what is a good camera to start with

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I know very little about digital cameras and would like to buy one for around $500 to get started. Was thinking about the cannon s10. Any ideas out there that might help me?

Thanks Paul

-- paul crocker (paulcrocker@hotmail.com), June 05, 2000

Answers

I recently bought an S-10 and like it pretty well. One of the draws was the compact size. My SLR spends too much time in the closet because it's a pain to lug around, play with lenses, etc.

You can get an S-10 for under $500, but that's only the start of what you'll end up paying. First, the optional (in the US, anyway) recharging kit is pretty much required. Otherwise you'll be eating through $10 throw-away batteries at a very fast clip. Add $90 for this.

A second rechargable battery is a good idea - one can be charging while you use the other and you can fully charge both for extended outings. Add $35.

The S10 ships with 8MB of CompactFlash memory. This is pitiful and nearly useless, IMO. This gives you about 5 photos at best quality. I promptly bought a larger compactflash card and sold the 8MB one on eBay. Add $100 or more.

So, all of a sudden your $450 Canon S10 has cost you around $650. And, if you decide you want to print decent images at home, add another $200-300. (or just use the online digital photo processors like ofotos, shutterfly, etc.)

If I had to do it all over again, I'd look more closely at the models with 3x optical zooms. But I really, really appreciate the compact size of the S10.

-- Greg Philmon (gphilmon@yahoo.com), June 07, 2000.


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