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Digital Cameras....which to buy?

CS8161CS8161 Member Posts: 13,596 ✭✭✭
edited July 2002 in General Discussion
I am looking for a simple, basic digital camera to post photos of my auctions on Gunbroker. I know nothing about digital cameras and don't want to spend a lot of money. Can anyone recommend an inexpensive (around 250-300) camera?
Thanks
Chris

Chris8161
Admit nothing, deny everything, demand proof!
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Comments

  • NighthawkNighthawk Member Posts: 12,022 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Chris have you looked on Ebay? Sunday night my better half was doing some so called (viewing) you know how that is.Any way she showed me some Electronics she had found and they had some Sony Cameras on their from $100.00 to $150.00.A friend of mine bought one before last Christmas and it would only hold 14 pictures then you had to down load to your PC or erase.I liked it because it would let you view your pictures as you took them.But these on Ebay were much better they would store many more pictures.And view and edit pictures your not happy with.Was the best prices Ive seen And the Sonys take very sharp pictures.

    Best!!

    Rugster
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  • offerorofferor Member Posts: 8,625 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    Chris --
    Strangely enough, your best expert may be the guy at the camera counter. You want features, more than fancy brand name. Tell them you want something reliable with maybe one megapixel of resolution. You could get by with 640x480, but the cheapest ones are probably in the one megapixel range nowadays. I would be most interested in two features -- first, a small digital view screen so you can see what the camera sees, in color when you take your shots. You need that to get reliable framing and lighting of your subject.

    Second, I would get one with a "macro" capability. Lots of auctions require close-ups of details. Lots of auction items are small things like gun parts, or class rings, or jewelry. So get one that can shoot a clear picture from a few inches away.

    Other than that, there are a lot of good brands out there, from Kodak to Olympus to Panasonic to Canon. If your computer has USB ports, you can get one that doesn't require special memory sticks, but if you do get memory sticks, make sure they're cheap to buy more. Don't buy a Sony and pay $100 each for additional memory plug-ins.

    You don't really need a flash, and if you get one you'll probably turn it off -- current video cameras do just fine with available room light, and a simple desk lamp is all the extra light you're likely to need. Go to a good discount store for the best prices and look at what's on sale. I got a great deal on a digital camera at Best Buy that was an item that had been returned by someone else, and still had all its accessories with it. That's another possible option if you got really lucky.

    Remember: about one megapixel resolution, macro capability, and a color digital viewer for framing your pictures. Don't get a cheapie with resolution as low as 320x240. That's webcam resolution and it's not enough for good auction pictures.

    - Life NRA Member
    "If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878

    Edited by - offeror on 07/17/2002 12:43:40
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  • pigeoncreek1pigeoncreek1 Member Posts: 217 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I purchased a Canon PowerShot A40 A few months ago at Best Buy for $299. I did alot of research on mid range cameras and the A40 got one of the best consumer reviews. The camera takes awsome pictures and is very easy to use. It has an auto mode if you want to keep it simple, and also 2 manual modes in which you can fine tune your pictures. The only extras that I reccomend purchasing are a larger memory card and some rechargable AA batteries.

    You can check out the review at:

    http://electronics.cnet.com/electronics/0-6733264-8-7945027-1.html?tag=st.ce.1429209.top5.6613935-8-7945027-1

    Gun control is hitting your target
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  • pickenuppickenup Member Posts: 22,844 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Chris; I use a Sony Mavica FD-75 It is not the newest model so the price is reasonable. It is real easy to learn to use, and the film is a floppy disk. No extra hardware is needed to download onto your computer. Just stick the floppy in your computer and pull up the pic. There is another thread that might not be too far down the line that is titled "I loaned out a gun and it came back like this" that has a sample of the pics this camera will take. It does well on closeups which you will need, like offeror says. These cameras will not take a good scenery pic or long distance. But if all you want to do is auction pics it works well. I asked this question on e-pay before I bought this one, and by a large majority, this was what was recommended for ease of learning and use.

    If I knew then, what I know now.
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  • woodsrunnerwoodsrunner Member Posts: 5,378 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I'll give another vote for the mavica. I borrowed one last weekend so I could list some auctions. I got over 20 pics on a floppy. Considering it was my first time using it, I think they came out pretty good. All my current auctions but one have pictures taken with a mavica.

    http://gunbroker.com/auction/viewitem.asp?item=4618011

    take a look and see if these are good enough. They are kind if dark, but that's my fault for not having enough light, not the cameras fault.

    Woods
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  • duckhunterduckhunter Member Posts: 7,687 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    my choice is a "casio" model qv-770. check my pics. easy to run for this old duckhunter.

    I WOULD RATHER BE DUCK HUNTING.
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  • offerorofferor Member Posts: 8,625 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    I'll vote for the Mavica just as well as any of the other excellent brands, particularly if you don't need extra expensive memory sticks to use it. They are great, high quality cameras with good lenses. You really don't need a bunch of extra memory sticks anyway. For your purposes, you'll probably use the same memory over and over. The ability to use floppies is nice, although at 1.4 meg they're not the biggest memory bank anymore -- but they are cheap. Also, I mentioned before that a friend got a floppy stuck in his Mavica and was forced to send it back to the factory to get it out. Nevertheless, the quality of the Mavica as a camera is undeniable. I'd say buy whatever you can get the best deal on, though. As long as it will shoot macro. You'll never regret getting a camera that can shoot macro as opposed to one that can't get closer than 3 feet.

    - Life NRA Member
    "If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
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  • pickenuppickenup Member Posts: 22,844 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    woodsrunner;Pretty good for the first time out. I do not know what model you were using but on the 75 there is s button on the back, on the left side marked "bright" + -. If you get to borrow that camera again, play with this button and it will do a lot to compensate for the lack of lighting.

    If I knew then, what I know now.
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  • CS8161CS8161 Member Posts: 13,596 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I want to thank everyone for their input. I am going to take a look at Best Buy and see what kind of prices they have. Then I can compare with online prices to see where the best deal would be.
    I appreciate all the feedback!

    Chris8161
    Admit nothing, deny everything, demand proof!
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  • Rafter-SRafter-S Member Posts: 2,173 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    If you go on-line to buy, check with bhphotovideo.com. I've used them on several things and they have proved reputable and competitive.

    I too just bought the Cannon A40 and am impressed with what I've done thus far. A lesser camera would do about the same if all you use is the AUTO point-and-shoot mode.

    Listen to offeror when he advises. He knows his stuff when it comes to digital photography.

    Good luck!
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