O.T. Suggestions for a camera?

RW
Posted By
Ralph_Ward
Nov 1, 2003
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326
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17
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My siblings and are going to band together and buy Mom a digital camera. Only requirements are Point and shoot flash available zoom, inexpensive battery requirement…no disposable only’s thanks. Any suggestions?
P.S. I would like 4 meg pixels.
thanks
Ralph W.
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Jane_Carter
Nov 1, 2003
Hi Ralph, We have a Nikon Coolpix 4300 and it is really easy to use. Almost every camera that you can get today from a good manufacturer, will fill the bill. Canon, Olympus, Sony, Kodak, and many more
Go to a local camera store and try some, how is the weight, the shutter delay, the zoom, the feel of the camera and ease of controls. Ignore digital zoom.
You don’t need a lot of the fancy expensive options if she is going to point and shoot. Some have ‘scene’ modes, you just set it to for example ‘landscape’ and start snapping.
I spent a week looking over this site,
<http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html> and there is where I made the decision to get the Nikon Coolpix 990, we still have and use it, but it is heavy.

The prices have dropped dramatically for what you get. For under $350 you can get a wonderful camera.
You will get much more excellent info from all the people here. Jane
RW
Ralph_Ward
Nov 1, 2003
thanks Jane I will look at Steve’s digicams. Your advice, as usual is great.
regards
Ralph W
CS
Chuck_Snyder
Nov 1, 2003
Ralph, you might want to look at the Minolta Dimage S414. That’s the camera used by Barb Wayne (imacgirl), who has taken some absolutely remarkable photos with it. Of course, 90% of the credit must go to the photographer…! In any event, it’s a 4-megapixel camera with prices now hovering around $300. It runs on 4 AA batteries, which of course can be purchased as rechargeables almost anywhere. Great camera, well demonstrated by Barb!

Chuck
JG
Julio_Guerra
Nov 1, 2003
I also suggest www.dpreview.com for a lot of information regarding cmaeras available. Although I own two Sony digital cameras that I love, the Canon Elph series cameras are great because of the size. Your mom could put this in her purse and carry it everywhere without even noticing the weight.
Julio
MM
Michael Moody
Nov 1, 2003
I fell in love with the idea of the Kodak EasyShare systems and bought one of their 3 mp cameras. It stopped operating abount a month later and I waited six weeks for it to come back from the shop. That unit eventually broke again and I got on the wait list for the 6340 (or 6440). They were rather large, but had great features and could be operated by a child or while you were being chased by a bear. The 6340 finally arrived and I was thrilled – it was defective and I had to return it.

I now own an Olympus Stylus 400 (only $50 more than the 300) and wish I had gone there from the beginning. It’s small, almost as simple to operate as the Kodak and much, much better quality. For mom’s casual use, you could probably do well with a 3mp, as that will make high quality 8×10 prints.

wrote in message
My siblings and are going to band together and buy Mom a digital camera. Only requirements are Point and shoot flash available zoom, inexpensive battery requirement…no disposable only’s thanks. Any suggestions?
P.S. I would like 4 meg pixels.
thanks
Ralph W.

LM
Lou_M
Nov 1, 2003
OK, everyone’s going to vote for their favorite camera, so here’s mine. Canon just came out with the A80, a 4-megapixel version of the A70. I have the A70 and think it’s great because of its flexibility. Everything from 100% automated with flash all the way to macro mode, movie mode, shutter priority, aperture priority, panorama assist, and lots more. Oh, and it takes great pictures. 🙂 Here’s more info:

<http://www.powershot.com/powershot2/a80/index.html>
LK
Leen_Koper
Nov 1, 2003
Statement: I don’t own any stock.
Several weeks ago I sold a Fuji camera -I ‘m still a little in retail business as well- with the new chip with extended exposure latitude to a very good friend. Now she is still a very good friend!
The only problem with this camera is that she is constantly mailing new images to me.

I ‘m amazed what this small camera can achieve; because of its wider latitude it is more forgiving than other digital cameras when it comes to capturing extremely contrasty situations like in bright sunlight.

BTW, Lou, I also own an A70 and use it for passport photos. It is indeed an excellent camara. So, an extra vote. 😉

Leen
BB
Bert_Bigelow
Nov 2, 2003
Another vote for the Canon A70/A80. I just bought an A70 for my wife to take on her next trip to Africa. I’ve been doing some comparison shots in the back yard with it, taking identical shots with my Oly E20 and my Nikon CP 950. The little Canon beats the old Nikon by a mile in color and resolution, and it compares very well to the much more expensive 5 megapixel E20. I am very impressed! The A70 is on sale here locally for $279. It’s only 3.2 megapix, though. I haven’t priced the 4 mp A80. Probably about a hundred bucks more.
Bert
R
Ray
Nov 2, 2003
My previous cam was a Powershot A20, from Canon. It served me well untill my needs changed from P&S
to SLR. I regret selling since then, though, because carrying the big SLR is not an easy task, when
compared with the lightness of the A20.. 🙂

Ray
I
imacgirl
Nov 2, 2003
Hi Chuck,

Thanks…what an enthusiastic review. How do you want that check made out? 😉

Ralph, here’s <http://www.steves-digicams.com/2003_reviews/s414.html> a review of the Minolta Dimage S414. If you click on imacgirl, all my galleries at PBase (excluding the black & white and animations) were shot with that camera.

Hope you find a camera that makes her happy, a lovely gift indeed.

Barb
CS
Chuck_Snyder
Nov 2, 2003
Hi, Barb: My son wants a digital camera for Christmas, and the Minolta S414 is at the top of the short list – in spite of this being a Canon family (2 35mm, 3 digitals)

🙂

Chuck
LK
Leen_Koper
Nov 3, 2003
In my opinion almost all cameras of Fuji, Canon, Minolta, Olympus and other traditional manufacturers are OK. Some "non traditionals" often try to sell cameras by means of adding of a lot of gadgets no one ever needs.
It is just a matter of checking which features one really needs and then it ‘s just up to the best price.

Sometimes it might be useful to check which cards the other members of the household use; this might save quite some money as usually you don’t need these cards at the same time.

Leen
PA
Patti_Anderson
Nov 3, 2003
If it were my mom…I’d buy her the Olympus Stylus 400. Mind you I do not own one, but I was thinking about getting my daughter one, so I’ve read the reviews. It’s easy to use (the sliding lens cap would be a real plus) and not too many gadgets. All the reviews I’ve read say it takes great pics. It’s tough and waterproof, but also compact and portable. AND…although it is not important to some people, it looks very stylish. Steve’s digicam site gives it a very good review and he is very picky!

<http://www.steves-digicams.com/2003_reviews/stylus400.html>
GD
Grant_Dixon
Nov 3, 2003
Ralph

There are many good suggestions here and I can’t give you any one brands over another but here is a suggestion. When purchasing a camera, consider its size and how it will fit into the new photographer’s hands. One Christmas my wife wanted a new camera. I originally thought of one of those tiny cameras that could fit into a shirt pocket and I was about to buy one when I remembered … . My wife has a touch of arthritis and I thought the controls of a very small camera could have been a problem to adjust. So I picked one that would fit well in her average size hands, so that she could access the controls easier. Then I bought her a shirt with slightly bigger pockets. Seriously consider the camera based on your mothers needs and how she will use it. Too small or too large can creat problems for the user.

Grant
SB
Stu_Bloom
Nov 3, 2003
Which Fuji model, Leen?
BB
Bert_Bigelow
Nov 3, 2003
Leen makes a good point about trying to minimize card types, although it probably does not apply in the case of Ralph’s mother.
It was a definite consideration when I bought the Canon A70 because I wanted a camera that used CF cards…which both my other cameras use.
That’s why I did not buy the Oly Stylus 400 which Patti recommended. I loved the camera, but it uses xD cards which I find too small and I fear they would be easy to lose. Also, they are currently more expensive around here for comparable sizes.
I also like cameras that use standard batteries…all mine use AA’s. Not only are they usually cheaper, but also if you need emergency supplies on the road you need go no further than the closest drug or department store.
Bert
JF
Jodi_Frye
Nov 3, 2003
loving my Fuji S5000 !

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