I am considering getting a Digitial Camera and was wondering which I should get.
Price Range is about $500 to $600 Canadian or slightly more.
Thanks

FujiFilm Finepix 2800 Zoom
It's a pretty good all around camera. The newer models in the series probably have more features and higher resolution... but the one I've got works great, and 2.0 megapixels is enough for me!!! :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)
You can see some pictures that were taken using the macro mode in my Armorama MSN gallery. Click on the link to 'Yoda's Hut" below..



YodaMan

Thanks for the advice

Because there are soooooooo many options out there now - they change nearly daily in the digi. arena, you might want to go check out a site like this: Digital Camera Reviews

Personally, I like the Nikon Coolpix series.

I have a Fujifilm FinePix 1400 zoom with 3x Optical Zoom, 1.3 mega pix and does have a timer to eliminate the 'shakes'. Mounted on a cheap tripod too.

It's ok altho I'm not 100% pleased with the pictures that I have taken. Seems like it has it's good days and bad. I use the blue photoflood lights (2) when shooting up close. It does take great not-so-close-ups, but I do have some difficulties taking close-ups with it.

I've never been a photographer, and I'm sure that 'operator error' does play a significant part in my photo shoots. Then again, maybe it's the Bacardi. #:-)

Thanks,
Kevin Keefe
Mortars in Miniature

We have a Nikon CoolPix 2500 - we absolutely love it. Some model pics I've taken are at http://www.metroweb.co.za/~claymore/scalemodel/ - though the pics have been resized downward, to 400 or 500 pixels wide.

I found this site very useful: http://www.steves-digicams.com/

I have a Sony FD 95 which takes up to 2.1 megapixel pics and stores them on a floppy disk or floppy disk adapter with a memory stick. The only place it is weak is action shots because there's a slight lag from the instant you start to lock the mage in and when you actually get it in hte camera. It does superb close ups and feels like a real SLR camera with a normal and LCD viewfinder. The current generation of this camera uses a mini CD to record images. All the pics in the album below are taken with this, mostly with a couple incandescnt bulbs and a neutral backdrop on my workbench.

Hi

We bought an Olympus Camedia Brio 150

It has 3X optical zoom, and we got it with a 64MB card, battery charger etc.
It takes good photos, has a macro function (to get nice and close to the kit!) and lots of light level/flash options.
I haven't read the manual, and we're doing OK with it.

At my last job I was in charge of the 'department' camera which I chose. It was a Casio 3500, with 512MB harddrive (one of those IBM hyperdrives), and it was sweet. It probably costs more than you want to spend, but it had a nice zoom lens, and super Macro functions.

Go for as much optical zoom as you can afford is my advice. Digital zoom does the same as zooming in on any document on your computer. Optical zoom is the only way to actually increase resolution. I don't notice much difference between pics taken with our 1Megapixel camera and the 2Megapixel one I used before.

Cheers
Andy

Thanks for all of the advice everyone. The more I look into them, the more confused I get. I have tried friends digital cameras and was impressed so now all that is left is to get one. If only I could make up my mind which one to get...
Andrew

And of course the perfect cheap camera will be on the market within a couple of weeks of your purchase...

Cheers
Andy

Just like a new processor will be out the day after you buy that hot rod computer and most frustrating of all, 3 new ,accurate and simple interpretations of that elaborate, heavily researched:-[ ] scratchbuilding project will stealthily hit the shelves just as you put the finishing touches on it.

Try doing it like this.

Decide what the max amount of money you want to spend is.

Decide what features are essential, and which are desirable. For example, for us, 2 megapixels, optical zoom, macro mode (close up), rechargeable battery, and at least 64MB memory card were essential. Desirable were small size, non-Sony memory cards (Sony is proprietary and expensive), and digital zoom.

Then tour your local camera shops, and ask them to demonstrate their cameras. That's what sold us on the Nikon CoolPix 2500 - we had the features and the cool rotating lens demonstrated. You can also get a good feel for the cameras - some felt "cheap" or flimsy.

Finally, we took into consideration the reputation of the manufacturers - and frankly, I would rather get a camera from a company that makes cameras primarily rather than printers - it's easy to get the digital technology right, but getting decent lenses etc is a different matter.

Some of the Fujis in our price range looked good, the Canons were nice but expensive, I wouldn't touch an HP, the Nikons were nice, the Sonys were nice but a bit too proprietary (and seemed harder to find), and just about everything else seemed like rubbish, or way too expensive. We eventually settled on the Nikon because it ad all the features we needed, is compact, and came with a free 64MB memory card in addition to the standard 16MB. So far we haven't been disappointed.

Hey Claymore,

That is perfect advice in a nutshell!

Andy

Claymore has it right. Something I pay attention to is how the camera feels in my hands... if you are choosing between two (or more) cameras with roughly equivalent price and features, go with the one that "feels" the best for whatever reason. I strongly concur that buying a camera from a camera maker with a long history of designing lenses is more likely going get you better glass than a someone who just dabbles in digital cameras as a sideline to sell more printers. The I enjoy most about digital photography is being able to blast away taking dozens of pix without worrying about what's it going to cost to development and see the prints. And in your pricing for the degital cameras, you mioght also want to factor in the cost of the software for manipulating the images; the freebies that come with the cameras will get you started, but won't take you very far.

Actually Kevin, I have the same problem(s) too. I have the FujiFilm FinePix 1300. What helped me was taking the focal length instructions and drawing them onto a piece of scrap plastic tubing - kinda like my very own artillery ranging pole. I have the minimum, maximum, and optimum (middle) marked on the tube. I find I can't get consistently good shots closer than 4 inches from the subject. Five inches is the best, and 6 inches is the furthest I can get away from the subject and get consistent results in Macro Mode. The 1300 is heavily dependent on the lighting conditions too - seemingly too many incandescent bulbs and not enough natural sunlight really makes obtaining good pictures difficult. Adobe Photoshop helps with color balance and correction, but when the natural lighting conditions are on - the shots come out nicely.

Gunnie

hei i use more olympus cameras and i use them hard and they work perfectly

I bought a Olympus Camedia D-40zoom. It has 4.0 megapixel so you get pictures that look like the pros. It is a little spendy but worth it. It cost around $580, US, and comes with a 16mb card. I spent another $80 on a 128mb card and can take 200 some pictures before the card is full!!( 3 weeks later it went on sale for $28 ) Its a very small and compact, I can put it in my shirt pocket!! But all around its a great camera.

Ditto!

Just came from another thread where I stated to the affect " maybe Santa will bring me a digital camera". Having read this thread, I think Santa's got an idea which one it will be!
(:-) (:-) (:-)

Tread.