Digital camera - advice please for techno-phobe :)

My self-appointed budget conscience from up North has granted me permission to think about getting a digital camera. []

I want it for taking photos of small rellies (maybe some big ones, but the small ones are more photogenic) and lsb things - calves and hoggets and pasture etc.

What's the minimum I can get away with spending, what should I look for, and is it worth considering second-hand (in which case I would need very detailed instructions LOL)? TIA.

I have been very pleased with my purchases via parallel imported..or the ferrit shops and in todays camera prices $299 is plenty to spend probably even less.. and that came with one of those digital photo frames, with the movie sequence and a 21/2 in viewer.. that was as a pressy to my daughter.. Ive forgotten all the other things it did.
Im sorry Id never go second hand for a digital, but maybe if you were wanting a SLR, then dats OK [manual]
AND before I buy on line I then go to the google search and check it out as to its SWOT before hitting the buy now button

We have a digital SLR, Cannon 350 something or other. Makes great pix and is easy to use.

Diane

We have a Fujifilm S8000fd great camera 18x zoom 8.0 mega pixels. It is really idot proof :confused:as I can take good photoes and get animals from long way off:rolleyes:

You guys aren't getting the 'techno-phobe' bit. [] So far the only words I recognise are '$299', 'easy to use' and, my personal favourite, 'idiot proof'. :confused::confused::confused:

Hehe HD, maybe pop into Jonathan's camera and video (cnr George and St Andrew Sts). When I was looking for a camera they were great, got good cash discount too! I'm very pleased with my camera, although I'm one of those people that take 100's of photos when I remember (all in the space of a day or less), then don't take any for months!

Digital SLR--digital camera, acts like a normal 35mm camera (you have to hold it up to your eye and snap, like a normal camera, but you don't have to load/unload film). I can't use those cameras that require you to pop out a screen and try and read the symbols, or that you hold about a foot from your eye to take the photo.

Diane

For a technophobe who just wants good snaps I would reccomend the kodak easyshare C743. My ex landlady brought one so she had the same camera as me and could e-mail me questions when she went on a month long trip to the USA[:0]. They are very easy to use, have a 7.1 mega pixel reolution ( the more mega pixels the better the quality) and it can do short movies as well and fits in a jeans pocket. I carry mine everywhere and use it for the shots that would only be a memory by the time I get my SLR set up. Cost is currently around $200 from the whare whare plas memory card...A 1 GB card will do most users for a month away from a computer...I've got 4 x 2 GB ones but then I do sometimes take 700 pics a day at cutting horse shows

Sony cybershot, extremely easy to use.

Hi HD,

we have six digital cameras in the family - Canon, Canon SLR, Fuji, Kodak and Sony - and all of them are easy to use and take great pictures.

Sorry, NZA - but I think its nostalgia having an SLR because of the viewer. The smaller models take great pictures, too, are lighter, have a better zoom without having to change lenses, and the Kodak cameras have a viewer, too.

I'd go for a small camera from a reputable manufacturer like Sony, Canon, Kodak and the likes with 5 Megapixels or more. You pay extra for the tiny models or for cameras with those new batteries that don't develop a memory.

I wouldn't buy second hand because you don't know where the camera has been. Basically - once it's been in a tropical climate the electronic may be faulty because of the humidity there.

I reckon you should get a good digital camera for just over 100 Dollars - the technological advances are breathtaking and what was the latest model a year ago is sold today as 'Special'.

This article is a good one for beginners. If you then click here , there's another good piece of information for "techno phobes", all from Consumer, so it's independent information.

Some great advice here, others have covered it pretty well, but just to clarify a couple of points:

Simkin;192458 wrote: Sorry, NZA - but I think its nostalgia having an SLR because of the viewer.

Yes, I would agree with that. Our current digital camera is a compact-sized Canon with large LCD screen on the back and optical viewfinder, like the old film cameras used to have.

I made sure to buy one with a separate viewfinder because on previous digital cameras, I have struck the odd situation where the external LCD just wasn't bright enough, and the internal electronic viewfinder used a low-resolution LCD so that it wasn't clear enough to see what you were shooting.

Hence, I thought an optical viewfinder was good insurance for those occasional shots in bright sunlight. However, the external LCD on the Canon is just so bright I have hardly ever used the viewfinder, so unless you are doing something pretty unusual, it probably isn't necessary with a good/modern camera.

Simkin;192458 wrote: I'd go for a small camera from a reputable manufacturer like Sony, Canon, Kodak and the likes with 5 Megapixels or more. You pay extra for the tiny models or for cameras with those new batteries that don't develop a memory.

I have had a Sony and found that it produced very noisy pictures, especially in low-light, and the Auto-Focus was slow.

Fuji are pretty good, I have had a couple of those. But for my money, CANON is the best. I wouldn't recommend Kodak, their technology lags at least one or two years behind the Japanese manufacturers.

5 or 6 Megapixels should be plenty for a "techno-phobe".

All decent Digital Cameras have had Lithium-Ion batteries for at least 2 years now. They are the ones without the memory effect. Don't buy anything without Lithium-Ion batteries. Some older/larger cameras used the rechargeable AA cells. Best to avoid them as they are just too heavy and don't last long enough.

Simkin;192458 wrote: I wouldn't buy second hand because you don't know where the camera has been. Basically - once it's been in a tropical climate the electronic may be faulty because of the humidity there.

Yes, I would agree with that. New cameras are quite cheap now, and you get a warranty with them.

Simkin;192458 wrote: I reckon you should get a good digital camera for just over 100 Dollars - the technological advances are breathtaking and what was the latest model a year ago is sold today as 'Special'.

Maybe $200 would be better for a 6 Megapixel camera with a decent lens.

Try and get something like this:

- At least 3x Optical Zoom (ignore Digital, it doesn't count)
- Lithium Ion battery
- 6 or 8 Megapixel
- I would recommend a Canon, or Fuji as a second choice

On Saturday I bought the most simple (but decent) camera I could find - a panasonic "Lumix" LS80 digi camera - with the hope that my techno-phobe hubby would be able to use it.

It was $199 and looks lovely and basic - it has a power switch, a BIG and obvious button to take the photo, with the zoom thing next to it. All the other features are hidden so he won't get confused.

Buy one that you can recharge, avoid one that uses a battery, they're just a waste of time. Find a deal that gives you a free memory stick too.

GK I got my fuji instead of canon as more zoom and main thing $200 cheaper also 12months to pay intrest free has auto focus good for me LOL came withh 2GB card free