Brenda51

Yep, it is time. We are finally getting into the 21st century and buying a digital camera.

Who better to ask than the knowledgeable Fodorites? The camera would be used for mostly travel, no major editing or goofy Christmas cards, or other foofoo nonsense.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated!


Brenda

harrowgirl

What is the price difference?

I bought mine 2 years ago for our honeymoon and it is a 3MP (maybe 3.5 MP)and takes great pictures (which can be blown up clearly to an 8 x 10).

The 4MP should be fine for what you are using it for. I'd get the 4, unless there isn't much of a price difference, then I'd get the 7.

I can't imagine you would NEED the 7 though - unless you are a professional photographer or somethign.

moldyhotelsaregross

My biggest suggestion is deciding which one is comfortable to your hand. If you won't use it, why bother with the quality.

If the two items are similar in size and comfort, I'd go with the 7.1 mp for the quality. Many are not willing to lug around something of the size I expect.

I admit that I have an awesome slr but often opt to carry my 4.3 mp just for simplicity and size.



What features are most important to you? Price, size, picture quality, zoom, ability to switch lenses, macro...

Once you have narrowed it down a bit, I would suggest reading opinions of the items you like on epinions.com to solidify or change your mind!

rkkwan

If you're only going to send the photos by email to people, and print out small prints (4"x6", or 5"x7&quot, there's absolutely no point getting a 7MP camera. Even if you get one, you'd probably want to shoot at 3MP or 4MP setting, or else you'll simply be using up more memory space.

Gretchen

I think 4 or 5MP is plenty. Remember that the more MP you have the longer the lag time (although they have REALLY improved this) and the more "room" it will take on your memory card.
More important to me when I replaced my digital (this is my 3rd) was to get an adequate optical zoom. Do not pay ANY attention to whatever they say is the digital zoom. It is worthless.
I am in absolute LOVE with my Canon s1, 3.2MP. there is an s2 that is 4 or 5 MP and has 12X optical zoom. In order to get longer optical zoom the camera must have an image stabilization component so these cameras, while not large (like an SLR) are not shirt pocket. I can put mine in my coat pocket. The other features I like on this camera is the very user friendly dial on top of the camera to change modes and the view screen that will swing out and rotate--a great advantage if you are trying to take a picture holding the camera over your head and down into a crowd, for example.
As has been said, unless you are going to make posters, 4 or 5 is PLENTY.

Gardyloo

Obviously price is a key element, also "ergonomics" - how easily does your hand fit the controls, does it take up a lot of space in handbag/pocket/backpack, etc.

Aside from physical aspects, though, the big difference you get with more MP is the ability to use them in lieu of <b>optical</b> zoom. Basically, at 7mp you can enlarge a relatively small portion of a picture and still have plenty of detail to make an excellent print; trying to do the same with an image taken with a 4mp camera may result in too much graniness or lack of sharpness when you try to blow it up.

So think of the extra MP as a cheap telephoto lens. When you couple the higher resolution (sharpness) with whatever optical (not &quot;digital&quot zoom is built in, the 7mp camera will have basically twice the ability to zoom in on things than the 4mp one.

amelia

Brenda, One of the most interesting things about some of the 7 mp cameras is that the actual &quot;pleasing&quot; picture quality is not always better that the same camera with 4 or 4.5. There are some digital camera review sites (plus I always like CNET, etc)that can be specific about this.

I, too, do not want bells and whistles. I also don't really like the teeny, tiny cameras. I have just tried to replace my dearly beloved pocket-size Canon PowerShot S400 Digital Elph with something newer, and I've returned all.

The newer Canons in this line have beautiful LCD screens. And they break. Owners swear they've wrapped the darn things in bubble wrap and the screens suddenly fracture.

My current camera has been dropped--literally bounced--on cobblestones all over Europe and the only thing it hasn't survived is a total immersion from a kayaking experience.

My oldest daughter still has her 3.5MP Canon Powershot version and tells me do not even THINK about replacing it--she loves it.

My youngest daughter really likes her Nikon 4 mp Coolpix, but it eats batteries.

moldyhotelsaregross

I agree. Digital zoom is worthless in my book.

Do you have any specific models in mind?

LadyOLeisure

I agree with those who say choose based on the size you are most comfortable with. I've had two Canons, currently use an S60 with 5.0 mp and love the size. Not too tiny, but fits into coat pockets or my purse. I find it easy to understand Canon's controls, and I have ended up carrying it around with me nearly all the time. I've used it when shopping for furniture, light fixtures, plants, landscape materials, and fabrics. It's pretty much assumed the role of &quot;everyday appliance&quot; in my life!

crepes_a_go_go

We have two Casio digitals - a 4.0 and a 5.1. They fit in our palm and in our shirt pocket. The pics are phenomenal. The QV-R40 is the 4.0 and the Exilam is the 5.1.

nibblette

Agree with rkkwan. The 7MP is useful if you are doing enlargements bigger than 11x14. Otherwise for the casual user, like most travelers, the 4MP is fine. You can get fantastic enlargments up to 11x14.
With a 7MP, you will have to get a very large sized memory device or download it frequently. On 4MP, my 1G can store about 600 pix. This reduces to just over 300 at 7.1MP. This may sound like a lot until you go to a place with lots of photo ops for a week or more.
The higher MP pix will result in large files that take longer for you to upload and the receiver to download if e-mailing. Remember, a lot of people still have dial-up and may have difficulty downloading the very large files.

You do have to consider the other features: weight, size, camera reputation/quality, batteries, ability to shoot videos. Optical zoom (not digital) is also important.

PatrickLondon

I went through all this last summer, and I used (why do I keep typing &quot;sued&quot;?) no end of comparison websites:
http://www.imaging-resource.com/
http://www.shortcourses.com/choosing/contents.htm
http://www.dpreview.com/
http://www.dcresource.com/
http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/
http://www.dcviews.com

I ended up with a good deal on a Canon Powershot A510, which had just been superseded (that's when you get good prices), and I love the flexibility of digital - a camera small enough to keep in a pocket can switch between modes and 'virtual' film speeds for different light conditions, as well as between still and video. I don't expect to print many, but rather to display on my computer and websites, and although it's only about 3.5mp, the results are pretty good from my perspective (see
http://www.patrickwallace.me.uk/imag...e/img_0124.jpg

Things you need to bear in mind, in the light of your circumstances and the use you're likely to make of the camera, are:

- ease of use (are the controls fiddly, is the display screen too small, is there an optical viewfinder of the kind we're used to on film cameras, will it fit into a pocket)

- range of options (look for optical zoom, don't let them fob you off with digital zoom; would it suit you to have a range of automatic pre-sets for different types of picture, do you want complete manual control as well, how much adjustment can you make of things like prospective print size, virtual film speed, focussing methods and so on)

- memory - what sort of memory cards does it take, how easy is it to get additional memory cards

- battery life and other support: almost certainly it would pay you to get rechargeable batteries and a charger, and possibly a card reader that can plug into a computer rather than use up the camera's batteries transferring pictures.

Kristina

I recently got a Nikon coolpix 7900, with 7.1 MP. This is my second Nikon Coolpix, the last one was only 2 MP.
I really like this camera. While it've very small, it feels good in the hand because it has a small &quot;bump&quot; on the left side which makes it easier to hold than some of the super small, flat cameras like the Elph.
I took it on a 10 day trip to Spain and the photos came out fantastic. AND, like someone mentioned above, being able to crop and blow up a section of the photo, allowed me to &quot;zoom in&quot; without giving up quality.

viaggio_sempre

For the money right now, I think
4 megapixel
4x optical zoom

That of course will change.

Ease of use? When is using a small hand-held computer with optics easy? Unless you do everything in program mode.

JSLee

The resolution depends on what your expectations are. For a general picture taker a 4-5MP will make a decent 8X10. If you are picky and like quality photos then the higher the resolution the better.

As stated above, ignore the digital zoom. As the digital goes up, the image quality goes down. The higher the resolution, the fewer images can be taken.

Consier the size of the camera and handling.

There are pluses to cameras with dedicated rechargable battery and cameras using rechargeable AA batteries. The dedicated type is smaller and holds power longer, but you need a back &amp; is expensive. Also, every week, I have 6-7 customers come in that left their charger in hotel rooms. If your AA rechargeables die, you can run into any 7-11 and grab some.

Before you purchase, consider the following. Are you comfortable using computers? Many people find out they are not and end up purchasing more items to make it easier on them such as a new printer that does not use a computer.

As you can see above, most people buy a new model every 1-2 years anyway. If you find that you made errors on your choice, you can learn from then and correct them on your next purchase.

Gardyloo

I would assume that anyone posting to a web message board would have some basic comfort dealing with computers.

Digital zoom is sales hype, period. The main benefit of more mp is the ability to crop and compose pictures later. Even a 2mp camera can produce decent full-frame 8 x 10s, provided you don't stand too close. But the higher resolution enables you to print a portion of an image with acceptable resolution.

That said, my old mentor when I was a beginning pro photographer (another career path ultimately not taken) was that your cheapest telephoto lenses have shoelaces.

clevelandbrown

For snapshot type pictures, what we tourists most often shoot, 4mp is more than adequate, so I would not pay more for the 7.1mp. I would also be concerned with memory usage and battery life, but you can always find add ons that solve these worries (ebay has some wonderful deals on batteries, for example).

I also really like the swing-out viewscreen. When we visited Florence I wanted a picture of the inside of the Duomo, but I couldn't hold the camera steady enough at an awkward angle to get one; I solved this by pulling out and twisting the viewscreen (as I would if I wanted to take a picture of my own face), then placind the camera on a sturdy stone rail and snapping using the remote control; the pictures are wonderful.

However, often in technology, the almost newest thing is the best buy (the newest they sell for big bucks to the techies who just have to have it; the older is perhaps out of production. Try buying a Pentium I chip now and you will pay a premium, even though it is less capable than the newer pentiums).

I think the latest thing now, or at least this morning, is a digital SLR, where you can change lenses, but they are expensive and bulky; I wouldn't want to haul one around unless I was a professional photographer with a lackey.

As everyone has said, optical zoom is valuable; digital zoom is not.

I have an antique Canon, over two years old, and the only beef I have with it is that there is a delay between the time I push the button and the time the picture is snapped. This has never bothered me with tourist type pictures, as we travel pretty slowly; it did cause me a lot of problems trying to take pictures of my grandaughter on a swing. I understand the newer cameras have minimized this delay, and that is a feature I would look for.

sfowler

This is a really helpful thread.

My Sony Cybershot [a PSC 50 I think] go back quite a way in digital terms. She has finally started to die -- the meter just is getting really cranky. She was only 2 mpx, but it was enough for the most part.

We bought my husband what we hoped was a brainless one for his upcoming trip to Spain/Morocco. It was a Kodak something or other with 4 mpx-- the one under $200, but not $99. if that makes any sense. I took it on a test drive to Paris last month. And I tell you it was a battle all the way. I TRIED to love it, but its rebound was slower than a glacier, even when I downsized to 3 mpx. And I couldn't set the flash to off permanently [anyone who knows how to do that on a Kodak PLEASE let me know.] I like to take a lot of low light shots and it was REALLY annoying to have to hit a button 3 times after the slow warmup to get the flash off. It will be fine for my husband who takes enough tiem to set up a shot that Niagara Falls would run drey. But for me ... it was a rough week and my pictures show it

I'm due for a new camera myself [see Sony saga above] I've pawed the Nikons and the Canons, but I'll probably go back to Sony because, whatever the weaknesses, it has a better rebound and I understand the flash!

Good luck!

sfowler

Oh. Everyone is right that 4 mpx is all you need and get the highest OPTICAL zoom that you can.

Angela_m

I am by no means a professional photographer, but I would suggest you opt for the 7.1MP camera. I have a Nikon 3.1MP which I thought took great pictures until, as others have pointed out, I wanted to crop some pictures and blow them up. Also, when the pictures are placed side by side, you could definitely notice the difference in sharpness and depth between my pictures and those from a higher megapixel camera. I am researching new cameras right now and am looking at the Nikon 7.1mp because I like the way it feels in my hand.