Narrowed search to Kodak DC-240 or Olympus D-460. The Kodak seems to have more accessories, but Olympus may be able to take pics in lower light(?) Can spend up to $400, but that needs to include almost everything I need to effectively operate the camera. Anyone have experience with both or either -- or is there a better choice at this price point?

-- Lisa Alkana (lisa.a.alkana@disney.com), June 05, 2000

Answers

Lisa, I doubt $400 will get you all you need with the d-460. You might get the camera (I paid that much at buy.com), but you'll probably want to get 2 sets of NiMH batteries and a charger (~$50-60, although this will save you save much more over using alkalines) and a bit more memory (say a 16 Meg SmartMedia for ~$30 or so) (it comes with 8 megs). I really like the camera, although I don't have experience with any other digigal cameras. In talking to friends with non-zoom versions of 1-1.3 mpix cameras, I'm glad I stretched to get that feature.

-- Pete Becker (gs07plb@panther.gsu.edu), June 11, 2000.

While the DC-240 & D460 both seem like great 1+ megapixel units based on reviews, I think you might aim a bit higher and see what you can find in the way of a 2 megapixel, 3X zoom unit for the price range you mentioned.

I did a search for completed auctions on Ebay and found several Toshiba PDR-M5's that had been sold recently for around $400-$430.

I don't want to come off as a Toshiba Zealot, but I do have one and it's a great 2 megapixel(well, 1.92 MP 1600x1200 res. images) camera with a decent 3X zoom lens. It also comes with an AC adapter/charger and one Lithium/Ion rechargeable battery and an 8MB smartmedia card as well as the usual software and cables. Oh yeah, it also has USB for fast file transfers. It can also take one shot after another every two seconds, continuously -not just until a buffer is full, until your smartmedia card is full at full 1600x1200 resolution! It's even faster in burst mode... :-)

There are also other 2MP units available on EBAY in the $400 range, the Fuji MX2900 comes to mind, as do some 1MP units. But I think you'll be wasting money if you pay as much, or nearly as much, for a 1MP unit when you could get a 2MP camera for about the same price. I have both a 1.3MP PDR-M1 and the M5 and the extra resolution does make a difference. It's most noticeable in prints above 4x6".

I'd recommend searching Ebay a bit to see what's available, and then doing a search for completed auctions for those items and seeing just how much people have been paying for them recently. If they're in your price range then go have a look at the Imaging Resource reviews and see if you think the image quality and features justify the price.

For a bit of bidding advice, wait until a minute or two before the end of the auction and bid then. Don't bid early and get into bidding wars with other bidders and drive the price up. If someone else has the same strategy, just make sure your maximum bid is really the most you'll pay for the camera and you might just get it. I've had pretty good luck with this strategy only losing one auction to someone else who wanted something just a bit more than I did.

I'll also put in a quick plug for the Epson 760 printer. See that, I'm not JUST a Toshiba Zealot... Very tough to beat for around $130. If you're bound to spend more, the 6 color 870 produces even nicer color and the prints are rated to last as long as conventional prints! When I say the 760 does a great job, I mean that a 4x6" printed from a 1600x1200 resolution file is as good as or better than a 35mm print up to 2" away from the "nekkid" eyeball! A 5x7" looks great, and an 8x10" looks fine from a foot or so away -that is to say, the dots aren't at all visible. I'm picky. :-)

Good Luck.

-- Gerald M. Payne (gmp@francomm.com), June 12, 2000.