good basic digi camera? (advice needed) (1 Viewer)

[N.U.G.]

hey guys,

it's my mother's birthday soon and I'm planning on getting her a basic digital camera. I'm hoping to spend around the $100 to $200 depending on what is recommended...

the photos that she'll be taking will just be for the occasional thing like birthday parties, walks in nature and stuff like that. recreational type stuff for personal use

does anyone have any input and recomendations as to what to look for in a good basic camera? is there a certain amount of megapixels i should get? recomended amount of memory card? etc.

thanks!

 

[anti]

Digital cameras are getting pretty cheap these days. At that price I'm assuming you're looking for a point-and-click alternative to film, right?

I don't know what the current entry-level specs are but generally:
* anything over 3 megapixels is good and won't be too expensive
* go for an optical zoom if possible (digital zoom tends to make really zoomed-in things look blurry or pixellated - if she doesn't zoom much then this isnt an issue I guess)
* get a camera which has an extra card slot (most do) - some common types are SD, XD, Compact Flash (CF). They come in different sizes and price varies depending on the type and how much space you want, but make sure to budget it in. I guess if you go to a camera house you can try to get a deal or whatever
* if she doesn't use it much a camera which uses AA batteries might be better than one with a Li-ion (or other) battery, because it's easier to charge/replace AA batteries. However the battery life won't be as good (so I've heard).
* See how it's going to connect to your computer - usb, firewire, a docking cradle, etc. It depends on what suits your mother and how techno-savvy she is, I guess.

I'd also recommend you look at some cameras past the upper-end range of your budget too to see what the differences are between say a $200 camera and a $300 camera.

 

[MedNez]

To just elaborate a bit on what pb said with the figures to go with her advice:

3.2 Megapixels or higher is good
3x Optical Zoom minimum
If you can, get a 128mb storage card as minimum
If you get her AA rechargables, remember to get a recharger



Med

 

[N.U.G.]

^^^

thanks for the excellent advice guys!

yep, I'm looking for an alternative to point and click film

I'mma go to Dick Smith and hook a look around with both of your advice in mind

thanks

 

[zenger69]

Last week of school has been "take photos for me day" and I've used about 50 different digital cameras and Sony's consistently come up as the quickest, easiest to use and relatively good looking.

The Olympus 5.0 Megapixel camera on sale at K-Mart is great value for $279 or find the 3.2 Megapixel camera which would be less than $200 (not sure if you can get that one anymore, could be discontinued). Olympus cameras are quite good.

My other recommendation would be the Sony DSC S40. Sony's make great cameras and it's also compact and very easy to use. The Camera's RRP is $299, but i'm sure if u bargain hard enough, you'll get it down to $220 + a 256mb Memory Stick. (Say Harvey Norman offered you that price to Bing Lee & go early in the morning when there are hardly any customers, sales peoples at that time are really desperate for sales).

Canon's are a bit big & not so handsome (I think with digital cameras you have to be superficial), but they're really good if you want manual control.

Panasonic cameras are big and ugly. They're Lumix range might be out of your price range.

Below is the link for the Sony DSC-S40 but have a look around as well, it's mainly an american site but it has most of the cameras. The Canon SD700 is the Ixus range.
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/SS40/SS40A.HTM

Hope it helps.

 

[SashatheMan]

^^^

thanks for the excellent advice guys!

yep, I'm looking for an alternative to point and click film

I'mma go to Dick Smith and hook a look around with both of your advice in mind

thanks

dont go to dick smith, they are the most expensive electronic shop in my opinion.

wheck out other stores

 

[AsyLum]

The Canon's are tiny, but expensive for the chic ones, but yeah the sony are in mass production and probably your best bet.

 

[~ForAGoodCause~]

try the canon a400 ... they are really cheap now (around $160 or so), since the new a410 just came out ($199 at dse)

a400 : 3mp, 2.2 optical
a410 : 3mp, 3 optical

they take AA batteries and SD card

 

[Skittled]

My recommendation:

• Save more money: You'll get a much better camera for $200-$300 than you will for $100-$200, judging by the stock I've seen.
• Battery Pack: Not AA's or anyting. Saves you hundreds of dollars in batteries.
• 4 mp is desirable, 3 is okay.
• 128-256mb memory is just fine -- should cost you about $50.
• For Media: Avoid the brand names: Don't be conned into buying 'brand name' media (ie SD cards or whatever) -- for the purposes a consumer will be using it for, they're all made to the same standard, so the DSE one is (for all you'll notice) exactly the same as the Sandisk or Panasonic one, with a cheaper price tag. They both can be dropped from the same height, all store the same amount, all have the same error rate, all can be kept underwater for the same amount of time... (Unless they're the same price, or very similar, and then go for the brand name. Check out what the warranty is on the media. House brands (ie DSE's own inhouse brand, or Harvey Norman's own brand) are better than no-names not attached to the store you're buying from.
• For cameras: Stick with a brand you know. Olympus, FujiFilm, Pentax... I've personally had seen bad experiences (I work at DSE, and handle lots of repairs) with Kodak, but they've gotten better, and Sony tend to be overpriced, but they've gotten better too...
• Shop around, use the camera stores to find a model, then buy from the clueless staff at a general electronics store who can get you a better price.

dont go to dick smith, they are the most expensive electronic shop in my opinion.

wheck out other stores

I work at Dick Smith, and hate it, but from what I've seen that's more or less an untrue statement. I get customers pretty regularly who've been sent to us from harvey norman or the like, saying the store's staff sent them to Dick Smith, becuase we have better prices than the other store will be willing to sell it for
(Admittedly this is mainly for computers and computer gear). My experience is some stores (Bing Lee, where "everything's negotiable") have high face prices, and when you ask for a better price (or just show interest) they'll give you a price roughly equal to DSE, give or take.

Most of the price matching I do is for small stores, rather than bigger chains. They all keep an eye on each others' prices, anyway.

 

[anti]

In terms of finding the best price, take cash (as with all technology) since you can often get a discount for paying with cash/EFTPOS. Also shop around, even at different branches of the same retailer since sometimes one store will have a sale where others don't.

A bit late I suppose, but I thought I'd add my 0.02+gst

 

[N.U.G.]

thanks for the all the advice guys. I ended up getting an Olmpus 535 and my mum was happy with it. It cost about $190.

If /when I buy myself a camera I'll reuse some of the helpful advise you guys left here

thanks!