Digital Cameras

[deryk]

Im getting tired of the real limited ability of cell phone camera's and want something a bit better. Im wanting something that could fit in my pocket so more leaning towards a point and shoot vs a dslr and trying to keep it under $200. I have an older fuji dslr style camera, it takes great pictures but its larger so thats why Im leaning towards a point and shoot but want something with wide angle and telephoto lens. Im not upto date on all the technology lol its constantly changing but since camping season is upon us I want to be able to take pictures...doesnt have to connect to the internet...I can do that when I get home.

Any suggestions?

[Steve Hammel]

Most computers now come with SD slots so all you have to do is take the SD card out of the camera and plug it in. No wires no mess. Lots and lots of good options out there, I would think you could find something better than sufficient for $50 to $100 easily.

[deryk]

My boss just got a nikon coolpix for around $100 that is 14 megapixels... the prices have come down... just want a decent zoom range for outdoor pictures... not planning on doing portraits with it lol but candid's...sure lol

[Byron Kinnaman]

For under $200 there is lots of choices. I would suggest that stick with standard camera brands, Canon, Nikon, Olympus, etc. I would stay away from Sony, Samsung, etc. Reason, the big guys have been making cameras and lens for decades. I have both Canon and Nikon cameras. The software that comes with Canon is great, Nikon's software leaves a bit to be desired. Also Sony in many cases, uses a proprietary configuration for their memory. Most common memory is SD sometime miniSD.
Here a starting place to look.

[steve dunham]

We bought a digital camera at Menards for our trip to Scamp Camp . Cost was $49.99 on sale with a $20.00 rebate (Total cost $29.99) It has the functions you desire. It works well in my opinion but I know little about photography. I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a camera with features I would never or figure out how to use . Plus if I lose or damage the camera I am not out a lot of money

[honda03842]

I can understand why you want telephoto and wide angle. We've given all that up for the convenience of the smartphone's camera. It has 8 megapixels, does everything from microscopic shots to panoramas and probably best of all we always have it with us all the time.

As to downloading pictures, we only do it about once a year when the phon's memory card begins to fill up.

Certainly camera availability is why the majority of all pictures are now taken with phones.

Though we have digital cameras, one with changeable lens, we find that it's just another thing to carry and have become particularly fond of the phone and it's ability to do just about everything. We are both amazed how by how much a smartphone can do, really has replaced a lot of other items we used to carry.

The only thing wrong with it is that it's smarter than us. Continue to be amazed how really young people use our phone, almost instantly figuring things out with out instruction. I guess they're just born into it....

[Jon Vermilye]

While I can't suggest a specific point & shoot camera, I do recommend going to dpreview and their "Buying Guide". It has a feature search that is useful for finding cameras that meet your needs, as well as consumer & their own reviews.

One suggestion - although it is difficult to find pocket sized cameras that have a viewfinder, if you take outdoor photographs it is worth looking for one. The LCD screens are often difficult to see in the bright sun.

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.

[Bobbie Mayer]

I like the reviews on Steve's Digicam. I also agree with the need for a viewfinder- this is especially true if you take pictures in the sun very much, very hard to see an LCD screen. But most of the little point and shoots don't have them. I have a Panasonic TZ5 (not made anymore) that I really like but the successor models were not as good (though higher zoom.) That's my pocket camera though it has now seen so much abuse I'm going to need to replace it (I carry it in my pocket too much!)

I also agree on downloading more than once a year! Memory cards, even if the camera is not stolen, are not permanent storage. My pictures all go onto both the ipad and the Mac and the latter gets backed up periodically. (I'm still looking for a good long-term photo storage solution, though, any suggestions?)

[honda03842]

I'm sure you are right Jon.

In reality we have 13 years of road pictures on CDs and flash drives. Maybe I should use my Goggle Cloud storage as a quick back up.

Thanks for the thought

[Thomas G.]

Things I look for in a small camera:

• Optical viewfinder for taking pictures in bright sunlight
• Ability to use AA alkaline or rechargeable batteries
• At least 3X optical zoom
• Anti-shake
• Ability to slip it into a pocket. Bigger cameras rarely get used by me.

I've had good luck with the Canon brand.

[Art VanDelay]

AA Batteries not $50 fits one camera only. Kodak uses AA.

[ruscal]

Originally Posted by Bobbie Mayer

I like the reviews on Steve's Digicam. I also agree with the need for a viewfinder- this is especially true if you take pictures in the sun very much, very hard to see an LCD screen. But most of the little point and shoots don't have them. I have a Panasonic TZ5 (not made anymore) that I really like but the successor models were not as good (though higher zoom.) That's my pocket camera though it has now seen so much abuse I'm going to need to replace it (I carry it in my pocket too much!)

I also agree on downloading more than once a year! Memory cards, even if the camera is not stolen, are not permanent storage. My pictures all go onto both the ipad and the Mac and the latter gets backed up periodically. (I'm still looking for a good long-term photo storage solution, though, any suggestions?)

I have burned my shot onto CD's. I have no idea how long they will last, but I'm guessing longer than I will be alive. Since they are optical they may survive magnetic fields?
Russ

[ruscal]

Originally Posted by Thomas G.

Things I look for in a small camera:

• Optical viewfinder for taking pictures in bright sunlight
• Ability to use AA alkaline or rechargeable batteries
• At least 3X optical zoom
• Anti-shake
• Ability to slip it into a pocket. Bigger cameras rarely get used by me.

I've had good luck with the Canon brand.

I share your desires for a handy point and shoot with view finder and AA battery power. Camera companies are not making many with those features any longer. sigh...
It was nice to share AA batteries with the GPS and headlamp while hiking. In bright outdoor sunlight the lcd screens are virtually useless to frame a shot. I do like the wider angle lenses and stabilizers on the new ultra zoom's though. It's hard to get it all though!
Russ

[Jon Vermilye]

Originally Posted by ruscal

I have burned my shot onto CD's. I have no idea how long they will last, but I'm guessing longer than I will be alive. Since they are optical they may survive magnetic fields?
Russ

How long depends on the CD. I have been using them for a long time - my first was for an audio recorder & the blank cost $44.00! I went back to look at one of the early CDs & the gold foil was pealing off. Kodak guaranteed one of their recordable CDs for 100 years - Probably wouldn't do you much good today. I started with CDs for back up, switched to DVDs when the CD size was too small, and now use hard drives.

For anyone with lots of images, hard drives may well be less expensive than CDs, and take up less room. They also have the advantage that they are faster & easier to use, so you may actually use them where you might put off backing up to a bunch of CDs. Like any media, they can fail, so keeping your data on more than one drive is necessary. I can't tell you how many times I have had individuals bring me a camera or memory card or even a hard drive that contains years of images that are no longer readable. Sometimes they can be saved; in other cases they are gone forever.

I probably shoot far more images than most - my theatre images currently total 40,000 and I add about 4000 per year. My personnel library is also around 40K, and includes originals as well as scanned slides from my pre digital days.

With that many images, a good indexing system is critical - I have often had to go back & find the original of a website image from years ago when requested for publication. I use Adobe's Lightroom, which lets you index images by key words as wall as any EXIF data.

[carlkeigley]

I'm ignorant when it comes to photography.
Was pretty good with the old Kodaks in a box.

My sister-in-law was sporting a neat camera at a reunion.
It's already been mentioned. A Nikon Coolpix. So we picked one up at Walmart.
I really like it. Still can't take pictures 5 miles away............lol.

Mine is a Coolpix S6300 with 10X zoom. Makes decent shots.

And like you, I like the candid shots. Whether of people or animals.

[honda03842]

For those of you who are smart phone camera users, there are zoom apps for them as well. Though they are not optical, the massive number of pixels available provide a reasonable zoom function for most camera users.

[swenny]

I might recommend the Nikon S9050 currently on sale at BEST BUY on line for only $99. 15x zoom and 12 mp. Takes great pictures and a great camera company.

Swenny

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by ruscal

I share your desires for a handy point and shoot with view finder and AA battery power. Camera companies are not making many with those features any longer. sigh...
It was nice to share AA batteries with the GPS and headlamp while hiking. In bright outdoor sunlight the lcd screens are virtually useless to frame a shot. I do like the wider angle lenses and stabilizers on the new ultra zoom's though. It's hard to get it all though!
Russ

You are right - fewer using AA batteries. Here is one still available.

Amazon.com: Canon PowerShot A810 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 5x Digital Image Stabilized Zoom 28mm Wide-Angle Lens with 720p HD Video Recording (Black): Camera & Photo

[Alf S.]

Hi: All...My choice for a point& shoot pocket camera was a Panasonic Lumix TZ series. It has a Leica zoom lens which is the best in the photo biz. IMHO. It does everything except serve drinks!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Bobbie Mayer]

Originally Posted by Alf S.

Hi: All...My choice for a point& shoot pocket camera was a Panasonic Lumix TZ series. It has a Leica zoom lens which is the best in the photo biz. IMHO. It does everything except serve drinks!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

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