Digital Cameras

[Bob_Roller]

I have decided that it's about time to get a camera, my last one broke after three rolls of film, and was just out of warranty, and would cost more to repair than I had paid for it 13 months earlier.

I'm just looking for a low end model, that if you lost it or damaged it, you're not going to get to upset over it.

Any suggestions of what to purchase, and more importantly, what to stay awy from ?

[Frank_M]

The trouble with your request, Bob, is that there are so doggone many digital cameras, with each new model from each brand better than the previous. It's mind-boggling. I say this because I just bought a Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 after reading scores of reviews of numerous cameras. But I made the right choice for what I was after and am quite satisfied. It runs around $250 and may be more than what you want. Here's a link to Kodak's many offerings (http://digitalcameras.kodak.com/) and I provide it because I found it was a useful and easy site to navigate and get an idea of what is out there in features. Some of the Kodak models have decent German lenses and some are charged by a USB connection to your computer. My nephew, an owner of two Beemers who's making use of them and his young age to see the continent, purchased a Kodak M753 for I think it was under 150, and it produced nice pix and traveled well. If you've a questions I can answer, feel free. Good luck.

[Bob_Roller]

That's what my problem was, there are so many choices out there, where do you start !

Just before Christmas, I saw a Samsung camera (don't remember the model number), at a supermarket, for $75, seemed like a more than a reasonable price, but quality was a concern.

As I remember Samsung for 'disposable' electronics like small televisions, DVD players and other small consumer items.

[Justin B.]

You started out mentioning "rolls of film" and ended up mentioning Samsung at the supermarket.  Are you interested in a 35mm film camera or a digital camera?

If you don't mind spending the bux you can buy a high-end 35mm SLR and then get a digital back for it.  We had a Nikon in our lab to take pix of product with when I worked for AST Computer many moons ago.

As far as straight digital, I have had three and can say that "sub professional" cameras are fragile, at best.  I currently have a Nikon Coolpix L1 (about a year old), I have not abused or dropped it but a little plastic "tit" on the battery compartment lid latch broke off and I now have to keep it shut with tape!  So, 2 out of 3 digitals have had the battery lid latch go fubar.  I think that right now the cheaper (under $300) digital cameras should be considered a throwaway.

I am seriously considering getting a higher end Canon or Nikon digital that is patterned after a regular SLR camera...

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Check this out!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180204427159

[Bob_Roller]

I am interested in a digital camera, I had a 35 mm Minolta SLR, I didn't use it too much, but was quite disapointed in the fact that it quit after 3 rolls of film, about 30 days outside of the warranty period.

I'd like to post pictures of what few rides I do take here in the southwestern US on this site.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

This is what I use:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Minolta-Digital-Camera_W0QQitemZ330201164086QQihZ014QQcategoryZ48537QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Justin B.]

This is the one I am currently using.  Got it last Christmas and it's already obsolete and have to tape closed the battery cover...
http://cgi.ebay.com/NIKON-COOLPIX-L1-6-2MP-DIGITAL-CAMERA-20XZM-3-BONUS-2GB_W0QQitemZ180202253019QQihZ008QQcategoryZ107898QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

But, the 5x optical zoom is neat...

[Justin B.]

I was seriously considering a new camera when my wife asked me for Christmas ideas and was seriously considering the Nikon D40X SLR.  This was the "kit" I was leaning towards:

http://www.jr.com/JRProductPage.process?Product=4175264

But, got laid off so I opted for something cheaper...  

[nhmaf]

For small/inexpensive digital cameras I like my Nikon Coolpix 4600, which is probably now also superseded by a newer model.  Still, I think that the inexpensive Nikon digital cameras tend to have pretty good quality lenses/features.  Mine runs on 2 AA batteries, which was another key selling point for me - makes getting replacement batteries or recharged batteries easier than looking for more exotic battery types.

[Frank_M]

More to your request, Bob...

If you expect to enlarge and print your pix, avoid a camera with fewer than 6 megapixels. If you mostly want to post on the Web, you can get away with a lot less, but I think you'd later regret it. You might want to find out if the camera offers a size feature that allows for taking a picture specifically for Web placement. The Lumix offers such and with the 4Gb memory card, I could take about 12,000 pix in this mode before the card was full.

Don't concern yourself much with Digital Zoom. Optical Zoom is what's important. Many very basic cameras offer at least 3X Optical Zoom. The Lumix I purchased offers 10X. (It may be worth noting that the zoom number begins with the lens's widest field of view. In other words, if the widest field is actually wide angle, the zoom is X times that, not what would be the normal field of view.)

Get a camera that offers some feature of image stabilization to help with the jitters.

Check if the ISO offerings are high enough to give you a satisfactory pic in low light.

Most of the pocket digitals are doing away with a small viewfinder and relying strictly on an LCD screen for focusing and framing. But there are still some out there. The top of the line Kodak offers both with the added feature that the small eyepiece viewfinder is also an LCD. This camera is a somewhat larger than a pocket, but still considerably smaller than the pro digitals that allow use of one's lenses from an old 35mm camera.

For biking, the pocket has the advantage that you keep it on your person where there is less vibration, rather than in a saddlebag or tank bag. I can attest that my old Pentax survived many a trip, but I often found the retaining rings around the Takumar lenses loose and missing a tiny screw, no matter how I packed the things. (BTW, any collectors of the original Road Rider magazine? See the January 1972 issue.)

These pocket digitals are becoming better and better, both in what they offer (GPS will be in some in another year) and in quality. Photographers are demanding it, because who wants to lug around extra equipment if you don't have to.

[NC Steve]

I have an older (3-4 years) Olympus that I use and love, mostly due to its' 10X optical zoom and super macro closeup capabilities, but it's a little larger and clunkier that today's offerings.

Some of the best deals out there right now are the Canon Powershot series, with their 7.1 megapixel A570 with 4X zoom selling at the big box retailers for around 150 bucks.
Canon's A710 and 720 are really great, with  6X optical zoom and 8.0 MPs, selling for around $200-225.

Like all other electronics, if you can make yourself wait a year or 2, you can definitely save huge bucks and get a much better item than if you've just gotta have the newest & shiniest...  8-)

ps: And Minolta has ripped me off not once but twice, on expensive SLR cameras, one film, one digital. Their warranty program is worthless, customer service, nonexistent.
If you've had good luck with 'em then good for you, but I'll never take another picture again before I give them 1 thin dime of my $$$... [smiley=furious3.gif]

[rl900]

And Minolta has ripped me off not once but twice, on expensive SLR cameras, one film, one digital. Their warranty program is worthless, customer service, nonexistent.
If you've had good luck with 'em then good for you, but I'll never take another picture again before I give them 1 thin dime of my $$$...  

Minolta has sold their digital camera business to Sony.  Sony is marketing a digital SLR that will use the Minolta lenses, but the point-and-shoot cameras are traditional Sony with Carl Zeiss lenses.  If you want to go digital SLR and have Nikon or Canon lenses from a 35mm camera, these will work on their digital bodies.

For simple point and shoot, things to consider are battery and storage system.  Many low end cameras do not have memory cards, but only built in memory.  This is quite inconvenient when on the road.  You must down load the pictures from the camera when full.  With memory cards, you carry a couple extra (like film) and simply exchange them when full.  Then when you get back to you computer you can down load them through the camera or through an inexpensive card reader.

The battery issue is somewhat of a personal choice.  Many of the low end cameras are now going to lithium rechargeable batteries.  These give longer life, but you must buy an extra battery, which is relatively expensive,  to carry with you.  Some cameras operate from AA batteries, which you can buy rechargeable NiMH, but if you are travelling you can just buy standard AA and throw away the dead ones rather than carry extras.

I have been a Canon shooter for years, so when I moved to DSLR, I bought Canon bodies to use my existing glass.  I have 3 or 4 digital point and shoot and would recommend Olympus, Fuji, Nikon, Canon, or Sony for best bang for the buck.  Check out http://www.dpreview.com/ for reviews on any model you might be thinking of.
Ron

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

you can just buy standard AA and throw away the dead ones rather than carry extras.

PLEASE recycle!!!!!  8-)

[MrRiden]

One major consideration for me in owning a digital is the type of batteries it uses. Damn I can't say how many times the batteries in my little Cannon ELPH have died with no handy alternative. I have a couple of old digitals that can use AA rechargeable or throw away batteries and I always have a hand full along in the tank bag. One is an Olympus Camedia and the other is a Vivitar Vivi Cam. Neither would appeal to photo snobs because of their low pixel count but for posting stuff on the internets they do the job. I also beat the holy hell out of these little point & shoot models and they keep on workin' as long as you feed 'em batteries.
rich
Who may or may not have worked for Leica camera
Taken w/ 1.3 megapixel Olympus