Looking for a good digital camera

[ZeeJustin]

Anyone know a great site to order one from online?

I'm looking for somethning small that doesn't weigh much and can easily fit in my pocket.

I want something that auto-focuses well.

I want a lot of memory.

I'm willing to spend as much as $500, although I don't think spending that much will be necessary for what I'm looking for.

-thanks in advance
-ZJ

[benfranklin]

[ QUOTE ]
Anyone know a great site to order one from online?

I'm looking for somethning small that doesn't weigh much and can easily fit in my pocket.

I want something that auto-focuses well.

I want a lot of memory.

I'm willing to spend as much as $500, although I don't think spending that much will be necessary for what I'm looking for.

-thanks in advance
-ZJ

[/ QUOTE ]

Everyone will tell you that the one they have is the best in the world. The best one for you is the one that works best for you, that feels most comfortable and operates most sensibly. You shouldn't buy one without some hands-on shopping.

Three important considerations are batteries, memory, and resolution. Some cameras use proprietary batteries, others use standard mass market types. Mine uses AAs. I have a couple sets of rechargeables, but if I ever get in a jam, I can go into any store and buy alkalines and they work.

Compact Flash is the most common memory card, most readily available, and cheapest. Newer computers and printers have slots that you can plug the Compact Flash card in directly and access files or print.

If you are not shooting for publication, 3 megapixel resolution is probably as much as you need for general purposes.

Any major brand (Canon, Nikon, Minolta, Olympus, etc.) will take great pictures that you can't tell apart. Everyone who owns one swears the rest are crap.

[illunious]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm looking for somethning small that doesn't weigh much and can easily fit in my pocket.

[/ QUOTE ]

Have you considered a camera cell phone? The convenience of having the camera on you at all times sometimes outweighs the poor quality.

[ QUOTE ]

I want a lot of memory.

[/ QUOTE ]

All digital cameras allow for upgraded memory, this is something to purchase separately.


I've owned a couple, but I can't give any specific recommendations. If I was in the market for a new camera, I would go to zdnet.com or Amazon and read some reviews.

[Wahoo91]

Justin-
I bought this one a couple of months ago from Newegg. This is a great camera, small, sturdy, inexpensive, and takes great shots. This is the 3rd digital camera I have owned so I have sampled quite a few. Also, Newegg rocks.

Sony DSC-V1 5MP,4X OPT,4X DG, 1.5"LCD,MS Digital Camera (http://www.newegg.com/app/ViewProductDesc.asp?description=30-150-030&depa=7)

Either way Newegg has a million cameras to choose from with lots of user reviews. Check it out.

How's UMD treating you so far?

[Senor Choppy]

If you're looking for a camera that easily fits in your pocket, check out the Sony DSC-T1 (http://www.newegg.com/app/viewProductDesc.asp?description=30-150-040&depa=7). It's an amazing design, ultra-slim, comes with dock/recharger, and has a huge LCD. It is fairly costly ($450 or so from newegg or dell), and the memory is more expensive since it's from Sony (about $115 for 512 mb), but it's well worth the price.

If you're more concerned with cost or size isn't that much of a factor, there are a ton of quality cameras out there from Nikon, Canon, or Sony.

[Ray Zee]

how is kodak doing in this market. it might determines the companys future outlook which is fairly dim.

[Utah]

dpreview has the best site for camera reviews. They usually include a 20 page professional review that covers everything and they always have a ton of user reviews. Additionally, they have awesome forums for asking camera questions.

I wouldnt buy a camera without checking their review first. I bought two cameras (Nikon D70 SLR, and Minolta 7HI) based on their reviews, and both times they were dead on with the positives and negatives.

[Graham]

This is the only site you need to use. Detailed independent digital camera reviews.

Go here. (http://www.dpreview.com/)

I ordered a couple of digital cameras from 27th St Photo in new york (after checking the review site carefully). They were the only place that had teh ones I wanted...also prompt, efficient.

edit; i noticed Utah just mentioned this same site, so you have a second opinion on the suggestion.

[Sundevils21]

Ray-
I think Kodak is doing pretty good. Im not really sure but my wife has a Kodak Digital Camera and so do like 50,000 other people at the babycenter forums where she posts. When she asked about digital cameras, everybody suggested one specific Kodak. I dont know what that means(other than I'm out like 200 bucks for a digital camera).