Best digital camera???
 

Any recommendations for an affordable digital camera with flash? I saw a Kodak for $149. I want it for general shots, my Porsche, EBay selling, family, etc.

I have this 2 megapixel samsung from walmart I think is about 120... shoots nice pics, but has its cheapness things too... (red dodge viper on red carpet comes out funny colored)

The two that have been garnering top recommendations for a while now are the Canon A40 and the Fuji FinePix 2650. Both cameras are 2.0 megapixel (1600x1200) and both take excellent photographs. The Canon uses Compact Flash memory and comes with an 8 MB card, while the Fuji uses the new xD memory and comes with a 16 MB card. The Canon uses 4 "AA" batteries while the Fuji uses 2 "AA". Both come with a set of alkalines, but rechargeable NiMH batteries are strongly recommended.

I would stay far away from Kodak's digital cameras unless ease of use was your only concern. The picture quality of the Kodaks is noticeably less than the quality of the Fuji or the Canon, but the Kodaks' "Easy Share Dock" makes transferring photographs into the PC easier.

Aaron

I have an HP 318 (I think it's 318, it's 3 something).
I love it.
If I were in the market, however, I would go for the following features and shoot for ~$200.00.

optical zoom (any value is good)
digital zoom (at least 2x)
>= 2 megapixels
tiff format option
short movie clip capacity.

I know some of these things may seem superfluous - but I've wanted each one of them more often that I can put a number to.
Nonetheless, I'm very happy with ths quality of the HP.
If you haven't done so, check out
http://www.epinions.com/Digital_Cameras-2-2_9_Megapixels_Megapixels/pp_~1/sort_~price/sort_dir_~asc#list
as a starting point.
Good luck.

I used this review site when I was researching cameras a few years ago:

http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html

Try uBid.com They have some good cheap deals on re-conditioned refurbished cameras. I bought a re-conditioned Fuji DX-10 a few years ago....it has not given me any problems at all.

Yes, I agree with the previous posters....go for a Fuji, Nikon (expensive) or HP.....but not the Kodak.

I have the Kodak DX3900 and I like it. Very easy to use and the quality is pretty good.

Being a pro photographer for the last 25 years I have done extensive research on digital cameras. I also teach adult education. You need to look at what you want as an end product. 1) 8x10 or smaller you can get by with 2 mp or less to equal the low quality of 35mm. 3 mps are better. 2) Fuji is not accurate in what they say their mps are. They enhance the image, same thing you do before printing, then say it is equal to about 1 mp more than it is. 3) Olympus is the only one I know of thAT has designed the lense specifically for digital (need a straighter shaft of light instead of the spray film uses). 4) be careful with digital with interchangeablelenses - the sensor is a magnet for dust plus the lens has less tolerance for mounting errors.
I'd go with an olympus.

My girlfriend has a Sony 3.2 megapixel and I think it is 2X zoom or something. Takes really nice pics and has the movie clip option. I believe it was a couple hundred though.

I bought a 2 mp Sony about $250. I saw models I liked from about $150. An HP and a Cannon seemed good choices. Sony sells the same camera without an optical zoom for $199. The extra money was well worth it the Sony came with NIMH batteries and a charger and other extras. Here is my best recomendations:

For general computer use once or twice a month
Budget camera less than $100
Make sure the software is compatable with your operating system
Options like optical zoom, rechargeable batteries, or removeable memory cards are not necessary
I bought my first digital camera from Wallmart for $39 it was a Kodak. You will probably outgrow this type of camera in less than a year.

For average or Family photographer 4 or 5 times a month
$200
2 mp
2x optical zoom
32 meg removalble memory
NIMH rechargable batteries

Amature photographer 7 to 10 times per month
$300
3 mp
3x optical zoom
128 meg removalble memory
NIMH rechargable batteries

A Pro would then know that Fuji's cameras that extrapolate a high MP image from a lower MP CCD are labled as such in the specs.

The Fuji FinePix 2650 uses a 2.1 MP CCD (2.0 MP effective) to create its 2.0 MP photographs. It is Fuji's 6 MP line of cameras that extrapolate the image data from a 3.0 MP CCD. Read the spec sheets.

Aaron

EDIT: Upon further investigation of Fuji's digital cameras I have found the following:

1) The largest CCD Fuji makes is 3.24 MP.

2) 4 MP cameras are clearly labeled as "4 MP file" and the spec sheet lists the CCD as 2.1 MP at the very top.

3) 6 MP cameras are clearly labeled as "6 MP file" and the spec sheet lists the CCD as 3.1 MP at the very top.

4) Fuji's 2.0 MP and 3.24 MP cameras produce non-processed images, and use 2.0 MP and 3.24 MP CCDs respectively.

5) All of the above took less than five minutes of investigation.

I just bought an Olympus C700 referb off ebay for $330 with a 5 year extended warranty.

The main reason is for it's 10x optical zoom. Really gets you close to the action. Plus it has both a full auto mode or full manual mode. 2.1 mpix. I haven't had it out to the track yet, but I'm sure it will do it for me.

DanD

(woops, Son's account. No wonder he has so many posts...):D

hi,
I am not a huge fan of digital cameras but have used quite a few. Thanks to yearbook at my school I have been using a Nikon D-100. It has 6.3 Mp and is an awsome Professional Digital SLR. The only problem is recently the shutter locked up and it cost 2K for the body only. We also use the Kodak DX3300 and an Olympus 4-something. Both are 3 or 4 Mp. The olympus is harder to use but has many built in features. The kodak is actually nice for simple shots and has good clarity witih ease of use. The loading dock is also a nice feature. But nothing can beat a 3-legged 911 that can be printed 40" wide!!
P.S.
-Some of the files of the Nikon are upwards of 17MB!!! but the others still can hog space if you keep all of them on the computer.:D

Is this OT?
Anyway- friend at work is selling a Kodak DC3200 NEW in box. She got it in 2001 as a gift and never even opened the box. It's a 1 meg camera- not the best on the market but yours for $80 Send me a personal mail if you are interested.

I have a Canon Powershot S230, just got it. Its ridiculously small (can actually go in your pocket), has 3.2MP. Very satisfied with quality of pics, metal casing is nice too. The more expensive, larger olympus cameras are very nice too and would surely take better pics, but more $ and bigger. Depends whachu like.

Note: Pretty much all cameras come with stupid 16M cards. The day you get the camera, plan to buy at least a 64Meg card, unless you like to torture yourself. Spending the money for a 128 meg card was one of my rare good decisions.

I use the Sony 717 - 5 megs with high quality results.
I have an 11"x17" color laser printer here at work and the quality is outstanding. Cost is $999 (MSRP). Plus the infrared capabilities are a lot of fun. You can take about 50 photos w/ a 128 card. It also will take dual photos - one at high resolution and an e-mail version simultaneously.

I used to teach photography in college and use medium format (Mamyia M645S), fine grained films and a tripod religeously. The Sony and the Nikon mentioned above have provided me with the best digital results. However, I have not yet given up on the darkroom.

To all of you who are recommending cameras that are over 2 MP, did you read his intended uses? There's no way he's going to need anything more than 2 MP and anything above 3 MP would be a certain waste of money.

He's looking for a point and shoot to take pictures for eBay and snapshots of his family. 2 MP will give acceptable results up to 8x10 picture size when printed out. I sincerely doubt that he'll need anything larger. Heck, on the web you pretty much need to stick to 640x480 (0.3 MP) in order to have the shot viewable by most people's monitors and to keep the file small enough to be downloaded over a dial-up connection.

Given his intended uses, it's fairly clear that anything more than a 2 MP camera will be overkill.

Aaron

I appreciate all the many diverse responses and recommendations! Aaron is right, I want a basic camera, I have my "fancy" 35mm for the shots needing detail.
Richard

OVERKILL!!! - aw... poop.

Hey - Where is Overkill these days? Did he ever get the oil cooler cover welded? Car started? Is this one of those shows where they build the climax right up to the last episode of the season and we have to wait till next year for the conclusion? By the way, who did shoot J.R.?

Some other actor shot J.R.

It was Kristen