need opinion re first digital camera

Hi all,
I've been looking for the last few months for a digital camera in stores
and read tons and tons of reviews, and now am confused as to what I
should get.
I want a camera with at least a 1.8" LCD and a clear viewfinder that is
not blurry (to me at least).
I mainly want a camera for family indoor shots and scenery when I go
somewhere .
But many will be indoors, so I want to try to get one with not much red
eye, though I notice many seem to have that problem. I look at many
reviews and photo samples on Steves site and dresource.com. (I like
those two sites the best, but also have been to depreview.com.) I know
you can take red eye out with software, but I would prefer if possible
to try to get a camera that doesn't have a lot of red eye. I like
pictures that turn out clear and sharp.

A 3.2 MP is ok for me, as I don't want to pay much more than $250.00 US
or under. I am in Canada, but just to give you an idea of price.

Here's what I was considering:

Canon A75 or A85, but needing 4 batteries kind of puts me off. I would
prefer 2 batteries. Canon have recently brought out two new cameras, the
A510- 3 MP and the A520 - 4 MP which have two batteries and they take SD
memory cards. I was thinking of buying one of them, but the reviews on
all the sites I looked at, said they had a lot of red eye, and were not
as good as A75 and A85.

Kodak CX 7530, is a good price right now, and I like the look of Kodak
DX 7440, which is about $100.00 more.
Or Olympus D 580, also a good price camera. The samples on dresource.com
were good of the Olympus D580, and very little redeye on indoor photo on
the site, but said the flash was weak unless taking small groups, but
that might not be a big problem for me.

Any and all comments or personal experiences with any of these cameras
would be much appreciated.

Cathy

Cathy wrote:
Hi all,
I've been looking for the last few months for a digital camera in
stores
and read tons and tons of reviews, and now am confused as to what I
should get.

A guy at work just bought an Olympus C-755 for $250 at Fry's (or maybe
he got it through Outpost.com). 4Mp, 10x optical zoom, the flash works
fine, and has the capability of taking an aftermarket flash unit,
red-eye reduction mode, many preset modes (outdoor, portrait, low
light, action, etc.), "manual" mode for adjusting shutter speed,
aperture, ISO... delay timer (useful for including one's self in the
picture if no one else is around), movie mode, noise reduction, and
more. It is my first digital cam and I like it a lot. a bit bulky
because of the 10x optical zoom lens, and it take 4 batteries, which
you said you didn't like. However, you can get a set of NiMH batteries
with charger for like $10 at Wal-Mart (here in California), so I always
keep a spare set handy. That price is a steal, IMO. If you want
something that fits into your pocket, however, this one is not the way
to go. And it only takes xD flash, which is expensive.

But many will be indoors, so I want to try to get one with not much red
eye, though I notice many seem to have that problem. I look at many

They all have red-eye problems. There are only three ways around red-eye:

1. Don't use a flash. (This is my preferred method.)

2. Use a flash far enough away from the lens. (You can't usually do
this with P&S cameras, unless you use a slave, and that takes a
lot of work.)

3. Fix the red-eye after you take the picture. (I've found that a #2
pencil is perfect for coloring out red-eye.)

-Joel

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"The PhAnToM" wrote in message
oups.com...

Cathy wrote:
Hi all,
I've been looking for the last few months for a digital camera in
stores
and read tons and tons of reviews, and now am confused as to what I
should get.

A guy at work just bought an Olympus C-755 for $250 at Fry's (or maybe
he got it through Outpost.com). 4Mp, 10x optical zoom, the flash works
fine, and has the capability of taking an aftermarket flash unit,
red-eye reduction mode, many preset modes (outdoor, portrait, low
light, action, etc.), "manual" mode for adjusting shutter speed,
aperture, ISO... delay timer (useful for including one's self in the
picture if no one else is around), movie mode, noise reduction, and
more. It is my first digital cam and I like it a lot. a bit bulky
because of the 10x optical zoom lens, and it take 4 batteries, which
you said you didn't like. However, you can get a set of NiMH batteries
with charger for like $10 at Wal-Mart (here in California), so I
always
keep a spare set handy. That price is a steal, IMO. If you want
something that fits into your pocket, however, this one is not the way
to go. And it only takes xD flash, which is expensive.

I'm in Toronto, Canada and have never seen Olympus C-755 advertised
here. We don't get all the models you get in the US and many digital
cameras here, cost more than in the US, especially when they are newly
out. You have more competition so brings the prices down. You also have
more variety. But cameras can quite often be found here on sale at good
prices. You just have to keep looking. I might see the Olympus model you
mention, especially if its new. I didn't want 4 batteries if possible,
but I don't rule it out completely. The Canon A75 sells here for a good
price so I am considering it. Thanks.

Cathy

"Dr. Joel M. Hoffman" wrote in message
...
But many will be indoors, so I want to try to get one with not much
red
eye, though I notice many seem to have that problem. I look at many

They all have red-eye problems. There are only three ways around
red-eye:

yes, I know they all have red eye, but some seem to be worse than others
in that regard.

1. Don't use a flash. (This is my preferred method.)

2. Use a flash far enough away from the lens. (You can't usually do
this with P&S cameras, unless you use a slave, and that takes a
lot of work.)

3. Fix the red-eye after you take the picture. (I've found that a #2
pencil is perfect for coloring out red-eye.)

It would seem to me that No.2 or 3 is the best choice. I can't see that
using a pencil would be too good an option, but thats just my opinion. I
want to mainly use a digital camera for getting stills printed and very
occasionally to send email attachment.

Thanks.

Cathy

"Cathy" wrote:
"Dr. Joel M. Hoffman" wrote...

But many will be indoors, so I want to try to get one with not
much red eye, though I notice many seem to have that problem. I
look at many

They all have red-eye problems. There are only three ways around
red-eye:

yes, I know they all have red eye, but some seem to be worse than
others in that regard.

1. Don't use a flash. (This is my preferred method.)

2. Use a flash far enough away from the lens. (You can't usually
do this with P&S cameras, unless you use a slave, and that takes a
lot of work.)

3. Fix the red-eye after you take the picture. (I've found that a
#2 pencil is perfect for coloring out red-eye.)

It would seem to me that No.2 or 3 is the best choice. I can't see
that using a pencil would be too good an option, but thats just my
opinion. I want to mainly use a digital camera for getting stills
printed and very occasionally to send email attachment.

Future Shop has HP M407 4.1 Mp for C$199.99 after mail-in rebate - I
bought one from Staples at Christmas and am quite satisfied with it.

I do most of my photo cropping and brightness/contrast adjustment with
Irfanview - free, and easy to use. It even removes red eye. I get my
4x6 prints at Wal-Mart for $0.25 each.

--
Martin S.

"MartinS" wrote in message
anews.com...
"Cathy" wrote:
"Dr. Joel M. Hoffman" wrote...

But many will be indoors, so I want to try to get one with not
much red eye, though I notice many seem to have that problem. I
look at many

They all have red-eye problems. There are only three ways around
red-eye:

yes, I know they all have red eye, but some seem to be worse than
others in that regard.

1. Don't use a flash. (This is my preferred method.)

2. Use a flash far enough away from the lens. (You can't usually
do this with P&S cameras, unless you use a slave, and that takes a
lot of work.)

3. Fix the red-eye after you take the picture. (I've found that a
#2 pencil is perfect for coloring out red-eye.)

It would seem to me that No.2 or 3 is the best choice. I can't see
that using a pencil would be too good an option, but thats just my
opinion. I want to mainly use a digital camera for getting stills
printed and very occasionally to send email attachment.

Future Shop has HP M407 4.1 Mp for C$199.99 after mail-in rebate - I
bought one from Staples at Christmas and am quite satisfied with it.

Are you in Toronto? Its funny you should mention the HP M407. The HP
M307 was the very first digital camera I looked at a few months ago It
was at Staples. It was the 3 MP version out just before the M407.
Both the M307 and M407 are pretty cheap here in Toronto. Around $199.00
Can. I have never seen them with a rebate, though I guess it was there
when you bought yours. I've looked for reviews for both those cameras a
few times in the last few months, but only recently saw one for the M407
and it seemed to give mixed opinions. And as I mentioned, I mainly want
a digital camera for 4X 6 prints, many being indoors, though some
outside as well.

How is red eye in the M407 for indoor flash shots? some smaller cameras
seem to have weak flashes for indoors unless quite a small room and
small group.
It seems that the HP M307 and M407 seems to have been largely ignored by
camera reviewers as I would have liked to see some screen shots of the
photo quality, especially an indoor shot of someone. Because of not
being able to see any reviews, I kind of forgot about the M307/M407 till
you reminded me about it now. I know there is also M607 and M707, and
they are reasonable prices as well, but with the M607, I notice HP went
back to a 1.5" LCD which is too small for me.
Most are coming out with bigger LCD's now. I also notice that Canon A75
and A85 are getting quite a lot cheaper, though not as cheap as the HP
M407.

I do most of my photo cropping and brightness/contrast adjustment with
Irfanview - free, and easy to use. It even removes red eye. I get my
4x6 prints at Wal-Mart for $0.25 each.

Is the .25 cents Canadian or US $ ?

I have used Irfanview for a long time, mainly for scanning 4X6 photos.
Its a very good program.
My 35 mm camera doesn' have a red eye problem so never noticed that
feature on Irfanview.
But your comment about Irfanview gives me more hope not to worry so much
about red eye.
Any other information you might want to offer on what kind of shots you
have taken on the M407 would be appreciated. Did you get the dock with
your camera? Is the video any good?

Cathy

"Cathy" wrote:
"MartinS" wrote...
"Cathy" wrote:
"Dr. Joel M. Hoffman" wrote...

But many will be indoors, so I want to try to get one with not
much red eye, though I notice many seem to have that problem. I
look at many

They all have red-eye problems. There are only three ways
around red-eye:

yes, I know they all have red eye, but some seem to be worse than
others in that regard.

1. Don't use a flash. (This is my preferred method.)

2. Use a flash far enough away from the lens. (You can't
usually do this with P&S cameras, unless you use a slave, and
that takes a lot of work.)

3. Fix the red-eye after you take the picture. (I've found
that a #2 pencil is perfect for coloring out red-eye.)

It would seem to me that No.2 or 3 is the best choice. I can't
see that using a pencil would be too good an option, but thats
just my opinion. I want to mainly use a digital camera for
getting stills printed and very occasionally to send email
attachment.

Future Shop has HP M407 4.1 Mp for C$199.99 after mail-in rebate -
I bought one from Staples at Christmas and am quite satisfied with
it.

Are you in Toronto? Its funny you should mention the HP M407. The HP
M307 was the very first digital camera I looked at a few months ago
It was at Staples. It was the 3 MP version out just before the M407.
Both the M307 and M407 are pretty cheap here in Toronto. Around
$199.00 Can. I have never seen them with a rebate, though I guess it
was there when you bought yours. I've looked for reviews for both
those cameras a few times in the last few months, but only recently
saw one for the M407 and it seemed to give mixed opinions. And as I
mentioned, I mainly want a digital camera for 4X 6 prints, many
being indoors, though some outside as well.

How is red eye in the M407 for indoor flash shots? some smaller
cameras seem to have weak flashes for indoors unless quite a small
room and small group.
It seems that the HP M307 and M407 seems to have been largely
ignored by camera reviewers as I would have liked to see some screen
shots of the photo quality, especially an indoor shot of someone.
Because of not being able to see any reviews, I kind of forgot about
the M307/M407 till you reminded me about it now. I know there is
also M607 and M707, and they are reasonable prices as well, but with
the M607, I notice HP went back to a 1.5" LCD which is too small for
me. Most are coming out with bigger LCD's now. I also notice that
Canon A75 and A85 are getting quite a lot cheaper, though not as
cheap as the HP M407.

I do most of my photo cropping and brightness/contrast adjustment
with Irfanview - free, and easy to use. It even removes red eye. I
get my 4x6 prints at Wal-Mart for $0.25 each.

Is the .25 cents Canadian or US $ ?

I have used Irfanview for a long time, mainly for scanning 4X6
photos. Its a very good program.
My 35 mm camera doesn' have a red eye problem so never noticed that
feature on Irfanview.
But your comment about Irfanview gives me more hope not to worry so
much about red eye.
Any other information you might want to offer on what kind of shots
you have taken on the M407 would be appreciated. Did you get the
dock with your camera? Is the video any good?

Cathy

I've also wondered why HP cameras don't seem to get much of a mention.

Sorry I can't give you a great deal of help, as I haven't made a whole
lot of use of it yet - mostly indoor baby photos. I try to use bright
room light and avoid the flash; the flash is quite close to the lens. I
didn't buy the dock - I find the USB cable is fine, and I use a
separate charger for NiMH batteries. It's compact and takes 2xAAs, but
it uses them up fairly quickly. I haven't tried the video feature, as I
also have a digital video camera. I bought the 407 because it seemed a
good bargain for a 4Mp with 3x optical zoom. I previously bought an HP
318 3 or 4 years ago - C$300 for 2Mp and only 2x digital zoom.

The Wal-Mart Canada digital photo service is pretty good; $0.25 for
4x6, $0.99 for 5x7 (even cheaper at Sam's Club). You can upload your
photos to the website, or take them into the store on your memory card
or a CD-R/RW. BTW, I'm about 100km from Toronto.

--
Martin S.

"MartinS" wrote in message
news.com...
"Cathy" wrote:

snip

I've also wondered why HP cameras don't seem to get much of a mention.

Sorry I can't give you a great deal of help, as I haven't made a whole
lot of use of it yet - mostly indoor baby photos. I try to use bright
room light and avoid the flash; the flash is quite close to the lens.

Did your baby have red eye? I guess with a baby, you don't want to
use the flash much. My kids never liked the flash going off. Actually, I
don't like it myself. If you have enough light you don't need the flash,
but I seem to always need it for indoors. I thought I read that its
better not to have the flash too close to the lens.

I didn't buy the dock - I find the USB cable is fine, and I use a
separate charger for NiMH batteries.

Thats probably the best way. You don't really need the dock. I use Win
98SE and have a separate partition for Win 2000 Pro. What OS do you use?

It's compact and takes 2xAAs, but
it uses them up fairly quickly. I haven't tried the video feature, as
I
also have a digital video camera. I bought the 407 because it seemed a
good bargain for a 4Mp with 3x optical zoom. I previously bought an HP
318 3 or 4 years ago - C$300 for 2Mp and only 2x digital zoom.

The HP 307 and M407 are selling in Toronto at around $200.00 Can. so
very cheap prices as long as they take good photos of course. If I was
getting any of those, I would get the M407 as it is very similar to the
M307, only its 4 MP's. So I am swayed back to considering it again.
How do the pictures turn out? are they clear and sharp, even the indoor
ones?

The Wal-Mart Canada digital photo service is pretty good; $0.25 for
4x6, $0.99 for 5x7 (even cheaper at Sam's Club). You can upload your
photos to the website, or take them into the store on your memory card
or a CD-R/RW. BTW, I'm about 100km from Toronto.

I have a Walmart near me where I sometimes make 4X6 prints from my 35
mm. There is no Sams club near me.

Cathy

"Cathy" wrote:
"MartinS" wrote...
"Cathy" wrote:

snip

I've also wondered why HP cameras don't seem to get much of a
mention.

Sorry I can't give you a great deal of help, as I haven't made a
whole lot of use of it yet - mostly indoor baby photos. I try to
use bright room light and avoid the flash; the flash is quite close
to the lens.

Did your baby have red eye? I guess with a baby, you don't want
to use the flash much. My kids never liked the flash going off.
Actually, I don't like it myself. If you have enough light you don't
need the flash, but I seem to always need it for indoors. I thought
I read that its better not to have the flash too close to the lens.

I've had red eye on a couple of closeups (my grandson, BTW).

I didn't buy the dock - I find the USB cable is fine, and I use a
separate charger for NiMH batteries.

Thats probably the best way. You don't really need the dock. I use
Win 98SE and have a separate partition for Win 2000 Pro. What OS do
you use?

Recently upgraded to WinXP Pro - much more stable than 98.

It's compact and takes 2xAAs, but
it uses them up fairly quickly. I haven't tried the video feature,
as I also have a digital video camera. I bought the 407 because it
seemed a good bargain for a 4Mp with 3x optical zoom. I previously
bought an HP 318 3 or 4 years ago - C$300 for 2Mp and only 2x
digital zoom.

The HP 307 and M407 are selling in Toronto at around $200.00 Can. so
very cheap prices as long as they take good photos of course. If I
was getting any of those, I would get the M407 as it is very similar
to the M307, only its 4 MP's. So I am swayed back to considering it
again. How do the pictures turn out? are they clear and sharp, even
the indoor ones?

Plenty good enough for 4x6, as long as the focus is good to start with.
I haven't done any direct comparison with other cameras.

The Wal-Mart Canada digital photo service is pretty good; $0.25 for
4x6, $0.99 for 5x7 (even cheaper at Sam's Club). You can upload
your photos to the website, or take them into the store on your
memory card or a CD-R/RW. BTW, I'm about 100km from Toronto.

I have a Walmart near me where I sometimes make 4X6 prints from my
35 mm. There is no Sams club near me.

Good luck!

--
Martin S.