OK, I ave helped several people here about computers, but I am a bit of a fish out of water when it comes to digital cameras. We have a very old one, and looking for a newer one. We don't want to have any special software, but board, please help!!!!
I just bought a Nikon Coolpix 2100 and I am very pleased with it so far. Computer hookup is simple. Software comes with camera.
Olympus Stylus 300 (3Mpix) or 400 (4Mpix)are great cameras. They are weasy to use any produce supior pictures. By the way, I work for Olympus's Medical Division.
My husband is an Olympus man, since his college days in photo classes. I will surf arounf for that. Thanks,
I won't suggest any brand But a common rule of thumb is that 2 megapixel will blow up fairly well to 8x10. If you want to do larger photos larger go more megapixel. Optical zoom is much better than digital zoom as it doesn't degrade the resolution. Good cameras have both. If you have the money, a good option is to buy a digital camera that allows you to use your old lenses.
Re: I won't suggest any brand You are absolutly correct, 2 megapix is great for anything under and 8X10 photo. I took a picture of my cat with an Olympus C-700 that I had and I developed the picture as an 8X10. You could see the individual hairs on his chin, great quality. Most camera are 3Mpix and higher now and a lot of people have the same train of thought as computer - faster is better / bigger is better. Most people do not even realize what they need. My recommendation - over 2Mpix (3 is fine, 4 is overkill) and a high optical zoom (3-4 times minimum).
We bought a Kodak LS443 a couple of years ago and love it (or did love it until my two year old got his hands on it a few weeks ago). It is very easy to use and the editing software that came with it is great for the basic stuff we do. Here is a link. http://www.kodak.com/eknec/PageQuerier.jhtml?pq-path=123&pq-locale=en_US We picked ours up on e-bay and saved quite a bit.
You don't state what the primary purpose or use for the camera will be. If you are looking for a point and shoot camera for snapshots here and there, then one thing to keep in mind is that a small compact camera makes for a good choice. The Canon Digital Elph series has good optics and range from 2 megapixels up to 4 megapixels. The Pentax Optio @4 is also a good choice and weighing in at 4 ounces, it's easy to carry around in a pocket or purse so you won't miss a shot because you didn't bring the camera.