Digital cameras - suggestions?

[J_Chartowich]

Hi,

I was looking into getting a digital camera, (because) at the moment I'm having to borrow one, which is a pain in the butt. Do any of you have fave camers that take really good pics, are easy to use, but don't cost too much money? Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

[eNiGMa]

I'm no expert, but my favorite brand is Olympus. It takes good pictures and is easy to use, but I'm not quite sure on the price (it's been too long since I've looked at prices, lol). Still, with a name like "Olympus," how can you go wrong?

[smcginnis]

I'd say Canon, definetely, but they're kind of expensive. On the other hand, Canons and Nikons are pretty close to each other in price, so if your willing to get a Nikon, you could get the other too. I've heard that Nikons are better, but I haven't used one, so I can't speak for them. Oh, and Enigma, we used to use an Olympus, but our new Canon is much better. Of course, it could have been just a bad camera, not brand.

~smcginnis

[SavaTheAggie]

Until recently, I, too, used an Olympus. In my opinion the Olympus is the best brand of camera for the features and the price - it's a good mix of the two. The controls are easy to learn and pretty intuitive overall. Their cameras can run anywhere between $100 to $400.

Of course now I've upgraded to a Minolta Maxxum 5D, an entry level DSLR that has a boat load of features and a lot more power than the self-contained, compact digital cameras. However the $700-$800 price tag, while one one the cheapest DSLRs out there, is pretty steep.

--Anthony

[smcginnis]

Oh yeah, Minolta. My dad had (has?) an old Minolta 35mm film camera. I haven't used a digital one, but the film camera took good pictures.

~smcginnis

[Recluce]

Mine is a Fuji FinePix. Bought it and a set of stuff for about $500, but you can get them for a lot cheaper if all you want is the camera (get an older model).

[The Hordesman]

I have to go with Sava and say Olympus, my digital camera is ancient by today's standard, but the newer cameras got too many special things which for some wierd reason, must be used or else it wont work.

[SavaTheAggie]

I just want to add that whatever camera you do get, if you're planning on taking pictures of MOCs, be sure to get a camera that has a Macro feature. I cannot tell you how important that is.

Macro, if you don't know, is a feature that allows the camera to focus on things very close to the lens. On most lower end cameras, all it really does is keep the focal length of the lens to the shortest distance possible.

Built-in flash, high levels of zoom, high speed shutter... these are all good things to look for, but as far as LEGO is concerned, Macro is where its at.

--Anthony

[Sheen]

I've got a Canon PowerShot S410 and it's awesome. I would highly recommend the camera. Because it is so small it travels with me everywhere I go and isn't a bother, I get some great candid shots that way (especially at the office ). Also, it does have the macro feature that Sava talked about and I think it's worked well on my Lego pictures (as well as flowers, etc.) At the time I was shopping (1-2 years ago now?) this camera had the most optical zoom for one of it's size, which was another one of it's selling points for me. It uses Compact Flash cards for storage which was great for me since almost everything else digital I use takes them as well. One last cool thing for Lego pics is that it has two focus options, one focuses on whatever is in the middle of the frame, the other is an automatic focus that focuses on what it thinks you might want it to. By changing back and forth you can get some neat shots over a minifig's shoulder, etc.

Even if you don't want this camera, those are some of the features I would look for.

[plums_deify]

I'll also throw in a recommendation for a Cannon.

Your best bet, though, is going to be heading to a shop that deals with camera's specifically. Best Buy, et al will give you good info, but a place like Kit's Cameras will really know what they're talking about.

Also, when thinking about a model, consider how you'll transfer the pics from the camera to the computer. Will it be by USB cable? Or will you have some sort of card? If you have a card, how will you read it? External or internal card reader?

Also, consider your photo-editing program. Some of the cameras ship with a program, others you'll have to buy. This leads in to resizing your photos. Some cameras will allow you to set a pixel amount, others you'll have to edit on the computer. My camera, for instance, takes pictures at 2000x3000 pixels. I could set it lower, but I choose to shoot at that resolution. That way, I don't have to zoom in as close. I can crop the image and blow it up without loosing quality.

[rogue27]

I would not recommend Kodak.

The olympus I've used has been pretty good. Sony also seems decent.

Canon would be the best, IME.

[Bruce N H]

Hey,

I can't really compare this to different cameras, but I have an Olympus Camedia C-50 Zoom and I've been really happy with it.

Bruce

[eNiGMa]

I can't really compare this to different cameras, but I have an Olympus Camedia C-50 Zoom and I've been really happy with it.

Mine's a Camedia C-60! Small world, eh? They're good cameras.

[The Hordesman]

Mine's a Camedia C-60! Small world, eh? They're good cameras.

Oh my, mine is a Camedia C-1...

[J_Chartowich]

Is a 10x zoom feature good enough for taking pics of MOCs?