OT: Digital Camera, and I'm thinking about...

[Hector]

buying a Fuji FinePix 6.2 MP with Photo Dock. A while back someone had suggested Fuji dig cameras as a camera of choice. Was wondering if this one is a good one to have.

[brodee]

Not sure about that model but I've had 3 Fujis that worked great for me.

[DaCan23]

I'm a big Canon Elph fan.... everyone that I know that had one... including GF... absolutely loves em... can find good deals online... I happen to have a Nikon thats great... almost identical to my GFs Elph, but I got it for a steal so thats why I dont have a Canon... got the GF a Canon Selphy Printer, DS700 maybe... she loves it and w/ canon camera printin pics is even easy for a non Techie... I even hooked it up to a TV to view and print pics that was cool... w/ that printer you dont need a PC to print... and the pics are pretty nice.

[EonPeon]

Like when buying anything else, determine what your needs are first!

Once you've decided how much you want to spend, I think some important things to consider are:-

1) What are you doing? Point and shoot or more involved 'manual' stuff? Does it matter to you if you can or can't control aperture and/or shutter speed?

2) Zoom. How much do you really need? Do you need macro (close-up) zoom?

3) Where are you putting your photos? 6MP is possibly overkill if you're just taking pictures to email or put on the web. Conversely, 2MP is no good if you're looking to make prints 8x10" or larger.

4) Some cameras take bloody ages to start up and/or save their photos (especially 6MP!). Will that cause a problem for you?

5) Batteries. Rechargeable or alkaline? You don't want to be caught out if you're out all day shooting (weddings etc.).

In terms of cameras themselves (and in no order of preference):-

a) Fuji offer good value cameras. Can be a little slow in operation (the older models were anyway).

b) Kodak make great digital cameras. You need to pay more to get greater range in manual controls. Worth remembering that Kodak make actual CCD optical device (the multi-megapixel bit that actually captures the image) for many of even the highest-end cameras.

c) Nikon are well worth investigating. Most models have a handy picture type selector wheel that allows you to quickly set your photo mode (portrait, landscape, nightshot, snow/beach etc). Other cameras require you to dig through the menu to do the same.

d) Canon's new range seem to use fewer batteries than their predecessors (therefore lighter to carry and hold).

e) Ricoh cameras offer the fastest start-up times of any camera and also the widest zoom (although I detected some minor edge distortion at the widest angle setting).

I hope that helps!



Ian

[DanH]

I've used Canon's mainly and the lens motor on my first one(an Elph S100) died after a couple years (I probably took it to a beach 1 too many times.) It was time for a new one anyway. It was the first digital elph model and didn't have very many features. Now have the s45.

I like Canon's because they dont have the cheap plastic body's like many other brands. And they have very good picture quality.

Just read a few reviews to see what features you like then buy one that seems to fit your needs.

This place has good in-depth reviews of many cameras:
http://www.dpreview.com/

[PatrickPGH]

Just bought a FinePix Z1 for my girlfriend. She loves it. It's very easy to use, small, has a 5.1 MP storage and lens. Plus it looks cool.

check out Walt Mossberg's column for great reviews of consumer electronics.

[Jon K]

Having owned a bunch of digitals, I can never go back to a non D-SLR. I love my camera, it provides the best images I've ever taken. And i've taken a bunch! :)


http://e34.digital7.com/Cameras/IMG_2391.JPG

[Hector]

of note. My GF and I have a wide range of uses for a digital camera ranging from taking spontanoues snapshots to getting prints of family and rare places we visit. It might be true the Fuji FinePix 6.2 MP with Photo Dock is an overkill but the price is very good which has been knocked down to $239 from $500. There are other Fuji cameras with 4 and 5 MP for a lesser price with nice features. Bells and whistles for the FinePix 6.2 MP...

Features include:
6.2MP resolution
3x optical zoom
2x digital zoom
1.8-in. LCD
xD-Picture Card expansion slot
JPEG image format
AVI/MJPEG movie format
Automatic exposure
Built-in automatic flash
Red-eye reduction
Self timer
Charging Picture Cradle
USB interface

Accessories include:
Lithium-ion battery pack
Picture Cradle
A/V cable
AC power adapter
USB cable
16MB xD-Picture Card
FinePix software CD
This high-quality

I also like the Kodak EasyShare CX7530 5.0MP Digital Camera for $189 but don't like the fact it takes 2 AA batteries. I will look into the Canons and Nikons. For me its just a matter of ergonomics, feel and functionality.

[Gayle]

Next year you will be able to get twice the camera for half the price. And ditto for the year after. If you end up with one that is not exactly what you want, there will be an easy out.