MB sticks so I have plenty of space to store pictures.
One of the best features on my camera is the macro lens for close-ups.
The zoom function is part digital, part optical.

[Heather]

Hi, in late October I bought myself a Canon PowerShot SD100 Digital Elph digital camera that would fit into a jean back pocket 3.2 Megapixels. I think it was $300 at Best Buy. We bought one as a gift for our in-laws (early Xmas present).. only the more expensive version 4.0 Megapixels... and played around (or watched my in-laws) play around with the camera, while hiking in the mountains and on vacation. I saw how awesome the pictures came out, how easy it was to use, how slim it was...and trust the Canon name, when it comes to cameras. I decided, as soon as I got back to the states, to get my own. I've brought this camera to 3 different countries already, a wedding, Xmas stuff, and in the short time I've owned it.. could NOT be happier with it. I've probably taken well over 400 pics in this time and highly recommend it to anyone! I would probably have bought the 4.0 Megapixel version, if I did it all over again for $100 more, but hey, I'm not made of money. :rolleyes: :laugh: I spent a week researching and going to different stores looking at all kinds of 'smallish' digital cameras... the reason I decided on this one was I felt it had the most bang for the buck, in addition, it was by far the smallest. This is really anal and weird, but the Fuji, Sony, and very similar (equally GOOD) versions of 'small' digital cameras are not perfectly rectangular. You just have to go look at them to see what I mean, but they are 'oblong' shaped kind of. I wanted one... that in a pinch would fit in my pocket. Yeah, I'm a nerd. But it rocks!

http://www.powershot.com/powershot2/sd100/

Here, lol, you can see what I'm talking about perhaps! Happy hunting! :gvibes:

BUT: The only thing people tend to NOT like about this camera is when you press the button to take the picture, there is a slight delay. Once I got used to it, it didn't bother me that much. If you wanted to take high-speed action shots, like a soccer game, that could present a problem. :rolleyes:

[Heather]

With this particular camera I speak of above, I can get about 13 pictures from the "16 MB" memory card, which the camera comes with. I splurged and bought a 256 MB memory card for about a $100 [forget exactly], which I have found takes anywhere from 175-190 pictures. Plenty, for any trip, in my book! :cool2:

[phoebe]

Thank you guys for all the info...I want a great camera and just can't seem to make a decision...I just want to make a great one! I am even thinking about just buying a nice 35mm and a smaller digital for quick pics....

I really appreciate all of the comments!

THANK YOU!