sheila

Can anyone help with an anoraky type of question please?

My husband, who loves taking photgraphs but is not very good at it, has been persuaded to get us a digital camera, so we can share our travels with the world.

We're aiming for France at the end of the month, via Schipol, where we have quite a long layover,and we thought we'd get quite good value buying in the Duty Free. (question one- will we)

I want to be able to download the photos to my laptop, and need to know if what we buy in Schipol will be compatable with laptops configured for UK use (it's a Dell latitude). Can anyone help?

What accessories are need to do that, too?

And does anyone have any recommendations as to what we should buy? It's not exactly, price no object, but I don't want to get something underspecced either.
Thank you.

sheila

Fodors editors...please can we have an edit function? It's my typing that's at fault, not my spelling, honest

AnnM

I can't help you with whether you will get good value buying in Schipol, but I can say that we bought a Nikon and it came with its own software available in four languages. I imagine if you buy any of the big international names it will be similar. Alternatively you could pre-load some photo-handling software to be sure. There are some freeware packages available

Marz

I would do some checking around on UK prices first, then armed with those go to the duty free store.

I found when looking to buy more memory for my digital camera (whilst in T1 Heathrow) that it was more expensive there than in the high street.

Having said that, I bought my digital camera in T3 Heathrow without doing any research, and I think I paid a little less than normal.

As for software, if your laptop is running XP, then it will probably have enought s/w already installed to handle the photo's. It may need some specific drivers installing, but will almost certainly come with the camera.

Virtually all camera packages will come with multiple language versions of the software.

What to buy ? Hmm, not really sure. But the higher the pixelation of the camera (mega pixels) the better quality pictures you will get. Also, make sure you get plenty of memory with the camera, as the pictures are usually quite large, plus spare battery.

Have fun.

sheila

Thank you for this, guys.

AnnM, since I am a technophobe your response brings me out in a cold sweat

Marz, I really want to take this camera and use it in France, so I either have to decide to buy before we go or buy in Schipol. Wonder if their pricelists are online?

Please tell me more, folks.

MyriamC

Prices are listed in their See Buy Fly On line shopping section. See www.schiphol.nl

AnnM

Oh sorry Sheila, what did I say?!

I've just come back from down town where I visited WH Smiths, and there are at least half a dozen different magazines with titles like Digital Photography Made Easy, for Beginners, etc etc. You should pop in and try one!

Is this for recording the progress at your place in France? We've been trying to do just that. So far the progress is slow but I'm hoping we'll end up with a great record of events.

ira

Hi Sheila,

I have a Canon Powershot A60 that is just perfect. It is automatic with a 3:1 optical zoom (optical is very important)but has all of the manual overrides if you wish to use them.

I got it from Amazon.com in the US for under 170 GBP. You can see customer reviews at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...stomer-reviews

I checked the Amazon.co.uk site. They seem to have only the A70, which is identical except that it is 3 MPx, and the A60 is 2 Mpx, and costs more.

Hope this helps.

sheila

Thanks again, all (esp. Ira)

Yes AnnM it's for the house, but mainly to enhance the advertising (and show off!)

The idea of loading something I don't understand on something that expensive, that I didn't understand in its last technological advance is scary. Like accounts that don't balance. They have the same effect