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bdcurtis	Tomorrow being the 1st day I get to see my Cat since I bought it, oops, no camera. I guess I better go out and buy one of those new fangled digital cameras. I've noticed that since most all the pics posted on the POA site are just fantastic I'd ask for some input on cameras and what to look for when buying one.
Wayne Finch	You get what you pay for, but most in the similar price range are fairly equivalent. It is really hard to say one brand is better than another. In order to get good quality prints, you really should have 4-5 million pixels. I have a couple Fuji's which are excellent and I just got a really small Pentax 5 million pixel one that is surprisingly excellent quality (I was a little wary as Pentax was generally considered a lower end brand) $250 probably gets you a pretty good camera.
bdcurtis	Thanks for the info Wayne, Just what I needed for a start.
tangled up in BLUE	....about 6 months ago I entered the digital age(finally).....my wife won a 5 mega pixel camera(Olympus).....I love the results it produces.....recently I walked into Best Buy and they now have cameras as high as 8 mega pixel....I asked the sales clerk what advantage there would be with a new 8 instead of the 5 I already have....he said there is no real advantage to the cameras with more than 4-5 mega pixels.....the human eye can't detect the difference between 5 or 8 million mega pixels.....the only advantage to having more than 5 is if you want to print postersized pictures......hope this makes sense, because I am a rookie also.....I do know I have produced the best Kat pictures ever since the new camera came home......
butchcee	Im using a Canon powershot S-500 with good results.5MP. Cost me 380 on E-Bay, but prices are coming down.
ed monahan	I would avoid Sony at all cost. I bought one for about $225 last year and the lens quit working. 90 Day labor and 1 year part warranty. I can send it in and they will look at it for $ 175 minimum. I looked at Sony's on eBay after that and there were several for sale that worked great except the lens did not open correctly. Major ripoff in my opinion. I just bought a new Kodak.
WildCat	had a Kodak and the screw for the circuit board fell out and shorted the unit out, like ED est. $175 to repair a camera just out of warranty Looked and looked before buying another. Got a 3.2 mega pixel Cannon S1-IS. I bought this camera because it has a 10X optical zoom (digital zoom distorts the picture and I do not recommend). It also has digital zoom but I have it turned off) It also has a steady imaging feature so if you shake some during the snap of the picture it will still come out clear. Uses a compact flash card, (which I had from my other camera) can take movies, and has good balance. a 3mega pixal is good for 8X10 pictures. I have taken many clear shot and printed them 8X10 If you think you will be taken shots and wanting to blow up more than 8X10 you need a camera with 5+ mega pixel It comes down to money and features. I would really like to have gotten a Cannon Rebel, but they were $1,000 when I got mine (seen for $899 lately) They can used different lenses just like 35mm camera body. I could not justify the cost for the pictures I take anymore. 25 years ago I would have bought the better camera. I have gotten out of the mood to take pictures like I did then.
Thunder	Nikon cool pix, never any problems.
Zack	I have researched digital cameras extensively and I agree with most of what has been posted above. One thing that wasn't mentioned...with zoom lenses...a higher power OPTICAL zoom is a cool feature...digital zoom is worthless. As far as brands...I've been VERY pleased with Olympus...horrible luck with Sony. I agree that 3 or 4 megapixel is a minimum. With that you can print up to 8x10 prints with as good or better quality than 35mm film cameras. The only advantage to higher megapixel cameras would be if you want to print bigger pictures like 11x14 or poster size. A good site to review camera is dpreview.com then click on "cameras" on the left side of the page. You can read customer reviews of any current model. Good luck...lots of choices!
Zack	Sorry Wildcat...I guess I repeated most of what you said. Great minds think alike!
SuperKat	If you want small with great results, Casio Exilim is really a very nice camera. we are about to purchase our second so I can take a picture too.
CJ	I live and die by my Nikons! I've had Nikons for a long time and not had any problems with them. I upgrade and then pass them along to my son. I recently upgraded my CoolPix 880 to the CoolPix 8700 (also does video) and although I haven't totally learned how to use it to it's fullest capabilites (where's WildBill when you need him?) I do love it. If I'd had the money, I would have bought the Nikon Digital/SLR version.
Gene	Believe me I'm no expert on this so I was in a Target store and saw this camera on sale which is a Vivitar 3.3.It does more than I know how to do and paid only $88.00 for it.It came with all instructions and cable for downloading.It is model #3705.I know some will say it's garbage but it takes pictures fine for me,and for someone like me it's a great starter camera.
Bcoffman Gray Ghost	quote: Originally posted by Gene: Believe me I'm no expert on this so I was in a Target store and saw this camera on sale which is a Vivitar 3.3.It does more than I know how to do and paid only $88.00 for it.It came with all instructions and cable for downloading.It is model #3705.I know some will say it's garbage but it takes pictures fine for me,and for someone like me it's a great starter camera. The Vivitar 3.3 is the one I have. I'm sure happy with it.
weteyes	i bought a canon powershot pro 1 with 8 megapixels and love it. seems like the pictures are better than what is in real life. lol. have to love the technology of today
bdcurtis	Hi All and THANKS for the input. I ended up with a Canon PowerShot S70. It has 7.1M pixel and a higher power Optical zoom/wide angle. And here is my 1st shoot Looks like my Cat wants me to take it home.
jkburns	Ed and Zack: Sorry to hear of your bad Sony experiences.....my darling bride Jo Ann bought up a Sony 5 mexapixel camera for Christmas last year and we've had tremendous results with it. Thanks for the additional info, Tangled, I was getting itchy for a new 6 or 7 or 8 megapixel camera...I think I'll save my money. Kevin ------------------ Kevin, Jo Ann, Jordan and Sadie Burns 2002 Inca Gold Borla Exhaust - K & N Air Filter - MTD Suspension Braces - Ceramic Brake Pads - Front and Rear Mud Flaps - Gold Shimmers - Real Rod Trans Cooler Cover - Dek-Pro-Tec - Fuzzy Dice - KISS in the CD Changer
Zack	bdcurtis, I hope it works out for you...this is a great forum to post pics and get input on your car and your photos....enjoy!
Chromer	bdcurtis, Your first photo is great and the photo is better, good job. I know you already bought a camera but I'd like to make a point that may help future buyers?? Beleive me, I'm no camera expert but.. >3 or 4 Mega Pixels are plenty >The most important thing to look for in my opinion is reflex time. >The cheaper the camera the greater the lag time is between the moment the button is pushed and the shutter opens and records. >Cheaper cameras that have sleepy hardware take too long to focus and many spontaneous shots are missed I have a Pentax "Optio 4" (4 mega pixels) wallet size camera that also takes video. Excellent reflex speed. It's does all I need and it fits in my shirt pocket easy so it's always there. JMO
tangled up in BLUE	another suggestion or two....... .....get an extra battery so you have one charging while the other is in use, or so you can carry a spare when out shooting lots of Kat pictures : .... .....my camera(Olympus) came with a 16MB card.....there was an extra 64MB card included as part of the gift package, but since I had ZERO $$$ in the camera and new photo printer, I bought a 264MB card for the camera.....gives me the ability to shoot hundreds of pictures without running out of "film"....think it was about $75. at Walmart..... ....you will want to take pix of EVERYTHING.....the computer allows you to become a real foto expert :
CJ	The cards vary in size and price. I have a 1.0 GB card that (depending on the resolution size) takes lots of pictures! They've come way down in price, too!