Digital Camera

[ShotokanKid]

I want to get a digital camera. I would like it to be able to do video clips, be easy to use, and affordable (as in camera< $300 USD) What do you recommend?

[Skeptic 2004]

Being a somewhat aspiring camera geek and loyal Minolta fan, I'd recommend a Minolta camera: specifically, the Minolta Dimage Z10. It's a 3.2 megapixel camera, and you can make video clips with resolution of 640 x 480 pixels at either 15 or 30 frames per second. Street price: between $160 to $270, depending on where you purchase it. For more info, check out this link: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Konica_Minolta/konicaminolta_dimagez10.asp

For info on digital cameras in general, I highly recommend http://www.dpreview.com Reading the info on this sight helped me in my camera decision back in March. I bought a DSLR...man those things cost, but boy are they worth it.

[White Warlock]

Nowadays, no less than 3 megapixels is acceptable, 5 megapixels is quality, and higher than that... oooooo. SLR is far better, in my opinion. All the best brand names for standard optical cameras are also the best brand names for digital nowadays. When these camera giants made the transition, they did it with style. Canon, Minolta, and the others that i can't remember right now.

The questions that need to be answered are:

1. what you intend to do with it?

2. how much you intend on spending?

3. is photo more important, or video?

4. do you even want video?

5. do you have any experience with photography?

6. any experience with digital photography?

7. any experience with photoshop or similar?

[Patrick]

I have a Canon Powershot A80. I like it.

[ShotokanKid]

White Warlock-

to answer your questions

1. Take picture and video clips of whatever... I want to have an all around use camera.

2. Less tha $300 USD

3. I guess photo is a little more important, but not much.

4. Yes

5. Amateur, I used a Canon AF35M, which is about 25 years old.

6. Nope

7. Nope

[gheinisch]

I recently bought a Canon Powershot A510 3.2 Mega Pixels. I love it. I did some research and Consumer Reports rated this camera the best bang for the buck (199.00). It will take video and the quality of the pictures are very good. It comes with some pretty good software to interface with your computer and is fairly simple to use. If you want to get more sophisticated with your pictures it is capable of that as well. It uses two "AA" batteries and will go through them quickly. Invest in some rechargeable batteries and that solves that problem. The rechargeable ones last much longer as well. It comes with a 16 MB card which will only hold a few pictures. I got a 512 MB the same day I got the camera, that is also a good investment. A 512 MB will hold a 1000 pictures. I also purchased the Canon IP6000D Printer as well for printing my photos. I love it!! Easy, fast and great quality. The one thing I like best about it is it comes with six different ink cartridges so when one color runs out you don't have to buy one big expensive color cartridge. The single cartridges are only $12 a piece. It also is PicBridge capable which allows you to plug your camera directly into the printer and print photos from it. I haven't really used the video part of it. We bought a digital video camera about the same time so I can't comment on the quality of that. Canon may have a newer model out now but I would check into it to see. Oh well, I'm getting long winded. If I can answer any more questions about the Canon let me know. Good Luck with your search. I think you'll like going digital.

[CloudDragon]

I have a minolta z1, it is a fine camera and is a good value for the $$. The video isn't anything great, but if it is something you will use rarely and won't need alot of detail, it will suffice. The photo quality is good for posed or outdoor shots.

If you want to get decent quality video of more than a couple of minutes, don't rely on a digital camera, just fork over the $$ for a video camera. On my camera at 640x480 res, with a 256MB card I will get about 2 min of video.

Since I do photos for my school (tournaments and the like), I needed fast focus and sharp images. I bought the Nikon D70 and am extremely pleased with it. I would recommend it to anyone who might use their camera for anything other than posed shots.

The real thing to consider is: How much will you use it? If you will use it at least a couple of times a month, it will be worth the investment to get a camera and separate video recorder. Especially if you will be giving the media to others to learn/enjoy from.

[White Warlock]

All good points and good cameras. Based on your input, ShotokanKid, i was going to recommend the same one gheinisch recommended and use the extra cash to purchase a photo printer, or instead invest a little more into the camera and aim for a Canon Powershot A610 (5.0 megapixels). The others noted are, as well, great cameras. Notice how everyone recommended the old masters (Minolta, Canon, Nikon)?

[karatekid101]

My mom had a digital camara exactly how you want it.

[CloudDragon]

Notice how everyone recommended the old masters (Minolta, Canon, Nikon)?

Good point WW, unlike martial arts, price and quality are directly related when dealing with cameras. The most important features like light metering systems and quality of the glass in the lenses are the ones that the public knows least about but will provide the best pictures, but unfortuantely, are reflected in the price. Therefore the public might not understand why one 5MP camera is more expensive than another, other than cosmetic issues. It is worth the time to do some research when buying a camera to find out what you need in terms of camera specs and what camera fills that niche the best.