12 Megapixels W/5x Optical ?

[Steve D.]

Was just wondering if any one had some guidelines when picking out a new digital camera . I'd like to keep the price below 300 dollars if possible . Right now I'm lookig at three possibilities : 1 Sony 7.1 pxl 10X optical zoom : 2 Fuji 8.0 pxl 10X optical zoom : 3 Kodak 12.0 pxl 5X optical zoom . The Sony and the Fuji have the better lens while the Kodak has the better resolution . Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated , TIA Steve D.

[Gregg]

Steve, thanks for writing.

There are just a couple of things to look for in a new digital camera

First off, you want to be able to have control over the functions of the camera, not just Auto, Program, and "Hope This Works"

You want to find a camera that has these settings, besides automatic: TV, AV and M

With the new cameras, you can great results using AV, which is Aperture Priority.

You also want to find a camera that has high of an aperture opening as possible, the higher the number, the better.

I can get by with an F8, but an F11 would be better.

You can also check to see what the zoom will do to the F-Stop. Sometimes, when you zoom in, it goes up to a higher F-Stop, for better depth of field

I bought a used Canon G3 off eBay for $80.

Here is a test shot using nothing more than two Wally World flood lamps

I will check on the specs of the cameras you are looking at.

[Aaronw]

I have a Cannon S3IS I have been pretty happy with. It is 6mp with a 12x optical zoom. In manual mode it allows adjustment of the Fstop and shutter speed. It was a bit higher than your listed price, I think I paid $350 or so, but Cannon brought out the S5IS earlier this year, so you can probably find one marked down since its the older model.

Of course if you can find a deal like Gregg did its hard to go wrong with an $80 camera that takes good pics.

[Gregg]

I have to agree with Aaron, but I am biased :-)

He let me use his Canon at the IPMS Nationals and I was very impressed!

I was able to control his camera through my notebook just by plugging it in.

I enjoyed working with Aaron's camera.

That's one of the one's I would get, but this G3 was a deal I couldn't pass up

Thanks, Aaron!

And Merry Christmas to you and your wife.