003
01-01-2008, 03:17 PM
I need to get a digital camera for my family today, as in, I really need to place the order today so I really need some advice because I'm totally lost. I've tried asking on different forums who's primary focus was not photography and everybody seemed to have their own suggestion, which just made picking one out harder.
And the thing was, I looked up reviews of pretty much every camera that was suggested, and each one seemed to have at least one major glaring fault pointed out in the review. Of course the things pointed out are probably things I would never have noticed had I not read the reviews, so.... I'm more lost than when I started out so let me get right to answering that questionnaire.
Budget:
$300 give or take.
Size:
Doesn't really matter.
Features:
Heck, a maximum of 1600x1200 size pictures would suffice, as long as they are good quality. Of course I know that most cameras now a days can take much, much larger shots, so pretty much anything will work. Standard optical zoom would be nice. Now I know that digital zoom is a gimmick because it pixelates the image, so the more optical zoom the better, but I don't think it is a huge necessity. Image quality is pretty important. I want to say 7.5 or 8 out of 10, so I want to get the best I can for my price limit, and still have the other things I specify. I might be willing to buy used to get an acceptable price on an otherwise more expensive camera, but keep in mind, unless there is an active deal like right now, that probably wouldn't be an option. I'm not to sure what manual controls are.
General Usage:
The camera will typically be used for family pictures. I can't really say if it will be more inside or outside, or more dim vs bright lighting, so it should be decent under all or most of these conditions. I don't think big prints would be made, no bigger than 8.5" x 11" photo paper I would say. I would say it will much more often than not be shooting pictures of things that are still, or things that will "pose" for you. Maybe the occasional moving photo, like a pet or something, but I want most of the quality to be focused on still photos. This is not to say the occasional photo of something that won't pose should be bad, though.
Miscellaneous:
I don't want a camera that will feel cheap, like it will break if you hold it the wrong way. I hate modern electronics that feel like they are going to snap in half on a whim. It should be relatively easy to learn and use, as people like my mother are pretty electronics-illiterate. I am not aware of any special features that would be needed.
Thanks in advance for your input! Since I am guessing that I am going to get recommendations for more than one camera, please briefly describe why you are recommending what you are.
And the thing was, I looked up reviews of pretty much every camera that was suggested, and each one seemed to have at least one major glaring fault pointed out in the review. Of course the things pointed out are probably things I would never have noticed had I not read the reviews, so.... I'm more lost than when I started out so let me get right to answering that questionnaire.
Budget:
$300 give or take.
Size:
Doesn't really matter.
Features:
Heck, a maximum of 1600x1200 size pictures would suffice, as long as they are good quality. Of course I know that most cameras now a days can take much, much larger shots, so pretty much anything will work. Standard optical zoom would be nice. Now I know that digital zoom is a gimmick because it pixelates the image, so the more optical zoom the better, but I don't think it is a huge necessity. Image quality is pretty important. I want to say 7.5 or 8 out of 10, so I want to get the best I can for my price limit, and still have the other things I specify. I might be willing to buy used to get an acceptable price on an otherwise more expensive camera, but keep in mind, unless there is an active deal like right now, that probably wouldn't be an option. I'm not to sure what manual controls are.
General Usage:
The camera will typically be used for family pictures. I can't really say if it will be more inside or outside, or more dim vs bright lighting, so it should be decent under all or most of these conditions. I don't think big prints would be made, no bigger than 8.5" x 11" photo paper I would say. I would say it will much more often than not be shooting pictures of things that are still, or things that will "pose" for you. Maybe the occasional moving photo, like a pet or something, but I want most of the quality to be focused on still photos. This is not to say the occasional photo of something that won't pose should be bad, though.
Miscellaneous:
I don't want a camera that will feel cheap, like it will break if you hold it the wrong way. I hate modern electronics that feel like they are going to snap in half on a whim. It should be relatively easy to learn and use, as people like my mother are pretty electronics-illiterate. I am not aware of any special features that would be needed.
Thanks in advance for your input! Since I am guessing that I am going to get recommendations for more than one camera, please briefly describe why you are recommending what you are.