Digital Still Cameras (again)

[fobotcso]

It's been over six months since this topic was last aired and that is a long time in this fast-moving field of technology. So I hope it'll be OK to ask for opinions and advice again.

I'm after a 2 to 3 MPixel job at about £250-300 for a friend (honest!). She'll be doing image processing using PhotoShop Elements and is turning into a keen "Blue Rinse David Bailey".

Searching the Web, I've found Canon, Olympus, Sony, Fuji and Nikon models that meet the price/pixel restraints.

My own experience is of Olympus and Sony, so I know what I don't want for her. But any first hand positive recommendations from any recent new owners out there would be of great help.

So, I'd be grateful for any steers.

[Scallywag]

Hi fobotsco

If size is an important factor so that she'll carry it around and not leave it at home most of the time (as I did with my last brick) then I have 2 recommendations. The Minolta Dimage X has 3x optical zoom (optics move inside case - very neat) and is 2MPixel. I love my music, so I ended up with the Fuji FinePix 50i which has no optical zoom (just digital) but has an MP3 player and a 2.4MPixel CCD which gives 4.3MP output. They are the same size, give or take 2mm and less than 1 inch thick in a magnesium alloy case. Both very good. You can see the print quality and more about the Fuji here, it's really excellent. It's recently been reduced from £400 to £350 and with a free 64MB smartmedia card in addition to the 32MB card it ships with, I think it's well worth it.

http://www.fujifilm.co.uk/fujidc/fp50i/index.html

ps. No, I don't work for them , just very happy with the size, quality and print results :)

[innuendo]

Have a look in www.dpreview.net
Best Digital Photography site I have found, especially the reviews and forums.

An additional thought. If your friend is keen enough to be spending the time to learn and use PS Elements, she will very quickly become aware of the limitations of the simpler cameras. EG digital zoom, it really does not compare with good optics and most reviewers disregard it as worthwhile. Perhaps you could find good value in some of the models that have been superceded by the latest whizbang put out for marketing reasons in the megapixel horsepower races.
Again try the reviews in DPReview, they go back a fair bit. Good luck.

[fobotcso]

Thank you both. Any more..?

[Background Noise]

I have a Fuji Finepix 40i and its brilliant. Small and very good quality pictures but without optical zoom. Not a current camera but if you can find one the price will be good. See my review here:

http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/review/386163.html

There's a review there of the 50i too.

The Fuji super CCD gives 4m effective pixels - thats 2400x1800 pixel pictures. If you shoot at that res, and normal compression you'll get about 80 shots on a 64mb card and they will print at A4 size and look like real photos. (Saving at fine compression halves the number of shots per card and makes no apparent difference to the printed quality on an Epson 1440 dpi printer). Smartmedia cards are cheap at the moment - less than £25 for 64mb and about £40 for 128mb

The Fuji 50i looks like the current version (only available from Dixons/Currys/PC World group) but the Fuji 401 looks like the logical successor, same resolution but with optical zoom.
Heres a good price comparison site.

http://www.shop4digitalcameras.co.uk/cap.php?referer=gs4dc

Size is everything.

[GeneralElectric]

Surely the Fuji!!!

Have to agree with above - I've had the Fuji FinePix 50i for about 4 months.

Although it cost 450 notes at the time in Dixons they did bung me a 64MB SmartMedia free!

I can heartily recommend it (definitely the sexiest camera out there) and the pictures are great. It's got a little cradle that you sit it in for uploading and charging.

Also great talking point when you take it out and about..... "oooh that's a nice camera"! :cool:

Optical zoom - not really bothered about it! The digital zoom does it for me.

Good luck with your purchase!

GE

[fobotcso]

Again, thanks. I had also spotted the Fuji FinePix 2600 at £229 on the Web. But we are (she is) not in a hurry and we can still do more research. I'll try to push her into your price range since the usefulness of the kit gets better.

Incidentally, I do favour optical zoom as you get better definition by using all the pixels for a smaller image. Digital zoom does much the same as software zoom on the computer. However digital zoom is good if you're printing straight off the camera.

[gofer]

It was a toss up between the Fuji and the Canon but I got a better deal on the Canon at the time - bit over a year ago. Now I don't know.

I'm very happy with it, in low density 480 x 600 - it produces just great snaps - and up the top end of the range great pic's. Its always in the pocket, on my belt or in the bag.

The newer models have more zoom and are a tad bigger.

Size is everything - smaller is better. The canon is chunky and thus very easy to fit in the palm. Case that came with is great bbbbbuuuutttt the silver surface on the plasti-leather departs. Once gone its even better. Software supplied very acceptable - but the pro stuff is better.

Price then about £320 - now don't know. I got mine in HK.:cool: :cool: :cool:

[fobotcso]

Thank you. I'm still keen for inputs and am waiting for the September Which? magazine where these devices will be reviewed.

I'll tell you where I end up.

[Devils Advocate]

For truly ace digital camera info check out this site: http://www.dpreview.com ( and in particular the 'Reviews' (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/) section - see menu item on the left hand side ) It is BRILLIANT !!!

Indeed on the strength of it I purchased a Canon PowerShot G2 (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canong2/) - and I could not be happier with it, e.g. it's better than my Canon EOS SLR (which is saying something).

P.s. Also have a look at the 'Reviews' section (link at top of page) available on http://reviews.zdnet.co.uk which includes some handy links to various favourably-priced on-line suppliers ( i.e. click on their 'check-prices' link(s) ).

[innuendo]

Hello Gofer: "Size is everything - smaller is better"

I agree that the portability of some of the smaller models is a big convenience, (I still have my Rollei 35 and Contax TVS), but one of the prices of "small" that should be considered is rather limited battery capacity. This can be an annoying limitation and the built in flash capability also becomes more limited by the battery power available.
Like so many of the features on these digital cameras it is one of the considerations that depend on what you want from the camera.
I must say though, that it is amazing the capability and features they have managed to squeez into some of the smaller cameras.

[zed3]

I bought an Olympus 3020 (3.2 mill pix) last month and took it on holiday to South Africa . Very pleased with the results. The ability to edit out pics in the hotel at the end of the day is brilliant. My 27 year old Olympus OM1 is still going strong so I stayed with the name. Get yourself a 64 and 128 mb card and two sets of rechargable batteries and a charger also . Worth the outlay.

[777AV8R]

I've got two cams, a Sony 2.1 and a new Fuji 30i.

The auto color correcting and the sharpness of the Fuji is superbe. I was originally after a 4.0 mega Olympus..but I got 'taken' in HKG! lol...but to tell you the truth, the convenience of my Fuji along with (slides nicely in the flight bag corner) the imaging, I have no complaints.

My only comment on the 30i is that it is a battery consumer. I don't often take my recharger with me, so I need a good supply of AAs.

Happy picture taking!

[Nightrider]

just a couple of additional points...

all!!!! digital cameras produce a picture with some deviations from reallity. There is a program which adjusts the ready pictures on the PC with brightness, color setting etc...have a look for Xe847-Photo
Further, enlarging the picture size results in grains and pixellation, there is a nice program available which uses a couple of available interpolation routines and combines them to produce stunning big formats. I created a 2 x 3 mtr wallpaper with it and no one can spot the difference to any negative or slide reproduction...have a look for S-spline

[fobotcso]

Most grateful for all these inputs. Still waiting for Which? report in few days and then I'll make my report to my friend. But we will all find these posts useful, I'm sure.

Nightrider, you must have been one of the earliest registrants on PPRuNe!

[Nightrider]

of course....that's why I am interested in the age 60 rule <LOL>....just annoyed that I lost a couple of hundred posts....:D :D

[Ivchenko]

Slightly OT, but wondered if anyone can help me. I've got a Fuji 4700, v. nice but I've lost the CD Rom with the USB Mass Storage drivers, want to install on a new PC and you can't download the driver from the Fujifilm site.

Anybody have any ideas?

:confused:

[Nightrider]

you should find the driver here (ftp://ftp.fujifilmsupport.com/)

[Ivchenko]

Nightrider

Brilliant - thank you:)

[gofer]

Devil's Ad

Absolutely tops - that link I mean. I do believe you.

Got any other Gem's in you Weblife that you you feel are recommendable ? E-Mail me if you prefer that to posting !

Innuendo

As per DA's link and the camera's review - the battery is limited (but also small). In the soft carry case for your belt that came with the camera - I find I have space for the original storage card (8Mb. is just a waste of time - 32Mb. I can live with because most of my pics are 640x480. I you want High Res - 64 or 128 are probably a must) and for a spare battery - 2 are usually enough for a day - proviso, switch the display off and don't review until you are back at base, at least of photogenic days.

Its NOT a pro cam, but for a amateur its fab.... suffers a little from steaming up in the tropics when going from the a/c at 17°C to 30+ and 99% Humidity - but so do all the others....
;) am still a happy bunny, it was a 'good buy'.

[Mac the Knife]

3 cheers and a tiger for Olympus - my D-490 is running still running very nicely after 2 years, daily use and many thousands of pix.

[Devils Advocate]

Ok gofer....... for another TOP link (imho) - this time it's for RAM for just about every gadget that could do with some.... and specifiying what you need couldn't be easier ( you'll see why when you try the site )

So, have a look at: Crucial Technology - The Memory Experts (http://www.crucial.com/uk/index.asp) ( the UK page )

Nb. For other countries use their drop down list - which you'll find in the top left of the UK page, or alternatively look at their home page at: http://www.crucial.com

I purchased ( on-line, from their UK page ) a 256Mb Flash for my Canon G2 ( to replace the 32Mb that it came with - but which I now keep a as spare, just in case I manage to fill the new one - which I'll admit is unlikely ! ).
I placed the order at about 11am on a Monday and it arrived in the post the following morning !

I've similarly also ordered RAM for laptops and desktop computers and have been equally impressed with the delivery and prices !

Ps. (hence the edit) - gofer, I've just checked on Crucial and for your Canon Digital Ixus they'd currently charge you just short of £65 for a 256Mb compact FlashCard.

and where to put that into context..... e.g. at 'PC World' (http://www.pcworld.co.uk/store/martprd.dll/store/pcw_page.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@1479102279.1030839594@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccchadcgdimljjhcefecfgmdffgdflf.0&page=Product&sku=505739) they will charge you £70 for only 128Mb, i.e. you'd be paying £5 more money to get only half as much RAM. :eek:

So please trust me when I say that Crucial are a very impressive supplier of all things memory !!! :D

[fobotcso]

Well, I'll go to the foot of our stairs...:mad:

The Which? mag came out and I duly called my "Client" and she'd gone ahead and bought a Pentax for £299.

Had I been going to make a recommendation on the basis of the magazine, I might have suggested the Nikon Coolpix 885. It does 3M pixels and can be got for £340 odd on the web.

My bête noire when it comes to Digicams is "recycle"time. ie The time you have to wait after one shot before you can take the next. At high resolution, this can be as long as 16 seconds for the Goodmans or as short as 3.5 for the Fujifilm Finepix 601.

My first generation Olympus Camedia 1.4 is very slow but later Olympuses (Olympi?) allow two or three shots in quick succession - I'm led to believe. I've liked my Olympus these last three years and could be persuaded to go that route again. They have the reputation of having been the Digital Imaging leaders for some time.

Thanks for all suggestions and recommendations.

[Fr8t M8te]

I recollect seeing a site recently that compared all the online UK dealer's prices in tabular form. Anyone else seen it and got the link? Damned if I can find it again! :mad:

[Background Noise]

This is one, there must be others

The Price Guide UK (http://www.price-guide.co.uk/index.asp)

[ORAC]

I use microdrives. You can use them in just about any camera that supports CompactFlash Type II and the storage capacity is immense

I use 340Mb because they're cheap. But you can get 500Mb and 1Gb. They're also robust and the media chosen for the cameras used on the shuttle (Kodak DCS 660s)

Microdrive (http://www.steves-digicams.com/microdrive.html)

You can get 340Mb drives for around $120-140.

[innuendo]

Another source of memory cards is at: http://www.powerinnumbers.com.au/
This gent has a lot of glowing recomendations in DPReview's storage and memory forum. One of them mine.
An example is Ridata CF cards, 512mb at $Aus370 or about GBpounds 128. He also has Image bank storage systems.
I ordered a card on a Sunday and had it in Canada on the following Thursday, via FedEx. Shipping was about $12US. Your customs duty might change the final figure though.
There is a lot of info in DPReview on memory media.

[Fr8t M8te]

Found the site I was on about

http://www.cameratag.co.uk/

[allthatglitters]

After 2 years and several thousand foto's, the Kodak DC280 still works fine. Recently got a DX3900 with larger CF card for the wife's recent trip o'seas, very small, light wieght camera, the 3.1 mega pixal pics seem very good, even if the subject mater is not my cup of tea. And the reported battery life seems very good.

[wub]

I have an Olympus C-3000Z which is brilliant. It is compact, rugged and takes great pics on Auto but offers full manual control. Smartmedia cards are getting really cheap now, see

www.digitaldepot.co.uk for bargains in memory.

I've just bought a Minolta Dimage 7i, it's at the top of the range being 5 megapixel and I use a 340Mb Microdrive with no problems.

For anyone who is interested, you can see some of my pics on

www.pbase.com/minolta/travel

For good unbiased reviews of digicams see

www.stevesdigicams.com

[fobotcso]

Thanks. Olympus again, see? I'm keen on the concept of rugged. I've managed to damage/break several of my cameras over the years. Was able to repair my Camedia 1400L with parts supplied by a retailer. Took ages to get them but saved throwing the thing away.

At the other end of the scale, I've just bought one of those SiPix jobs for £39.90 for a granddaughter. I'm so tickled with it she'll be lucky if she gets it! Fixed focus; 640x480, still/video. 400 thumbnail sized stills. Great for birthday/Christmas presents. They'll go like hot cakes as Christmas approaches.

[Azure]

I just recently bought my first digital camera. At first I was looking at cameras around the $500 CDN mark, but then I checked Dpreview....fell in love with the Nikon 4500. So, I went a little over budget, well double, but I love the look, the feel, it feels "right" in my hands.