Digital camera?

[Monty]

I am looking at digital cameras with the intent of posting my fabulous finds on the forum. Any suggestions for one that takes good close ups suitable for putting on forum and general photos? I looked closely at an HP 4.2 megapixel model, 16 mb of built in memory plus extra sim card slot. It has an 18X zoom lens while the majority of others have from 3 to 8x. Is the extra zoom worth the $$$? All the ones I have looked at sell for around $200.00 on up at Wally World. Of course that they don't tell you is that you need an accessory pack to be able to post and use with your computer, so that's about another 50 bucks!

 

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[seismo]

You know the old saying - get the best you can afford. That's especially true in the world of digital cameras.
When looking at zooms, make sure you note that optical zoom of the camera and disregard the digital zoom.
All digital zoom does is artificially zoom in on the image the same way you would in any image editing program. It leaves your original picture pixelated, choppy and not worth printing.
I doubt the HP you're looking at has 18x optical zoom, because those get VERY expensive. Plus, once you get above a 4-5x zoom, you need a tripod to keep the camera steady or your picture will turn out very blurry.
So, with that in mind, pick a budget and, personally, I would stick with reputable camera manufacturers. Sure HPs are okay, but Nikon and Olympus have been doing cameras for a lot longer.
Unfortunately, with Nikon, you end up paying a little more for the name. I really like Olympus cameras and you'd be hard pressed to find a better digital camera. Canon cameras are excellent as well.
Another thing to consider is what KIND of digital camera you want? Do you want to just get a point and shoot kind of camera that you can easily slip into your pocket while you're detecting? Do you want more capability, longer zoom and ability to attach extra lenses and filters to your camera? If that's the case, you'll pay for that in portability - they don't slip into the pocket quite so easily.
So these are the kinds of questions you have to ask yourself when picking out a digital camera.
Then just do your research. Steve's digicams is an excellent resource for reviews:
www.steves-digicams.com/
I'm sure there are others but that's the one I'm most familiar with.

 

[weldermark]

jimmileo the world of digital camera's is exploding the one you buy today is obsolete next week,your best bet is to get a known brand that you can afford,
i got a kodak easyshare for $250.00 and it work's like a charm. HH


mark

 

[1320]

Master those "macro" buttons and give us some very clear, crisp close ups. Good decision on the Kodak. My Fuji takes much better close ups (2.5 inches away) when I use the super macro option. Photo below was taken at three inches, no zoom.

 

[treasurekidd]

I have a Nikon Coolpix 2100 that I got new on eBay for under $200.00 and am VERY happy with it. It takes great pics and pretty good closeups. Nikon is the BEST name in cameras, well, film cameras at least, and the Coolpix line is affordable and simple to use! I don't have any pics of great ring finds like the one above yet, so I'll post a closeup of some keys I found in my yard last fall. Good luck with whatever camera you choose!

 

[treasure_lady]

I have a FujiFilm Finepix S602 Zoom. I bought it a couple of years ago and love it. It has 6x Optical Zoom. I'm an artist so needed something to use that would take good macro photos for reference and for my art. This camera works wonderfully. It was not cheap though. It may be now on ebay.... Good luck finding one that will suit your needs. Here is a photo taken with mine on super macro:

 

[weldermark]

like i said jimmileo it's what ever you can afford, good luck HH

 

[omnicognic]

I recomend to anyone stay away from HP digital cameras, I've owned two and despised both! don't even get me started on HP's customer service!

 

[Darod]

Personally,

I prefer Fuji. I read reviews for weeks and weeks before I purchased my S5000. It's a higher end unit but I like all the bells and whistles. What can I say, I like to play

Anyhow, you can kill yourself with worry over this decision! Don't! Get a name brand camera, which ever you prefer in features and looks, and then get fimiliar with it's operation.

Good luck and don't put so much thought into this, you'll be fine.

Rod

 

[Monty]

I don't even know what a macro is so I won't worry about that too much! I'm glad I read the mostly negative things about HP as I almost bought one. I saw a Cannon that had some good features so maybe that's where I will go. Also, my scanner is broke. I didn't have it over 4 or 5 months and used it very few times and it went belly up. My son who is a computer guy said scanners are notorious for short life. I am going to upgrade my computer system before long and a scanner is on the list.

 

[seismo]

I don't even know what a macro is so I won't worry about that too much!

You need to know what macro mode is if you want to take good close-up pictures. Without it, you can't can't get any closer to your object than about 1.5 feet.
With macro on, you can get right up on it and take great close-ups like treasure_lady's penny.

 

[100aces]

If all you want to do is post them and not make larger "true photos", then most low end cameras are MORE than what you need.? Anyone downloading more than 604x480 might just give up during the wait.? Look at E-Bay, most all those real Nice pics are only 640x480.? ?
What I do suggest as a MUST is a removeable memory card, then pick up a cheap card reader for $19.00 and you can forgo all the downloading into your pouter. the reader will act as another hard drive giving you instant access to all your pictures.

 

[reds]

Hello Jim. Megapixels is not the answer if you are just going to post picture. The file have to be reduced to no more than 128kbs,anyway. You will need a program like photoshop to make it easy.I purchased a minolta at 1200 bucks, the a little down the road bought another camera that was supposed to be better. The dimage.Its the quality not the megapixels.You use your software to zoom in before saving the file, so it is not so important to get an extremely close up. There again software will do the job..good luck..reds

 

[weldermark]

that's an excellent point reds,thank's for bringing that up.


mark

 

[Darod]

reds,

Your partial correct in your statements. the software will indeed zoom you in on the image. however, as you zoom into an image you loose detail. SO, software will make the image closer but you will sacrifice image detail/quality in the process.

SO, if you get a higher megapixel camera and take images at a higher resolution (more pixels), your images will be "coded" with more dots per inch, or more detail to work with in terms of zooming in or out.

If you just want pictures then get a cheapo of a camera, if you want somewhat detailed pictures then you'll need to get a better quality camera.

Here is a site that I use to compair cameras all the time: http://www.steves-digicams.com

I'd go there an read up on the camera models your interested in purchasing. He does a fantastic job of compairing/testing each model in a totally non-bias manner.

Good luck,

Rod

PS: I have a Fujicolor S5000 I purchased about 1.5 years ago. I love it. You can go completely manual and make the camera perform as you want it to,...or you can set it up fully automatic so all you do is turn it on and shoot. The camera
will do everything for you. Check it out at Steve's site, he does a great review on it.

Rod

 

[GunFarce]

I've used Nikon's for years, 35mm SLR, and I'm just waiting for the DX70 to drop a bit more in price.. Mostly, because I have a fortune in Nikon lenses now.. everything from 600mm to wide angle 'fisheyes' and I would hate to get stuck with only 'one' lens as most of the regular digitals have..
Just for the record, I wouldn't take another HP product if they gave me the damn thing free.. Their customer service DOES suck, and they obsolete far faster than any other manuf. out there.. The 'other' thing I won't fall prey too is cameras that offer those damn 'mail in rebates' If a product offers one, I by pass it and look at the competitors. If they want me to buy their product, and want to give me a discount, then do it on the price tag.. You 'may' after waiting 'weeks/months' get a rebate, after jumping through all their hoops, but also remember if you live in a state or province that charges 'sales tax' you paid the sales tax on that rebate, and you ain't getting that back! If they would just lower the damn price and not play their silly games, you would save even more.. After all, forcing YOU to pay sales tax doesent make 'them' any money....
Oooo Sorry... Rant 'off'

 

[reds]

Right thats why i buy all my cameras from ny,G.V.

 

[mercypa]

Hello jim.Before I buy a any electronics I go to http://pcworld.pricegrabber.com/home_catpage.php/catzero=76/
and search for the item.The mag reviews every thing new to hit the market and even lets people like you and me write reviews.Also they will return a search of the web with prices on the item you want.Just be careful were you buy because there are some mom and pop retailers that sell an item far less than others because the camera is Chinese.When I say Chinese I mean made for the china market and all instructions are printed in that language.The camera will work but what a learning curve.If you go to that site you should find the one that fits your budget and style much like choosing a metaldetector.
Good Luck,
Doug

 

[Monty]

I have photoshop and another program put out by Kodak just for pictures, thanks to my son-in-law who is a professional animator. Thanks for all the tips I think I can now ask the right questions to get what I need.