NOVEMBER DAYS.
- do you want to print huge photos ?
megapixels doesn't equal outstanding cameras. megapixels = quantity, not quality. with more mp you get more dots per square inch. think of it as a tv screen, when you get close you can see each individual dot, and together they form an image. the more dots you have, the more resolution (sharpness). but if you plan to resizing your images to 500x333 and posting 'em online, you're not gonna notice a difference. however, if you plan to print your photos: 3mp prints nice 8x10", and with 4mp you can print nice 11x14" and so on. it's all about the camera - the lens, settings and light, and how you use them, not how many megapixels you've got.
- how much are you going to be in sunlight ?
in some cameras, the lcd can brighten up. this matters if you live in sunny weather.
- are you going to be shooting in low light / at night often ?
hotshoes on cameras can be a valiable addition, because a flash attached can greatly improve night photos. some cameras without one, can still have an external flash attached.
- how compact of a camera do you want ?
while some cams under 250 can easily fit in a coat's pocket, some are larger. if you want a quick pull out and shoot camera get the smaller one. but if you're interested in persuing photography and working your way up to a dSRL get the larger one - it usually has a bigger lens and more manuel options.
CANON powershot a410
3.2mp
15 levls of screen brightness
up to 3min movies
CANON powershot G1
3.3mp
1.8in rotating screen
wireless remote
FIJIFILM finepix E550
6.3mp
2in screen
AA batteries
KONICA MINOLTA z10
3mp
.4inch macro
32x totalzoom
NIKON coolpix 6700
7mp
red eye reduction!
16 shooting modes
CANON powershot a520
4mp
fast processor
add on lenses
SONY cybershot DSCS90
4.1mp
BIG 2.5in screen
noice reduction
FIJIFILM S3000
3.1mp
srl-like
6x optical zoom
NIKON coolpix 4800
4mp
8.3x optical zoom
electronic viewfinder
if you have a few cameras you like in mind, check out these sites for further investigation :
http://dcresource.com/reviews/cameraList.php . . . great reviews with many pictures of the menu screen/camera, sample video and photos.
http://dpreview.com/ . . . great reviews AND charts about nearly every camera, including many photo samples
http://dpreview.com/reviews/sidebyside.asp . . . side by side comparasment charts. very useful, if you can't make up your mind.
http://digitalcamera-hq.com/ . . . internet stores prices, and user reviews.
http://pcmag.com/category2/0,1874,5,00.asp . . . great reviews
(if you see a great price on a camera online, before buying please do research about the store. there are many stores which cause trouble (sell the camera cheap, but will cancel the order if you don't buy an overpriced accesories).)
personal opinion :
i personally think canon and nikon are on top of the digital camera world, while sony, fijifilm and minolta are not far behind. i used to own a kodak, it was really really bad in low light. i never took it out after sundown, because the photos never turned out good without half an hour spend in photoshop. don't get me wrong, someone else's kodak could be a great camera, but from personal experience i will never buy another kodak again. i'd also stay away from companies that started juicing the digital media world, and never made any film cameras : sipix, hp, casio, etc.
megapixels doesn't equal outstanding cameras. megapixels = quantity, not quality. with more mp you get more dots per square inch. think of it as a tv screen, when you get close you can see each individual dot, and together they form an image. the more dots you have, the more resolution (sharpness). but if you plan to resizing your images to 500x333 and posting 'em online, you're not gonna notice a difference. however, if you plan to print your photos: 3mp prints nice 8x10", and with 4mp you can print nice 11x14" and so on. it's all about the camera - the lens, settings and light, and how you use them, not how many megapixels you've got.
- how much are you going to be in sunlight ?
in some cameras, the lcd can brighten up. this matters if you live in sunny weather.
- are you going to be shooting in low light / at night often ?
hotshoes on cameras can be a valiable addition, because a flash attached can greatly improve night photos. some cameras without one, can still have an external flash attached.
- how compact of a camera do you want ?
while some cams under 250 can easily fit in a coat's pocket, some are larger. if you want a quick pull out and shoot camera get the smaller one. but if you're interested in persuing photography and working your way up to a dSRL get the larger one - it usually has a bigger lens and more manuel options.
CANON powershot a410
3.2mp
15 levls of screen brightness
up to 3min movies
CANON powershot G1
3.3mp
1.8in rotating screen
wireless remote
FIJIFILM finepix E550
6.3mp
2in screen
AA batteries
KONICA MINOLTA z10
3mp
.4inch macro
32x totalzoom
NIKON coolpix 6700
7mp
red eye reduction!
16 shooting modes
CANON powershot a520
4mp
fast processor
add on lenses
SONY cybershot DSCS90
4.1mp
BIG 2.5in screen
noice reduction
FIJIFILM S3000
3.1mp
srl-like
6x optical zoom
NIKON coolpix 4800
4mp
8.3x optical zoom
electronic viewfinder
if you have a few cameras you like in mind, check out these sites for further investigation :
http://dcresource.com/reviews/cameraList.php . . . great reviews with many pictures of the menu screen/camera, sample video and photos.
http://dpreview.com/ . . . great reviews AND charts about nearly every camera, including many photo samples
http://dpreview.com/reviews/sidebyside.asp . . . side by side comparasment charts. very useful, if you can't make up your mind.
http://digitalcamera-hq.com/ . . . internet stores prices, and user reviews.
http://pcmag.com/category2/0,1874,5,00.asp . . . great reviews
(if you see a great price on a camera online, before buying please do research about the store. there are many stores which cause trouble (sell the camera cheap, but will cancel the order if you don't buy an overpriced accesories).)
personal opinion :
i personally think canon and nikon are on top of the digital camera world, while sony, fijifilm and minolta are not far behind. i used to own a kodak, it was really really bad in low light. i never took it out after sundown, because the photos never turned out good without half an hour spend in photoshop. don't get me wrong, someone else's kodak could be a great camera, but from personal experience i will never buy another kodak again. i'd also stay away from companies that started juicing the digital media world, and never made any film cameras : sipix, hp, casio, etc.