I am considering getting a digital camera. I have never bought one before. I currently have a Kodak 35mm camera and I like it very much. However, I am going to put some of my crafts on the Internet for sale and I need pics of them that are digital. I know about having pictures put on CD, but I would like the digital not just for this but just to have do to many things with. For instance, I am considering putting photos in the family history I am writing. I have some prints that I know that I will have to scan in, but for the more recent pics I would like to be able to make a digital picture and just upload it to the history on my computer (actually the history's on a CD-R). I would also like to have a digital camera for the family reunions and other trips out of town such as vacations, pictures of the dog and etc. I would also like to print out some of these prints as hard copies and frame them and give them as gifts to relatives who don't have a computer. I do not have a photo printer. I have an HP 1350v all-in-one which has slots for memory cards. It can read 4 or 5 types of cards. I have noticed in the stores and in the commercials that there is always a printer dock mentioned. This is just for the photo printers, right? Are there cameras that don't have the dock? I almost forgot. My computer is an HP with 256MB of RAM and a 40 gig hard drive. I have an almost empty Drive D and so I think that I could put my digital pictures there. As far as that goes, Drive C is pretty empty. All it has is XP and the programs HP installed and some programs I downloaded. I remember that last night when I checked the amount of free space in Drive C it said something like 27.5 GB free. On Drive D, 99% of the drive is free. I don't have the figures on the amount of space in gigabytes for D. I have been considering getting a Kodak digital. I trust Kodak. I have not definitely made up my mind. The brand is undecided as of now. I would like to know how many magapixels that I should consider. Are there any other things that I should consider? I have read here about AA batteries vs rechargeable batteries. Which would you recommend and why?

There are many good brands available. Kodak is one of them. I've had 3 so far and the only reason I don't still have them all is that as I get a newer more powerfull one I pass on the old ones to my roomie or her kid. Docking stations are optional but can be usefull. I'm thinking of getting the one for my current camera as it would not only make downloading the pictures to my PC automatic it also charges the camera. At present though I use a card reader as it's small enough to fit in my pocket and I can load the pictures into any system that has a USB port.

Last I was at Wallmart (at least the one here) they had a package deal on one of the Kodak camera's including a docking station with a 6 Megapixel camera for 300$.

Sony and Canon are also good names to consider. The main thing to consider is the use of the camera really. Is it a quck pocket camera? An all around camera for general use? Or is it a replacement for your SLR camera.
Are you going to print the pictures? Or are they to be web based? For print you want a fairly high resolution camera I recommend no loss than 3 Megapixel but you will rarely use above 5 for general pictures and printing. More than that you are moving almost into the real of professional quality and to get that you also need a good prossesing program and tha good enough printer to take advantage of the resolution.

Also where are you going to use it? Inside? Out? Both? Most camera's come with many modes and effects? Make a list of what you want it to cover. A digital camera is far more expensive than a standard 35mm but has one overriding advantage. Once it's bought and barring physical damage you are no longer limited in the number of pictures you can take. Memory sticks are reusable and exspecially these days fairly cheap. I have 1 gig chips for my cameras these days and the last wedding I did I took over 900 Pictures. The digital album I was able to do was far more popular than the 80 picture album the photographer did with film and cost the couple 1200$ .

I cannot really suggest one camera over another per say but look at the features and compare them to a list you make of your needs.

IE...

Inside
Outside
Closeup
Night
video capable
optical zoom
digital zoom
Ease of use (check it at a store, can you figure all the buttons? without the instructions? Then it's a good camera for the non-expert)
Print quality
Web use

You should get the idea. Personally I'd stick to the brand names and spend enough to get a quality camera not a clearance model. This wil facilitate you when shopping for accessories or even parts if your camera is damaged. Plus the brand name companies do have a rep to protect, it's what keeps them going so you are more likely to recieve a quality product and recieve better warentee support in case of any issues.

Hope this helps

Nightshade,
Thanks for all the questions and your suggestion that I make a list of what I want in a camera. I will e mail your post to myself so that I can keep track of it. You really sound like you know your stuff. Thanks for all the helpful info. You really helped me a lot. You mentioned several things that I had not thought of. Thanks much!! ~~~Jeannie~~

This just in:

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/76981/nikon-la...al-cameras.html

I try to keep abreast of things but I am far from being the expert, just knowledgable. I just figured the best way I could help you would be to make you ask all the questions I didn't when I started with my first cameras. I got lucky in that I bought a nice Kodak that happened to cover most of what I wanted to use mine for. the rest is just what uses have come up and have or haven't worked.

Hello Jeannie

Well this is one of the best places for information on digital cameras that I know of, hope this will help you decide which camera is for you.

http://www.dpreview.com/

Jeannie, when you get your Digital camera, you'll wonder how you got along with out it.

My first one was a 4.1 Megapixel and I love it, I used it more then my digital move camera, the only thing with the still digital camera though, you couldn't take pictures fast enough. It's a Sony, and I bought it two years ago. They now have digital cameras that have what they call 'Burst mode' that means shooting continuously, and it also have a Multi Burst Mod, where you can 16 frames in one succession..Haven't tried that one out.

I would recommend the Burst mode if you can get it.

This is the one I just bought last week, haven't had time to play with it yet. It's also a Sony, and it's 5.1 Megapixel.

I'll never go back to a regular camera.

With the other camera, I bought the Memory stick reader, I liked that better then plugging the camera into the computer. My new camera, also has a Memory Stick, but it's a 1GB, and it's too slow in the Memory Stick Reader I have, so I'm going to order one for this camera also, this camera doesn't come with a dock.

I went with the Rechargeable Battery's, I guess because I buy enough regular batters for my mouse and keyboard.

Like Nightshade said, by a name brand, there all pretty good. I think my daughter has a Kodak.

Which ever one you get...Happy Shooting...

Lorraine

I bought this one last month to replace my clunky old Kodak:

Canon EOS 350D

It's top of the range (I paid around $1,000 for it with 1GB of flash memory), but I learned photography using SLRs, so I wanted the 'creative control' that you get with manual settings on a digital camera.

If you do go for a digital SLR, I'd advise against using the digital lens that goes with it. Digital lenses have a lot of limitations compared with optical lenses. I got a discount on a good optical lens by not accepting the standard digital lens.

Oh boy!!, I sure do like that one Ed

I mostly take family pictures, so the one I bought would be good enough for me. I wanted something that would take pictures one after the other.

This one has a 12X optical zoom lens, but it also says...12X Optical/2X Digital/24X Total Zoom

What does that mean?

Sony

I love your camera, Ed! I have never had any experience with SLRs. My brother has some though. In 1968 he was the photographer for the high school yearbook that year and he had to learn how to use the SLR camera that the school owned so he had to take a class of a few weeks I believe. Are SLR digital cameras very difficult to use? I have quite a bit of experience with the kind that you just point and shoot. Daddy gave me a box camera when I was in the fourth grade (age 9) and I have owned a camera of some sort ever since.

Edit: Almost forgot--Ed thanks for the advice re digital lenses and optical lenses. I thought that digital was better. Thanks again!

I currently have a Minolta Dimage with a 256 SD memory stick (up to 400 pictures)
It's a very little camera, but it can be used with only one hand (handy for a biker)
Windows recon it as a mass storage device without any software (I have a 16 multicard reader installed here too, as the family have some different models).
Takes great pictures and I never leave without it.

QUOTE (Jeannie @ Sep 4 2005, 08:50 AM)

Are SLR digital cameras very difficult to use?

Hi Jeannie...the beauty of digital SLRs is that you can set them to completely automatic, with auto-focus, exposure, 'film' speed (ISO settings) etc.. Getting the basics of the manual functions involves quite a lot of learning and a lot of bad photos before you get it right. Point and shoot cameras, especially those with multi-megapixel capabilities, are capable of great images, but it's good to know the basics of manual photography for special situations where you can add your own creativity to an image, or take a photo in situations that confuse the electronics of a digital camera.

Chris, I checked out your link and you surely have a great looking camera!

Ed, thanks for the info on SLRs. I had thought that they'd be too hard for me to operate. However, I am now thinking that I might like to get a digital SLR at least somewhere down the road.

Edit: Maybe I'll start with a camera like Chris has and then go to a camera like Ed has. I'm still deciding.

I like mine because it uses two AA standard or rechargeable batteries, and its power consumption is very low. My wife has one wich opens and put its lenses out before being ready to shot, and she always run out of power after a few time using it.
Mine just opens the lens protection window and is ready, no need any setting, just point and shot, from as close as 3.9 inches to infinite

Chris, your camera sounds more like what I want as a new digital camera user even though I think Ed has a great camera too. I especially like what you said about the amount of power that your camera uses.

I would like to know what a camera dock is for. Somebody in this thread said that it is used to charge the camera and also "whoever" (I forgot who) plugged the dock into a USB port to download the photos to the PC. I am confused by this because in every digital camera commercial I see on TV at some point they show the camera in the dock and the dock is connected to a printer and the printer is printing out an always great looking picture. My all-in-one has a great printer and slots to read 4 types of cards including a CompactFlash slot but it has no place on the top for a dock to plug in. My computer on the other hand has three USB ports and two slots for the memory cards. The memory card slots are on the front.

A camera dock is to charge batteries and connect the cam to the PC or printer.
I use 2100 mAh 1.2 volts rechargeable AA batteries, and although there are more powerful ones, they are perfect for my Minolta power consumption. When they are weak, I just change them and recharge the others.
Mine have only a USB cable, which can also be connected to a printer (with USB port, of course)... I never print my pics (HP cartridges are very expensive here in Brazil, because of import taxes).
I just download them to my PC using a 16X card multireader and then I store them on CDs

Thanks for clearing that up for me Chris. Also I had not thought of storing my pics the way you do, but I like the idea.

Still deciciding what kind of camera but I like yours for me very much since the only experience I have had is with the "point and shoot" kind. I had hoped that there were digital cameras like that, but I didn't know.

Just took this "auto-portrait" with it without using the flash...

That's a nice pic of you dude! You photograph well.

Thanks Nicole
I am happy to use a digital camera, as the film will not burn

I wont go for too expensive. The camera can get lost, accidently drop ect.
I Would suggest looking at these
Nikon coolpix S1 5MP is a small camera with good features.
Slighty bigger is the Kodak DX7630 6Mp + extra memory & rechargeble batteries.
For more optical zoom have a look at Nikon Coolpix S4

Try for a camera with at least 4MP
Shop around for prices

Can one of the experts say if 256MB ram is enough for scanning and printing or must you clean your windows spooling files after how many prints

That's great pic of you, Chris.

I looked at the Kodak website today and I found several cameras that I liked. I was thrilled to discover that they had a point and shoot series and I found a 5 megapixel camera for $299. I will post the name of it later. This is only one camera that I looked at. I noticed that it has the Burst mode which I would find useful especially when making pictures of my doggie or my neices or the birds. I have several beautiful wild birds here and I have always wanted to get some pictures of them but I never have.

Jeannie

Ironbender. that is a fairly clear picture but it does lend to one of my favorite things about digital cameras. Photoshop (and similar editors)

It would be fairly easy to take that picture and color correct for the yellow tint that the somewhat low light situation gave it. I took 900 pictures at a wedding, no flash, low light, firt time using my digital rebel and came out with 700 usable. Even nicer as a digital camera I was able to put the pictures into a slide show during the wedding reception. By half way through the reception I had most the reception pictures in the slide show.

There are limits but unless you are going t be doing some high end prints 4 - 5 mega pixels will cover most needs.

Me I can't wait to upgrade my digital rebel to the new canon that has 13 megapixels.

QUOTE

There are limits but unless you are going t be doing some high end prints 4 - 5 mega pixels will cover most needs.

I agree with you Nightshade
My 3.2 MPx little cam is perfect for web applications and normal home pics, and it's a very low cost one, simple to operate.
I've printed some pics on standard size photo paper when I was in Belgium last year, and they are very good (alias, better than some film prints I've seen)

I will not recommend a big performance cam for a beginner, as I have friends that were tempted by them (mostly by the vendor's arguments) and can not use it properly

As you said, 4~5 MPx will cover most needs, although I prefer to raise this range to 3~5, unless you want to make professional jobs

Chris

quite simply i would get one of these two...if you want a decent Digi cam you need to spend at least 300 - that won't get you much zoom...

Good Zoom
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_in...0038&pfp=BROWSE
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_in...329382&pfp=cat3

Not so good zoom (but cheaper)
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_in...319013&pfp=cat3
http://www.compusa.com/products/product_in...9595&pfp=BROWSE

If you want high end go canon DSLR - Rebel XT...check BH Photo for that one...

The first one a Sony, I have, and I love it

Thanks for the four links. Earlier in this thread I had posted that I had seen a digital camera on the Kodak site that I liked and I never posted the name of it even after I promised to. I went this morning to the Kodak site and this is what I am considering:

Kodak EASYSHARE C330 Zoom Digital Camera
4 Megapixels for prints up to 20" x 30"
3X Optical Zoom
5X Advanced Digital Zoom
13 scene modes
3 color modes

Price is $179.95.

I am also going to purchase the camera dock with the camera so this will add a little to the price.

Nice cam Jeannie
You'll need to spend some more bucks to add a 256mB SD card, as the 16mB provided is not enough.

Mine can take 460 pictures at 3.2 mPx in 1600x1200 Px resolution

Looks like a good choice from withing htat price range. Perifrials!! Get a good protective case, they are available everywhere. If it doesn't come with a rechargable battery it may be worth your while to get one. And last but not least memory, 256 meg minimum, 512 meg tends to be fairly reasonable these days and holds more than enough for most users. Get a second chip if you are going on vacation and won't have a computer available. Not sure what else off hand to suggest, these point and shoots don't usually need much. Get back to us if you decide to start printing and make sure you share some of your images with us once you get yours.

Jeannie -- If you are like me and just want to point and shoot be sure you get a digital camera with a good auto focus. I have had 4 cameras and the big problem used to be all the results had a purple tint to the photos. I'm now using a Canon PowerShot A95 5 MP $395. Probably much cheaper now. Takes great shots and the batteries last forever. But to get the perfect shot you might want to also consider a graphic program that will let you tweak your photos. I like PaintShopPro as it will put the snap in all my shots. Where ever you purchase the camera be sure you can return it for a full refund should you be disappointed with the photos.

Purchased a Kodak. The model is CD40.

Merry Christmas Jeannie. Enjoy your cam and don't forget to post some pics

Chris

this is alot of info.im in the market to for my first didgi cam.thanks for all that infomation,have a nice holiday.

Hi Chris,
I made 15 pictures Christmas Eve. That camera is so easy to use! I had such fun with it! Mama even wanted to make a pic with it. She made one of me holding my doggie.

QUOTE

She made one of me holding my doggie.

Can you post it ?

I will post it if I can. I will need some help I think. I know to install the software and then download to computer using the USB cable. I have to find my instruction manual.

Also, you'll have to resize it to 500x375 pixels using an image editor, such as IrfanView

Don't forget to "Eject" the cam/usb device before unplugging the cable. Unpower your cam if possible before connecting and disconnecting.

Chris

Found the instruction manual and will have to install software. How do I resize the pic? I don't think I have an image editor program. I have HP Image Zone. Is there a better free (for now) photo editor?

How do I eject? I guess that's in the manual. I will have to look for it. I did read about turning off the cam, however.

Hi Jeannie, You can use Irfanview, like Chris mention above, check Here

I use it all the time for resizing.

QUOTE

How do I eject? I guess that's in the manual.

It's also reported on WinXP as "Remove hardware safely".

Thanks Lorraine and Chris. I have the software CD in here with me. I will post the pic today.

When I download this Irfanview, do I save it to the desktop or to the hard drive?

Hi Jeannie, I saved it to the desktop. then I dragged it to my Quick Launch toolbar, so it's handy.

Still working on posting the pic. I will try for tomorrow.

OK, Jeannie, let us know if you need any help.

Installed software and much to my surprise QuickTime Player showed up in the final install. QuickTime Player took over the Windows Media Player function. This is not what I want. I don't know what QuickTime Player is doing in digital camera software anyway. I am satisfied with Windows Media Player 9 with no plans to upgrade to 10 or to change media players. I have uninstalled the software and I have done a search on the Internet to find out how to install the software without QuickTime which I don't want because I do not want to switch media players. I am considering an 800 number call to Kodak to ask them why I must have QuickTime. I want Windows Media Player to play my MIDI files. The software is staying uninstalled until I find something out.

Hi Jeannie,

You don't need to use QuickTime Player, I have Quicktime Player, but use Window Media player, or irfanview. Just right click on what you want to play, and go to 'Open With" and click on Window Media Player. I have about 4 differant players. For music, I use Musicmatch. and for pictures I use Irfanview most of the time. Some times, I'll get a vidio clip that I can only view on QuickTime Player, so that's why I keep it.

Others might have better answers for you.

Lorraine.

I have installed the software for the camera. The word from Kodak was that the reason that QuickTime Player is there is that this is the only player they found that would handle the video files. Now my question is: How do I fix things so Windows Media Player is my default media player and QuickTime is just for videos? I am planning to bring the camera with me one morning when I go to the library and make some pictures of the beautiful Christmas decorations and the librarian who is a good friend of mine.

Hi Jeannie just right click on anything you want Windows Media Player to open select open with then click on Windows Media player.There will be a box to check that asks always open this type of file with this program.