Completely off-topic, apologies in advance, but figured many here are technophiles and could be of assistance.

I'm looking for a good all-purpose digital camera for around $200 and would appreciate any recommendations.

My requirements:

• Relatively small, compact, dependable
• Easy to use
• Built-in flash
• 2 megapixel resolution (1 megapixel may be acceptable if all other criteria are met)
• Minimum of 3X optical zoom
• Efficient power consumption with option of regular alkaline or rechargeable batteries (I think)
• Simple, cost effective data storage media
• Relatively large LCD preview screen
• Simple uplink of images to computer - either a USB docking port for the camera/media, or direct FireWire/USB connection from the camera to the computer.
• No delay between pushing the shutter button and the picture being taken.

Let me know any recommendations you may have, and what features you find to be important.

Much thanks.

 

Randy,

I hear Sony has some good ones and HP are also good, but whatever you do don't get an Epson.
Bought one for my wife two years ago. Been back for warranty work once. Broke again a month after that and Epson refused to fix it again. Thanks for the perfect opportunity to hack on Epson. <img src="graemlins/soapbox.gif" border="0" alt="[soapbox]" />

 

Randy,

I just bought a very very nice digital camera. Not the $200.00 models. Mine is a 4.0 megapixel.

Cannon G2 Sport. Wireless capabilities. Check it out. It even has stabilization in it.

John D.
'85 928 Auto, Black

 

Randy,

Toshiba is probably the only "name" brand camera
that will met the 2.1 megapixal, 3x optical zoom,
and under $200 requirements. I haven't tried them
so I don't know how they perfrom (PDR-M25 or M61).
I use an Olympus, and they make a couple of 1.2
megapixal cameras for under $200 street price that work fairly well (D-150 or D-460).
As for no delay when pushing the button, most
autofocus cameras will delay a little.
Fixed focus cameras work faster, but have a
limited focus area.

 

Randy,

I just bought my dad a HP 612 series 2.11 mpix, 3x opt. 2x digital, memory stick compatible. it uplods from a USB cable from walmart for about $250. It has a dc adapter input but does not charge the batteries in the camera. I bought him a couple of NMH AA's and a wall charger.

The delay when pressing the button is so common, I really don't know of any "instant" ones in that price range. The flash, especially the red-eye reduction really slows the speed down when hitting the button.

I like the HP

Greg

 

Digital Camera Recommendation

Hi Randy,

I kept upgrading through several digital cameras until I settled on this one ( Kodak DX3700). Walmart, Sears, Kmart, etc. have a 30 day no questions return policy. Best Buy does too for opened items. Best Buy and Circuit City have a 15% restocking fee on returns of digital cameras. So, you can try out your camera without return penalty at some places.

The minimum level of good 8.5x11” reproduction is 3.1 megapixels.

You will need additional memory card(s). For high resolution, you get about 1 picture per meg. Some cameras can use 2 types of cards. Get the less expensive type. You can often find a good deal on an opened item at Best Buy or Walmart.

With a digital zoom, resolution gets reduced with each level of zoom. If you start at 3.1 megapixels, the 2x zoom gets you to .78 meg. The manual says:
Best or Better 2160x1440 up to 11x14 recommended print size. 3.1 megapixels
Best or Better (with 2x digital zoom) 1088x720 up to 4x6 prints. .78 megapixels
Best or Better (with 3x digital zoom) 720x480 up to 4x6 prints. .35 megapixels
However, the software allows you to zoom and crop at any resolution.

Kmart carries the compact Quest 4 pack recharger with 4 AA NiMh batteries for about $20. They are 1300mAh. You can always have 2 batteries on charge. With 2 of these batteries, I can shoot – probably 40 shots per charge. This Kodak requires an $80 docking station to take advantage of the higher capacity Lithium battery. I would not bother. The docking station allows quicker uploads, but speed is not a problem with the supplied USB cable. The Kodak uses 2 batteries. An HP 2.1 megapixel that I tried requires 4 batteries.

You can shoot without initial delay, but auto-focus and auto-exposure may not work. I don’t think you can shoot rapid fire shots with this camera. If you disable the preview mode, it might speed-up.

The Kodak DX3700 is the only 3.1 megapixel camera for $250 that I have ever seen. It has been discontinued, but may still be available, if you hurry, at that sale price, at the previously mentioned stores. The next best price on a 3.1 megapixel in March, 2002 was about $400.

The Kodak survived a direct hit from my ribs and an icy mogul when skiing in France. I still had time to return this one after the trip, but decided to keep it. It is slightly larger than I would like, but not much. It fits into pants pockets.
§ Relatively small, compact, dependable - yes
§ Easy to use - yes
§ Built-in flash - yes
§ 2 megapixel resolution (1 megapixel may be acceptable if all other criteria are met) – no - 3.1
§ Minimum of 3X optical zoom – no – 3x digital
§ Efficient power consumption with option of regular alkaline or rechargeable batteries (I think) – no – use NiMh or Lithium
§ Simple, cost effective data storage media - yes
§ Relatively large LCD preview screen - yes
§ Simple uplink of images to computer - either a USB docking port for the camera/media, or direct FireWire/USB connection from the camera to the computer. - yes
§ No delay between pushing the shutter button and the picture being taken. – yes - but may be out of focus and/or exposure
<img src="graemlins/burnout.gif" border="0" alt="[burnout]" />

 

Update on digital zoom resolution:

Looks like I was off on the zoom estimates that I questioned.

The manual says:
Best or Better 2160x1440 up to 11x14 recommended print size. 3.1 megapixels
Best or Better (with 2x digital zoom) 1088x720 up to 4x6 prints. .78 megapixels
Best or Better (with 3x digital zoom) 720x480 up to 4x6 prints. .35 megapixels

I have edited the earlier post to reflect this data.

<img src="graemlins/burnout.gif" border="0" alt="[burnout]" />

 

Might as well throw in my two cents too.

You cant go wrong with any of the Olympus cameras. I've been using Olympus gear for over 20 years and have yet to find anything to complain about, except that they're stopping production of the OM series 35mm stuff to concentrate on the digital market. All the pics on my website and most of what i post here were taken with my lowly Olympus D-460 1.3 meg pixel at 1024X768 and resampled to 600X400 size, Its is no longer in production. I bought it as a Demo model for 150 dollars. It retailed for close to 280 bucks. I think you can still find them new on E-bay. If i recall correctly the series is now D-5XX somthing or other and has a higher mega pixel rating. My next digital camera will likely be an Olympus E series which offers manual control of aperature and shutter speeds like a film camera.

 

The sony I have does not fit any of the stated requirements, but is an excellent 4+ megapixel camera for a lot more $$. It's the S85 model, and except for a higher street price than what you stated (~$450 last time I looked)it does exceed all bit a couple of your requirements.

Generally, all digital cameras have a bit of a delay while th auto-focus and the auto white balance stuff gets to work. There are a few very high end/$$ modles that shrink the time down some. On the S85 (and undoubtedly on others) you can manage this a bit with a partial button press prior to shooting the picture with the full press. At least that way you can get the kid's first smile when he/she actually does it.

Some things that might be considered downsides:

Make sure that the memory/media you need for the camera is inexpensive. Sony uses their proprietary memory stick technology. Others use smart media cards, etc, where there is a competitive market.

Battery life on the Sony is excellent, so long as you use the Li battery that's available primarily from Sony. No other easy choices.


There are external media readers that might be more convenient than a USB or IEEE-1394 interface cable.


Otherwise:

This Sony (and others I'm sure) offers the option of full-resolution TIFF image storage, on the chance that you might want to have your pictures used in a real publication. It does a comparable-resolution JPG-compressed image at the same time anyway, so you get to use the TIFF option as you need it. Handy for those pictures you might want to import to Photoshop or similar to do touch-up on before submission.

Get a wide-angle adapter lens so you can get a reasonable field when you are doing those tech-support pictures in close. This doesn't apply to those who have a lift I guess...


Otherwise, find one that you'll use. I find that the bigger cameras don't get carried as much, and a lot of great opportunites are missed. Consider that when you make a choice.

I saw a really cute little canon in the rack at costco a few months ago, looks pocket size and would be real handy.

 

Great info guys. Much thanks.

I appreciate the detail Thom and bob.

I still am leaning towards a simpler, smaller unit to use mostly for posting to the web. I own some high-end 35 mm stuff that I will continue to use, however it often requires the services of two sturdy Sherpas to bring it along - the main reason I've embraced the 'smaller is better' philosophy.

Anyone else with firsthand experience please feel free to add it.

 

Randy, you might want to look at the Nikon Coolpix 650. I think it has been discontinued, but there might be some floating around out there still. Costco had them for about $250. They are at 2.1 or 2.1 megapixel, and one-touch download. A 3x optical zoom w/ a nikor lense. They had great write-ups on Amazon.com and elsewhere once the software download glitch was solved. And you can easily put it in your pocket. They have a variety of pre-selected auto modes, with no ability to customize f-stop or shutter speed, or focus. A great camara for web use, I think.

Good luck. <img src="graemlins/jumper.gif" border="0" alt="[jumper]" />

Larry McMullen
Seattle
88 S4