Camera suggestions

Guest · Posted: 1/5/2003, 9:07 pm Post subject: Camera suggestions

Today I went to Chevelon Lake via FR504 out of Heber. In the past I haven't been lucky enough to see much wildlife but it seems today they were out in abundance. Very Happy

I do not own a digital camera nor do I know anything about them. Could anyone suggest a good one that won't cost more than my house payment, and is fairly easy to use? Thanks!

cakewalk · Joined: 03 Jan 2003 Posts: 512

The Kodak DX series are a great entry level camera. I got my DX3500 for less than $200. It only has 8 meg of memory so an additional $40 or so will give you an additional 32 meg.

Im my opinion, its a perfect starter camera.

BoyNhisDog · Posted: 1/6/2003, 6:25 am Post subject:

Easy to use? I don't think that digital and easy to use are supposed to be in the same sentence. Laughing

There will be a learning curve. Be ready for that. Read the manual. Play with the software. Ask questions on a camera forum. It will take a bit of time to do it like it should be done.

I like the Canon series. You really can't go wrong with many of the offerings but I suggest Canon, Nikon, Sony and Kodak. There are other good one too. Check out customer reviews and lens performance at www.dpreview.com
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srlatty · Joined: 04 Jan 2003 Posts: 270 Location: Ahwatukee

Cindy,

I agree about the Kodak series. I bought the DX4330 in November and love it. It runs around $300. One bad thing I have heard is that battery life is pretty short. I bought the docking station and it came with a rechargeable battery. A little pricey at $79 though! Someone suggested buying a charger and rechargeable AA's for a lot less.
Check out this site also, http://www.megapixel.net/ . They have a lot of reviews and information including price comparisons. You might have to dig a little , seems like they put the high end cameras up front.
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cakewalk · Joined: 03 Jan 2003 Posts: 512

Digital isnt that tough if you get an entry level camera.... There are basically point and click.

Ive experienced issues with short battery life as well, store bought AA's will give me about 10 pics with flash at high resolution, I considered the docking station, but was quickly rebuked and told to get a battery charger and some cells for about half the price as the docking station.

Guest · Posted: 1/6/2003, 4:11 pm Post subject:

Thanks for all the info. I'll be checking out all my options this weekend. Hopefully I can find something I can handle Embarassed

tracker · Joined: 08 Jan 2003 Posts: 28 Location: Gilbert AZ

I also have the DX3500, thanks to Cakewalks suggestion. Check out my website to see how the pictures turn out. http://members.cox.net/azbackpack
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cakewalk · Joined: 03 Jan 2003 Posts: 512

DesertHkr · Joined: 16 Mar 2003 Posts: 24

For a good wildlife camera I'd suggest something like a Nikon FM3a that can be fitted with a fast telephoto lens for a frame-filling photo. It would last you a lot longer, too. Digicams don't like bumps, knocks, or desert heat - the LCD panels are particularly fragile. Most of my friends with consumer digitals are reporting about a 3-year lifespan overall before they die, no more.

desertgirl · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 3350 Location: Chandler, AZ

I have the Canon S40 and I like it. Overall, I own a few Canon Cameras and I like the ease-of-use aspect of them. If you are OK using the computer you should not have too many issues uploading and managing the pictures

Here's what my experience with my digital camera has been:

Positives:

1) Allows me to take as many pictures as I want
2) Allows me to pick my pictures ( Make sure the picture I wanted turned out good!) and get a 2nd chance
3) Form Factor -- Smaller & lighter than SLRs (of courese I give up on picture quality).
4) Saves me a heck lot of $$$ in developing & film costs
5) You can e-mail pictures to everyone & easily post them on the web

Negatives:

1) My camera has propritary battery ( Make sure you get one that is standard unless you want to deal with charging & initial investment!)
2) Battery life is quite short if you use flash ( Outdorr photography may not pose an issue if no flash is used)
3) Difficult to take action shots -- Picture composition is not quite what you want
4 ) With good resolution pictures (3-4 Megapixels) you run out of memory fast ( I had to supplement mine with about 512M before I was Ok )
5) The LCD panel is a huge battery hog too but don't get one without it!)
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