Digital Camera recommendations?

[BigBigBear]

My grief therapy group and counselor have both recommended doing "something nice" for myself, so I've decided to purchase my first digital camera. Looking at ~$400.

Looks like a tossup between the Minolta DiMAGE Z2 (4.3 mp, $410.00)and the HP Photosmart 945 (5.2 mp, $450.00). I do a lot of whitewater rafting, but I have a standard WR camera that I can leave on the boat. I'd just like a nice digital - planning to pick one up tonight - I start tearing my house apart tomorrow for the move, and I'd like to take some pictures of it to remember....well, at least the good times Mrs Bear and I spent there, before all the pictures and nicknacks come down.

Recommendations anyone?

[mstrsplinter326]

1. HP vs. Minolta

Ease of use, frustratingly limiting features (HP)

-vs-

Complexity of use, few limits on features (Minolta)

In a quality race, I'd pick minolta.

If you're computer/camera savvy, grab the minolta if it's not too much more.

[BigBigBear]

2. The Minolta is a little cheaper, too

Hopefully the store will have both.

[Stew225]

3. I don't know much about the cameras you're

talking about (even though I used to be a photographer) but I'm sorry about your loss.

[BigBigBear]

9. Thx...n/t

...

[bif]

4. Olympus C5050

I love this camera for many reasons. You can use it as a point and shoot or control everything if you want. It takes both CF cards and xd cards (at the same time) and uses 4 rechargable AA batteries which seem to last for ever. The pictures are incredible--and I'm coming from a 35mm Nikon background. Great camera.

[SiouxJ]

5. I have the Canon Rebel

which is probably more than what you're looking for but I wanted to tell anyone that needs a higher end one, that it's amazing! The best thing is, I can use the lenses from my non-digital Rebel on it. My only complaint is it's a little heavy but I use it mostly for photographing merchandise for my business so I'm not usually transporting it around.

[SW FL Dem]

6. Depends on what you want to do with it

Anything over 3 mp takes great pics that can be blown up to 8 x 10. I have an Olympus 3.2 - cheaper than your price range. I love it, it's small and takes beautiful pics. My only complaint is with the delay between shots and the lack of a good zoom. If you want to be able to take several shots in a short period, you really need to check that out. My camera has a delay from when I push the button, before the pic is taken (frustrating but I'm adjusting). It has has at least a 2 sec delay before you can take another pic, that drives me nuts!

Don't know anything about the models you're considering. When I was looking I did a google search using the models I was considering and "review". I got lots of great online advice that was specific to my choice.

[BigBigBear]

7. Pentax has a nice one

WR43, water resistant, 4.3 mp. So-so reviews, not much for a zoom, but it kind of fits my intended use pefectly.

[HuckleB]

12. It's a nice camera, but I'm waiting for them to up the zoom, myself.

Have always had the best luck with Pentax (long-lasting, take a beating, and take great photos for the price), so I'm likely to go that route once I actually buy digital myself.

Good luck. Enjoy your new camera.

Take care.

[sbj405]

8. The Canon Elphs are nice

I find we take it more b/c it's so compact. Fits right in the pocket.

[Guy Fawkes]

10. Newegg has reviews (link)

http://www.newegg.com/app/manufact.asp?catalog=12&DEPA=10

read reviews at newegg (above) or consumer reports, before you decide on anything.

[Blue-Jay]

11. A couple of things to consider.

I'd recommend going with a camera manufacturer, instead of a computer company's model. Even though the Minolta is a bit lower res, they've been making cameras forever and they know what they're doing. 4.3 MP is enough for anything smaller than a poster anyway.

Go for an optical zoom instead of a digital zoom, obviously.

Compare prices on memory cards if you're going to be taking a lot of pictures in between being in a place where you can save them on a disk or hard drive.

Of the two you mentioned, I'd go with the Minolta.


Speling edut

[lpbk2713]

13. Have you ever tried epinions.com?

Link: http://www.epinions.com/Digital_Cameras

You can get technical reviews as well as user reviews on almost anything.

I have a Sony DSC-P8 and am real happy with it. Has all the features I like and it takes not only jpg's but mpeg's as well. I'll never pay for film processing again.

Link: http://www.epinions.com/pr-Digital_Cameras-Sony_DSC-P8_Digital_Camera/display_~full_specs

Ed: BTW, whatever you get I'd recommend a 256 Meg memory stick so that you will have plenty of storage room and enough space to take mpeg's.

[MercutioATC]

14. Try DPReview.com

www.DPReview.com

More digital camera info than you could ever use...

[Kellanved]

15. The Z3 has just been released

It is still in the above price range and is a better camera than the Z2: better Zoom and an image stabilizer.
http://konicaminolta.com/products/consumer/digital_camera/dimage/dimage-z3/index.html

[RetroLounge]

16. Anyone like the Fujifilm 5000 or 7000

I am considering one of those...

RL

[GOPisEvil]

17. I have a Fuji F401, and I've had some problems with it.

It might be something *I* did, but I can't think of anything.

It's decided to not work anymore, and it's less than 2 years old.

My dad has a similar model, and his works great. :shrug:

[Maestro]

18. I'm buying a new one as well

and I also have the HP camera that you mention. It is a decent camera with settings for ISO, over and under exposure plus f-stop settings. Of course all in automatic too. This is a my point and shoot camera and I am buying a digital SLR to compliment it. I've found various places that give good reviews. Try these places:

http://www.dpreview.com/

http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/

[Cybergata]

19. Olympus C-750

They keep updating the number, C-750 something. I love mine. It takes awesome photos.

:hippie:

[Deja Q]

20. Film still yields far higher resolution than digital, and...

I do like my Sony Mavica CD500 - 5 megapixel camera that uses mini-CD discs that don't get fried by airport x-rays and such and takes darn good pics and has an awesome holographic laser autofocusing system that WILL focus properly in utter darkness (it's hard to find the subject, but if you follow the holo beam and use the flash you can get some great pics with it). Costs $499 new these days. I rather like it, but I still vastly prefer film...

But film, using 100ISO, yields appx 13MP. Any film SLR camera is going to knock the socks off any digital camera. From a lesser barrel effect to a much greater color and shadow gamut, and is generally more tolerant of exposure (it's easy to overexpose with digital, especially with trying effects shots like the "trite waterfall effect" where the water looks like it's moving) film does better by default than digital. To date.

If you're going to be around water, do spend more to get a custom protectant case... film cameras are more ruggedly designed because they're not throwaway commodities to be replaced next year by something better.

I'm about to get a Minolta Maxxum 7 for $499 - highly rated film SLR camera.

[Deja Q]

21. Forget point'n'shoot 8MP cameras, even a 6MP D-SLR is better...

D-SLR cameras use much larger sensors than the point'n'shoot models.

8 megapixels might sound nice on the surface, but dpreview.com shows that the results are not as good aS you'd think. The smaller sensors are prone to generating more noise for one thing. The smaller sensors are also more prone to creating purple fringing around high contrasting areas.

If you want to go digital, get a decent D-SLR. The Canon Digital Rebel 300D is sufficient (net price $1300, ignore the $1000 base price as you need to get a zoom lens, flash card, et al), but the Nikon D70 ($1700 net) is of better build and generally better quality. The Canon 10D (net price $2000) has a quality build (metal, not crap plastic like the 300D and D70) and is feature-loaded.

Oh yeah, if you leave the shutter open on Digital cameras for a long length of time (1+ minutes) for nighttime or effects shots, you're prone to get hot pixels (a pixel that's stuck in a color that's rather different than what it should be)... Canon D-SLRs are notorious for doing this.

Stay with film, IMHO. The technology is still too new AND is throwaway commodity rubbish. Film is here to stay, is of higher resolution, and you won't lose everything if your hard drive dies - which is far more likely than your safe deposit box burning down. :-)