Digital Camera - What to look for

I am considering buying a digital camera. I have a budget of around €400. What should be my key deciding factors. Can anyone recommend a camera within my budget.

Many thanks

Christy

Check out www.dpreview.com, it has loads of info.
You need to consider megapixel (resolution, 2MB and upwards is sufficient for starter), memory stick capacity (16MB for pictures, may want to increase to 512MB for movie clips. Really depends on the application. I have an Olympus C50 and am very happy with it. The mem card pushed the price way beyond 400yoyo though

pixels.ie

If you're in Dublin, you could try pixels.ie. They have a few shops, I found the staff in liffey st. knowledgable and helpful. Most of the magazines in news agents have a "what you need to know" guide also. (bought a camera from them, other than that, no affiliations).

Some things to think about:
- main elements are resolution (megapixel), zoom (optical & digital), memory, batteries (standard, charger pack etc.).
- not sure that buying off the internet is any great saving, sometimes the spec can be different (e.g. docking cradle not supplied), plus there is postage and taxes.

HTH.

internetcamerasdirect

We bought from internetcamerasdirect.co.uk on the recommendation of others who had done so - even including shipping (E15) which they didn't actually charge us after all we saved about E100 and delivery was 2 days after order placed. They have good specials including extras like extra memory or rechargers etc too.

More than anything else, the lens quality in a camera will determine the quality of pictures. Therefore choose from brands with a solid reputation (Nikon, Canon, Olympus, Sony etc). Checking with www.dpreview.com is a great idea. You can narrow your choice down according to
1) Lens quality
2) Zoom range
3) Storage method. Compact Flash is good, reliable and capacity can go up to 1Gb. Buy a brand recommended by the camera manufacturer to be safe. You don't want to lose once-in-a-lifetime pics because of a bad storage card.
4) Camera size is important. A big zoom might be nice but you will not carry it with you all the time. A compact camera can be kept in pocket or car and always ready for use.
5) Megapixels. Important (at least 3m) but not as important as lens quality. Most of your pics will never be printed larger than 10 x 15 cm, and many will be only shown on the computer screen.

You can either check prices first [check prices in amazon.co.uk and 7dayshop.com (they often have very good cameras on their clearance or special page, the Canon Powershot and Nikon Coolpix ranges for example - prices are in sterling so do the convertion). and then go to dpreview, which might be easiest as you will know the price range you are interested in, or else look at the reviews and find the prices afterwards (though this could be frustrating).

www.dpreview.com

best of lookwww.7dayshop.com

not sure that buying off the internet is any great saving...

Click to expand...

Can't agree with that, I'm afraid...

I've bought two cameras that way in the last two years one "slimline/portable", one "featured", and the savings each time were impressive — practically two-for-one, in my case.

www.dpreview.com is a great starting point for picking out what suits you — especially the side-by-side comparison feature. And yes, short of getting someone to carry something back from the States for you, it's hard to beat [broken link removed]'s prices (no affiliation, I hasten to add..!)

Whatever/wherever you buy, look out for "bundled" offers with carry-case, extra memory, etc.

Happy snapping!

Thanks for all the replies it gives me plenty to go on.


Christy

Christy,

I would recommend that you check out

[broken link removed] which has a good rep and good prices for a local cam shop.

A little further a field, but better deals can be got at www.technikdirekt.de based in Germany but deliver here. They have a “seen cheaper “ option that they will try and match the price of the camera if you have seen it cheaper elsewhere.

DO NOT purchase from www.ny-camera.com. They are also based in Germany and I had nothing but hassle from them last Christmas.

As for camera I would suggest you review the following over at DPreview.com:

Canon S50
Canon S60
Canon A95 - www.dpreview.com/news/040...review.asp

All are in your price range at the technikdirekt site I mentioned.

Regards,

It really depends what you want - day to day portability or are you seriously into photography? The site recommended in a previous post is really great. If you want to check price look at www.amazon.co.uk. From my research they appear to be the cheapest of UK sites. I am awaiting a Sony DSC-P150 7 megapixel 3Xoptical from them. Cost in sterling just £299.99. It appears to offer me pixel power, ease of use and portability. It also gets highly recommended from the site mentioned.

camera

try www.komplett.com also for comparison