Digital Camera

[wvicary]

I'm looking to purchase a digital camera and was wondering if anyone could give some pros and cons as to what I should be looking for. Not very worried about price just need something that will work best for my Mac computers. Thanks very much for your time.

[aglsteven]

Firstly, to keep this relevant to this forum, naturally you want to get a digital camera to take excellent pictures of your Boxster to post on this forum!!

OK, first you need to decide what sort you want. three options
1. point and shoot - ideal first camera and venture into digital photography.
2. Advanced compact camera - you want more control of your pictures but don't want to carry something bulky around with you
3. Pro-sumer camera that works like an SLR - you want to replace your old SLR, have a keen interest in photography and want full control.

For points 1 and 2, I reckon 5 megapixels is plenty enough. Don't get caught in the megapixel race. The optics and the lens are just as important.

My recommendations are as follows:
1. HP R707 (I work for HP, and it has clever technology to help you take better pictures, like in-built re-eye reduction).
2. Canon G6
3. Canon EOD300D (I have one and it is awesome) or Nikon D70.

The best site on the web I have found to research this further is www.dpreview.com. Pick a few you like, and then head to a shop and try them out. It's as much about look and feel as it is about specs etc. Good luck.

[Lux]

There's a million different cameras with a million different features. As far as working with a Mac, it's really a non-issue. Just get a card reader. It's so much more convenient.

The best place to start your camera search is www.dpreview.com They have a lot of reviews on tons of different cameras...everything from point 'n shoot to SLR and in between. My favorite right now is Panasonic's digital lineup. They have a very nice Leica lens. They also have an anti-shake feature that's very useful in taking zoomed shots and long exposure shots. I can take shots up to 1 second without a tripod. I got the FZ3 for only $300 and the pictures it takes is amazing. There's auto mode for amateurs yet there is enough manual control for when you want to get creative.

To keep this thread Boxster related, here's a pic I took with a 2 second exposure using a maglite to light up the wheel. Turned out pretty cool.

[wetstuff]

I agree with Lux. As a Mac'er since the '80's and fan of German cameras since the 60s', I've stuck with either Sony or, more recently, Panasonic in the past couple of years, as they use German designed lens. There is nothing in a photograph that was not captured by the lens first.

I'd buy a used one first; 3meg with about a 5-8X zoom. It'll only cost a couple of hundred $$ and you can put it back on Ebay for the same money. (like your car: make sure it has all papers and is in better than new condition....)

I have a simple little USB card reader for about $20 that I plug the memory card into rather than hook up the camera. Mac and photoshop are a great post production match. Have fun.

Jim

[Perfectlap]

I always go to cnet.com for reviews of everything from MP3 players to HD TV's.

http://reviews.cnet.com/Digital_cameras/2001-6501_7-0.html?tag=ont.cam

[jerhofer]

My recommendations are as follows:
1. HP R707 (I work for HP, and it has clever technology to help you take better pictures, like in-built re-eye reduction).
2. Canon G6
3. Canon EOD300D (I have one and it is awesome) or Nikon D70.

The best site on the web I have found to research this further is www.dpreview.com. Pick a few you like, and then head to a shop and try them out. It's as much about look and feel as it is about specs etc. Good luck.[/QUOTE]

Totally agree with the comments above. I too have a Canon EOD 300D also know as a Digital Rebel. Fantastic camera. Plus you can use any of Canon's EOD lenses with it.

One additional comment. Sometimes it is tempting to get a very small camera that will fit in your shirt pocket. My experience with small cameras is that it is very hard to hold them still enough to make sure you photos are not blurry. This is especially true in low light situations. It has to be pretty dark before I need a tripod with the Canon 300D. A little heft helps you to steady the camera.

[wvicary]

Thanks very much for the replies. Looks like I have a bit of research before I finally buy.

[UKBXSTR]

If you opt for a pocket sized one, make sure you check the shutter response time (from pressing the button).

The delay on my Olympus mju300 iirritated me so much that i couldn't live with it, even as a second camera.

Trade it for a Nikon Coolpix 5200, which is great - plenty of control if you want it, good auto performance, small, 5Mp images, etc etc.

An ideal camera for when i don't want to carry the Canon digi SLR and a rook of lenses.

Sony seem to be well regarded over there, not so much here in the UK.

[Push]

I bought a Samsung Digimax A400 4.0MP and it's more than I need. If you were goimg to print out large pictures then you could get a 5.0 or an 8.0 for that matter. Butif you are mostly posting pics on the web, I don'e see why you need more than a 4.0. Get rechargeable batteries though because the more you use the flash, the quicker the batteries will die. On christmas I used 2 regualer AA batteries and they were dead within 2 hours.

http://www.futureshop.ca/catalog/proddetail.asp?logon=&langid=EN&dept=0&sku_id=0665000FS10052681&catid=&newdeptid=14#