Camera Selection

[jrb]

O.K. I know there are an awful lot of folks that know a lot about photography and digital camera in this forum and I need your help. I'm just beginning my search for my next digital camera. Right now I've narrowed the search to the following 4. The Nikon Coolpix 5700, the Olympus E-20, the Sony DSC-F717, and the Minolta DiMAGE 7i. I have all the technical specifications on the cameras. What I'd like is information you might have on the ease of use and the quality of photographs the camera produces. One last thing, someone just told me that all you really need in 5 mega pixels, that 6 mega pixels is over kill. What do you think about that?

Thanks.

JRB

[Alan Lyons]

Hi,

I am not a digital camera user, but when you ask about megapixels I think negative size. The first stage to good photography is the negative / slide / file size. Good old 35mm film if it was measured in megapixels would come out at around 36mp. The quality of the final image is determined by this how you view the image will determine if you need the bigger format. for example, if you print only A5 prints the smaller will do, but, if you want to make billboard prints you will need the bigger. To see the difference take an image and resise it to a smaller demention. then try to get it to fill your screen, you will see how the quality will fall off dramatically, just like enlarging a 110mm and 35mm negative to the same size,

Alan

[sapor]

Hi Alan,

you can see at http://www1.photosig.com/articles.php?categoryId=4.

Fhotosig is a beautiful site: serous articles and many many terrific photos.

Merry Xmas and Happy New Year from Italy

[sapor]

OHPS!!

my post were for Jrb, not for Alan.

Scuse me, both you two boys!

[Guest guru]

Hi Jrb!

It's a very difficult choice, and I don't want to influence you with my personal taste...

I think the best way to do a meditated choice is to read some good reviews about these cameras. Sapor's site is very interesting; you can find a more "technical" approach, with many lab tests (but also with many pictures in original size) in Digital Photography Review, very serious and professional.

[bmccammon]

For me, the decision to jump to a 6+ megapixel camera was based on the fact that I could use interchangeable lenses rather than the "fixed" zoom on any of the 5 mp cameras.

[Guest guru]

Jrb, give a look here too:

DPReview ... Sigma

[dahol]

Hi

I really think you need the most megapixels you can afford if you want larger prints, A3+ etc but for Pic to exe the smaller ones are fine. A really good site for reviews is at www.dpreview.com they seem to give in depth reports.

I know someone with the Nikon and they are not that happy, yet someone with the Olympus E20 is delighted with the functions and quality of the images, but then the price is a lot more.

Cheers

Dahol

[e.b.west]

If you REALLY want to hear all the different sides of those cameras, go to www.dpreview.com and look at the forums on each individual camera. About once a week someone ask the same question on each (Sony, Minolta,Nikon) forum and it usually starts a lively discussion. If you wade through the bias by the owners, you can find some very objective answers to the question.

In the end though, it comes down to what camera has the features that fit your needs. All of them are good.

E.B.

[Bob]

I'm a little surprised that you have not included Canon G3 in your list. I consider "Image Quality" as well as features to be at the top of the Digital :r choice list

Unless you plan to wallpaper a room with a bigger than life size photo or crop a dewdrop from your favorite garden photo.. the G3 4mg would be MY choice.

by the way... the money saved with the purchace of the G3 will add an external flash.

Right now there probably is not a digital that excells in ALL the needs of the serious photographer without getting into the BIG BUCKS.

Just my humble opinion~~~ Bob..

[HaroldB]

jrb,

I'm not making this decision now (I'm happy with my Coolpix 995), but I DO expect to make it in a while. So when you make your decision, I'm curious which way you went, and why. And also if you were happy with the what you bought!

Harold

[Lin Evans]

Maybe I can help a bit - I have over 20 digital cameras and shoot professionally using both digital and film.

First the professional level cameras:

Six megapixel professional level sensors are equivalent in nearly every way to 35mm color film. Because of the very low noise (equates to film grain) in the pro-level sensor, even a 4+ megapixel pro level digital camera will out-perform 35mm color film in nearly every conceivable case. My Canon EOS-1D 4 megapixel camera is as good for 99% of my color work and enlargements as any of my 35mm color film cameras. My Kodak DCS-760 six megapixel pro-camera is better than any of my film cameras with the exception of shooting subjects were moire (color aliasing) is an issue. Even my 3 megapixel Canon D30 is better in many cases than my 35mm color film.

The arguments that 35mm color film are "equivalent" to 35 megapixel digital resolution are simply wrong. The new Canon EOS-1Ds at 11 megapixels is far and away superior to any 35mm color film or transparency and pushes medium format color film. Because of the extremely low noise, digital images captured with sufficient resolution to properly define the boundaries of fine detail can be enlarged far beyond the limits of grain (about 16x20 inches) for 35mm color film.

Now the consumer/prosumer level cameras:

Consumer level sensors are tiny in comparison to pro level sensors. Noise is problematic at anything over about ISO 100. A five megapixel consumer level camera like the Sony F707/F717 takes excellent images, but pales in comparison to even the Canon D30 (three megapixel) where noise is an issue. Still, resolution is resolution. If trying to photograph details like fine print (writing on a lens, etc.) for product photography, the F707/F717 will outperform a D30 Canon. On the other hand, for macros or head and shoulder portraits, a D30 will blow the socks off any consumer camera at any resolution simply because three megapixel resolution is more than enough to capture all the fine detail in the limited geography of close-up photography. Distant landscapes with fine detail? That's another story.

Enlargement potential with consumer cameras, even the five megapixel Minolta, Sony, Olympus, etc., are limited primarily by digital noise. There is little difference in the enlargement potential between a four and five megapixel consumer camera capture. 11x14 inches is about as large as you will be able to print without the spectre of noise overpowering the image - just as 16x20 is about as large as you will be able to print 35mm color film or transparency captures.

Of the three cameras you mention - all are quite capable. The Minolta has more noise, the Sony is better in low light and the Olympus has much faster autofocus. Toss a coin. The Olympus is better made by far, but both the Minolta and Sony are excellent instruments. Try them out in the store and choose the one which feels best. As far as image quality there are few differences. Sony is somewhat limited by the MemoryStick, but makes up with incredible battery life. Peripherals are more expensive for the Olympus, but the glass is better. The E20 is very slow between high resolution shots - save time to the CF card or MicroDrive is slow. Sony can be used in absolute darkness - with holographic red grid focus aid or with NightShot infrared focus, you can get shots not possible with the other two.

I suspect you would be happy with any of these. On the other hand - spend $2100 or so and buy a D60, S2 or D100 and you have the start of a professional level system which will absolutely out-perform any of the consumer cameras both for image quality and overall versatility. More expensive - absolutely, but you are buying into a lens system (either Canon or Nikon) which can be used with subsequent cameras as the years go by.

Lin

[agrob]

I have a Coolpix 5000 and had nothing but trouble with it shooting in lower light with flash. It was unreliable and despite all the bells and whistles, my less expensive Sony Cybershot knocked the socks off of it in low light. The camera store even gave me a new 5000, and it had the same problem. I do not know if that is an issue with the 5700, but can't imagine they have changed. Also, accessories for Nikon were difficult to procure. I have a Dimage 7hi and it has worked out quite well, easy to use, and with an adquate zoom.

[Guest guru]

I wish to thank Lin for his very clear and authoritative contribution, which at last clarifies an old myth, that higher is number of pixel, better is image quality.

This can be true, but often isn't. Don't forget that to get a sharp picture it is important a good film, but even more a good lens: and too many times consumer cameras are equipped with not so good lenses - not sure as good as Canon, Minolta, Nikon, Pentax, Zeiss SLR lenses.

[HaroldB]

Lin,

I'm curious. Did you omit saying anything about the Nikon 5700 intentionally or just because you have no experience with that line?

Harold

[Lin Evans]

I'm curious. Did you omit saying anything about the Nikon 5700 intentionally or just because you have no experience with that line?

Hi Harold,

I actually have four Nikcon CP cameras - (2 CP950's, CP990, CP995) and also a DSC-F707 Sony and an E10 Olympus (very similar to the E20), but I don't have the 5700 or the Minolta though I have used both. The 5700 takes excellent photos. Like most of the Nikon consumer/prosumer cameras, it doesn't focus well in low light but does produce excellent results in normal to good lighting.

Trying to choose between these four is not an easy task. I would like to separate the E20 from the other three, since it's really quite a different camera. If shutter lag time is important to your photography, the E20 is the fastest of the group. It's also the most like a conventional camera. The real-time LCD review provided by the split-beam technology license purchased from Sony (DSC-D700/D770, DKC-FP3) is very useful in my experience.

The E20 is likely to last much longer than the others in rugged use, but whether or not this is a consideration is a different issue. I would not be afraid to recommend any of these excellent cameras. I think the best way to decide is to actually hold each in your own hand and see which fit's your own idea of a proper tool.

Lin

[ljb]

Last April at a trade show at Texas A&M for the Texas School of Professional Photography, Fuji had a pre-release of their new top-of-the-line professional digital camera. I can't remember the exact number (as I am not moving my film from 35mm/645 to digital quite yet), but I think it is the S2 or S1 or something like that. This camera, I'm sure being that it's Fuji's top professional digital camera, will have many of the features of 645 film . . . I could be wrong, but that's my thinking . . . Just e-mail me if you want to know more and I'll search through my catalogs and magazines and find out what I can on it!

Lori

[jrb]

Thanks ever so much to all of you for your replies! I knew that I'd get a lot of feed back from you folks. If I could be so bold as to ask, could I get some of your thoughts of these cameras from those of you that use them. Lin's detailed response was extremely helpful, but also pointed out my dilemma . . . they are all top notch cameras and the choice is going to be hard. So, if those of you who own these cameras could give me some feed back on how you like the camera perhaps that would be helpful. I understand that in the final analysis I will have to make a choice, but all the information I can get in the mean time will help, I'm sure.

Thanks,

jrb

[marian]

jrb,

Are you subscribed to any photo forums? There are a "ton" of them out there and you can post your photo questions there.

Go to this link below and subscribe. The interesting part is that they have a category where you can see images BY CAMERA!

http://www1.photosig.com

My interest is in portraiture and a lot of people post pix, by camera and then I can "see" the quality that comes out of that particular camera.

I am not digital yet (scanner) but since the prices will drop after the holiday season, they will become affordable. With the newer 10+ mgapxl cameras coming out, the others will drop in price.

Marian

[Ken Cox]

this is James "Slugman" O'Reardon's fav site

http://www.vividlight.com/

especially

moose peterson's section

http://www.vividlight.com/articles/2103.htm

the info and picts at this whole site is enough to make me cash in some investments and start taking picts again

ken

[Lin Evans]

Last April at a trade show at Texas A&M for the Texas School of Professional Photography, Fuji had a pre-release of their new top-of-the-line professional digital camera. I can't remember the exact number (as I am not moving my film from 35mm/645 to digital quite yet), but I think it is the S2 or S1 or something like that. This camera, I'm sure being that it's Fuji's top professional digital camera, will have many of the features of 645 film . . . I could be wrong, but that's my thinking . . . Just e-mail me if you want to know more and I'll search through my catalogs and magazines and find out what I can on it!

Lori

Hi Lori,

The last removable lens dSLR camera released by Fuji was the FinePix S2 Pro. The S2 is a six megapixel super CCD based sensor with internal interpolation (Fuji calls it "extrapolation") to 12 megapixels. It uses Nikon lenses and is quite reasonably priced at about $2200 (street price for camera body).

The S2 has excellent resolution, getting the best by using the interpolated 12 megapixel mode. It competes with the Canon D60 and Nikon D100. Though it's referred to as a "pro" model, it's really not in the same class with the Canon EOS-1D, EOS-1Ds, Nikon D1, D1H, D1x, Kodak DCS-760, etc., which are built to professional standards both in terms of body construction with dust & weather seals, super long shutter life, high speed burst mode, high shutter speed sync, multiple color space modes, all magnesium body, etc. The S2 is based on a Nikon medium quality film body and lacks the features generally considered to be of professional build quality.

It is in the same class as the Canon D60, Nikon D100, Sigma SD9, etc., which is an upper "prosumer" build.

Having said this, the image quality and resolution detail from the S2 is exceptional. If one's use doesn't require the various attributes of the true professional level camera body, the S2 can make a great tool and is definitely something to consider, especially for the advanced amateur photographer.

Best regards,

Lin

[Rick]

I use a Minolta S404 and am quite pleased with it. One thing that may affect others however is the way the Dimage Viewer Utility works. It is quite basic, slow, and NOT twain compatible for calling from say Photoshop. Just by passing the image from the card through the utility converts the image to Srgb or Adobe and in most all cases you will notice a dramatic improvement to the picture quality. However, I use a San Disk card reader and import the jpg files straight into Photoshop where I find that I can manually adjust any image equally as well as can the Utility, perhaps better taking into consideration my own taste. I never process any photo without going to Photoshop anysways where I crop, enhance, resize, add text and effects. so the bottom line for me is that the Dimage Viewer Utility is not a drawback, but is definitely a consideration for others thinking about the Minolta line.

Rick

[Danabw]

Lin:

Thanks for your informative contributions to this thread, I found them very interesting and informative.

A quick question - I'm looking into upgrading my trusty Oly 2020z (great camera that demonstrates the "ultra-megapixels aren't everything" sentiment). It's had a hard life w/me and is having some mechanical problems. Most of my shots end up on DVDs or CDs, with some printing up to 8x10, and the 2.1 MP from the Oly have been great for those needs.

One of the things I like best about the 2020z is that I can take up to five shots quickly w/the flash enabled. Start timing on first shot, end timing on last shot, I can get four shots in 8 seconds, five shots in 10 seconds. Again, that's with flash on each shot, shooting in normal mode (not continuous) at 1600x1200. I use 1800 NIMH rechargeables. This is great for situations where I want to get a sequence of shots that aren't at high speed, or take several shots quickly of subjects (often kids) who don't sit still well. :-)

The newer cameras I looked at (G2, G3, C5050, S602, S45, etc.) couldn't get near that speed shooting at normal mode or continuous mode with flash on. I understand that pushing four or five megapixels around takes more time, but in most of the cases it really seemed that the flash refresh was the problem, not storing the picture. Shooting w/out the flash things moved very quickly. With the flash (even in continous mode) things slowed down again w/the newer cameras.

I even tested the G2 attached to DC power, and still no improvement. Even an Oly 3040z (3 MP) could only do 4 pics in 12 seconds - still not in the range of the 2020z. IS there something about the newer cameras that would cause the slower flash recycle? Do my results "make sense" in terms of how the newer cameras work? I'm about to decide to upgrade to a 2040z (via ebay) to get the faster 1.8 lens and same shooting speed as I have now.

Thanks for any thoughts,

Dana

[Danabw]

For anyone looking for a digicam, some of my thoughts put together for friends/family over the past year or two. Targeted more at those considering their first or second digicam, in the sub-$1000 range, but I think pretty good general advice overall.

Dana

Digital Camera Information Sheet

Digital camera resources on the web:

- Go here: Imaging Resource – http://www.imaging-resource.com. Detailed reviews, links, discussion forums, etc. (Probably most “friendly” site for folks new to digicams.) My favorite site for looking up cameras.

- Go here: Digital Photography Review - http://www.dpreview.com/. Very detailed reviews, links, etc. Has some very active forums which are good for getting answers to questions from digicam users.

- Go here: Steve’s Digicams – http://www.steves-digicams.com. Reviews, links, discussion forums, etc.

- Go here: Digital Camera Resource - http://www.dcresource.com/index.shtml. Nice site also with very detailed reviews. Also has a FAQ that’s worth a look.

- Go here: Thomas Distributing - http://www.thomas-distributing.com for batteries and other camera accessories. Best deals on the best stuff, and reliable recommendations. If you are going to use your camera regularly, you’ll want two sets of NIMH rechargeable batteries.

- Go here: Tiffen – http://www.tiffen.com for information on camera lenses and filters.

- Go here: Ofoto.com – http://www.ofoto.com for an online site to print and share photos, www.ofoto.com consistently gets very good reviews and is the one I use most often. Others also like http://www.shutterfly.com.

- Go here: EZPrints.com – http://www.exprints.com for ordering panoramas among other interesting products.

- Go here: Wnsoft – http://www.wnsoft.com for the best PC digital image slideshow program I’ve seen – PicturesToExe.

Digital camera buying advice: My subjective opinion – you can find other advice on the sites listed above.

Digital cameras:

1. More megapixels is not necessarily better! You need a minimum of 2.1 megapixels (1600x1200 resolution) if you want to print out up to 8x10 prints. If 5x7 is the largest you’ll need, 1.3 megapixels is enough. More pixels can give you sharper prints and more flexibility to crop your photos, but most of us don’t need to get the most pixels available (currently 5 megapixels for prosumer units) as you won’t usually want to print out poster size pics, and you usually don't display more than 1024x768 resolution on most computer monitors. (In fact, when I send pics to friends via email, I usually size them down to 800x600 so I’m sure they’ll be able to see them on their monitor).

The more pixels in the pictures you shoot, the fewer pictures you can store on your “film” (the smartmedia, compact flash, or memory stick media the camera uses to store the pictures) and the longer it takes the camera to write the image to the storage. A compromise might be to get a 3 (or 4) MP camera but set it to shoot at 2.1 MP for the majority of your shots. When you are doing a special portrait or want to get a larger print, up your resolution to the highest setting. On most digicam review sites you can see images from the cameras - save one to your hard drive and print it out on your printer and you can see what you'll be getting.

As of 12/03, I would generally recommend getting at least a 3 MP camera, but if you find a 2 MP camera that you like and is at your price point, go for it! You’ll likely be very happy either way as long as you're not going over 8x10 prints.

2. Make sure the camera has a viewfinder. There are some digital cameras out there that only have an LCD panel on the back of the camera to view the image you are shooting, no eyepiece viewfinder. Baaaaaaaaaaaaaad (in my humble opinion). You don’t get to balance the camera against your face while shooting and your camera’s batteries get sapped quickly w/the LCD on all the time. Finally, in bright sunlight the LCD can be hard to view.

Some cameras (mostly long zoom cameras – usually ones w/5x zoom or more like the Fuji S602, Sony F707, F717, Olympus C700/720/730, etc.) use Electronic Viewfinders (abbreviated EVF). EVFs are essentially a smaller version of the LCD screen that is on the back of a digital camera. It offers true “view through the lens” so you really see what you’re going to shoot, and it can also display settings information like the larger LCD can. Those are good things. Downsides – most EVFs don’t work well in low-light situations, and they “freeze” for at least a second or more when the picture is taken (you see the picture you’ve taken in the EVF and can’t see what’s in front of the lens). EVFs can be very disconcerting for some people, and fine for others. Definitely a “must try” feature – don’t buy one of these cameras w/out shooting a few pictures with it first in the store to get a feel for how it functions.

3. Get no less than 3X optical zoom (you will ALWAYS wish you had a bit more zoom to catch a good shot). Ignore “digital zoom” specs – it’s a mostly useless feature that simply cuts down the area of picture you are taking. Olympus has a couple 2 and 3 MP cameras w/8x and 10x optical zoom (C720, C730 as of 12/03), both of which are small bodies/large zoom cameras that can be very useful. They both use the EVF, so try before you buy. (Neither has image stabilization, so long zoom shots can come out blurry unless you’re on a tripod.) Minolta, Canon, Fuji, and Nikon also have cameras with 4x (and more) zoom.

4. Important!! Get a camera that doesn’t have excessive autofocus lag & shutter lag – some digital cameras can have lags (time between pressing the shutter and the camera focusing and shooting the pic) that are quite long!!! That can mean it’s too late to get the picture you wanted. Reviews on Imaging Resource and DPReview include autofocus and shutter lag timings. Less lag is better. Use the camera yourself if at all possible to see how it feels.

Why shutter lag? (Borrowed from the Digital Camera Resource FAQ):

”The camera must:

· Set the focus, exposure time, white balance, etc.

· Charge up the CCD (apparently it can't hold the charge for long, so it does it right before you shoot)

· Copy the image out of the CCD into RAM.

· Compress the image after it's been taken

· Write the image to the flash memory.”

There is shutter-lag on regular point-and-shoot film cameras as well, it’s just a bit more noticeable on digicams due to the extra work the camera is doing. I once shot a roll of film of whales leaping out of the water on a $350 Canon film camera – all I got was shots of whales falling back into the water due to the autofocus/shutter lag.

5. Consider getting a camera that will accept “normal” batteries, even if it also comes w/a proprietary rechargeable battery pack. If you are on a trip (or just out and about in town) and your batteries die, you will really want to be able to drop into a liquor store or 7-11 and get a few AA’s to keep shooting. If you decide to get a camera that only accepts only a proprietary rechargeable battery pack, plan on spending extra $$ for a backup battery pack (and a charger if it isn't included w/the camera).

The best type of camera (in my humble opinion) is like my Olympus – takes normal AA batteries, and came w/a charger and rechargeable NIMH AA batteries. I got some extra rechargeable NIMH AA’s as backups (from Thomas Distributing) so I can use my rechargeables or regular AA’s in an “emergency.” A “plus” for the proprietary rechargeable battery packs is that they last longer than rechargeable AA’s.

Rechargeable battery packs are getting better – the best of them (as on the Canon G3) can shoot over 450 images when fully charged. And, if you have a video camera from the same vendor you may be able to share batteries between the two.

6. Get a camera that the reviews say will take good “point and shoot” pictures – e.g., you don’t have to do any fussing with settings and configuration to get a good shot. This is particularly important if you are going to be using the camera for informal/impromptu family pictures. You won't have time to turn it on and set white balance and shutter speed if you want to catch junior in that cute pose. Take a look at start-up time as well. Some digicams are quite slow about starting up and getting ready for the first pic – some w/zooms can take 8 seconds! My Oly is about 3 ½ seconds. Again, timings are on Imaging Resources and DPReview sites.

Newer cameras have “scene modes” and improved ways to save and use custom settings, which can help you to quickly set your camera up for specific types of shots (landscape, portrait, sports, etc.). Those features can be very useful.

7. Storage media (compact flash or smartmedia or memory sticks or secure digital, or XD, etc.) doesn’t really matter – they are all fine options, with one caveat. Smartmedia has stalled at 128 MB cards and won’t be available in larger sizes. At 4 MP that may be (for some) a bit of a constraint, given each picture is 1 MB or more. So if you’re getting a camera at 4 MP or above, you might want to look for one that uses compact flash, SD, XD, or memory sticks (Sony).

Plan on buying more storage media than what comes w/the camera. For a 2.1 megapixel camera you can get 130 or more shots on a 64 MB card shooting JPGs (depending on the compression level). Most cameras come w/just a 16 or even 8 MB card. So budget for and get another 64 or 128 MB card w/the camera. If you are out of “film” (no more space on your memory card) when you are out and about you may not be able to find a another memory card at the local liquor store.

In one case I’m aware of, special camera features are only available w/media made by the vendor (Olympus requires their own branded smart media cards to use their built in panorama feature). However, you can create panoramas with other programs w/pics from any smartmedia card, so there are all kinds of options. What I do is keep my original 16 MB Olympus smartmedia card free for doing any panorama shots, and use my 64 MB “generic” smartmedia cards for all other pictures.

8. USB connectivity: All newer cameras have USB ports built in, which allow you to connect the camera to the USB port on your computer using a USB cable, and download images directly from the camera to your computer. You also may want to get a USB media card reader (say about $20 or so), connect the USB card reader to your computer and put your media card into the reader to get the pics off the camera and into your computer. Even if your camera does have a USB connection I would recommend that you get a USB card reader anyway, so that you don’t have to keep your camera on (battery depletion) while transferring images. Some cameras now have optional cradles that allow you to "dock" the camera to the cradle for easy uploading.

Update: Many printers now come with card slots these days, which allow you to print directly from your memory card, and also download the images to your computer.

9. Think about a remote control – we have found that a very useful option w/our Oly for pics of family and when we’re out hiking or on vacation. Putting the camera on a rock (or a really cool miniature tripod I carry in my belt pouch) and hitting the remote to shoot the pic has let us get some great pictures that would not have been possible w/a timer. Several of the Olympus cameras used to come w/remotes, as does the Canon G3 (and G2?), and there is a Minolta 4x zoom, 3 or 4 MP camera that has an optional remote. Sadly, remotes aren’t common enough.

10. You MUST hold the camera in your hands and try before buying. To check the weight, size, feel, ergonomics, control positions, zoom speed, etc. One personal example – I always use my left eye to view through a camera viewfinder – my right eye is much weaker and I don’t feel comfortable relying on it for taking pics. What I’ve discovered is that this means I must have a camera where the zoom lever is on the front of the camera by the shutter release –cameras that put the zoom lever on the back require you to use your thumb to operate it – that results in my thumb knuckle ending up in my right eye. Something I might not notice unless I held the camera and take a few shots. So even if you think you’re going to buy on the Internet, go to local stores (Best Buy, Ritz, Wolf, Circuit City, Frys) and try out the cameras you are interested in. Ritz and Wolf are the best for actually getting a camera to hold that has a battery and memory card in it. Frys is the worst – lots of cameras, but few have batteries or memory cards so you can try them.

11. If you go digital, you MUST MUST MUST MUST MUST come up with a good backup plan for your computer hard disk. Remember that you’ll be copying images from the media to your hard disk and if you don’t back up your hard disk and it crashes, the pics are gone-gone-gone!! So – either a CD or DVD burner, or a second hard disk in the computer (e.g., store on C, back up to D) or tape backup, or external USB/firewire hard drive, or whatever, but don’t skip this or you’ll be sorry. A friend had his laptop stolen and lost pictures of his newborn son taken moments after birth! No backups, much sadness!!

12. Most important of all!!!! Think hard about how you will really use the camera, particularly look at its size and ergonomics! Unless you have it with you you at the zoo/ballgame/national monument/birth/hike/whatever you aren’t going to take any pictures! For me that translates into smaller is generally better, and I'm happy to trade "excess" megapixels/features for convenience, point-and-shoot ease of use, and a camera that has a good feel in my hands. Don't purchase features, purchase a usable camera you will actually bring along with you wherever you go! If the camera is at home in its cool leather camera bag because it’s too large to take along comfortably, you aren’t going to take too many pictures with it.

Have fun – a digital camera will open up new worlds of possibilities to you – you’ll take more pictures (no film/development costs!), print fewer (better!) pictures, and even be able to get into building online slideshows and other cool things.

[JSlugman]

Ken,

Thanks for handing me my thunder again...LOL! I love reading the debates about digital and film (between John Shaw and Moose especially). And for my 2 cents worth, the Canon G3 is an especially nice piece for the budget minded, the Fuji S2 an excellent chunk of change. And I will admit I'd like to test drive Kodak's new 35mm-sized sensor flagship for a week or 20.

But then I still shoot Canon FD gear so take anything I say with a block of salt.