Okay. I’m trying to pick out a digital camera.
I know nothing – NOTHING – about fstops or apertures or whatnot. In fact, I’m only somewhat certain that those are actual photography terms, in which case the usage of those possibly pretend terms would be an enormous step out on my part.
Anyhoo.
I need to be able to point and shoot, but I want enough megapixels so that I can print 8 x 10’s or bigger and they’ll still look crystal clear and not all pixellated-y. Which I believe is an official photography term. (Faith, back me up.) :-)
And no need to tell me that I can’t live without some form of EOS blah de blah blah, because you know all those little things on a lens you have to move around in order to make good pictures? I don’t have any idea what they’re for. All they enable me to do, really, is to look like I know what I’m doing when I take pictures. But then I see the actual pictures and remember oh yeah, I’m not really a photographer after all, or else I wouldn’t have all these blurry shots of people’s feet.
In short, I want a digital camera that will enable me to take pictures real purty-like and then make real purty-like prints. In the past I’ve enjoyed a brand that rhymes with SHANNON, but I’m not terribly brand loyal.
Suggestions? Do you have a camera you love? Or one that you DON’T love so that I know what to avoid?
Big or small? What are your pictures going to be of? Are you going to carry the camera around with you? These are the questions you need to answer before you start looking for a camera.
As for good cameras, the reason EOS is the best is because they use actual mirrors to reflect the picture. You won’t get any better quality than that. I have a Canon digital rebel. It is THE BEST. And you can choose to have it auto focus. Now that’s an expensive and BIG camera. I like it because it catches my kids mid movement and makes the picture crystal clear. I get exciting pictures.
I also have a Sony cyber-shot 7.2. It is tiny and fits into my purse. I like it. It does the job for an everyday sort of thing and it takes video too. It’s resonable at $300 or so. The problem is that because it’s digital and can’t snap the picture quick enough, I get a lot of back of the head shots. My kids are quick little boogers. But it would be fine if you pose people.
So you really want to think about how you are using this camera and where you are going to take it.
I do take my Cannon everywhere though. Once you go to EOS you can’t go back. ;)
I won’t be carrying it with me all the time. I have a little Canon something-or-other that’s great for that. With this one I need to be able to take “action shots” from time to time, and I need to be able to click quickly without having to wait on the camera to catch up with me. And then I’ll also be taking pictures of, you know, the child. :-)
BTW for comparison… the pictures on my blog… the dinner pictures were taken with the sony and the wedding pictures were taken with the Cannon. That should give you a good perspective. :)
Love, love, love, love, love the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT. We got it at Christmas and have been enjoying it ever since…
Gotta tell you, I’m a Nikon woman, I have a D70 and take it everywhere. I don’t even carry a purse anymore, everything is in my camera bag. But, if I couldn’t have my big “fancy” camera, I would go with the Sony Cybershot. ALthough anything less than an SLR will have that annoying shutter lag…… Good luck with whatever you find! =)
We have a SONY. The resolution is great! The pictures are crystal-clear. I would highly recommend it. If you need, I can get more details, you know, other than just the brand name, but maybe this is good for starters! :)
http://thumbsnap.com/v/joVghG4E.jpg
BooMama
I found your blog through my daughter-in-law’s blog about the Tour of Homes. Just wanted you to know how much I enjoy “visiting” your blog. I’m a southern girl too and enjoy your “southerness” (hope that’s a word!) Girl…you need to write a book. Soon. KD
Oops…looks like I goofed when I put in my info. This should correct it.
Hey Boomama,
We have a little Canon sure shot, and even I can work it and not have to focus it and stuff like that. It even gets clear pictures of our 14 month old, and considering the pace she moves at this is impressive.
I love techy stuff, but have no patience, so it if my computer does not work I just get mad. Way back when I was working in the tech industry as a material business analyst (fancy title for problem solver / baby sitter / psychologist / peacemaker) I constantly threatened to throw my computer out a window as it crashed, weekly.
But I can use my camera and we are good friends.
Kristy
Then you need an EOS. I can click 7 plus picts in a second. LOVE IT!
Get the Cannon. You’ll be thrilled.
My cousin swears by the Nikon. It’s basically the same but more expensive.
For what you want don’t get anything else. :)
If you lived near me I’d let you borrow mine for a week. You’d be hooked. – Do you have a friend who has one? Try it out.
well i did a TON of research about 6 months ago (being the indecisive person i am) and went to this website for help http://dpreview.com/ check it out, don’t let it intimidate you…you can look up particular cameras you are interested in and read their in depth reviews. its SOOO helpful!
and i ended up buying the Canon PowerShot S2 IS…its a 5 mp with 12X zoom. its quick and the screen swivels…i really have loved it so far! my main non-negotiables were to be able to print large photos (like you), big zoom (for those future soccer games my little rugrats will be playing in), and a quick delay between shots (cuz you know how hard it is to get kids to be still).
good luck in your search! oh and the Canon has actually come out with the newer version of my camera since i bought it…its called the S3 IS, just fyi.
That’s the exact one I’ve been looking at (the S3 IS) – it looks like just enough for me. But now I’ll definitely check out the site you listed and investigate the EOS that everybody seems to love. Thanks!
I was going to tell you how great my Cannon Ixus camera is, but having looked at Amazon US I can’t find it, so it must be a UK model. sorry
I have been shopping for a digital camera and just bought one last Saturday. I am not a tech-gal either and just wanted to take pics where I can blog about my sweet kids and food I love.
I got a German brand. It is way cheaper than the Japanese or Korean brands available here in Taipei.
Rollei DB 60, 6.0 Megapixels, 3x Zoom (whatever that means), that’s on the camera label in front of me.
I got it for NT$6500, about US$200. It is good enough for me. The store lady said I can produce up to an A3 size photo and it will turn out wonderful.
I trusted her and handed her the dough.
If you are looking for cheaper and simpler we just got my mom a Kodak EasyShare which is woking out great. (It even tells you which setting to use for what, right on the camera, which hs always een a problem for her. My ideal camera at the moment (we hae limited funds) is Canon Powershot A530 though if we had the money I would get a n A630 which is a 7 megapixel and does beautiful shots. For 8 x 10’s a 5 megapixel should do you well.
We have a Kodak Easy share. The easy is also in the picture taking! I like it. I think the most important thing is the PRINTER- we invested in a nice photo printer (the guys at Circuit City helped me) and I use it for pictures and for “regular” printing. AND, I was educated in ink cartridges and the combos that create quality photos. Let us know what your find!
I have a Kodak Easy Share…it is one of the higher end Easy Share models with a 10X zoom (I’m big on the zoom thing, gotta be able to snap pics of my kids in the ocean while I’m on the lounge chair!!!) I think it is a 5 megapixel?
I have great quality prints and everything is super nice & easy with the camera. I think I spent upwards of $300.
I can’t remember the exact model number, it is in the bedroom and hubs is asleep. DX something….You can tell I’m real fancy with all those terms too.
Hey Boomama,right up my alley. I love photography, and have tried several different ones which brought me to my awesome Kodak easy share 6.0 Z740. This is a great camera. It has a 10x zoom. Its great but not super ultra fancy. The pictures are crystal clear. There is alot of different settings but just aim and shoot. It also has a motion setting for children when they are moving and you want to capture that.
Good luck in your search.
I have been a canon user (for 35mm) for 28 years! I have a canon camera that is indeed 28 years old and works great. I would have to stop and count how many of them I actually own. I have big ones and little ones and I love them all. You can’t go wrong. Get the EOS variety and you will be doing a happy dance before you know it!!! Pixellated-y – so totally a word. Duh!!
I blogged about this before and got some great comments that might help you– check out http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/shannon/2006/06/death_of_a_came.html
I love Cannon. I have had several different brands, but my Cannons have been the best for me. I like to keep a camera in my purse so I have a Cannon Elph, it is small and has a nice big digital screen on the back, it is very sturdy. I have a 5.0 mega pixel which will enlarge to an 8×10 without any clarity issues, they also sell a 7.4 which will enlarge to a 11×14 clear as a bell. It is not the cheapest, but after reading up on it and talking to the salesman and using my MIL’s I decided to spend a bit more. It was a good investment and I have not regretted it. Because I don’t like using the red eye button on it, my indoor pics frequently have red eyes, but the software on my computer easily cleans that up. Happy hunting. On the tinier cameras you have to deal with red eye a bit more because the flash is so close to the lense where people are looking.
Boomama, I have a Canon Digital Elph that I keep in my purse that can take pictures and video and it has a cute little red case that I just love!
But it sounds like what you’re looking for is the EOS. My photographer friend loves hers and it takes phenomenal action shots!
We bought our first one a few months back. I’d recommend it but our son told us to choose it because we didnt have an interest in blowing photos up to anything big. So it’d be a no go for you. He did tell us the bigger you want to blow up the photo, the more megapixels you need. We also made sure ours had a microphone so we could do voice recordings. Other than that I keep it on simple mode and just shoot. I thought I’d really accomplished something when I figured out how to do backlighting!
https://5purposedriven.wordpress.com/2006/08/21/flowers-for-the-day/
Sounds like you need more than a tiny camera, but if you turn off the flash or put it on “sports mode”, you can often get “faster” shots than you may currently be getting an “auto”.
Good luck!
i just bought the canon powershot s2is after my canon powershot a60 began to have problems. i loved my a60 except for the delay. it took great pictures for only 2 megapixels. i recommended it to everyone.
i am even more pleased with my s2is. it’s 5 megapixels i did not want the eos because of the price and all the features that i was not ready to learn how to use. the s2is has just enough creativity to make me feel like i’m doing something and enough auto features to be full-proof.
i love the swivel screen. i do still get some red-eye shots in spite of the additional pop up flash. i just edit those out in my picture it program.
i know how hard it is to choose. get it at walmart, use it for a couple of weeks and get some prints and by all means take it back if you don’t like it.
HP Photosmart R707
5.1 megapixels
24X zoom
$300 – Circuit City
No muss, no fuss, just takes great photos.
Best $300 I ever spent!
I have one with an extra large screen so I don’t have to use my reading glasses. :)
xo,
I am a pro photographer but it is just not practical to haul my SLR camera around for day to day life. (Though I absolutely adore my Canon 20D and I also have a Digital Rebel XT for higher quality travel photos, etc.)
I purchased a Canon Power Shot A520 and LOVE it. I keep it in my purse and can whip it out anytime for a quick, quality picture. It also makes little movies that you can add to your blog with photobucket.
Check out my blogs (www.alisonbynum.com and http://www.thebynums.blogspot.com) for pictures – the A520 took most all of the photos on the adoption blog.
I had a Casio that was only okay that I bought in 2001.
This year I invested in an SLR. It turned out to be only a bit more than the point and shoot I wanted. I got the Nikon D50. I had to read the manual to figure out how to do action shots, but boy is it fast when you do! I almost never focus for myself, but occasionally do bracket the exposure. You would never HAVE to though. Hope that helps.
I LOVE the camera!
Nikon – had it, too big, not quick enough spent $600! Sold it on Ebay!
Proud owner of the one and only Sony Cybershot! Fits in your pocket, purse, great to lug around. Great photos too! And does little videos. If you get the 7.2 megapixels you can blow them up to 8 x 11. Spent $300!!
I have a Fugi Finepix S602Zoom Digital. This incredible camera does everything I ever dreamed a camera could do and lots more. I have zoom, macro and super macro. I can do a 30 minute video with sound. I can set it on ‘auto’ and shoot to my hearts content allowing my camera to make any adjustments necessary. Or I can play around with the settings and do some specialty shots. By making simple camera adjustments I can change the Pixels get shots so clear and sharp they make great enlargements.
Ok I really can’t say enough about my camera. I simply love it.
Another vote for the Canon powershot A520 here. We’ve had it a year and are still pleased with it, including my husband who works in media and used to be quite snooty about cheaper cameras. It has lots of modes (though I don’t use them all) and the quality is great.
We chose it at the dpreview site… we entered all the criteria that we cared about, and then looked at the selection they gave us. We loved the photos galleries, but were blown away by the quality of the Canons – all of them, even the cheapest – compared to anything else. With a high-res computer screen, the difference was incredible.
As for printing… we get them done by uploading to an online album and then ordering prints. 10×8 is fine. We don’t print pics ourselves – our printer isn’t really up to it, and it’s so expensive in ink and quality paper. Much cheaper and MUCH less hassle to get them done at an online store (we use directfoto.co.uk but you’d probably want a US company).
I second the recommendation for the Sony Cybershot. Excellent EXCELLENT camera. I absolutely love mine.
I purchased a fuji fine pix E550 about 2 years ago. It is super easy to operate. Just set on manual and leave it. It takes wonderfully clear(NOT grainy) pics and is fast. It doesn’t have a huge zoom. My mother-in-law who takes 10,000 pics a year(no kidding) suggested the new sony for the zoom. She says the Canon Rebel usually requires a tripod or( you have to be really still)otherwise pics aren’t clear. good luck
cybershot
Hey! I’ve enjoyed reading your blog! I love my camera. It is a Canon rebel digital eos. We can use our zoom lens on it from our old canon rebel. It is great for action shots ( which you take a lot of with boys!) The sports setting is great!
I have the canon rebel but I still dont know how to use it… I want a smaller carry around with me kinda camera though…good luck!
Who knew a question about a camera would generate so much input! I should ask about brands of vacuum cleaners . . .
I use–and LOVE–my Canon Elph 450. In fact, I love it so much that when an unnamed child of mind dropped ours on vacation and shattered the screen, I turned around and bought another one–$299 at Wal-Mart. I like this one because it has a HUGE screen for a digital camera and prints beautiful 8x10s. Oh–and it’s easy for me to use, since I, too, am photographically-challenged. (and probably just made up a word)
Definately the Canon S2 IS!! I have the Kodak Easy share and I am saving for the Canon. It is UN BE LIV ABLE!! Met a lady at a scrapbooking event that gave me a demo!! It takes zoom pics like you are standing next to someone. And it has video and you take a pic while taking video and do panorama and action (multiple following another) pics! Wallyworld sells it: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3913933
Okay, I do not have this one but I know someone that does. The Cannon Rebel digital is amazing!!
We have the kodak easyshare and love it. It is sooo easy to use and the software is too.
Blessings,
Trixi
My personal recommendation: stay away from anything that rhymes with Shannon. I had one, a VERY nice and expensive one, by the way, for about two years and loved loved loved it. It was a Power Shot. Suddenly one day the screen showed an error message that said nothing but E18 on a black screen. I couldn’t get the thing to turn on or off or do anything at all, really. Much research and contact with the company resulted in, to paraphrase, “Throw it in the trash. Nothing can be done. And by the way, we don’t care.” Apparently this is a common problem with these cameras. And Shannon was not at ALL sympathetic. So…I’m on the hunt for a simple basic one, similar to your specifications. I’m interested to read the rest of these comments when I get a chance! :-) Good luck…and keep us posted as to what you decide on!
~Mariah~
I am so far behind on bloglines you may not ever see this comment, but here’s my tidbit. I have a NIKON D70S and I LOVE it!!!!!!!! Seriously, you know from my blog I use ut ALL the time…and how much more action in there than chasing three 2 year olds???
The higher the megapixels the better your 8×10’s will look. Advice from my professional.
I have a Nikon D50 and LOVE IT! It is pricey, but it’s worth it. Promise.
I have the Kodak EasyShare Z650…it’s $299.99 at Target. I got is as a shower gift from my bridesmaids. When Kodak says EasyShare, they mean that you don’t need a degree to operate it. It’s 6 MP with 10 X optical zoom, which is nice because my last camera only had digital zoom. I would really recommend it!