Hi everyone, Well, Christmas is coming and I think finally I'll have the chance to ask Santa for a digital camera. The problem is, I don't know which one to ask for! What I imagine using the camera for would be the usual family pictures, plus acquiring textures for 3D software. I don't really plan to do any really high resolution textures like skin for Poser people, but instead, I guess I'll just try to make textures for objects. So, would a 3 megapixel camera do the trick or would I need a higher resolution? (The budget is not unlimited, unfortunately...) How easy/expensive is it to get prints from a digital camera? We have an HP DeskJet 970Cse, so I could print out some pictures myself, but I don't think it would be too economical, especially since I'll have to send copies to family members. Any recommendations for good cameras and things to watch out for? Thank you in advance for your help. :) Sue

Attached Link: http://www.dpreview.com

For the uses you mention, look for a camera that does a good macro shot. I personally use a Nikon 880, and I like it very much. Unfortunately, they aren't made anymore, but Nikon does have a replacement. Here is a site that I can't recommend enough. It will tell you everything you could possibly want to know about digital cameras. It will also have in-depth reviews with pictures from that camera to do a comparison. There are several places on the web that offer prints, and I've found them to be mostly good. Ofoto is good, as are several others. It is definately cheaper and less of a hassle to use a service like that. Also, many photo-service centers now offer digital prints. Good luck!

Hi Sue, I don't personally recommend digital cameras, due to my lack of knowledge of each & every make/model/ & price range. Plus I'm not a digital camera expert. But a few months ago I decided to go the digital camera route, & I did a lot of research, where ever I could find any information. I initially thought I'd have to buy a 5 Megapixel model, then I found out that I could get buy with a 4 Megapixel model, then after further research I found that I could even use a 3 Megapixel model, if I chose the right one. So, to make a long story short . . . I ended up purchasing an "Olympus D 550 Zoom" 3 Megapixel, & I'm completely satisfied with my purchase. I have taken many of my pictures & loaded them directly, USB, into my computer / did what ever editing was needed in PhotoShop, then printed them out at 8" by 10" on my 3 year old Epson printer. The images came out, ( to the naked eye ), just as nice as any photograph. I have seen them for sale lately for as little as $350.00, which is $50.00 less than I gave 3 months ago. I purchased mine at the GoodGuys, but I've seen them at many other stores also. Good luck, & what ever you end up with, I hope it serves you well, & you have a good one . . . Mark. PS: ( This is only my experience with a digital camera, some others may have different opinions to offer you. )

Thank you both for your answers, they're a big help! I'll definitely check out the site you mentioned and the cameras recommended. Thanks again and you have a good night/day (depending on wherever you are), too! :)

Just a note about having photo prints made from digital: Walmart stores will now make prints directly from your memory card. If you have a card reader/writer, you can even take the images into Photoshop, work your magic on them, and save them back to the card & take it to Walmart. I'm not sure what all formats they accept, but I know Compact Flash is one of them. Extremely convenient. Quality is pretty decent, too...

Thank you for the tip! :)

The lense makes the camera. I used to sell these things so I know, stick with the lense manufacturers. That would be Nikon, Canon, Olympus maybe fuji. Doesn't matter how many megapixel you camera is if the lense is bad then you'll get a bad picture.

Thanks, ReX, that's good to know. I've found that the Olympus camera Mark mentioned is on sale at several places here for $300, so I'll probably ask for that one. :)

hi. i also did some research because i want to buy a digicam, too. i was looking for a) good picture quality ,) b) it has to be small, so i can carry it in my pocket c) it has to give me manual control if i want it d) it has to make good nightshots. i chose the fuji finepix f601. pages with are extremely helpful: http://www.steves-digicams.com/ http://www.dcresource.com/

Thank you, those are really very helpful links. I still haven't committed myself so I'm going to do more research. Thanks! :)

One of the best bangs for the buck currently is the Nikon Coolpix 4300. It's a 4MP camera with a 3x optical zoom and a great macro mode. You should be able to get one for around $499. It has 3 exposure modes to choose from: 1-Auto- It's what it says, all auto. Just point and shoot. 2-Scenic- You can choose from 12 presets to get the bast image in almost any situation. 3-Manual- This is the exposure mode that allows you to tweak any aspect of the camera, including 3 light meters, a best shot selector, and white balance, as well as the actual exposure (shutter and aperature) of the camera. I shoot DSLR cameras because I need huge amounts of resolution and performance. So needless to say, I'm fairly picky. This was a camera I'm considering as my pocket camera because it's very good. As far as prints... look for anyplace that is using a Fuji Frontier machine. This is a digital processing unit that makes the best prints I've seen. I know many Ritz, Wolf, Walmart, and Costco stores use them already as well as the online printmakers, Shutterfly.com (which is owned by Adobe.) I hope this helps.

It sure does, thank you! :)

I, last summer, had an opportunity to shoot digital pictures with an individual using a Fugi Camera. I had a Sony 707. The Fugi owner was very envois as my batteries seemed to hold out much longer then his. My 707 has been my favorite toy for the last year, I would not trade it for anything. True it costs about $1000, pretty pricey, but for quality photos, including indoor concert shots and outdoor nature everything in between you can't go wring. The new one is, I believe the 714, in spite of some drawbacks, the memory stick is a little expensive, the Sony 707/714 rule.

I too did a ton of research before I got mine (also a sony F707)I'm totally satisfied with the 707, though it did cost a bit. A few things to watch for in a digital camera: Meagapixels - Very important, this directly relates to how much you can blow up your prints without getting that jaggie look. High quality lense - Carl Zeiss, Cannon, Nikon, be sure to get a good lense on it, if you skimp on quality here then no matter how good the rest of the camera is your pictues will not turn out well. Optical zoom is always better than digital zoom. Optical zoom doesn't sacrifise your image resolving power like a digital zoom does. Color - All digital cameras pick up color differently, some have more saturation than others, such as with a particular camera the color red for example, will appear stronger than it should be, while blue will be weak..some of this can be fixed with postwork, but its nice to have a decend color balance in the first place. Get a camera with as many white balance options as possible. Power - Be sure to get one with a rechargeable battery pack, if you don't you'll go through batteries like water...and that cost can add up in a hurry. I think over at tomshardware.com had some reviews on digital cameras a while back...read reviews, look at the pictues, test out the camera if you can, and then make your decision. Best of luck -Modulok-

Thank you all! I still haven't committed myself but right now I'm leaning towards the Canon PowerShot G2. It costs twice as much as the one I originally thought I'd get, but I figure that I'll use this camera for many years so it should be one of good quality and one that I'll be happy with... Thank you for all the suggestions and information; they've been a lot of help. :) Sue

:)