digital camera - megapixels? optical zoom

[rohit]

hello all,

i plan to buy my very own digital camera in a few months. so obviously the research has begun.

the reason that i made this post was to ask what cameras do you use for all these wonderful pictures on the wde and ril? i have listed four details that are to be kept in account when buying a digital camera. so please let me know the ones you use and any suggestion,

make and model :
megapixels :
optical zoom :
internal memory :

an example of the details is,

make and model : Sony DSC-W100
megapixels : 8.1
optical zoom : 3X
internal memory : 64MB

i hope everyone can take out some time to advise.

i wonder if "all media arts events" is the right forum to post this query. if the moderators feel there's a better place for this request them to move it there.


rgds,

[Tressa]

Hi rohit,
I love my digital..don't go anywhere without it...

make and model: Konica Minolta Dimage A200
megapixals: 8.0
optical zoom: 28X (7X optical and 4X digital)
internal memory: 2gb
800X600 15fps Movies and 640X480 30fps Movies
anti-shake: yes
Vari angle LCD monitor swings 180 degrees and rotates 270
multi function remote control
software for still and movies


The anti shake is a fantastic component, as you can get great pics, even if you cannot hold steady, which is great for outdoor pics, and the action mode on this camera is out of this world!! great moving shots!!!
Tres

[hydgirl]

Hi Rohit,

I have a very basic digital camera. It's

Make/Model: Olympus (D-575 zoom)
3.2 mega pixel
3x optical zoom
10 x total seamless zoom

It cost me a 100$. It is user-friendly, not the hi-tech kind of stuff. You can check out my photo blog - fromnaturetome.blogspot.com where I post pictures taken from this camera.

Cheers!

[silverflagon]

Good idea Rohit, you will wonder what you ever did without one.

I have a little 400mg pixel Olympus FE-100, and it's just right for taking photos of art, don't ever buy one below 400mg you loose a lot if you do.

But I would really love a 900mg pixel camera I saw a few weeks ago *drool!* :lol:

[Rose Queen]

I've moved this thread to the Digital forum because it will get wider response there and because the All Media Art Events forum is only for the weekly art events held at WetCanvas.

[Chiers]

I have recently purchased a Kodak Z740. I am in love with it!
5 MP and 10xoptical zoom. The Zoom was the deciding factor for me. One thing I learned in my search was that in a camera, optical zoom is much better than digital zoom and the zoom was what I was after. The only drawback I have seen with my camera is that for nightime shots, you really should have a tripod if you want consitantly good results. Daytime shots have all been spectacular for me.

That said, this thread should have been sent to photography instead of Digital art as that is where you will find the most members with the most knowledge of cameras so I am going to leave this here, but also copy it to photography so you can get more informed responses.

[Rose Queen]

That said, this thread should have been sent to photography instead of Digital art as that is where you will find the most members with the most knowledge of cameras ...
Oops, sorry! Shows you how little I know about the Photo forum... :crying:

[Crias]

Well there are a lot of variables in digital cameras and your desicion - do you want something tiny that you can stick in your front pocket and take everywhere, or are you more interested in having something with more zoom? Will you be taking mostly daytime outside shots, or lots of indoors stuff? Will you be taking pics of many moving things (animals) or more still things (your art)? Are you a novice photographer that is happy to shoot everything on automatic, or do you want to learn with your camera and maybe eventually be able to do some manual settings?

First tip is tototally ignore digital zoom. Your photos using it will be garbage. You only want to look at the actual optical zoom. Also internal memory is completey dependant on the memory card that you have. Typically they come with a small card and you can buy a larger one (as large as several gigs if you really wanted) For most people any camera over about 4 megapixel will be more than sufficiant for everyday shooting and art reference material (you can easily print an 11"x14" print from a 4 megapixel camera). Most that you can buy today are not less than 5 or 6 MP, so that is pretty much covered.

I recently did some research for my mom and recomended the Canon PowerShot A620. It is 7.1 MP, 4x optical zoom, less shutter lag than many of the P&S, good macro ability, both automatic and manual setting abilities. I have played with the camera and been favorably impressed. I wouldn't hesitate to recomend it again to anyone who needs a nice P&S with some ability to grow. It is not tiny, but not huge in size (comfortable to hold). You can see a review of it at: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canona620/page14.asp

[Rich]

Well, maybe we can put this in the final resting place.:D
Moving to the Photography/equipment forum.

[damar]

Note: It's not just megapixels that count for quality photos, but the actual size of the sensor.
A larger sensor will yield better images.

[freedda]

I'd opt for image quality and more zoom (optical, not digital), and not worry so much about megapixels, unless you're planning huge images. Also, if you are serious about photo editing, I'd suggest a camera that shoots RAW files, not just JPEG. Consider size and ease of use. http://dcresource.com/ and Steve's Digicam both have good reviews.

I have a Canon 20d DSLR and Konica Minolta A200 (which they unfortunately don't make anymore, though there might still be a few around for sale).

[Windy]

Wow this thread travelled a bit!

make and model : FujiS9500
megapixels :9
optical zoom :10.7
internal memory :None - I think its a bit of a waste anyway (I carry two 1Gig memory cards plus two 512MB cards plus plus plus)

This is a great camera for those not wanting to go DSLR (it gives the equivalent of a 300mm SLR lens and can go as close as 1cm in its super macro mode). It has a good range of usable ISO and features and is a versatile unit. It shoots both jpeg and RAW and yes produces excellent commercial quality images. It struggles in low light situations however.