Can someone help me buy a digital camera?

LegacyUser

I am going away for the four months this summer and want to get a digital camera to take loads of pics to upload them to a website when I am gone.

I would like it to be smallish.

- Zoom features

- 6 million pixels (what amount should I be going for?)

- Rechargeable batteries

Not really sure what else to be looking for really. Any ideas people? What sort of price am I looking at? Would buying it in the states be cheaper?

Thanks a lot,
cheesedude

Shrimp

I was just about to post up the same thing..

I have a pretty old digi cam atm. I want to upgrade this summer. And I also need help on knowing what spec I should go for..

I think 5mp and above would suffice.

as for price I'd like it to be about 350ish.. also I would like one with a high optical zoom.

and not rechargable batt. a batterpack built into the cam is alot better.

bounty

you should definitely get one of these

http://www.peats.com/cgi-bin/shop/db.cgi?view=1&id=7890&type=6&path=10x4125x5244

damm thats a good price, just stop searching on google for camera sites, dont even read any reviews or compare the features of the latest models, just walk straight into peats and buy this fabulous camera

snappieT

Thats just plain mean.

£190 on Amazon for the same camera. And it's crap.

LegacyUser

bounty wrote:

you should definitely get one of these

http://www.peats.com/cgi-bin/shop/db.cgi?view=1&id=7890&type=6&path=10x4125x5244

damm thats a good price, just stop searching on google for camera sites, dont even read any reviews or compare the features of the latest models, just walk straight into peats and buy this fabulous camera

WAT IS THE STORY WITH THAT CAMERA!? ****ING RIP OFF! :eek: :eek:

esquier

It`s old too,Dec. 02. Get a Canon, any Canon.

lomb

buy from amazon, the casio exilim range is the best if a tiny bit pricy, failying that canon are very good the latest A series(not up with them these days)

Zascar

the Ixus 40 is a beauty, so tiny but excellent features. I have the old Ixus II which has served me very well but really want the 40...

JackKelly

have it myself. Is a great camera. Very small and robust. Battery is also excellent

axer

check out http://www.nomatica.ie/

dawballz

I'd recommend a Canon. And if you have that amount to spend, you should be able to get the Canon S500.
Here's some pics taken with it. Not by me but by a guy on another forum. excellent.

turfsniffer

Ye should look them up on eBay, I picked up a 7.0 Mega pixel thingees for 140 US Texas-T bucks.

heggie

dont go purely by the MP's, optics are important too

dawballz

I think the pixels only matter if you are going to be blowing up your photos, e.g if you're not going above A4, a 5MP will be plenty.. But you should google for more accurate info.
If you want to make your photos huge, like A2, then go for the highest amount of pixels you can afford.

heggie

yes but the point i was tryin to make was, get a 3mp canon/fuji/pentax, over a 6mp 'trust' camera, if u know what i mean

Beats

What's your budget ? What do you plan on photographing ? Will you have access to laptop or hard drive to back up images ?

Definitetly pick a main camera manufacturer such as Canon, Nikon, or Fuji. Offer good waranty and reasonable support in Ireland.

Personally I went with a Canon S50, which has now been upgraded with higher spec to S60 or S70 € 400 +. Not quite pocket size so may not be what you're looking for.

Make a shortlist of possibles within your budget and check them out in a local camera shop, such as Conns Cameras or Jessops in Dublin. Run through the features to see how user friendly it is. Examine the ergonomics. In my opinion some of the cameras are getting too small, making them difficult to use and less sturdy. Ask about battery power.

I would go for newer model, as sensor chips and software is improving constantly. I presume you may want to print later, so I'd go with as many pixels as you can aford ( 5MP up should produce reasonable enlargements up to 10 x 8 size )

Make sure you buy spare memory card,rechargeable batteries ( Usually AA Ni-MH best or specificied rechargeable pack with some models ) and a case to protect it on your travels.

With regard to buying in the States could be cheaper but your warranty may not transfer to Europe. Any problems you're screwed.

Check out these sites for some reviews and opinions.

http://www.steves-digicams.com/
http://www.dpreview.com

Worth comparing prices with high street and the web ( tend to be cheaper). Went with Cam-Ireland in Germany. Instructions in German, but they supply English version on disk, which I printed out.

https://ssl.kundenserver.de/s35310688.einsundeinsshop.de/sess/utn153e1d6c563464e/shopdata/index.shopscript

Have friends who have used following without problems

http://www.pixmania.co.uk/
https://www.technikdirekt.de/

Not being too specific with model choice as I haven't checked them out recently. Once you start looking at 5mp plus, they tend to have similar features, such as resonable exposure modes, good sensor range and quality, and all the features required to take control of your picture making. A compact camera has it's limitations, such as fixed lens ( zoom gets around this a bit), quality of optics, limited flash power/control ,focusing controls. SLR models such as the Nikon D series ( releasing a new model the D50 in June for $899.95 US) and Canon Eos/D series are starting to make this a real choice for the amateur/consumer user. If you have the pasion and the cash, well worth looking into.

Happy camera hunting and holiday !

LegacyUser

Hey thanks a lot for the reply Beats and everyone else with your suggestions.

I am really looking towards this kind of camera small, portable and great image quality:
http://www.nomatica.ie/index.asp?chargement=/photo/exilimexz57sEN.htm

What do people think about it? Any alternatives? Anything to look for??

LegacyUser

bump

unklerosco

If ur traveling to the states get one when u get there... Its miles cheaper. I got a 300D for €500 less than what they where over here. U'd be mad to get one before u go over..

daymobrew

I have the Canon S50 (5MP) and love it. Used to have the Canon S10. Excellent battery life in the S50 and the black body looks really cool.
My father has the S400 Ixus (4MP) and my sister just got the S500 Ixus (5MP).
They both love the small size of the camera, really encourages you to bring it everywhere.
NONE were purchased here, all in the US (via Amazon and a friend travelling back from US).

My wife's theory is to only buy from a regular camera manufacturer (Canon, Nikon) and not from blow-ins (HP, Casio, Sony).

If you want very detailed reviews of some cameras check out Digital Photography Review

Mac daddy

I Bought this little baby a couple of weeks ago Canon Ixus 50 -

This a 5 million pixel camera -
have a look here

All i can say is a great camera

Bought my of dabs.co.uk for around 280pounds

Over in ireland they have the previous model the Ixus40 for sale a around 500euro's :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Bard

Get this: HP Photosmart R717

6.2 effective megapixels ... 12 shooting modes ... panorama mode ... movie mode ... plus more

Really easy to use. Excellent quality.

I have the R707 (5.1MP) which is the next step down. This one has been released at around about the same price.

You should find it for around €300 in a retail outlet - which is not a bad price at all for a 6MP camera!

Mac daddy wrote:

Over in ireland they have the previous model the Ixus40 for sale a around 500euro's :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Actually, the Ixus 40 has dropped in price since the release of the Ixus 700. In Harvey Norman in Dundalk (where I work & sell digital cameras, coincidentally), the Ixus 40 is going for €399, the Ixus 500 (5MP) is reduced from €599 to €499 and the Ixus 700 (7.1MP) is on sale for a very reasonable €549.

full forward

I recently got this...
http://www.nomatica.ie/photo/lumixdmcfz5sEN.htm

Its an excellent camera. 5mp. Its got a 12x optical zoom. Its also very small.

LegacyUser

Hey guys,

Thanks a lot for all the suggestions. I am even more confused what to look for now but that is a good thing I suppose. I will check them all in detail later on. Do all digital cameras shoot in black and white mode too!?

unklerosco

Get a list of 3-5 cameras u like then check
http://www.steves-digicams.com/
http://www.dpreview.com
for reviews. These two sites are great and will have everything u need to know about any camera ur looking for...