Digital Cameras

bdavidson

I finally joined the ranks of the digital BGE community and bought a camera. After reading last month's Consumer Reports, and finding that, as usual, some of the top picks have already been discontinued, I settled on the Toshiba PDR-M25, the replacement for the CR Best Buy PDR-M61. It looks like a pretty nice camera with 3x opital zoom (as well as digital) and 2.2 megapixels. The package came with a 16 meg Smartcard, carrying case, and Smartcard floppy disc adapter.
Now all I have to do is figure out how to work the thing....
Hope to be posting entree pics along with the rest of you soon.
bd

Tim M

bdavidson,[p]I was an avid Consumers Report advocate for 10-15 years until the times changed and CR became so out of date by the time it hit my mailbox. I bought my 1st digital camera after reading CR. They poorly rated the Sony I bought for something that needed a serial cable and and hour to d/l pictures to the computer. No, CR may be OK for BBQ grills, Clock radios, toasters, but they aren't much at high-end state-of-the-art electronics or computers. IMO ofcourse. [p]There are website where I think you get even better true life testimonials that CR.[p]Tim

bdavidson

Tim M,
Thanks for that gleeming vote of confidence! That's just what I wanted to hear after spending $350 on a camera....
:-)[p]

GaDawg

Tim M,
You're right. When I bought my first real camera in the
70's CR had no clue about photography, and they still don't. Also, they think my kitchen aid blender is a piece
of junk, and I think it's great. They seem to have great
breadth of knowledge and absolutely no depth. My opinion.
Chuck

Tim M

bdavidson,[p]I didn't mean to say they suggest junk or anything bad. Just that there info is often timely and the models they are testing are no longer sold, so you have to "guess" on one to buy. [p]Digi camera are like computers. When you get it home, it's out of date it seems. [p]Tim

GaDawg

bdavidson,
That's not to say that you got a bad camera, I
don't know anything about it. I just don't like
CR's advice on cameras in particular and electronics
in general. Word of mouth between camera buffs has
always worked for me. Enjoy the camera. We just bought
a kodak dx3900 for my dad. I'll "test" it for him before
Christmas and post the results.
Chuck

Mike Oelrich

bdavidson,[p] I see no reson why you shouldn't be happy with the camera. However, I'll post the following for those looking for a couple real steals:[p]1. B&H has the <a href="http://www01.bhphotovideo.com/default.sph/FrameWork.class?FNC=ProductActivator__Aproductlist_html___239734___MIDS304J___REG___CatID=0___SID=EADDDD670D0">Minolta S304(/a) (3.3MP, 4x optical zoom, but you have to use Minolta's download software to get the right color balance) for $399 right now. Just click on the pricing box to have them mail you the special code.[p]2. CompUSA's add for tomorrow's paper here has the Olympus C2100UZ (only 2.1MP, but a 10x image-stabilized optical zoom!!!!!!! for $499!![p]MikeO

Painter

MikeO,
Speaking of digital cameras, which I know nothing about, are any of these good buys in your opinion.
Painter

[ul][li]more camera deals[/ul]

Unknown

Painter,
Check out www.beachcamera.com They seem to have so good prices, and a large selection.[p]GaryJ

Painter

GaryJ ,
Thanks for another link, now I'm really gonna get confused.
LOL ---Painter

Unknown

Painter,
That is what happened to me.
I started reading about digital cameras off the Internet and a couple of photography magazines. Within a couple of weeks, I was thoroughly confused. I decided to wait about six months and see if the prices get a little more reasonable.
Good luck with your quest to purchase a digital camera. [p]GaryJ

Mike Oelrich

Painter,[p] Some of the deals are pretty good. However, none beats the Minolta deal I posted earlier. I would suggest you make a list of the things you want to do, then figure out what you want to spend. Compare based on that. My current favorites are the Minolta Dimage S304 (based on value; i.e., a 3.3 MP camera with a 4x optical zoom (don't be fooled by claims of "digital zoom", which is worthless IMHO)that has been rated well for $399 at www.bhphotovideo.com), the Fuji Finepix 2600 (best deal on a beginner 2MP digital camera (3x optical zoom, good picture quality for $259 at Gateway with free shipping and a rebate when purchased with extra SmartMedia). For zoom lovers, either the Fuji Finepix 2800 (6x optical zoom, 2MP for $333 at buy.com) or the Olympus C2100UZ (10x image-stabilized</> optical zoom, 2MP for $499 at various places)[p]MikeO[p]PS When pricing, always look at the retailers reviews at www.resellerratings.com or another rating site -- there are some cheats out there!

Painter

MikeO, Thanks for the input, I appreciate it.[p]Painter

The Naked Whiz

Tim M,
A good place to go for digital camera reviews is www.dpreview.com. Lots of models and lots of info.[p]TNW