Beginer looking for casual use camera for ease and versatility of digital

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hi. i hope this post isnt too general but heres my predicament.

i'm 20 and a college student, looking to use a camera as a casual too for some funny pictures/taking it on vacation etc.

im looking for something simple, easy to use but i dont want a piece of crap for two reasons. 1) i can afford a good range of them (up to 900) 2) i dont like buying something then wishing i had changed my mind a year later.

heres my situation i would like a cool gadget and a camera in one i love the advantages of having a digital camera and they are complimented by the amount of time i spend on my computer as it is.

i can afford up to 900 dollars but i am starting to get the fealing that it would be a waste for someone like me to buy that expensive of a camera when i may only use it on a minimal basis.

But i dont want crap and i definately want something i can use for anything that i would have used my 200 dollar yatsumi or something like that regular film camera, it had a descent zoom and i used the panaramic feature a couple times, but in truth i am not a photographer nor am i planning on becoming one.

I just want to take cool and easy pictures to share with friendds on the web.

I also want them to look good, i recently was at disney world and saw the use of a digital kodak in one of the booths and i emailed the picture to myself and some friends, teh quality was great and i was very pleased with it, i enjoyed the quality being very good and i dont think i'll use a digital camera that often if the image quality is a drawback.

I have been lookign at the sony f505, yes because i saw the add and i decided one would be cool to have but i think this may be overkill, ive started reading reviews and a bunch of faqs on this site and others, but what i really want to know is, whats a great camera to buy to take great pictures indoor and outdoor at most likely high res, i dont like having limitations like battery life and storage space and i would also like a camera that doesnt take too long between snaps, i dont knwo if that is an issue but i read somewhere that the sony can take up to 30 seconds between buffering or something i wonderif less expensive ones can take even longer?

if there is an industry quality level camera for easy use but one i wont outgrow please let me know, maybe which brand to look at or what price range to look in. i would like a good zoom too, if you have any useful coments i would love to read them but keep in mind i wouldlike to avoid looking at crap cameras however wasting 900 bucks ona brand new sony might also be just as stupid. Thankyou for anyof your time and responses.

Lou Brucker -

-- Lou Brucker (lbruck@hotmail.com), November 29, 1999

Answers

I bought an Epson PhotoPC850z last week. Retail price is $799. Check buy.com, as they usually have good discounts.

So far my family and I are very happy with this camera. Image quality is quite impressive, and the camera includes a flash hot shoe that fires my Vivitar 285HV, adding to the camera's versatility. The camera has a USB port and a serial port for older computers. It can also print directly to my Epson Stylus Photo 750.

Overall this is a very good camera. Just be forewarned that in one year there will be better cameras on the market. But this one is good enough and versatile enough that we plan to keep it for a long time. Our 35mm camera is gather more dust all the time.

-- Darron Spohn (dspohn@photobitstream.com), December 01, 1999.


Good luck! Like almost anything else in the computer field, a year is a long time and any comparison done in a year is going to make it look like you really overpaid this year. Anything that is near your top $ range is likely to be much cheaper by this time next year. There are a number of cameras closer to the $500 range (now) that might do what you want. But by this time next year, the $900 dollar cameras will be approaching that price. Find something you like and are willing to use. Memory issues will typically be resolved by buying enough memory for any stint of use. It won't go bad. Batteries are an annoyance that is hard to work around. These are electronic devices after all. Just check into a couple of sets and a charger and rotate them. Can't be helped, using the camera takes juice! But rechargeable batteries are also pretty much a one time expense. Get something that will also take AA cells (or other common sizes). You won't want to search for an $15 "exotic" lithium battery at a tourist trap when you run low on power!

You might want to look at the Minolta 1500 (I think that's the number), it seems to have a pretty good burst rate for a couple of shots. It's not highest resolution available but is more than adequate for pictures for on-line viewing. And it's now well below your max price (even with batteries and memory). It's well below the price point it started at and came in to very goos reviews!

You won't find a photographically equivalent camera to a good point and shoot for an equivalent price yet. Getting there.

-- Craig Gillette (cgillette@thegrid.net), December 02, 1999.


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