IceShark

I need to get a digital camera so I can post pictures of these electrical projects I have going on.

I know about zero on this subject outside of you want the CCD to have as many pixels as possible for quality resolution. I'm not a photo nut so don't need to go overboard on the high end but I only want to buy this once.

It would be nice if the camera was small so I could stick it in a pocket while on vacations, some I saw were about the size of a pack of cigarettes. I'm also on boats alot so something weather resistant would be nice. And what sort of software should I be looking for to make this work?

Any suggestions appreciated. <img src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

Brian McCoy

I'm in the learning process on this too Dan - but a couple of small points - 2.0MP is good enough for e-mail, posting here and 4x6 prints. Digital zoom isn't worth crap so if you want zoom, make sure it's optical (pushes up the size in most cases). In less than a year, new technology that layers 3 LCD's on top of one another will be prevailant (theory) which will allow a 2mp with that tech outperform an 8mp of today. (The triple layer LCD's are already in production for pennys more than a 'standard', but as I understand it there are no real world products utilizing the technolay at this time). It's unlikely you'll be able to just buy once with a digital camera (as with most every technology driven item).

I think I'm going to save coin now ($2~300 limit), and wait to see what comes with the horizon. I'll be able to do everything but make big prints with a 2mp digital.

I'm curious what others have to say on this issue though.

Perry 951

I had a Nikon Coolpix 775 and I loved it. I now have the 885 (3.1 meg/pix) and it takes wonderful pictures. 1600*1200 quality is top notch.

You can find them on e-bay for a few hundred. They are small so you can take them with you, use cheap Flash cards, and transfer the files pretty quick.

I am looking into getting a new one at some point, something with shutter control. Perhaps one of the 3CCD units will fall in my lap.

Mike B

I went with the Canon s20...Of course it isn't in production any more as it is a couple years old...It's a 3.3 mega pixel camera that I'm happy with...Takes great pictures which print out very nicely to 8 x 10...I like the fact it has a metal case, self closing lens cover and uses compactflash cards for memory...Always been satisfied with Canon...They make a quality product...

You might try a few of the camera review sites...Gives another perspective...Here are a couple...

<a href="http://www.dcresource.com/" target="_blank">DC Resource</a>

<a href="http://www.steves-digicams.com/" target="_blank">Steve's
Digicams</a>

<a href="http://www.pcphotoreview.com/" target="_blank">PC Photo Review
</a>

<a href="http://http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/" target="_blank">Digital Camera Product Reviews</a>

SidViscous

I got a Sony, good price and easy to use, but unfortunately pictures in anything but outdoor light leave something to be desired. If I remember correctly Olympus is the way to go. Unfortunately the one I wanted wasn't available and I needed the camera by a certian date.

Highway T

I have had a Kodak DC3400 for a couple of years and have been very happy with it. Good picture quality (2 megapixel) and perfect for simple point and shoot. I did some research first but mostly chose Kodak because I had used them for years at work, with good results.

Cameras are now available with higher resolution and lower price but as the previous poster mentioned an optical zoom is a must.

Now that I have a new computer with far higher screen resolution (1280x1024 and higher) the photos have a slight fuzziness that I never noticed on the old computer. A new camera is low on the list though.

I can also recommend the HP photosmart printers (I have a 1215) because with the right paper they give fantastic prints.

Chris

Dan Gallagher

i use a fujifilm finepix 2600 zoom, 1600x1200 photos come out nice. i think i paid $250 for it... i liked it so much that when i ran my first one over i bought another of the same camera <img src="graemlins/c.gif" border="0" alt="[ouch]" />

<a href="http://www.fujifilm.com/JSP/fuji/epartners/Products.jsp?nav=0&parent=PRODUCT_CATEGORY_235286&product=43860737" target="_blank">finepix 2600</a>

SamGrant951

i use a canon s230 digital elph. Its 3.2 mp and takes great pics while being very small (cigarette case). I can carry mine around all day in a pocket w/o really knowing its there. I really like it so far...

Myrtle 944

Olympus is the way to go. I own a 4000 model which is bigger than their samll " shirt pocket" models, but the pic quality is excellent. I do a lot of underwater photography with it and low light is not a problem. Would avoid Kodak IMHO. You'll thank yourself for getting at least 3 mega pix or larger as you can have the prints up to 8x10.

IceShark

Ok, thanks guys, that gives me something to start out with.

I have been SCUBA diving since age 11. Never have carried a camera with me but it would have been a cool pic when an Oceanic White hit me when I was free diving with some Pilot whales off Belize. Locals still talk about that encounter almost 10 years after the fact. <img src="graemlins/roflmao.gif" border="0" alt="[hiha]" />

elf89

I just got an Olympus D-550. It was really hard to find before Christmas because it's a nice 3 megapixel w/ optical zoom for under $300.

It is about the size of Olympus' 35mm cameras, so it'll fit in a coat pocket, but not a shirtpocket. Nor is it waterproof, but I like it a lot.

You'll also want a 128mb memory card and some rechargable batteries, so figure another $75-100 for that.

944 Hooligan

hi iceshark,

it seems as though these guys have given some really good feedback, but i just thought i would share my two cents.

i do pro design/photography/media for a living, so we have quite a few nice cameras lying about the office at all times. i think your best choices are nikon, canon, fuji. stay away from sony as they tend to badger you into sony only features and needs. i also stay away from olympus, i have had very bad experiences with quite a few of their cameras in the past (nothing against olympus owners). the 3 brands i mentioned are universal and fantastic in their approach to digital photography. here are some goods and bads of each:

nikon
good - fantastic image quality, price has really come down, building a more complete range of cameras, great durability and build quality.

bad - learning curve with certain models can be steep, "cool" images typical of nikon (images lean towards cyan tints), sometimes feel a little clunky

canon
good - fantastic image quality, small, very sleek and "artsy", ease of use, canon quality

bad - price, feels a little fragile

fuji
same as canon but they do have a model or two currently designed by porsche ag!!

if you want a good do-it-all camera, get a nikon. it won't be as compact as the other two brands but you won't be disappointed. prices have come down enough to put you in the 3 megapixel range, try not to go any lower. digital zoom is useless, it adds data to the image to create the "zoom". any 3 megapixel camera should put you in at least the 3x optical zoom. that's about as good as it gets unless you drop a fat wad. all of the cameras will have everything you need to connect to a modern computer (assuming you have a usb port).

drop me a line if you need anything else!

Roy LaZelle

Dan: I started a thread on this a while back. The advice was that the camera should have a minimum of 3x optical zoom. After that everyone seemed to have their own preference for make and model. My take on it is: (1) it should use AA batteries so that there are no problems replacing or charging batteries in the middle of no where. (2) the camera should feel good in your hand... a number of the ones I checked out were too small. (This reminded me of my problems with laptop PC keyboards) (3) Should be cheep enough so that if it is dropped and destroyed it is not a life altering event. (4) non pripority removable memory. I ended up with an Olympus 3020, the quality of 8x10's taken with it is as good as film to my eye. Also, 128 meg smart cards go for about $50 at costco, and hold around 200 shots.. I bought two. . Two other guys at work have bought the same camera model after checking mine out. It's not the best but plenty good enough. If cost isn’t important, a friend just bought a Nicon 5700 which has a 8x optical zoom, an electronic view finder plus a screen and shoots at 1 / 4000 of a second --Roy--

Alan C.

I just picked up a Nikon Coolpix 4500 which I like very much. It's a 4 MP unit so the quality is fine for my use. An 8x10 shot at full resolution on Canons photo quality paper looks outstanding.

If you want to spend a few more bucks, double, you could go with the large Olympus. It has through the lens viewing and a great zoom.

Alan

Steve Lavigne

I've got a Canon G1 (~3 megapixel) and have been real happy with it. I also picked up a IBM compact flash 1GB microdrive. If you ever intend to take a lot of pictures on a vacation or otherwise, not having to worry about how many pictures you take is a very nice thing. Also, the Microdrive came with a pcmcia adapter that makes copying pictures/files/etc a snap and requires no cables.