You can also look on CNET.com They have alot of information on all digital cameras, just used the information collected on the site to purchase a digital camcorder.

 

I will also recommend dpreview.com. I recently had good luck buying from onecall.com. Their prices are competitive, especially for the main items like cameras and camcorders, and they are an authorized dealer so you get US warranties. But, you always want to shop around.

I started in digital with a Nikon Coolpix camera (3 Mpixel). Nice little camera, takes great photos, and I've had them enlarged to 11x14. Depending on the subject, you can get some decent enlargements from 3MP up. What many people forget when recommending resolution, though, is cropping. The greater the resolution, the more you can crop to turn an ordinary photo into something special. So, I always shoot at the maximum resolution and the best JPEG quality.

I recently bought a Canon Digital Rebel. I've been anxiously awaiting a digital SLR with a reasonable pricetag. I'm sure we'll be seeing many more of them before long.

On the question of formats, resolutions, quality, etc... JPEG is a lossy compression format, meaning you lose information in order to achieve a smaller file size. Digital cameras give you options as to the tradeoff between loss of information (quality) and size. They will also typically have a lossless option. On many cameras, that is uncompressed TIFF. On some (e.g. Canon), there is something they call "RAW" which is a proprietary form which has some lossless compression. RAW has other properties, too, allowing you to postpone certain decisions such as white balance.

All the choices and information can be daunting. But you don't need to understand it all right away to take decent photos.

Like others, I also recommend having a card reader for your computer. Connecting the camera to the computer just to download pictures is sort of silly. This also lets you easily put images back onto a card if you want to take it to Walmart or Sams to have real photo prints made.

Finally, for software, I recommend Paint Shop Pro by Jasc. This is a full-featured photo editing program which will even use Photoshop plug-ins at about 1/4 the price of Photoshop. However, if you don't intend to do anything beyond fixing red-eye, cropping, or simple adjustments, other programs will suffice. You'll probably get something at this level with the camera.

Good luck and enjoy! Digital photography is a blast!
Tony

 

I have a Fuji S602 which I think great. It's been replaced this year by the S7000, which uses the new type memory chip and has a greater Pixel (6.3 effective) rating. It's has a good zoom range 35-210mm equivalent. with a 6x Optical and 4x digital. It is always top rated in the Photo mags. If you haven't decided yet, take a look at it...

Also the S5000 is similar, but at a lower price...

 

mntony,

Thank you for explaining things for me (and others). Great job! Are you a teacher? After reading what you wrote, I feel better about all the stuff I don't know. I will learn. Great point about cropping and enlarging. I do usually crop my stuff before enlarging so it makes sense that I should get the higher megs. My sister tried to talk me into fewer but she only shoots and sends via E-mail. I am planning on the card reader too after Ralper and Pas2k's discussion.

I'll also get another through the lens flash, since I do take people pictures. My 15 year-old son went to his first dress up dance last night, a Winter Ball. A suit and tie with a pretty girl in red!! Gotta wait to kill the roll of film!

Paint shop pro? I'll have to give that a look too.

Thanks a bunch Tony!

 

Tonky, Fastrack and delliot,
Thanks for your views too! It's all good.

 

For getting prints done, I use the Kodak PhotoCenter through COSTCO.COM. You can store up to 500 photos up there for free, as long as you make a purchase evey 6 months (with a no-13-month old in the house, that's not hard). Basic 4x6 prints are $0.24 each, so prices are good, and both times I ordered I received the prints within 4-5 business days (they say allow up to 2 weeks). Quality is great. If you belong to CostCo, it's a good way to go.

JonasM

 

Kryas,

Not a teacher but an engineer. Been into the photo hobby on and off for a long time, though.

There are several places online to have prints made. I know Sams has good prices and sounds like Costco does, too. I've had good luck with Ezprints.com.

But for 4x6 up to 8x10, I've started going to Sam's one hour photo department in the local store. Great prices and good turnaround. They have a machine that lets you enter your order that reads all flash memory devices and CDs. Down side is waiting behind the woman using the reader software to crop and reduce red eye in 200 photos! I think Walmart also has this setup.

Tony

 

Thanks Jonas. I'll bet you do take lots of pictures with a 13 month old. Could you post one of your favorites in the name of promoting digital camera use?? What a great way to go with digitals there instead of film.

My local 1-hour photo at Costco just put in some card reader for prints but I've never paid attention since I don't have a digital. I'll see what they can do too.

 

Tony, engineers are cool, in general. I did meet one huge a$$ when I worked as a Flight Test Data Analysis engineer on the Tomahawk cruisemissile but most everyone else were nice, calm, inteligent people. Now I have to go check out your profile to see if it says what you do.

edit: OK, I checked and it doesn't say but I think you posted it somewhere before. You must be in the younger 40 year-old range, cause you don't look very old for Vintage. Where's the white beard? Or maybe you use an old picture? My 46 year old husband is getting lots of white lately, (and it's not because of me).

 

Canon Rebel DSLR for < $1000 is the best camera you can buy for that price range. Interchangable lenses (standard Canon AF), f-stops, shutter speed the works. A real digital SLR.