User Friendly?

[Tina55]

Hello, I'm new around here and fairly new to computers and techno-challenged (sort of). I'm using two fingers and a thumb on the space bar to type this post. O.K. my Q is; I want a user friendly camera. I don't want to spend a fortune so I won't be depressed for a year if I run over it with my car or destroy it in some other way. I'd like to be able to capture the butterflies on my lantana and the hummers dipping into my flowering maples. I'd also like to take broader landscapes and pics of my kids doing kid stuff. All without requiring a doctorate in electronics. Any suggestions? Please?

[boo]

Any of the Kodak Easyshare 'Point and Shoot Series' would work well for you. I think it says it all..point & shoot. :blink: Mine was a freebie when I bought my computer but I think the quality of the pictures are real good, even comparing with the other digital cameras I own. I use mine a lot for around the yard.

[Larry the Lamb]

Depends on how much you want to spend really, and whether you want a compact digital or film camera. Digital is geting cheaper nowadays but you can get a good film camera incredibly cheaply now too!
(In fact for $200 you could get a better film camera than you could a digital!)

Something like an Olympus Mju or Pentax Espio would suit you nicely unless you want to go really close then you miht be better with an old SLR.
If you want a decent digi then youre looking at something like a high end Nikon Coolpix or Canon Sureshot G5(you can get the 'older' cameras in this range -G1 to G4-quite cheap and they are amazingly competent!)
or Konica Minoltas D'image series.

[Tina55]

Hi Boo. Thank-you. I'll check them out. How many pics does yours store before downloading? It'll be from my family but I get to do the shopping for it so I get the features I want.

[Tina55]

Don't know HOW I did that! See not high-tech here.
Hi Larry. I have 35mm cameras but can't upload very well (that tech thing) and don't get my film into town often enough. I want the instant gratification from a digital. Thank you for sharing info though.

[Larry the Lamb]

Again, Olympus Mju, Nikon Coolpix or Pentax Optio (Espio is film version) should be worth a look. But then again there are loads of Fuji digitals out there, and very well priced.
Why not have alook on Ebay, our digi, a sub 1MP fuji would only sell for about $50 most i reckon!

[boo]

The only reason why I would push for the digital is because you can get the photos you want & delete the bad ^_^ It's a lot cheaper and you don't forget about rolls of film. :lol:

Tina the amount of pictures depends on the size of the card you buy. Its a good investment. :D I have a 256 mb card that holds 35 VERY LARGE files or over a 1,000 decent photos. I use a card reader but depending on what camera you get, there might be a dock or a plugin to your computer.

[buster]

Tina, i HAVE A mINOLTA DIAMGE SERIES DIGITAL THAT i USE TO TAKE ALL THE PIX i POST HERE. iT WAS ABOUT $200.00 AND BELIEVE ME IT IS RUGGED. i SOMEHOW WASHED IT IN THE WASHER AND AFTER IT DRIED IT WORKS FINE.Sorry, I wasn't shouting, I didn't know I had the caps on. Any way, I don't recommend washing it(an accident-honest)but at least you know they are durable.And my pix here come out pretty good, I think.It is very user friendly. Believe me I'm very tech challanged. Can't even hook up a VCR. Connie

[Kildale]

Hi. I'm not going to say what camera to get but I would suggest you get one that uses AA batteries. Some of the other batteries, and you do need a spare, can cost a lot of money. Worth thinking about.

[Larry the Lamb]

It's a lot cheaper and you don't forget about rolls of film. :lol:



Not if you want good size prints its not, phenomenally expensive to get even 10x8s from a digi as first you need a good digi about 6 MP, and one heck of a good printer, and lots of money for ink.

[Larry the Lamb]

Hi. I'm not going to say what camera to get but I would suggest you get one that uses AA batteries. Some of the other batteries, and you do need a spare, can cost a lot of money. Worth thinking about.
Yes they can be expensive( my SLR uses 2 CR2s which costs an absolute fortune, about 20 doolars for two, tho they last about 6 months.
BUT I can get them very cheap(about 2 dollars each!) from 7dayshop!

[bjmots]

Tina - I have a Kodak Easy Share with a printer dock and rechargeable AA batteries that I absolutely love. The pictures are very good quality and the printer dock is wonderful for "instant gratification". It's kinda like combining the quality of a 35mm with a polaroid. Also, downloading to your computer is super easy with the Kodak software. We paid $199.00 for the camera and printer. The paper and ink cartridge refills for the printer aren't real expensive either. Makes your prints come out to about 21 cents each and like Boo said you can keep/print the good ones and trash the bad ones.

[Tina55]

Thank you everyone. I'm thinking between $200-$300 and know I want 5 pixel. I have a vague idea about the cards holding the pics But is a 'card reader' a different piece of hardware? I was hoping to be able to just be able to hook up a camera to a usb port and download directly and maybe burn to a cd. I'm still trying to work out the parental controls on this thing So I won't give my daughter the feeling that I'm breathing down her neck (even though I will be). Thanks all.

[Kildale]

Any prints you want, take a floppy etc into walmart and let them print them for you. 4 x 6 is 24 cents each. 8 x 10 less than $3 I believe. If you want small ones, I make small magnet with a photo on, put three on a 4 x 6 for 24cents cut them and they are 8 cents each. Never printed my own although I have a good printer, ink costs plenty. You also need good photo paper.

[Kildale]

A card reader is great. It saves batteries in the camera. A lot of printers have them built in.

[boo]

Not if you want good size prints its not, phenomenally expensive to get even 10x8s from a digi as first you need a good digi about 6 MP, and one heck of a good printer, and lots of money for ink.


Mine is an old 3 mp and I get decent 8x10 photos. I don't know why anyone would want to print them off themselves when you can buy 8x10's for $1.99 at Yahoo Photo. You can even pick them up at your local Target. :D

[terese]

My 4 MP digital camera also produces great 8x10s. And I print them out on my canon photo printer because i like using matte paper. ^_^

[donybee]

Check on e-bay as there are some really good cameras that sold fot 900 to 1000 dollars a couple of years ago and are now selling for about 2 to 3 hundred. Sony has some good ones. I have a Sony that uses a floppy disc that I use for e-bay photos. I'm sort of partial to Sony I guess.

[boo]

And I print them out on my canon photo printer because i like using matte paper.

Most places will let you decide if you want gloss or matte. I did a few in matte :blink: real classy

Terese, you still saving for that pricey little gem of a camera?

[donybee]

There's a Sony MVC-400 on e-bay right now you can get for 280.00 it uses a 3 inch cd that you can put right into your computer and download the photos.

[terese]

Most places will let you decide if you want gloss or matte really? i guess it's been a while since i've looked. ^_^

I'd like to think i'm saving for that camera....buuut there's always something else that i need to get. -_- I'm sure by the time I have the funds there'll be something bigger and better that costs more. :blink: How about you?

[boo]

Same story ^_^ At this rate :unsure: I think my only hope is to hint to Cliff until he breaks down & buys it for me. Unfortunately, he has other things on his mind and doubt it will happen this year.

Seems to me it would be a great Oh My God You're Thirty gift, but he'll probably get me a treadmill. :lol:

[terese]

the treadmill is up there with getting a new vacuum cleaner as a gift. -_-

i think the camera would be a great b-day gift. :D

[erdine]

I order prints online though walmart. all you do is pick the pics you want, upload them to their site, and pay for them when you pick them up. love it. and they do a pretty good job. I used to do our own pics, but our printer has 6 cartridges, so it gets very expensive.
If I'm doing a very special pic, I will do it myself, as I have all sorts of different papers.
I have my eye on a new sony camera, :mellow: :mellow:

[Tina55]

Thanks again. You've all given me things to think about and to look for; i.e. the battery thing. I dislike expensive specialized batteries and trying to find them. All of my power tools were purchased w/extra batteries so I could have one on the charger while using up the other. No extras available=no purchase. I will do some diligent shopping and know some of the questions I want answers for, thanks to you folk.

[Tina55]

Thank-you again for all of your input. I opted for a Pentax Optio 6.o. Got a dock for it as well as the biggest pix stick I could. I can hardly wait to open it on Christmas morning. (It's to me from my kids- aren't they sweet?)~Tina