Recommendations for Digital Camera Purchase
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Senior Member
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 104
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From: DFW, TEXAS
Recommendations for Digital Camera Purchase
Seeking suggestions for which digital camera to purchase in the under $500 range. What should I be looking for in options and versitility? Any help would be gratly appreciated.
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Crew Coach
2001 F150 4x2 Lariat Supercrew, Oxford White w/silver two-tone, 5.4L, 3.55LS, Captain's Chairs, Towing Pkg, 6-CD, Bed Extender, Westin SS Nerf Bars, Line-X sprayed-in bedliner, EGR deflector, Stull billet grill, Husky custom liners, ARE LSII with Sport Wing, Ford locking gas cap, wheel & spare locks by McGard
Other planned mods: AirForce 1 air induction, Flowmaster Delta 50 Series, cobra hood, Stillen air dam w/driving lights, speaker upgrades, amp, crystal clear lenses, etc., etc., etc.
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Crew Coach
2001 F150 4x2 Lariat Supercrew, Oxford White w/silver two-tone, 5.4L, 3.55LS, Captain's Chairs, Towing Pkg, 6-CD, Bed Extender, Westin SS Nerf Bars, Line-X sprayed-in bedliner, EGR deflector, Stull billet grill, Husky custom liners, ARE LSII with Sport Wing, Ford locking gas cap, wheel & spare locks by McGard
Other planned mods: AirForce 1 air induction, Flowmaster Delta 50 Series, cobra hood, Stillen air dam w/driving lights, speaker upgrades, amp, crystal clear lenses, etc., etc., etc.
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 1,167
Likes: 0
From: Anchorage
Here's a couple ideas.
1. Get one that uses Smartmedia or Compact Flash for storing pictures. It's alittle more $, usually about $2.00 per MB.
2. DEFINITELY check into the battery life. Some use rechargable AA N.M. Hydride or Lithium (I bought a Kodak 290 and the rechargable batteries only lasted 35 minutes, but with regular alkaline it lasted 5-10 minutes). I now have a Nikon 880 that uses lithium and lasts 1-1.5 hours of constant use.
3. Focus on the optical and NOT digital zoom features on the camera. The optical zoom is what really counts.
4. For $500.00, get something atleast 2.1 megapixel or more.
5. Buy a USB Smartmedia/CompactFlash reader (usually runs $30-$50), this will save you the hassle of plugging the camera into the computer. Plus you'll save some bucks on battery life.
I sometimes use a Olympus D490 at work which is a 2.1 megapixel and works very well. Just remember the higher the resolution, the more memory it takes. The Nikon 880 takes over 8MB memory to store one pic in super-hi resolution. Good luck.
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1999 4x4 F250 LD XLT SuperCab 5.4L, 3.73, 4R100 trans.
Flowmaster exhaust, K&N, Superchip, WMS Velocity Tube, Rancho RSX shocks, Hellwig rear swaybar, Stull billet grille, PIAA Air Dam with 2-PIAA Pro80XT's (120W), 4-KC Daylighters (150W), Performance Accessories 3" Body Lift, 33/12.5/17 ProComp Mud Terrains on 17x8 American Racing Atlas Rims. Kenwood 7007 CD, Alpine 3342 Signal Processor, Alpine MRV-F353 5Ch. Amp, Pioneer TS-A6865 3-way speakers, MTX Thunderforms. CompuStar alarm/autostart.
1. Get one that uses Smartmedia or Compact Flash for storing pictures. It's alittle more $, usually about $2.00 per MB.
2. DEFINITELY check into the battery life. Some use rechargable AA N.M. Hydride or Lithium (I bought a Kodak 290 and the rechargable batteries only lasted 35 minutes, but with regular alkaline it lasted 5-10 minutes). I now have a Nikon 880 that uses lithium and lasts 1-1.5 hours of constant use.
3. Focus on the optical and NOT digital zoom features on the camera. The optical zoom is what really counts.
4. For $500.00, get something atleast 2.1 megapixel or more.
5. Buy a USB Smartmedia/CompactFlash reader (usually runs $30-$50), this will save you the hassle of plugging the camera into the computer. Plus you'll save some bucks on battery life.
I sometimes use a Olympus D490 at work which is a 2.1 megapixel and works very well. Just remember the higher the resolution, the more memory it takes. The Nikon 880 takes over 8MB memory to store one pic in super-hi resolution. Good luck.
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1999 4x4 F250 LD XLT SuperCab 5.4L, 3.73, 4R100 trans.
Flowmaster exhaust, K&N, Superchip, WMS Velocity Tube, Rancho RSX shocks, Hellwig rear swaybar, Stull billet grille, PIAA Air Dam with 2-PIAA Pro80XT's (120W), 4-KC Daylighters (150W), Performance Accessories 3" Body Lift, 33/12.5/17 ProComp Mud Terrains on 17x8 American Racing Atlas Rims. Kenwood 7007 CD, Alpine 3342 Signal Processor, Alpine MRV-F353 5Ch. Amp, Pioneer TS-A6865 3-way speakers, MTX Thunderforms. CompuStar alarm/autostart.
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 680
Likes: 0
From: Northwest Iowa, '00 F-150 Harley-Davidson
Great points by Jupiterak!
I recently researched digital cameras and settled on an Olympus 460 Zoom that I love. (Been using it for several weeks now.) Great camera, tons of features such as Panorama (up to a full circle!), Sequence shots at 2 frames per second, 3X optical zoom plus 2X digital zoom, high quality lens system, etc. It is a 1.3 megapixel which is more than most people will ever need unless you're into hard copy printer photography and high end graphics.
Nice thing about the Olympus is the price is good. They can be found online for around $279.00 shipped. Highly recommended imo.
Do get some rechargeable Nickel Hydride batteries if you opt for the Olympus line as this camera comes with Lithium which is fine, but pricy to keep buying every time. Keep the Lithium as a backup spare in case the rechargeables give out while shooting.
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2000 F150 Harley-Davidson: Superchip, K&N FIPK
Hard Tonneau, Hidden Hitch, 2-Meter Rig (KG0UK)
'99 FLHRCI, '95 XLH
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 243
Likes: 0
From: Palm Beach County, FL
I agree with Jupiterak on most of his points. Buy one with a smart media or Type II compact flash type storage. You can upgrade the memory size from a variety of vendors (vs. Sony memory stick) and take advantage of pricing competition. The ability to xfer files/images to the PC via a card reader plugged into a USB port is MUCH faster than using a serial cable connected to the camera OR those that store onto floppy discs. The discs are cheap BUT are only capable of storing 1.4 MB thus won't hold many high-res images, are slow to xfer, and easier to damage. Resolution (# of pixels) is usually a major pricing point (the higher the res., higher the $'s) and really only a factor if you plan to print "hard copies" of your photos. Then the more the better. Most web or email postings will be fine at about 600 x 800 and thats only .48 mega pixels! Just my $0.02!
Member
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 89
Likes: 0
From: New Providence, NJ USA
Some great points already listed. I have already bought two (I was an early adopter) and have been through the decision making process a few times.
Just like we love this site for the Ford truck coverage, there is a site for digital cameras -- www.dpreview.com (digital photography review).
They have in-depth reviews of the cameras... but the real benefit to the site is the forums. I have found the users to be incredibly helpful.
One tip I would give is spend the time looking through the site before you post about which camera. I usually get the best success when I ask about a choice between 2-3 cameras.
The other question I would ask is, "What do you want to do with the camera?" Taking pictures and posting to the web would have different requirements than taking pictures and printing them.
I really like compact flash over smart media -- it comes in bigger sizes (and therefore, more pictures). But there is a lot of debate...
My latest camera is the Sony f505v -- which may still be out of your range. It has a good price to performance ratio, and since I'm a hobbiest at best (!), the user friendly functions are nice. That and the 5x optical zoom lens!
Anyway... I've rambled enough. Feel free to contact me off list if I can provide more assistance.
Santa
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2001 F250 CC Lariat LWB, 5.4L V8, 4.10LS
- Jeraco Deluxe Cab High Cap, color matched (expected soon)
MODS: Still busy figuring out where to start
Just like we love this site for the Ford truck coverage, there is a site for digital cameras -- www.dpreview.com (digital photography review).
They have in-depth reviews of the cameras... but the real benefit to the site is the forums. I have found the users to be incredibly helpful.
One tip I would give is spend the time looking through the site before you post about which camera. I usually get the best success when I ask about a choice between 2-3 cameras.
The other question I would ask is, "What do you want to do with the camera?" Taking pictures and posting to the web would have different requirements than taking pictures and printing them.
I really like compact flash over smart media -- it comes in bigger sizes (and therefore, more pictures). But there is a lot of debate...
My latest camera is the Sony f505v -- which may still be out of your range. It has a good price to performance ratio, and since I'm a hobbiest at best (!), the user friendly functions are nice. That and the 5x optical zoom lens!
Anyway... I've rambled enough. Feel free to contact me off list if I can provide more assistance.
Santa
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2001 F250 CC Lariat LWB, 5.4L V8, 4.10LS
- Jeraco Deluxe Cab High Cap, color matched (expected soon)
MODS: Still busy figuring out where to start
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 1,167
Likes: 0
From: Anchorage
I forgot one thing. Do pay RETAIL! Try some sights like Ubid.com, B&H Photo, Buy.com, even Ebay.
I think www.buy.com is great. They have a 30 day return policy, no questions asked. So if you buy a digital camera and don't like it, you can return it for a full refund.
I think www.buy.com is great. They have a 30 day return policy, no questions asked. So if you buy a digital camera and don't like it, you can return it for a full refund.
Member
Joined: Jan 2001
Posts: 94
Likes: 0
From: Lincoln, NE, USA
For 900.00 you can step up to one of the best 3 megapixal cameras around. Here is the link for specs and price...Olympus C3030
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Gen III, 2001 SuperCrew Lariat, 5.4L, 4x4, 3.55 Limited Slip, Black Exterior, Med Graphite Leather Captians Chairs with "BUN Warmers", Sliding Rear Window, Power Moonroof, Class III Trailer Tow Group, Skid Plates, Bed Extender, 6 Disc CD...
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My SCrew:
Gen III, 2001 SuperCrew Lariat, 5.4L, 4x4, 3.55 Limited Slip, Black Exterior, Med Graphite Leather Captians Chairs with "BUN Warmers", Sliding Rear Window, Power Moonroof, Class III Trailer Tow Group, Skid Plates, Bed Extender, 6 Disc CD...
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