Buying a Digital Camera

Buying a Digital Camera - serious Advice

You should seriously think about what you want to do with your new camera and how much you want to spend on it ! Buying a digital camera is a big decision and can involve hundreds of dollars - and you really want to get the most useful one when you are buying a new digital camera. Its easy to fall for an all singing all dancing model but you want a reliable workhorse that's not outside your price range.

What sort of camera do you really need ?

The Right Camera for you - Basic Digital Cameras

Most people only actually NEED a basic digital camera - a sort of point and shoot model is just fine. Look for something with a file size of around 4 or 5 Megapixels (Mb) and that will produce perfectly good photos of similar quality to regular film cameras. The price will certainly be under $100 and you'll have lots to choose from.
Lately,phones are increasingly supplied with good built-in cameras and one of these is well worth considering for personal use.
There are 2 kinds of viewfinders on basic camera - an eyepiece (like a standard 35mm camera) and the viewing screen at the back. I personally find the viewing screen models a little clumsy to use and they really run through batteries fast ! The quality of the viewing screens can be awful and impossible to use in sunlight as the screen cannot be seen.
Be quite sure you get all the cables and software with any camera you buy or you'll be stuck.
This is particularly true of grey import cameras which often have only the body and no cables or software.
A good choice is a single lens reflex digital camera with a zoom lens with a macro ability.This will cover 90% of most people's needs. You can get a good digital slr for under $300
A good investment is a Card Reader - this just plugs into your USB port on your computer and the speed of transferring your photos to your hard drive is about 5 times faster (at least) - at around $10 it's a good buy.
Cards fill up really quickly with photos and you need to change batteries about every 400/500 photos.
rechargeable batteries and a fast charger are a must or you'll be shelling out for new battereies every week.
I advise you to buy several memory cards so as not to run out of pictures. The huge temptation with digital cameras is to take lots of similar pictures (everyone does it !) and then your cards get full.
The other simple solution is to go to a local internet shop and they will usually burn a cd from your memory card for around $5.
You'll also need an external flashgun as the tiny flashguns built into cameras really aren't strong enough to photograph anything more than 5 or 6 feet away ! I have seen many people photographing buildings or fireworks displays at night and all they suceeded in doing was running down their camera batteries. The power of an in camera flash is minute.

Canon Digital Cameras on eBay

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Lensmaster

flowski wrote...

Thanks for the helpful camera buying tips. Nice Flickr gallery too, I love your pictures!

Posted December 05, 2007

Digital Picture Frames

Pictures on your Desk !

See your favourite photos of your family or vacation or pets on your desk all the time !

Sony DPF-D70 7-inch Digital Photo Frame

Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 07/14/2009)

Kodak EasyShare P720 Digital Picture Frame with Home Decor Kit

Amazon Price: $59.99 (as of 07/14/2009)

Sony DPF-D80 8-Inch LCD Digital Photo Frame (Black)

Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 07/14/2009)

Sony DPF-V900 9-Inch Digital Photo Frame

Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 07/14/2009)

Smartparts SP72 7-Inch Digital Picture Wood Frame with Beige Matting (Espresso)

Amazon Price: $39.99 (as of 07/14/2009)

Canon Digital Cameras on Amazon.com

Canon are the most popular Digital Cameras and offer good value.

Canon PowerShot SD750 7.1MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Silver)

Amazon Price: $429.99 (as of 07/14/2009)

Canon EOS 40D 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

* 10.1-megapixel CMOS sensor captures enough detail for photo-quality poster-size prints
* Large 3.0-inch LCD display with enhanced Live View and broadened color gamut
* 6.5 frame-per-second continuous shooting capability (for bursts of up to 75 Large/Fine JPEGs or 17 RAW images)
* sRAW mode; 35-zone metering system; integrated Self-Cleaning Sensor Unit
* Powered by BP-511A, BP-511, or BP-512 lithium-ion battery pack; stores images on CF cards

Amazon Price: Too low to display (as of 07/14/2009)

Canon EOS 30D 8.2MP Digital SLR Camera with EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM Standard Zoom Lens

Canon's new EOS 30D brings proven EOS technology to a new level, giving photographers an unbeatable photographic experience. The EOS 30D incorporates a host of new features with Canon's highly acclaimed 8.2 megapixel CMOS sensor and DIGIC II Image Processor. The EOS 30D includes enhanced operational features such as a new 2.5 inch LCD monitor, true spot metering, a durable new shutter mechanism and Canon's Picture Style feature, all in an sturdy, magnesium-clad body. With all these new features the EOS 30D is truly perfection, refined.

Amazon Price: (as of 07/14/2009)

Canon EOS 1D Mark III 10.1MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only)

* 10.1-megapixel CMOS sensor captures enough detail for photo-quality 18 x 24-inch prints
* Shoot up to 10fps; burst rate up to 110 full-resolution JPEG images
* High-precision AF system with 19 user-selectable AF points
* New DIGIC III Image Processor provides fast, accurate image processing
* Large 3.0-inch LCD display

Amazon Price: $3,999.95 (as of 07/14/2009)