Digital Cameras

[Mike Magee]

If you get a Canon that takes AA's, try to buy one that takes 4 rather than 2. The 2AA Canons I own have been very finicky about the batteries, disliking Alkalines but wanting high quality rechargeables or,better still, L91 lithium cells. I got tired of seeing that 'low battery' icon come on so soon.

Other than that, Canons do take good photos. You actually could do fine with an older used model around 7-8 MP. The ones that try to cram 14 MP or more onto the same tiny sensor actually tend to have worse quality than the lower MP models they replaced.

[Alf S.]

Originally Posted by Bobbie Mayer

As I mentioned, I have a well-abused TZ5 that needs replacing (dropped too many times, I guess, plus a scratch on the lens.) It's still me go-to camera for casual snaps inside. What do you have?

I especially like the controls on the TZ5- easy to use. It doesn't have the AA batteries but the battery lasts for ages without recharging and the charger is pretty small.

Bobbie

Hi: Bobbie Mayer... I have a TZ1... Lots of changes in the series, but I haven't needed to change yet. 5 yrs on the same battery and it still charges up quickly. We usually camp in spots with current bushes so charging isn't a problem.
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie ;Wave

[Gene Masse]

Check out the Nikon Store on line.

Nikon Store - COOLPIX S5200 Gift Pack

[Carol H]

Deryk I have a larger DSL but needed a smaller camera to carry in my pocket when skiing for quick photo ops. A Panasonic LX7 is a good choose. A review of it can be found on DPReview. Great battery life for a small camera and photo quality is very good.

[Jim Bennett]

Lots of good suggestions already. A couple quick thoughts of mine (some of which are mentioned already

-as big of an optical zoom as you can get. Digital zooms just crop the image, something you can easily do with better control on your computer.
- try to stick to a know camera brand, one that uses good quality know glass.
- Don't concern yourself with sticking to AA batteries. This will severely limit your choices, and almost all proprietary batteries allow for a more compact camera, and can usually be bought way cheaper from good aftermath sellers.
- A viewfinder can be nice to have, but sure is tough to find on many P&S cameras.

Originally Posted by Jon Vermilye

And Norm - I'd like to talk you into downloading your images more than once a year. If the images mean anything to you, a back up is necessary. Phones get lost, break, etc. I may be accused of going overboard by keeping 3 copies of every image on 3 different hard drives, but backing up your important images as often as possible is a good idea.

Jon, I download my photos to a working directory on its own hard drive on my PC, back up to a mirrored network storage drive, and upload all processed photos to an online hosting site (SmugMug), so I don't find your methods overkill at all. I know a few people that have lost all their photos.

[deryk]

Well this is 1 Im considering... Fujifilm FinePix S4200: Digital Photography Review

I have an older finepix and it served me real well ...price is good on ebay or amazon... but still looking. A friend also mentioned about viewfinder being a good idea.

any other suggestions?

[Lora]

As far as batteries and charging, I bought a 12v charger that has a USB slot and have had no problem charging our 5+ yr old camera. The only thing I could wish for is that it had a mini-usb connector so I could eliminate one more charging cord.

[Richard Hayes]

I spent years earning at least part of my living with 35 mm cameras (still a file cabinet drawer full of Nikons and lens, etc), and have three digitals now - a little Fuji I picked up used for $30 that I usually keep in the car's glove compartment - if it gets lost or stolen, no big deal. The second is a Fiji FinePix S2000HD, about $250 new, decent zoom and uses 4 AA batteries, and most importantly, a viewfinder. And as I spend a lot of time on, and sometimes in the water (I'm a kayaker), my favourite is a Pentax Optio W90 waterproof.

All three use SD cards, and I use the smallest I can get and treat them like a roll of film - I upload to my computer, using a Dollar Store card reader, after every session - that's the old pro's fear of losing shots if something goes wrong. And finally, I have a portable hard drive, and I back stuff I really want to keep up to that regularly.

Last time I did a HD scan on my desktop, there were just over 16,000 images there, and I reckon that maybe 1/3 to 1/2 are shots I've taken - and then there's that other file cabinet drawer full of Kodachrome slides...lol...

[james kent]

I have recently, at Christmas time, changed from a Canon EOS to a Canon Powershot SX50HS . It does most things that an SLR will do without having to change lenses and the 50 power magnification means that I don't have to carry around a foot long lens that weighs several pounds. That has drastically downsized my camera bag.
For a pocket sized camera, my wife's Panasonic has a 10 power digital glass lens. Excellent portability and great pictures.

[Glenn Baglo]

I've solved the camera issue by retiring. I don't carry one, unless I have to.