Consumer Digital Still

[bigteethproductions]

I'm looking to buy a digital still camera and wanted to see if any photography people had any suggestions.

Before I go any further, if this has been addressed please direct me to the link, and I'll gladly go there, but didn't see anything in a search.

What I want..
this will be used mostly for fun, and probably to document shots or whatever, but nothing professional. I'm looking to spend up the $250 range.

Any suggestions on important features to look for, better brands to buy, or specific cameras would be much appreciated.

thanks.

[Blaine]

In that price range, I'm thinking it's pretty much a crap shoot. I'd suggest a trip to Best Buy.

EDIT: You might want to take a look at Amazon.com and read customer reviews, too.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_p_3_4/002-8816669-8593607?ie=UTF8&rh=n%3A502394%2Cn%3A281052%2Cp%5F3%3A%24200-%24499&page=1

[Chris Stearns]

In that price range, I'm thinking it's pretty much a crap shoot. I'd suggest a trip to Best Buy.

EDIT: You might want to take a look at Amazon.com and read customer reviews, too.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_p_3_4/002-8816669-8593607?ie=UTF8&rh=n%3A502394%2Cn%3A281052%2Cp%5F3%3A%24200-%24499&page=1

And with that in mind, I think I'd look at this camera (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7708698&type=product&productCategoryId=pcmcat99100050024&id=1138086046762). $218 for a metal slim-body 6mp point-and-shoot seems pretty good right now.

It's been a couple of years since I was in the market for a still camera. I hadn't realized how much cheaper these are now.

[bigteethproductions]

thanks dieselfoot.... I didn't really think that $250 was that low for a consumer cam. i'll look at the one you gave the link to.

I was really just wondering if anyone had any preference on a reliable brand, or whatever, but yes blaine, I suppose I can go to bestbuy and look at them.

[bherr]

After a bit of looking, I just bought a Canon A620 to replace a dead Sony DSC-V1. The A620 looks like the most camera in a compact form factor for the money. Takes decent VGA movies, too. It's sold out in a lot of places. I found one at OfficeMax ($249.99, so sales tax puts it over your $250 limit). I haven't used it enough to give my opinion on it, but there are plenty of reviews on it out there. I like that it uses AA batteries, has very little shutter lag and cycles quickly, esp. with a high speed SD card. One review I saw said it felt flimsy, but in my hands it feels reasonably sturdy. It (like most cameras) comes with only a 32MB card, so consider another SD card as part of what you're going to spend.

For my purchase, beyond good picture quality, I was most interested in a short shutter lag, SD card format, AA batteries, and reasonable durability. If your preferences are different, there may be better matches out there. Epinions.com gives a price range of $129 (Eusatech, never heard of 'em, but at that price, maybe worth a try) to $499 (making it one of the more expensive "things" at "Linens & Things.")

[bigteethproductions]

bherr,

thanks for the info.... one question, when using AA batteries, how long do they last? I have an older sony camera that has a battery slot that fits a rechargeable battery or 2 AAs. But, when you use the AA batteries they last for about 12 minutes.

Also, can you explain short shutter lag? I apologize for the rookie questions, but I really know very little about still photography - and I do spend 99.9% of the time on this forum trying to get better with my DVX100A.

thanks.

[Steve_Arm]

With shutter lag he means that once you press the "shoot" button the image won't be taken immediatelly. It needs some millseconds for the shutter to work. The effect is that... well most object on your frame must be still, you can capture the moment but not the one when you pressed the button :D

DSLRs don't have any lag.

I think you should look for a Canon with the Digit II processor.

[bherr]

I don't have the real-world experience to answer your question about battery life. Typical AA batteries don't last long in any camera. Lithium AA's last a lot longer (and are more expensive, of course). Regarding the A620, I read that 4 NiMH AAs (2300 mAH, I think) were enough for about 500 shots in the A620 -- it's more miserly than most. You may ask why I shop for an AA camera if I'm going to use NiMH rechargeables -- I prefer to recharge, but for those times you're in a remote area, it's a lot easier to find 4 AAs (or swipe them from another device) than to find a place (and the time) to recharge a proprietary battery. Canon sells an accessory pack for the A620 that includes rechargeables, so the voltage difference doesn't seem to be an issue.

Steve answered your Q about shutter lag. With the A620, you get a pic pretty much as you press the button -- <1/10 sec, too small for me to measure. Others, like my Sony did, have enough lag that things can change signifcantly between the moment you want and the moment you get. It turns a "snap"shot into a "I'll get around to it" shot.

[Jeremy Ordan]

If you were my best friend this is what I would recommend in your price range:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=productlist&A=details&Q=&sku=417029&is=REG&addedTroughType=categoryNavigation

I suggest this for a couple of reasons... First of all it has 6.1 MP, 10x Optical zoom, Manual or Auto controls (manual will be menu based most likely), it has a 55mm filter adapter on the lens, and max aperture is a 2.8-3.7 in a 38mm-380mm range (big long zoom). It does has a 1/3 second shutter lag but the nice thing is that with 6MP you can do anything up to 8x11 blowups without a problem. It cannot work with an external flash but it is a small point and shoot right at the top of your price range. It does take AA batteries (2x), which I personally hate, but some people like. I think it also comes with a rechargable battery.

Here is the thing with digital cameras (in my opinion):

Between a $100 camera and a $600 camera there is a mile of differences in features, resolution, and manual control. Now, between a $600 camera and a $6000 camera there is one foot of difference.

The differences on the high end are specific things that appeal towards professionals (WB modes, ISO control, flash speed). The difference $100 makes at the low end is massive compared to what it does at the top end... Then again at the top end you start factoring in glass which can cost 5x-10x more than the camera itself.

If you are looking for point and shoot around the house and family moments then that kodak should work for you. If you want more manual control then the D50 from Nikon is the cheapest SLR available, right in the $600 range. It just ultimately depends on what you are looking for.

Hope this helps.

-Jeremy

[bigteethproductions]

This is all really helpful. I was of the opinion that a camera in the range I'm looking at vs. a $150 camera would be pretty significant, and Jeremy it looks like that is the case.

As of now I would only be using the cam for mostly "around the house" type situations, but it would be nice to have a camera that could do a little more if I get more advanced with it. So all of the feature advice helps a lot.

Keep it coming, anyone else with suggestions - I will take all the cameras here that are suggested and put them up against each other in my own little photo matrix!