Any camera advice ?

[steve in so la]

I'm ready to buy a new camera, been using my old Sony Mavica with the floppy disk for a long time.
Any tips on what to look for ? I surely want one that shoots very close, like an inch away for my finds, as well as a panorama. My current one does this very well but it's getting rough and becoming a dinosaur. Any help on what's out there ? Thanks,steve in so az

 

[Pete in MI]

regardless of which one you buy...don't drop it and drop it and drop it and ... you get the idea. Sure is hard to get my to do close ups any more.

 

[Mike from MI "Iron Brigade"]

I have been wanting a new one for a couple years now. I also have a Sony. Mine is only 1.3 MP and you have seen how nice some of the pics are.
What I did is went down to Circuit City and talked with a tech and told them what I was looking to do with it. I quickly found out I didn't need all the bells and whistles. I then got on ebay and got one for half the price! If you are interested I have a friend that has a real nice camera for sale. He offered it to me, but I can't buy it this time of year. Don't be afraid to buy last years model to save when the new ones come out!

 

[steve in so la]

What kind is your friend's ? Good suggestion on talking to people and then going to mysimon.com or such. Steve

 

[Paul(NWO)]

http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/?tag=promo.dc

 

[rentasquid]

I always look for new stuff There are a lot of nice cameras out there right now, so it is really hard to pick the right one. I would get the same type of camera that Doug uses, if I could afford one! Two things I have heard/read are: 1. There are two types of zoom...optical and the digital zoom. Digital is what a lot of companies brag on, saying that theirs can bring object so close, but digital zoom is not so good, because it just magnifys the maximum Optical zoom and usually ends up causing grainy photos. So compare the zoom of cameras using Optical as your baseline. 2. I know someone who is a cameraman, and he said that right now, Lenses cannot handle more 7.1 mp of resolution. So a lot of the cameras out there right now are bragging on their mp's when their limiting factor is still the lense. Check out this site for good reviews and a buyers guide.... Digital Camera Resource

J.

 

[Mike from MI "Iron Brigade"]

n/t

 

[steve in so la]

d

 

[Digdoug]

...when I'm looking for a new camera I research this forum a lot....http://www.dpreview.com/

Click on "camera database" in the left hand column and then click on a manufacturer. You can look at the features of the different cameras, do side X side comparisons and find the lowest prices on the web. When I find a camera I'm interested in I go to the corresponding "discussion forum" for that make and model. For intance if you see a Fuji you like read the Fuji forum to see what real people are saying about the camera. That is how I decided on the 3 cameras I've purchased over the years.

Right now is a good time to buy because new models will be announced next month and many cameras have really dropped in price. All the cameras I've purchased had new replacement models announced and I was able to save up to 50% over the initial retail price.

Have fun!!