DigiCam Help
 

OK, its time to seriously look into a QUALITY DigiCam.

Lets start out without a price range, and just see what's out there that you have used, liked, hated, etc...

But with that, I am looking for quality + cost effectiveness...

Any help?

Best would be to go to a store and have them let you try their display models. If they don't let you then go to a different store.

What are you looking for in terms of specs? (pixel count, battery type, memory type...)

Without a price range? Your best bet for amazing pictures would be a DSLR. They work the same as their film counterparts, only instead of film they capture the photo using a digital sensor (obvioiusly). You're looking into a $1000 plus camera once you buy the lens but the quality is awesome. As for a model to check out, I've heard nothing but good things about the Nikon D70. I believe the price on it is starting to drop too, I saw the entire outfit for sale at Best Buy for ~$1k when it was $1200 before. On that note, if you wanna play with some DSLRs, Best Buy carries a few different models in their stores.

Check out http://www.dpreview.com for reviews of digital camers.

Been there, done that, got the tee-shirt blah blah blah...

Im looking for personal experiences/suggestions on cameras.

You know, like wow this D70 is hot, or man the Digital Rebel is a nice camera, but had some shortcomings, etc...

I want a camera that will take great pictures, that will be at least good enough for 8x10 prints.

not sure what pixel range this puts me in, and I have always leaned towards the DSLRs... its just a matter of justification, and then again, if there was something close in picture quality, and not nearly as expensive as the DSLRs, then that would be an option as well.

bumped for the edit of the previous post.

My next door neighbor just got a Nikon D70 and it is very, very nice - so nice that my wife - the professional photographer in the family - want one (doesn't hurt that we're already a Nikon-based family...). Another possibility is Fuji's digital SLR -- don't have the model number on me, but a very serious professional photographer friend of ours swears by his - he's even switching over from his Hasselblads for his wedding photography work! :cool:
-Bill
ps. all of my locker pics have been taken with a Nikon CoolPix 950 - no longer available, but I think you might be able to pic up a 950 or 990 on EBay

I agree. I recently bought a Canon Digital Rebel. I was able to save a little because I already have lenses to fit the camera, but even with a 2GB Microdrive it came to less than $1000. It's a really, really nice camera.

But if you don't know or want to know anything about SLRs (which is fine), then I'd recommend a point-and shoot. Brands I've used and recommend include Canon, Sony and Kodak. Don't skimp out. Buy something nice. I recommend a camera with a metal frame (aluminum, magnesium or steel) for durability.

Memory format is pretty much irrelevant. SD seems pretty popular lately.

The Digital Rebel is a good choice for the casual user wanting to get into the world of DSLR, but for a serious photographer the D70 is the way to go in the prosumer/entry level professional segment. I've talked to one person who said that the Rebel had a lot of shutter slap, and from dpreview I read that it writes to the card slower so the cache gets full quicker and the speed at which you can take photos slows down. They're both nitpicky issues that dont really affect functionality that badly, but some people are perfectionists and they might be turned off.

One thing to think about is whether or not you already have a certain brand of lenses, because as you know if you've researched DSLRs or SLRs even the lenses are pretty expensive (think upwards of $200). So if you have a few Canon lenses, a Digital Rebel or 10D might be a better investment for you. If you have Nikon lenses, a D70 or D100 might be the best.

any suggestions for under $300? I'm hearing birds outside my window..cheap cheap cheap! :D I could maybe spend $400