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Ok I need all the input I can get for a camera. I know next to nothing about digital cameras. Now I promised myself that this month I would buy one.

My grandkids both have Easy Share cameras but I would like to try something other then that as I don't want them to get into and see Carol Ann.

I have been looking at them an am lost as what to buy to keep the price below $200.00

Also I would like to keep the kids out of it. I have used their Easy Share to down load a photo or two but put them in my pictures as it is protected.

So any help I can get I would love you forever

Most digital cameras are fine these days.

The higher the megapixals the higher the resolution and better quality picture. But its is only neccessary if printing the picture.

So a 1 to 2 megapixel camera is fine. Make sure it has a memory card, that way you can take out the card and not worry about the pictures being seen.

Pictures on the Internet are seen at 72 to 76 dpi (dots per inch). Most digital cameras have a setting for web/internet/email so you don't have to fool with a program like Adobe to change the resolution of the picture.

Go to http://www.slickdeals.net wait it out and you will be able to get a 4-6megapixel camera in your price range, easily.

I'm not a camera expert but I do know a little about them. Here's a good site to check out as I have had good luck dealing with them for other things :www. geeks.com They seem to have a lot of sales on some very nice cameras.

Good Luck,
Danette

It sounds like you've gotten plenty of advice about where you can get a good deal, but picking a camera can definitely be a challenge. Don't worry so much about megapixels - they're anything but a reliable prediction of image quality. So many other things influence image quality (sensor size, sensitivity, noise characterstics, lens quality, etc.) that you're better off finding a reputable source of reviews.

I really like http://www.dpreview.com. Check out their buyer's guide for a quick way to find cameras in your price range.

One tip? Don't fall for the camera with the most features. Finding a camera that makes it easy to take decent pictures should be your first priority - all kinds of extras can get in the way and make it hard to learn to the basics.

Hi Carol Ann,

On the hunt for a clicker, eh? Maybe these pages will help. I found them all by Googling "digital camera buying guide"

This site is good; it has many side-by-side tests and comparisons that I find very useful:
The Imaging Resource

The following is also a site I recommend for beginners. Please note, Carol Ann, that it has a few pages:
Cnet's Digital Camera Buying Guide

Once you've learned a little bit about the various features of digital cameras, you can go to this site to find one that has those features that you want or need:
Digital Photography Review's Buying Guide Search Engine

Here's another useful site (that also extends for a few pages):
PC Magazine's Digital Camera Comparison Chart ($200-$300)

As Donna said, I think the prime consideration should be resolution and memory capacity. My camera, for example, is an older Canon PowerShot G2 with a 4.0 Megapixel resolution and a 1 Gigabyte removable memory card I purchased separately. Just to give you an idea of what this combination can do, here's a little chart:

At its lowest resolution setting (SMALL=640x480 pixels), its highest data compression setting (H), and in .jpeg format, I can store 8,663 low-resolution photos on my card. These photos aren't really meant for the printer, though, as they pixelate quite easily.

At its highest resolution setting (LARGE=2272x1704 pixels), its lowest data compression setting (L), and still in .jpeg format, I can store 477 high-quality, professional printer-ready photos.

In .raw format (the most uncompressed digital photo format possible), I can store 336 photos on my card. These photos are ready to be processed through the most sophisticated photo manipulation software available, as they're in extremely high resolution. However, not all user-friendly imaging software (such as Picasa, for example) can handle the .raw format. The most widely used format remains .jpeg because it compresses the digital data enough to enable people to transmit their photos to others over the internet without losing too much image quality in the process.

A word about pixels and megapixels.

A pixel is a unit of measurement that refers to an image's resolution. The word is a contraction of "picture element." A pixel is the basic building block of digital images. If you want to see what resolution does, try this little experiment:

Assuming you're using a Windows PC, right-click on any free area of your desktop; in the pop-up menu, select Properties; on the window that appears, select the Settings tab; find the Screen Resolution box and move the slider to the left (in other words, lower your screen resolution, say, from 800x600 pixels to 480x640 pixels) and click OK (make sure you slide it to the left, not to the right--your graphics card may not be able to support higher resolutions and you may crash your display, requiring a computer restart); your screen will now be in a lower resolution. Every icon on your desktop will appear a little bigger but also a little more fuzzy (check out the icons in the taskbar's tray area, too--they now look like crap)... low resolution = low quality image. This happens because there are now less pixels to work with in a given square inch of your screen. If you do the math, an 800x600 pixel display has a total of 480,000 pixels whereas a 480x640 pixel display has only 307,200 pixels. In order to regain your original screen resolution, just repeat the procedure, but this time sliding the bar to the right, back to its original position.

The point of all this is to illustrate what pixels are and what resolution means. Digital cameras work in exactly the same way. The higher the number of pixels it can "capture" when you take a photo, the better the quality and sharpness of that photo will be. In my case, as I said, I have a 4 Megapixel camera (mega = "million") so that means my camera can process a total of 4,000,000 pixels whenever I take a photo. You should be able, given your price range, Carol Ann, to find a 4, and possibly a 5, Megapixel camera with a few extra features, to boot.

As a person with some printing experience, you're no doubt aware that print shops usually require that .jpeg files handed to them have at least 275 or 300 ppi (or pixels per inch) in order for the printed product to come out as clear and as sharp as possible. And that's very much "at least" (I usually hand in .jpegs that are 400 to 600 ppi when I need them professionally printed). By contrast, the photos you see on your computer screen (including forum avatars and gallery shots) are usually, as Donna has said, in the 72 to 96 ppi range--enough to see clearly on a computer screen but not enough to make for a quality print. Even then, it's possible to "save" low-resolution pix by processing them through imaging software. Possible, but iffy. Best to start with high-res pix to begin with. And this is where your camera's resolution range will be of utmost importance.


Anyway, I hope some of this technical mumbo-jumbo helps you out a little. I'm sure others here will be able to help you out, as well. But be sure to check out some of those web sites.

Love,
CJ

Oh MY ,
Gee all I want is a camera to take some pictures of Carol Ann and be able to upload them. My biggest concern is will it have a timer so I can take my own photos as the wife doesn't like to take pictures of Carol Ann. But I thank you all for the information as I am still lost . Hell I'll just buy a stink'in camera.

Hi Carol Ann
I have an Olympus,model # FE-170 6 megapixel with a timer and I bought it Office Max on sale for $148 and they had a 512 memory card for free. You can put the card in some of the new printers or connect directly to the PC. It's so easy even a printer can use it! I'm living proof. I go crazy with it! It's my second one. Marley knocked the first one off the kitchen table and broke it!Hugs

Love
Jeannie

PS Forget the digital camera Hon. I have a 14 x 20 vertical process camera and I'll give it to you. It only weighs 550 lbs. I'll throw in the developing sink and contact frame and light table. How could you pass that up! Free!

Hi Carol Ann,

A couple of evenings ago I attended a free photography seminar given by a local electronics store.

From what I have read so far, you have narrowed your intended use for your camera.

Here is my interpretation:

You want to mostly take mostly indoor self portraits using a timer on the camera;

After the pictures are taken, you want to upload the pictures to your computer for viewing on the computer, possibly posting in the forum photo gallery and making new avatar pictures;

If you were going to print pictures they probably would not be much bigger than 4x6 or 5x7;

You do NOT want a Kodak Easy SHARE for privacy reasons.


Now some suggestions:

1) Almost all digital cameras have a self timer feature, usually 10 seconds max to press the button, run back in front, and pose - the self timer time would be an important feature for you;

2) The camera should be aimed accurately and held steady, so after you experiment with homemade rests (beanbags, etc.) you might want to eventually consider getting a tripod if the homemade ones don't work;

3) If you think you would ever want to use your camera to take general pictures (example - one of your grandchildren or fishing buddies catches a whopper and your grand children's Kodaks aren't available and you want to record it) then the camera should have a size and shape that is easy to hold steady in your hand with the controls (at least the shutter button) easy to get to.

4) For privacy reasons if you choose to do option 3, you may want to consider having at least 2 memory cards - one for Carol Anne pics that you store in a safe place and a general use one in the camera and ready to go.

If you are planning to go to a retail store to look for a camera, Walmart and other stores should have them tethered at a counter where you can pick them up and and get a feel for how comfortable, natural, and convenient the different shapes and sizes are in your hand.

There are a number of photography hobbyists on the forum, so if you have further questions, please post them and you should get answers.

Jadeanne

Hi all,

Carol Ann,

Jadeanne's suggestions are good. Keep separate memory cards for your general photos and your Carol Ann photos (by the way, be aware that it's possible to make some folders on your PC hidden so they do not appear to potential casual snoopers).

Also, a self-timer feature is much more useful when used in conjunction with a remote control shutter (which many cameras come equipped with in the box).

Another useful feature of many cameras: reversible, swing-out displays. These allow you to see yourself as you take the photo. Here's a pic of my hoary old G2; it has such a display.



Again, Jadeanne has a good point; a tripod is almost a necessity for self-portraits. You can even buy tiny, portable ones that you just sit on a table or a bookshelf.



Good luck!

Love,
CJ

Jadeanne:
Thank you I have a tri pod from my 35mm camera. I know I will have to use it to take my photos.

CJ:
I never had or know what a remote control shutter is, will have to look into it.
Thanks for the tip on hidden files I will have to go to the help menu to find out how to do that.
If that works I can go ahead and get an Easy Share as the program is already loaded into my pc. It's the privacy thing I am worry about. The wife knows but my grandchildren don't know about Carol Ann.

Carol,
May I suggest storing photos on a CD-rw instead of your hard drive. That way images can be "locked" away from little eyes. And it is protection from the possible loss of everything due to hard disk failure.
rr

Rikki wrote:May I suggest storing photos on a CD-rw instead of your hard drive.

If you're a Mac girl you can also easily set up an encrypted disk image. Once created it looks just like a big file on your drive that nobody can read without the password. Provide the password, though, and it looks like another readable/writable disk on your system until you "eject" it. Very handy for keeping prying eyes out of your photo collection.

I'd be happy to provide instructions if this would be useful.

Go to steve's digicams for reviews on almost every digital camera ever made
plus they talk about what you should look for in a camera

http://www.steves-digicams.com/

Hope this helps
Nancy

Thanks Rikki, good idea.

Nancy, thanks for the link I will give it a look