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Can Someone Give Me a Primer on Digital Camreas?

post #1 of 3
7/28/04 at 8:23pm
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I was looking to get someone a digital camera as a gift, but I know little about them. Can someone let me know which features I should look for, what is the minimum number of MegaPixles it should have etc. I'm looking to spend about $300-$400. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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post #2 of 3
7/29/04 at 9:27am
Now that so many digital cameras are available, deciding on one is similar to deciding on what color and make of car to buy. The answer will depend on the skills, needs & desires of the person you are buying the camera for.

I would suggest checking out the reviews for the various digital cameras in your price range here:

Digital Photography Review

You will find some models with features that lean towards the pro or advanced amateur, and other models with easy to operate point & shoot features.
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post #3 of 3
7/29/04 at 8:56pm
I agree w/ Jay although I would tend to steer people toward Canon for this range of digicams (ie. $300-400). Canon seems to be the clear leader in this field although every brand has its own good points/advantages and share of fans of course.

Somethings to figure out are:

1. Size/portability factor.

2. Simple/basic point-and-shoot vs "creative" manual controls.

3. What kind of photography, if any, is most important? For example, Nikon's digicams are usually the best for macro closeup photography although one can do well w/ other brands too.

4. Any preferences about color. Yes, the various brands do tend toward slightly different color renderings, eg. Canon is usually more pastel-like and warmer in color while Nikon tends more toward blue w/ what I'd consider more neutral colors (though not necessarily more pleasing for many people).

There are many other things that might factor into the decision. If the gift is not a surprise, then you should probably speak w/ the person to figure out what to get. Maybe he/she even knows exactly what he/she wants.

Besides dpreview.com, you might also want to check out the Imaging Resource site (http://www.imaging-resource.com/). They seem to be far less critical in their reviews, but they do organize their site in an easier way for newbie shoppers to narrow things down quite a lot. I'd use that site as a starting point similar to most good shopping guides, and then give more weight to the reviews at dpreview.com.

_Man_
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