Hello,
I was wondering if anybody had some buying advice for a digital camera?
My limit is $120, so it can’t be that great, I know. but here’s what I’d like from it.
I take a lot of outdoor pictures so i would like a decent landscape mode and good zooming for pictures of animals. I don’t know that much about memory cards, but I’d like the camera to be able to take a decent sized memory card. Again, the vast majority of my photographs are outdoor vistas and animals, if and body knows what I’d want for that feel free to say so.
Thanks Much
If most of what your going to use it for is outdoor daytime shots, then you probably want a camera with a wide-angle lens (if it can be helped), with a decently large Megapixel size (8-12MP so you can have some room to crop), and a low f/ stop. For that price you’ll probably have to resort to whatever you can afford, and that will most likely be a point and shoot camera. Don’t be dismayed with a point&shoot, being a good photographer is more about the person using the camera than the actual equipment. I’ve seen some pretty amazing stuff taken on really low end cameras before.
There are a couple different memory stick options, SD/SDHC, Memory stick Pro Duo, CF2.0, and much more. Most memory cards a pretty cheap now, and are pretty much the same in storage. SD/SDHC is probably the most commonly used one and if your looking you can get an 8 gig for $14.99, and sometimes cheaper if you know where to look. But your memory card should really be a nonfactor in your decision. Go for the Best value camera and purchase whatever type of memory card it uses.
Just a quick search pulled this up: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Canon-Powershot-A480-Digital-Silver/10980057 its a decent little camera from the looks of it. Its $109.88, which gives you a little freedom with shipping or getting a sufficient SD card size for what you’ll be doing. I don’t have the time to read the reviews, thats your job in this. Cameras very significantly from brand to brand and model to model, just because the specs look about the same doesn’t mean that one camera = another. Reviews are your friend. Read them (most if not all), compare, search, and go to the store and actually hold one in your hand.
Just a tip, if you get a camera thats 10-12 MP don’t skimp on the SD card. I originally had a speed class 2 and the camera would freeze and become unresponsive for a few seconds after taking a few shots. After upgrading to a speed class 6 card my camera can now snap pictures all day as fast as I want without stuttering or freezing.
Also go for a camera with rechargeable batteries. I will never buy a camera that runs on double A’s ever again.
I have a Kodak v1233 that I decently like, but it is has HORRID lo light and high ISO quality, so I would avoid it.
Another thing to think about is the “SLR-Like” cameras. They are just point and shoot cameras BUT they generally have larger/better quality lenses.
Yes, advanced point and shoots (a.k.a. SLR-Like) are really decent cameras, but there is no way he can afford one for the price he wants.
As far as batteries, every point and shoot is different. I have had cameras that chew through AA every couple shots, and I have had some that could go almost a month on AA’s without needing to be changed. It really just depends on the camera, and that is one of the reasons why it is essential to read the reviews, batteries are usually one of the first complaints people have about P&S in reviews. If you can, invest in some Rechargeable AA batteries, they typically do better than their standard counterparts and they save you money.
Most P&S really don’t do to well in low light, and the light capabilites can range from very poor to passible, and there is no specific brand that is exempt from that. Some companies are more likely to turn out a quality product than others, but that’s still no guarantee. It is important to remember that P&S cameras very significantly from brand to brand and camera to camera.
However, you said that you would take landscape shots more, and landscape shots are best done during the day, and therefore there should be plenty of light for your camera. So ISO’s and aperture settings really shouldn’t be that much of a problem for you.