Digital Cameras

HI,
I actually work in Camera sales and my favorite digital point and shoot available is the Canon S3 IS. It has 6 megapixels which is more than enough to provide high resolution pictures. This means that you could potentially blow your pics up to poster size without hurting the resoultion. A lot of the point and shoots have up to 10 megapixels now but I think that is unneccesary and just uses up to much room on you memory card. If you have kids, the camera is nice because it is very fast and the IS (image stabilization) reduces blur from camera shake or kids running around. It wont fit in your pocket because it has a 12x zoom as opposed to most point and shoots with a 3-4x zoom. This means you can get really nice close up shots without getting in your kids faces. For a printer, look at the Epson Picturemate Deluxe. You can just stick your memory card in and print.

Let me know if you have any other question.

Kodak makes the most user friendly camera, and they also have the most fetures for your money. It is the memory card that holds the amount of pictures you can take. A 1gig card will hold from 500-700 pictures. The C modles are the ones to look for if you are not looking for something really big, and you should think about purchasing it at a Best Buy because they have the best warrenty coverage avalible. You do have to pay for it but it is around $70 (depending on the price of the camera) and it covers EVERYTHING that could go wrong including accidental damage for 4 years.

And just for the record, I do not work for Best Buy OR for Kodak =)

Enjoy the jump to digital.

(oh and there are all kinds of photo printers out there but you would be better off getting an all in one instead of a printer that does only photos)

Over the years, I've tried a WHOLE bunch of different digital cameras and the absolute best one I've found is the Canon PowerShot SD600. You can find them used for about $200 and new for about $350. It's only about palm-sized. It has a built-in flash and it takes still shots AND video. (And the video it shoots is much better quality than my darn camcorder!) The still shots are clear and crispThe battery pack comes with a charger that you plug in to any outlet and a cord that connects the camera to your computer's hard drive - so uploading the pictures is a snap. It comes with a memory card that is pitiful small. I think it took 24 pictures and that was IT! I replaced it with a 512 MB or a 1 G memory card and I can take all of the pictures and video that I want. The bigger memory cards run about $35 and it's well worth the price. I have an HP Officejet 6310xi All-in-One copier, photo, fax machine and scanner Printer. This might be more than you need/want but I love, love, love it! The most important thing is the photo paper. Believe me, you get what you pay for. Go with the Kodak Premium Photo Paper. It's a bit more expensive, but the quality is A+! (Another good idea is to check out Amazon.com and read the customer reviews for different products. You can also find good quality used items through Amazon.com!) Good luck!

E., I guess it depends on what you want. I used to have a Sony CyberShot. It was small and took great pictures and great video, but it broke after one year (weeks after the warranty ran out). I had to pay $150 to have it repaired and it worked for less than a year and again stopped working. I only paid $300 for it, so I decided not to have it fixed again.

Now, I have a Cannon PowerShot S3 IS. It is amazing, it takes great pictures and video, but it is bigger and it cost about $500. I am a biologist, so I take it out in the field with me and have taken some amazing wildlife shots with it.....but 99% of our pictures are of the kids. I like that it does not have a pause between when you press the button and when it actually takes the picture (that is common in less expensive cameras) so we don't miss any of the action shots with the kids. This will probably be more important once they get older and start playing sports.

OK, megapixles, more is better. Basically it is how many dots per square inch make up the picture. So more dots = better detail, less dots = blurry or grainy.

Most cameras come with a memory card that is too small for "real" use, especially if the camera also takes video. So, you usually end up buying another card that is bigger, and they are expensive. You can look online and figure out how many pictures they will hold. I have a 1 gig card and have not filled it up (but I download frequently).

As for a printer, I have an old printer (about 7 years old) and it does a nice job of printing pictures, especially if I use photopaper (can buy it almost anywhere). So, I wouldn't get an expensive printer.

Lastly, one thing that we really like about our Cannon is that it uses AA batteries. I bought rechargable AAs, and always have an extra set in the bag. With our old camera, the battery would always die just when you needed the camera, and we'd have to wait until it was plugged in for a few hours to charge before we could use it again.

I hope this helps, feel free to contact me if you have more questions.

I use Canon and love their products. I have a great printer/scanner/copier/fax all in one. It's highly rated. Mine is the MP830 and is great for pictures the quality is wonderful! Comes with disks to download making picture download easy and simple to edit pictures. I bought mine at Fry's Electronics in Renton for 250.00 I think they have one in Tacoma too. Fry's has some great deals, but the place itself drives me nuts. I only shop their because of the deals.

The camera I use is the Canon PowerShot A630 8.0 Mega Pixels. It even has a video recorder in it. I love it. The pixels bring more detail and clarity to the picture...I think that's why I like this one so much better than the last one I owned. Having a greater capacity memory card is also a plus so you don't have to keep downloading to make room on your camera for more pictures. Also this camera doesn't seem to go through the batteries like my other one did. One day of shooting pics and my batteries were dead. I've never had to change my batteries on this one and I've been taking lot's of pics since Christmas. I think the camera was in the 350.00 range again at Fry's. Hope this helps. G.

Wow, this is a question I can answer with some certainty. I would definitely go with Cannon. We have the Cannon PowerShot SD450 (Digital Elph) and we absolutely love it. Ours is 5.0 mega pixels. There is a newer version that is 7.0 mega pixels. It has a few extra features, but nothing that much better. According to my husband anything more than 5 or 6 mega pixels will look the same in picture quality but is better if you blow your pictures up to a larger size than your standard 4x6. I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, let me tell you some of the features.

First of all it is small so if fits in my purse, my husband's pocket or my son's diaper bag. It has a lot of features that I love to play with (for instance I can make it so that the pic is black and white and only pics up on color, like the blue of my son's eyes, very cool!) and I find that, unless you are using a special mode, it takes pictures quickly. I have come across too many digital cameras that take FOREVER to snap the shot. Another feature that sold us was it takes video. Because of the size of the SD card it won't take hours, but you can catch them laughing, blowing out candles, singing funny songs, whatever with the same pocket size camera you take your pictures with. It comes with the necessary cables and a battery charger for the battery. I really could go on and on about the camera but I will just let you message me with any questions. There are some hints to buying a digital camera.

* shop around and always read reviews on the product you wish to buy. The one flaw an item may have may be the thing that is most important to you

* Buy a small case with a spot to safely store an extra battery and SD card. Ours didn't come with a case, but some do and if not there are really cute little cases that can meet your needs.

* Buy an extra SD card. The one that came with ours was small (which you will find with most cameras) so in our case we bought two. This way if we fill it up with video while on a trip, we can still take more pictures. An extra battery will come in handy for the same reason.

It really is the BEST investment we ever made, and it actually was not the most expensive one out there either, pretty medium actually.

If you have any questions I will be happy to try and answer any. Also July's edition of Consumer Reports Magazine has (we research any major purchase before we buy) an article about digital cameras and photo printers.

Good luck!

I have a Kodak Easyshare Z-740 and I love it!
The battery life is wonderful, compared to other digital cameras I've owned, and the quality of the photos is awesome. I use Shutterfly to have my prints, posters, photo mugs, etc. done. I found that trying to print out my own photos was more expensive than just having them done. I spent more in photo paper and ink than in shipping and print costs through Shutterfly. I would recommend a 5.0 megapixel (or higher) to be able to print out enlargements or posters. The higher the megapixel, the better. You can check on Consumer Reports website and compare the latest digital cameras, as well.

I just LOVE my camera... it's a Casio Exilim EX-Z60. It's on the small size and I was apprehensive about getting it because it does not have a viewfinder, just a screen, BUT IT ROCKS!!! no weather glare, FAST SHUTTER SPEED, which is a problem with some of the lower priced Kodaks. It's VERY easy to operate, 6 megapixeps, but that only really matters if you take large pictures and it only cost me $180 at Costco.
Costco has a very generous return policy and they guy in electronics encouraged me to take it home and use it ALOT and if I didn't like it I could bring it back.
The only downside that I can think of about my camera is it takes a special battery, so I have to make sure it's charged and have a back-up because I can't just pop into a convenience store to pick up spares if mine run out. Other than that, I would definitely buy another one!
My old camera was a Fujifilm and I loved that one too until it broke. I can't get myself to get rid of it because I keep thinking I'm gonna get it fixed so I can have a back-up or give it to my son. lol... That took regular AA's and we just had a charger and rechargeable batteries.

I have a Kodak Easyshare Z740 that I absolutely love! I download all my pictures to my computer, then send them off to either Walmart or Costco for developing. I've also heard that Winkflash and shutterfly are good too. I'm always getting compliments from people on my photos, and I truly think it is mostly the camera! Once I take the pictures, the software allows me to edit the pictures so I can crop out things or make them bigger. I take over a hundred photos a month, sometimes closer to 300, and I've never been disappointed. It also has a built-in video camera that allows me to take 60 minutes of video if I want. I love taking little 1 or 2 minutes videos of my kiddos to send out in an e-mail - that way my extended family can share in the fun of the kids. Hope this helps!

I would have to agree with all the Canon owners. They take beautiful pictures. I was in the market for one to replace my Sony Cybershot that was 4 years old (which is ancient in the digital world). The ones that I wanted was a little out of our budget, so I ended up getting another Sony Cybershot just to carry around with me in my purse for every day shots. My next goal is to get a Canon Rebel SLR camera for special occasions. They have different lenses you can attach to zoom waaay into your subject, but they're very bulky. I personally wouldn't even consider a Kodak because I know several people who have had problems with theirs and ended up getting different brands. Anyway, the optical zoom is more important than the digital zoom because once you start using the digital zoom your picture loses it's clarity. Most of the cameras come with 3x otical zoom, but some come with more, which is a nice feature. As far as printing pictures, I usually upload my pictures to the Costco Photo Center, order them online then pick them up or have them delivered. Good luck on your search for a new camera. Your kids will love seeing themselves on the computer monitor. Aloha!

I'm also in the market for a digital camera and a family member told my about www.dpreview.com where you can narrow down the best camera's in your price range and what you want to use your camera for. Hopefully this will help you.

I own the Panasonic Lumix and love it...it's not only easy to use but resonably priced. it also is a smaller camera so it fits just about anywhere. I can even take sepia, black & whites as well as color in different warmths. it has many differentscene modes... portrait, fireworks, action to name a few. it has up to 5x optical zoom,it even has a self timer so you'll be able to get pics of yourselves with your children if no one else is available to take the picture, this feature has come in real handy for me. i did a lot of research before my husband bought it (christmas gift)and found a lot of good feedback. i've been able to take some great shots ...i have a 3 yr old and my husband plays softball...only two of the many reasons this camera is great. i hope this helps...but i'd advice doing some research about ditigal cameras so you can find the right one for you and your family.

I used to work at Walgrees in the photo lab. The kind of camera that you get depends on your preference weather it is kodak or something else. Also the size doesn't matter either they are making everything smaller these days. When looking for a camera you need to lood at the maga pixels. The higher the better. I would not get anything under a 4.1. That is what I have and I get very good pictures. However when you go to print them I would suggest either taking you memory in to a store like Walgreens or Walmart rather then print them at home the qualty is much better then what you get at home however there are websties that you can upload you pictures and have them send your pictures to you so you don't have to go to the store. Or you can up load them to Walgreens or Walmart and pic them up at the store witch every is more convenent.

I love my Kodak Easy Share DX7630...

I use my own printer, an inkjet. It works great. Paper and ink is sort of expensive, but when you get to decide to print only the pictures you really want, I think it's totally worth it.

my friend had the kodak easy share where you just put the camera on the printer. but it only did smaller pictures. i have a HP printer where you put the card into it and print, but the inks expensive....definitely get above a 4.1 pixel, and look for one that does videos. and get at least a 1G card for it, so you can take longer videos (my camera let me do an hour, as long as there weren't any other pictures and i had enough battery lol). i'd say get a camera that has a dock! otherwise you're forever buying batteries. i have a HP camera with a dock, and until it starting having issues it was great. so look for one with lots of pixels, takes videos, and has a dock. don't get HP lol. i have had two and had to replace the first one twice, and then upgraded to this one which has since gone out - all in 3 years. good luck! lol

you've gotten a lot of good recommendations. we liked the elph altho were frustrated with the shutter speed. with all the small digital cameras we tried, by the time the picture would be taken, the moment would be lost (talking about small kids here). we bought a much larger digital camera, a canon EOS. it looks like an older style, regular camera with the big lens. i keep the smaller one in my purse for the spontaneous picture and lug out the big guns when i know we'll need it.

We have 2 Canon Powershots. I have an older one about 5-7 years old and it still works, but the battery is starting to lose its charge quicker. My boyfriend just got an Elph last year. His brother was in the pawn shop business while in college and learned a lot about electronics at the shop. He says the Elph is the best for the money and recommends it to everyone who wants to get a digital. They have it pretty cheap at Walmart.com ($250) but its always out of stock. Best Buy has it for $295-$300 but if you tell them you saw it at Walmart for $250 they will match the price. So far its great! It has less delay than the older one and you can also set it up to not have any/ very minimal delay. It takes great pictures and is very durable, we've dropped it more than once!

If you wanna go nuts, I heard a lot of good things about the digital Canon Rebel SLR. It about $1,000 and on the large side, but I bet you wouldn't need a new one for a very, very, very long time. I still frequently use my 35mm Canon Rebel that I got for photo class in high school. I can only imagine how cool the digital is!

As for printers, I have a cheapy HP 3500 series and it prints great when set on high quality on Office Depot photo paper. We also have a Kodak EasyShare printer that's nice, but it only prints 5x7s or smaller. Also, on the Kodak, the paper and cartridges are a little spendy. Also, Martha Stewart endorses HP printers if that tells you anything... ?

Hope to have helped a little!

M.

I have found that Cannon makes the best.. when it came to buying a digital camera for me I was interested in the function that I could take the picture and it would take it.. the delay you find on most digital cameras is soo irritating.. I'd take the picture and 3 seconds later my 2 year old would be gone and it would finally take the pic!! drove me crazy!!

I went on a search!! So we bought a cannon powershot We choose one that had more functions so I could play with it more than just a point a shoot.. Mine has video function and what not..

but you can't go wrong with any model of the cannon powershot!

I have a Kodak easy share and I love it. The optical zoom is important, the digital zoom not so much. digital zoom is what you use on the computer to zoom in and crop pictures. optical zoom is to get closer to something that's far away. the megapixels aren't too important as long as you get at least 4 or so. people are confused about megapixels, but the larger the megapixel number, the larger the picture if you printed it at actual size. some of the large megapixel cameras would print a picture that covered a wall (and it takes up a lot of storage on your camera too...). we have a 1G card and it's great.

Hi E.,
Welcome to the wonderful world of digital photography. I wasn't a big on taking pictures before, but about six years ago I got a digital camera for work that I was allowed to use for personal use as long as I had my own memory card. Since then I've been addicted. So addicted that when I left that job I went out and bought my own camera within the next few days.

Just a couple of tips:
It will take a while for you to get use to taking a picture with a digital camera, you can't click,click two action shots in a row, it taks a few seconds for the camera to process before you can take your next picture.
Also you will love the instant gratification of being able to come home after taking a bunch of pictures and downloading them on your computer.
I print most of my pictures myself I have a great printer it's a HP pcs750 printer, scanner, copier. you probably don't need all of that, I would suggest looking into the printers that are just for printing pictures I've heard great things about them. Also make sure not to cheap out on your photo paper, I don't go for the most expensive I usually use Kodak. I look for sales then stock up on it.
If your still going to get pictures professionally printed I suggest using one of the many online services Amazon has one with Kodak that I use. It allows you to store your photos with them for a certain amount, you can make different photo albums and they make it really easy to email to your family/friends so that you don't have to sit and wait for a bunch of pictures to attach to an email. Also the price is better than any store, you can usually get them on a special for like .05 a print, and you can usually get free shipping.
I also have a Cannon like the other mom was talking about, it is my second Cannon also. My friends turned me on to Cannon, I had a Sony and many of my pictures turned out blurry because I don't have a very steady hand. I don't have that problem with the Cannon. The high mega pexal the better. I would say get 4.1 or above depending on what you can spend.
You will also find that you save money because you are not paying a bunch of money to process pictures that don't turn out, you just delete them, and you don't have to process that picture where you don't look your best you just delete it! It's great!!

Good Luck! Have Fun!
Steph

I have been wondering the same thing..