Question about first digital camera

Hi all,
I am looking around for first digital camera. I 've looked on the internet
at reviews and looked in a few stores. Found this newsgroup so would like
opinions from anybody who cares to answer.
I am located in Toronto, Canada and I want to spend under $250.00 Can.
($200.00 US).
I would like to get if possible:

- 3 MP camera
- Must have a clear viewfinder - what you see is what you get type.
- optical zoom
- possibly macro feature
- Maybe video with sound, even if sound is very short.
- LCD 1.6 or more if possible

I saw a Pentax 33LF in a store here recently for $250.00 Can. (200.00 US)
which has a swivel LCD- seems a good idea as I have very sensitive eyes in
sunlight, but someone in a review said that might break off through time, so
I don't know what to think of that. I also looked at reviews for Canon A60
and A70 and they seem to have good features, but I don't know if I like the
part that protrudes out the front (the front of the camera is not flat).I
also saw an HP 735 which seemed to have good features for $200.00 Can.
($160.00US). We may not have as much variety available to us as you do in
the US, since most or many of you seem to be from the US.

Would any of above cameras be what I might want and has anybody any personal
experience with any of them? any other recommendations?Any information would
be appreciated.

MaryD

I forgot to mention -I only need a camera a few times a year , mostly
stills, but I like clear prints. I might occasionally transfer some jpgs on
the computer,but my main function will be stills of family, maybe vacation
scenes, mostly 4X6's,5X7's or occasional 8X10, of same quality as a 35 mm
camera.I like the idea of a digital camera where you can delete pictures as
you go, if you don't like them.

MaryD

"MaryD" wrote in message
...
Hi all,
I am looking around for first digital camera. I 've looked on the internet
at reviews and looked in a few stores. Found this newsgroup so would like
opinions from anybody who cares to answer.
I am located in Toronto, Canada and I want to spend under $250.00 Can.
($200.00 US).
I would like to get if possible:

- 3 MP camera
- Must have a clear viewfinder - what you see is what you get type.
- optical zoom
- possibly macro feature
- Maybe video with sound, even if sound is very short.
- LCD 1.6 or more if possible

I saw a Pentax 33LF in a store here recently for $250.00 Can. (200.00 US)
which has a swivel LCD- seems a good idea as I have very sensitive eyes in
sunlight, but someone in a review said that might break off through time,
so
I don't know what to think of that. I also looked at reviews for Canon A60
and A70 and they seem to have good features, but I don't know if I like
the
part that protrudes out the front (the front of the camera is not flat).I
also saw an HP 735 which seemed to have good features for $200.00 Can.
($160.00US). We may not have as much variety available to us as you do in
the US, since most or many of you seem to be from the US.

Would any of above cameras be what I might want and has anybody any
personal
experience with any of them? any other recommendations?Any information
would
be appreciated.

MaryD

MaryD wrote:
Hi all,
I am looking around for first digital camera. I 've looked on the
internet at reviews and looked in a few stores. Found this newsgroup
so would like opinions from anybody who cares to answer.
I am located in Toronto, Canada and I want to spend under $250.00 Can.
($200.00 US).
I would like to get if possible:

- 3 MP camera
- Must have a clear viewfinder - what you see is what you get type.
- optical zoom
- possibly macro feature
- Maybe video with sound, even if sound is very short.
- LCD 1.6 or more if possible

I saw a Pentax 33LF in a store here recently for $250.00 Can. (200.00
US) which has a swivel LCD- seems a good idea as I have very
sensitive eyes in sunlight, but someone in a review said that might
break off through time, so I don't know what to think of that. I also
looked at reviews for Canon A60 and A70 and they seem to have good
features, but I don't know if I like the part that protrudes out the
front (the front of the camera is not flat).I also saw an HP 735
which seemed to have good features for $200.00 Can. ($160.00US). We
may not have as much variety available to us as you do in the US,
since most or many of you seem to be from the US.

Would any of above cameras be what I might want and has anybody any
personal experience with any of them? any other recommendations?Any
information would be appreciated.

MaryD

Mary:

There are several review sites available as follows:

http://www.dpreview.com/
http://dcresource.com/
http://www.imaging-resource.com/
http://www.steves-digicams.com/

Personally, I like dpreview and imaging-resource. I would HIGHLY recommend
that you read the forums to see what the users have to say, as the reviewers
are often slanted towards "manual" features that many "point and shoot"
average consumers will never use. Also from the users, you can get a good
idea of how well the cameras hold up, the A series Canons being a prime
example of cameras with lots of great manual features and lots of defectives
and failures too.

One thing that you will consistently see in the reviews is that in the 3 MP
price range, almost all of these cameras have a "tight" optical view finder
that often take in less than 90% of what the lens sees. In your price
range, I would recommend that you look for a camera that uses AA batteries
and not a proprietary Li battery. You can then buy some rechargable NiMH AA
batteries.

If you want a high quality macro, I would recommend that you look at the 3
MP Nikon Coolpix 3200 as Nikon makes about the best macro lens in your price
range. I would avoid the HP camera as they are not known for their quality.
Pentax used to make HP's digital cameras until they parted ways. I used
Pentax SLR's for over 30 years, and while I cannot comment on the Pentax
digital cameras, Pentax was late to get into the digital game, but now the
reviewers say that they have very successfully caught up.

Good luck,

Steve

"Steve" wrote in message news:mpJbd.394160

Steve,

- 3 MP camera
- Must have a clear viewfinder - what you see is what you get type.
- optical zoom
- possibly macro feature
- Maybe video with sound, even if sound is very short.
- LCD 1.6 or more if possible

I saw a Pentax 33LF in a store here recently for $250.00 Can. (200.00
US) which has a swivel LCD- seems a good idea as I have very
sensitive eyes in sunlight, but someone in a review said that might
break off through time, so I don't know what to think of that. I also
looked at reviews for Canon A60 and A70 and they seem to have good
features, but I don't know if I like the part that protrudes out the
front (the front of the camera is not flat).I also saw an HP 735
which seemed to have good features for $200.00 Can. ($160.00US). We
may not have as much variety available to us as you do in the US,
since most or many of you seem to be from the US.

Would any of above cameras be what I might want and has anybody any
personal experience with any of them? any other recommendations?Any
information would be appreciated.

MaryD

Mary:

There are several review sites available as follows:

http://www.dpreview.com/
http://dcresource.com/
http://www.imaging-resource.com/
http://www.steves-digicams.com/

I have read some of steves digicams and dpreview, but will check out the
others you suggest.

Personally, I like dpreview and imaging-resource. I would HIGHLY
recommend
that you read the forums to see what the users have to say, as the
reviewers
are often slanted towards "manual" features that many "point and shoot"
average consumers will never use.

Also from the users, you can get a good
idea of how well the cameras hold up, the A series Canons being a prime
example of cameras with lots of great manual features and lots of
defectives
and failures too.

I thought that most Canon digital cameras have a good reputation? didn't
know they had a lot of failures too. Would you recommend some Canon
digitals?
I checked some forums, but will check out more.

One thing that you will consistently see in the reviews is that in the 3
MP
price range, almost all of these cameras have a "tight" optical view
finder
that often take in less than 90% of what the lens sees.

Some viewfinders seem to me at least to be more clear than others. But some
say that the viewfinder is what you see is what you get (forget the term
they use). I wear glasses and am "middle aged" -hehe, so the bigger and
clearer the viewfinder is, the better for me. But I will settle for a clear
viewfinder. I looked at the HP viewfinder HP 735 that I mentioned and it had
a good viewfinder (for me at least), but I looked at a Fuji and it was kind
of blurry for me. So I can see a difference in viewfinder clarity. I need to
be able to see clearly what pictures I am
taking The Pentax viewfinder was quite clear too, and I liked the swivel
LCD, depending on how strong it is.

In your price
range, I would recommend that you look for a camera that uses AA batteries
and not a proprietary Li battery. You can then buy some rechargable NiMH
AA
batteries.

I agree with that.

If you want a high quality macro, I would recommend that you look at the 3
MP Nikon Coolpix 3200 as Nikon makes about the best macro lens in your
price
range. I would avoid the HP camera as they are not known for their
quality.
Pentax used to make HP's digital cameras until they parted ways. I used
Pentax SLR's for over 30 years, and while I cannot comment on the Pentax
digital cameras, Pentax was late to get into the digital game, but now the
reviewers say that they have very successfully caught up.

Good luck,

Steve

A macro lens is nice, but not a must for me. I am just used to it from my 35
mm camera.
I have a Pentax 35 mm camera and it always took good photos, but don't know
about the digital ones.

Thank you very much for your comments Steve. I appreciate it. There is a lot
to know about digital cameras, optical lens, zoom lense and so on. I'll keep
looking and learning and eventually get something close to what I want.

Mary

"Steve" wrote in message news:mpJbd.394160

Steve,

- 3 MP camera
- Must have a clear viewfinder - what you see is what you get type.
- optical zoom
- possibly macro feature
- Maybe video with sound, even if sound is very short.
- LCD 1.6 or more if possible

I saw a Pentax 33LF in a store here recently for $250.00 Can. (200.00
US) which has a swivel LCD- seems a good idea as I have very
sensitive eyes in sunlight, but someone in a review said that might
break off through time, so I don't know what to think of that. I also
looked at reviews for Canon A60 and A70 and they seem to have good
features, but I don't know if I like the part that protrudes out the
front (the front of the camera is not flat).I also saw an HP 735
which seemed to have good features for $200.00 Can. ($160.00US). We
may not have as much variety available to us as you do in the US,
since most or many of you seem to be from the US.

Would any of above cameras be what I might want and has anybody any
personal experience with any of them? any other recommendations?Any
information would be appreciated.

MaryD

Mary:

There are several review sites available as follows:

http://www.dpreview.com/
http://dcresource.com/
http://www.imaging-resource.com/
http://www.steves-digicams.com/

I have read some of steves digicams and dpreview, but will check out the
others you suggest.

Personally, I like dpreview and imaging-resource. I would HIGHLY
recommend
that you read the forums to see what the users have to say, as the
reviewers
are often slanted towards "manual" features that many "point and shoot"
average consumers will never use.

Also from the users, you can get a good
idea of how well the cameras hold up, the A series Canons being a prime
example of cameras with lots of great manual features and lots of
defectives
and failures too.

I thought that most Canon digital cameras have a good reputation? didn't
know they had a lot of failures too. Would you recommend some Canon
digitals?
I checked some forums, but will check out more.

One thing that you will consistently see in the reviews is that in the 3
MP
price range, almost all of these cameras have a "tight" optical view
finder
that often take in less than 90% of what the lens sees.

Some viewfinders seem to me at least to be more clear than others. But some
say that the viewfinder is what you see is what you get (forget the term
they use). I wear glasses and am "middle aged" -hehe, so the bigger and
clearer the viewfinder is, the better for me. But I will settle for a clear
viewfinder. I looked at the HP viewfinder HP 735 that I mentioned and it had
a good viewfinder (for me at least), but I looked at a Fuji and it was kind
of blurry for me. So I can see a difference in viewfinder clarity. I need to
be able to see clearly what pictures I am
taking The Pentax viewfinder was quite clear too, and I liked the swivel
LCD, depending on how strong it is.

In your price
range, I would recommend that you look for a camera that uses AA batteries
and not a proprietary Li battery. You can then buy some rechargable NiMH
AA
batteries.

I agree with that.

If you want a high quality macro, I would recommend that you look at the 3
MP Nikon Coolpix 3200 as Nikon makes about the best macro lens in your
price
range. I would avoid the HP camera as they are not known for their
quality.
Pentax used to make HP's digital cameras until they parted ways. I used
Pentax SLR's for over 30 years, and while I cannot comment on the Pentax
digital cameras, Pentax was late to get into the digital game, but now the
reviewers say that they have very successfully caught up.

Good luck,

Steve

A macro lens is nice, but not a must for me. I am just used to it from my 35
mm camera.
I have a Pentax 35 mm camera and it always took good photos, but don't know
about the digital ones.

Thank you very much for your comments Steve. I appreciate it. There is a lot
to know about digital cameras, optical lens, zoom lense and so on. I'll keep
looking and learning and eventually get something close to what I want.

Mary

MaryD wrote:

"Steve" wrote in message news:mpJbd.394160

Steve,


- 3 MP camera
- Must have a clear viewfinder - what you see is what you get type.
- optical zoom
- possibly macro feature
- Maybe video with sound, even if sound is very short.
- LCD 1.6 or more if possible

You'd be cheating yourself if you didn't research Kodak's recent
offerings. Several of them would match your requirements, and a few
have a very large LCD on the back -- for those of us with older
eyeballs. Look into the DX7440 and the 6490.

Here's some people -- actual users -- discussing their Kodak digitals.
Rather heavily 6490 oriented, but the whole spectrum's in he

(Plus some excellent sample shots)

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1011

MaryD wrote:

"Steve" wrote in message news:mpJbd.394160

Steve,


- 3 MP camera
- Must have a clear viewfinder - what you see is what you get type.
- optical zoom
- possibly macro feature
- Maybe video with sound, even if sound is very short.
- LCD 1.6 or more if possible

You'd be cheating yourself if you didn't research Kodak's recent
offerings. Several of them would match your requirements, and a few
have a very large LCD on the back -- for those of us with older
eyeballs. Look into the DX7440 and the 6490.

Here's some people -- actual users -- discussing their Kodak digitals.
Rather heavily 6490 oriented, but the whole spectrum's in he

(Plus some excellent sample shots)

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/forum.asp?forum=1011

"MaryD" wrote in message
...
"Steve" wrote in message news:mpJbd.394160
[snip]

Also from the users, you can get a good
idea of how well the cameras hold up, the A series Canons being a prime
example of cameras with lots of great manual features and lots of
defectives
and failures too.

I thought that most Canon digital cameras have a good reputation? didn't
know they had a lot of failures too. Would you recommend some Canon
digitals?
I checked some forums, but will check out more.

While Canon digicams aren't perfect, I wouldn't go nearly as far as saying
they have "lots" of defects. The multi-point autofocus system and achieving
focus in low light levels are my main complaints - which can actually be
said for a large number of consumer digicams, not just Canon's. Aside from
these two points, they are very good cameras.

One thing that you will consistently see in the reviews is that in the 3
MP
price range, almost all of these cameras have a "tight" optical view
finder
that often take in less than 90% of what the lens sees.

Some viewfinders seem to me at least to be more clear than others. But
some
say that the viewfinder is what you see is what you get (forget the term
they use). I wear glasses and am "middle aged" -hehe, so the bigger and
clearer the viewfinder is, the better for me. But I will settle for a
clear
viewfinder. I looked at the HP viewfinder HP 735 that I mentioned and it
had
a good viewfinder (for me at least), but I looked at a Fuji and it was
kind
of blurry for me. So I can see a difference in viewfinder clarity. I need
to
be able to see clearly what pictures I am
taking The Pentax viewfinder was quite clear too, and I liked the
swivel
LCD, depending on how strong it is.

For the price range you're after, I'm not sure if you'll be able to find a
camera that has an electronic viewfinder (I believe this is what you're
looking for). I wear glasses as well, although I find I rarely use the
optical viewfinder of my digital - only when I absolutely have to i.e.
shooting outdoors on a sunny day when it becomes too difficult to see images
on the LCD clearly.

Terence


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
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"MaryD" wrote in message
...
"Steve" wrote in message news:mpJbd.394160
[snip]

Also from the users, you can get a good
idea of how well the cameras hold up, the A series Canons being a prime
example of cameras with lots of great manual features and lots of
defectives
and failures too.

I thought that most Canon digital cameras have a good reputation? didn't
know they had a lot of failures too. Would you recommend some Canon
digitals?
I checked some forums, but will check out more.

While Canon digicams aren't perfect, I wouldn't go nearly as far as saying
they have "lots" of defects. The multi-point autofocus system and achieving
focus in low light levels are my main complaints - which can actually be
said for a large number of consumer digicams, not just Canon's. Aside from
these two points, they are very good cameras.

One thing that you will consistently see in the reviews is that in the 3
MP
price range, almost all of these cameras have a "tight" optical view
finder
that often take in less than 90% of what the lens sees.

Some viewfinders seem to me at least to be more clear than others. But
some
say that the viewfinder is what you see is what you get (forget the term
they use). I wear glasses and am "middle aged" -hehe, so the bigger and
clearer the viewfinder is, the better for me. But I will settle for a
clear
viewfinder. I looked at the HP viewfinder HP 735 that I mentioned and it
had
a good viewfinder (for me at least), but I looked at a Fuji and it was
kind
of blurry for me. So I can see a difference in viewfinder clarity. I need
to
be able to see clearly what pictures I am
taking The Pentax viewfinder was quite clear too, and I liked the
swivel
LCD, depending on how strong it is.

For the price range you're after, I'm not sure if you'll be able to find a
camera that has an electronic viewfinder (I believe this is what you're
looking for). I wear glasses as well, although I find I rarely use the
optical viewfinder of my digital - only when I absolutely have to i.e.
shooting outdoors on a sunny day when it becomes too difficult to see images
on the LCD clearly.

Terence


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.775 / Virus Database: 522 - Release Date: 08/10/04

MaryD wrote:

I forgot to mention -I only need a camera a few times a year , mostly
stills, but I like clear prints. I might occasionally transfer some jpgs on
the computer,but my main function will be stills of family, maybe vacation
scenes, mostly 4X6's,5X7's or occasional 8X10, of same quality as a 35 mm
camera.I like the idea of a digital camera where you can delete pictures as
you go, if you don't like them.

MaryD


You can't do that with $200 nor with a 3 meg camera. A 3 meg will do
pretty good 4x6s (not as good as a 35mm camera) the 5x7s will be
marginal and the 8x10s will be acceptable only if your standards are
very low. You might want to consider going to $300 which will get you
a 4 meg and some 5 meg cameras. For get deleting the pictures and do
like everyone else--accumulate a ton of them. Actually any picture
that you can tell you should delete on a 1.8" viewer shouldn't have
been taken to begin with (some exceptions are close ups where the
viewfinder doesn't show exactly what the lens does and people
moving). Have fun no matter what camera you select.