What's a good digital camera?

[Mike M.]

I've yet to own a digital camera. Don't know the first thing about them so if you folks could pass on some recommendations I'd be much obliged. Just want something for your "everyday pictures." Family, friends...things like that.

Thanks for your time.

[Jimbob Jones]

Olympus, Canon, Fuji.

Try to avoid supermarket/unknown brands IMO.

Don't get sucked in by 'digital zoom', it's pretty useless.

You don't need a zillion megapixels; 5MP will comfortably do an A2 print, so I'll let you extrapolate from there...

I have a 5-year old Fuji 6MP that's still ace.

[i_got_a_mohawk]

What sort of price range?

You'll find most digital compacts are pretty good these days. My folks picked up an Olympus (FE-330 I think) a couple years back for under £100 and it gives really nice pictures. You can even get compacts that are watertight, can shoot HD video etc too.

If you want to go a bit further you also have bridge cameras (like SLRs in build, but still just the one lens), you can also get compacts with interchangable lenses too! And of course, if you want to fork out a bit more, you have the D-SLRs (heck, even some of those aren't very expensive, but probably overkill for just everyday pictures).

If you stick to the big brands (Canon, Nikon, Sony, Olympus, Kodak etc) I doubt you'd go wrong.

I agree with Jimbob, don't get caught up on MP's, you only need 4-5MP (probably less) to do film quality 6x4 prints.

[bluesdogblues]

For professional, the answer must be somekind of 'high-end' Digital SLR cameras. There's Canon, Nikon SLR (and else) for that class.

But for amateur like me,.. I have very good experience with Canon iXus series.

YMMV

[Skitch it!]

I just bought a Panasonic TZ10 for an improved zoom compact, it has a lot of good reviews but I need to give it a good spin to see what it can really do. Also the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX5V is a popular one, but it depends on what your looking for in a camera. I'd read up on the reviews for a few popular cameras in the price range your considering and the aspects you want, ease of use etc.

[Tegzsa]

Check out Ken. His style takes a bit of getting used to, but there are some good pieces of advice

KenRockwell.com: Photography, Cameras and Taking Better Pictures

[carlos840]

I used a point and shoot camera for ages and recently bought a DSLR, went for a Nikon D7000 and it is one the best investment i could have done!
It makes taking good pictures so much easier! It wont make you a great photographer in a week but it will really help!

The only issue i have with it is the size! When you have a DSLR you really need to want to take it with you as its more complicated than just stuffing some small camera in your pocket!

Also, once you start you will want loads of nice lenses and you can quickly fall into the Lens GAS which is as expensive as the Bass GAS!

[jonathan_matos5]

Olympus Fuji, Kodak, Cannon, Nikon. generally look for something that feels comfortable in your hands and within your price. 5-12 megapixels, digital zoom is worthless, as said before.

check out what is in clearance at the electronics stores. different brands update their lines at different times.


i bought my camera at BHphotovideo.com lots of knowlege and good customer service.

[MJ5150]

Check out this thread, I want to get a DSLR: Go big or go home?.

-Mike

[Linas]

This is probably the best compact point and shoot you can get. It costs $400, but IMHO quite worth it. I dont own one, but my dad who was a pro photographer for many years does, and it seems to take incredibly good photos.

Amazon.com: Canon PowerShot S95 10 MP Digital Camera with 3.8x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-Inch inch LCD: Camera & Photo

[i_got_a_mohawk]

I'd also echo the ideas of considering a DSLR. I love mine!

Obviously a bit more of an investment and much bigger!

[hover]

The guy asks for opinions on cameras for "every day pictures" and some of you are suggesting $1300 camera bodies. I'm speechless.

[sobie18]

I have a Canon SD 1400 that I really dig. That FishEye lens seting takes some funny pix...

Experiment, take more pix, and keep clicking. Never take the single pic and expect a masterpiece.

[MakiSupaStar]

Panasonic Lumix. I love mine.

[Mike M.]

Originally Posted by hover

The guy asks for opinions on cameras for "every day pictures" and some of you are suggesting $1300 camera bodies. I'm speechless.

Oh, that's okay! I just wanted a general idea of what's out there. $1,300 is WAY too much though. I'd say I'm comfortable in the $300 to $400 range. Thanks for the suggestions! At least I know what to start looking for now where before I didn't have a clue.

[Staccato]

It's a personal decision like what's the best bass for under $300...

Establish your budget, then seek out online reviews that rate the best gear. From there, you'll have a highly regarded prize winner (or two) to choose from!

[john grey]

It's more appropriate to list what your use is for the camera, what you want to accomplish and what level of experience you have. At that point the collective experience and opinions will make much more sense to you and you choices will become more concise. And even point to what you would NOT want to buy as MANY choices exist as to what is GOOD, yet much less as to what is a poor choice!

A better question might be: "What is a POOR choice for a digital point and shoot camera for macro through portrait distance level at approx 12Mp for someone fairly new to photography"?

Here you have given information as to usage and intended level of investment.

Of the Point & Shoot" pocket cameras, there exits a range even in this seemingly small category. There are some that have fairly good macro capability; others tend to have their lenses set toward slight to extended distance. Some even have a larger percentage of manual adjustment (Fuji) even though this genre' was almost designed for a very automatic & fast photography.
With questions of this nature, the more initial info; the better!

[fjadams]

You couldn't go wrong with any of these.

Canon U.S.A. : Consumer & Home Office : Digital Compact Cameras

I have last years models, the SX 20is and a SD 1200is, and a friend has a SX 120is. They all take good pictures. Next year I'll be upgrading to the SX 40is and a SD 1500 or 1600. These fit in your budget and you will not be disappointed with the results.

[mbrancalion]

I started considering using a digital camera 1 year ago, with no experience before (with photography, in general, not only in the realm of digital .... )

I asked expert friends, and i focused into this:
FinePix F200EXR (Discontinued Model) | Fujifilm Global

Now, it's discontinued. There are new models (F300, F500, F550) .......
I read several comparisons and reviews, lately...... My F200 seems to run still strongs, in the experts' opinion (and in mine... )

This is a quick-made and unprofessional account i have: Flickr: Marco Brancalion's Photostream
All of the pics where made with my F200. I rarely use the flash.

This camera has a proprietary mode called "EXR", paired with a particulare CCD sensor, which seems to capture very well pics with low light, and overall during concerts with stage lights (and i was very interested into this aspect...... )


Good luck.

[T-34]

Panasonic G3 is out since few weeks. Check it out, looks very promising! If you plan to shoot HD video with your camera, there is very few viable alternative in this price group. I will be getting this camera next month once my pay is landed.