What Kind Of Camera Should I Get?

[firestarter]

Hmm. Wouldn't buy Kodak or HP cameras personally.

Canon, Panasonic, Sony have all the R&D money.. seem to be making the best P&S cameras at the moment. Much nicer styling... some of Kodak's designs only a mother could love.

 

[danny_w]

Hmm. Wouldn't buy Kodak or HP cameras personally.

Canon, Panasonic, Sony have all the R&D money.. seem to be making the best P&S cameras at the moment. Much nicer styling... some of Kodak's designs only a mother could love.

I would not have considered a Kodak either until I read the reviews. For example, this review pits the Kodak z1015 IS against the Fujifilm FinePix S2000HD and the Kodak won handily (both are $300 cameras and direct competitors). Other reviews are similar.

http://www.boston.com/community/photos/raw/2009/10/head2head_review_fujifilm_fine.html

 

[firestarter]

I would not have considered a Kodak either until I read the reviews. For example, this review pits the Kodak z1015 IS against the Fujifilm FinePix S2000HD and the Kodak won handily (both are $300 cameras and direct competitors). Other reviews are similar.

http://www.boston.com/community/photos/raw/2009/10/head2head_review_fujifilm_fine.html

$300 isn't much money I guess, if you need the really long lens. If you don't, you'd get better picture quality from a more conservatively specced model.

 

[danny_w]

$300 isn't much money I guess, if you need the really long lens. If you don't, you'd get better picture quality from a more conservatively specced model.

Such as? Any recommendations? I was also considering the Sony DSC-H20 which has a 10x zoom and no wide angle, but I loved the ease of use at the store. OfficeDepot has them both on sale for $200.

http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/453026/Sony-Cyber-shot-DSC-H20-B/
http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/sony-cyber-shot-dsc/4505-6501_7-33521241.html

 

[firestarter]

Such as? Any recommendations? I was also considering the Sony DSC-H20 which has a 10x zoom and no wide angle, but I loved the ease of use at the store. OfficeDepot has them both on sale for $200.

http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/453026/Sony-Cyber-shot-DSC-H20-B/
http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/sony-cyber-shot-dsc/4505-6501_7-33521241.html

I'm really no expert on low cost P&S cameras, but if it's quality you want, be aware that for a given price all the following features are likely to reduce quality:
- Very long zooms
- Very high resolution / megapixels
- Very small size

It's not rocket science - it just means the manufacturer spent more money on one element of the design at the expense of overall quality. If you need that feature, then that's great - but if you don't, I don't think you're getting the best quality/value.

Personally, I also think the marketing departments of camera companies try to impress people with long lenses, when wide lenses are actually more useful for most folks (if you can't back up enough to take a picture of your family around the thanksgiving table, your lens isn't wide enough).

If it was my money I'd get:
- A camera released in the last year
- From one of the big far-east companies (probably not Casio or Samsung)
- Not a sub-compact
- 5x zoom range or less
- 28mm equivalent wide angle or wider
- f3.5 at the wide end or better (f2 or f2.8 is much better)
- 12 megapixels or less

 

[danny_w]

I just bought the Sony DSC-H20 at lunch and will see how I like it. After comparing it to the Kodak in the store I liked the Sony much better. Even though it is large, it is still much smaller than the Z1015. I had also played with its menu system more and had got familiar with it already.

 

[toxic]

I'm really no expert on low cost P&S cameras, but if it's quality you want, be aware that for a given price all the following features are likely to reduce quality:
- Very long zooms
- Very high resolution / megapixels
- Very small size

megapixels isn't necessarily something to avoid - manufacturers put their best technology into their better offerings, which can negate any theoretical disadvantages from high MP numbers.

if I were shopping for a P&S, I would ignore MP numbers and look at images. sensor technology and image processing is not equal between companies, and the variability in image quality among P&S's vary a lot more than SLRs.

 

[Shani Clinton]

Im looking to buy a new camera, and Im looking for something within the price range of $400 and lower.

I you want to buy best digital camera then please tell for which purpose you want to buy it.For profession or for normal use?

Shani.
--------------------------
"The negative is the equivalent of the composer's score, and the print the performance. "

 

[allmIne]

Any size will be fine? So, basically, from pocket-sized compact to full-sized SLR? You've just invited everyone to post their personal favorite camera, which may not fit your needs whatsoever.

Leica X1 Digital Compact Camera With Elmarit 24mm f/2.8 ASPH. Lens
$1,995.00

Hasselblad H3DII-50MS Medium Format Digital SLR Camera
$34,995.00

He fairly specifically stated $400 or less, so why include the last two?

I realise this is an old thread, but many of the responses are just embarrassing.