Cameras

[Papa9571]

I have both a SLR and Digital, both Canon Rebels.

My digital is 6.3 megapixel and takes fantastic shots but is out of your price range. I bought that particular digital because it is one of the few that you can buy different lenses for, uses flash cards for storage, has a rechargeable battery that allows for over 400 pics, and does not make short movies.

Most photograph quality printers qulaity is around 5 megapixels so anything higher right now is a waste unless you buy the professional stuff.

As far as 1600X1200 that is what a 3.2 megapixel camera would produce. If you can afford higher by all means do so. Mine currently produces 3072X2048 pics.

Which ever brand you chose make sure it has the following features.

Rechargeable battery.
Quite a few use standard "AA" batteries but they last for maybe 15 shots and you have to replace them. Rechageable "AA" batteries last longer, approx 30 - 50 pics, but can take quite a while to recharge.

Removable storage device.
It doesnt matter what type you get. Compact flash cards, Smart Sticks, or any other type work quite well. The size of the card and the resolution of the pics determine how may pics you can store on a card. I have 1gb cards and can store 300 pics at my highest resoultion.

Card Reader.
If your computer or printer has a multi-function card reader you are good to go. IF not you need to buy a good card reader so you can easily transfer your pics to your computer.  They brand of card reader you should get is determined by the brands of cards you buy. Lexmark cards are "slow speed" cards and work fine in all readers. San Disk and Sony cards are "high speed" cards and you should get a San Disk reader to read them. If you try to use a Lexmark reader with these cards you are guaranteed to have problems.

I know this is a lot and you have to decide based on these replies. I hope your experience starting out is a pleasurable one and welcome to the world of digital photography

[Scorpiоn]

I like to mess around with Photoshop, and of course anything I prodoce for myself will have to be 1024x768 in the end.  In my experience I find 1600x1200 to be a suitable resolution to begin playing with, as by the time you're done a considerable amount of cropping has taken place.  And, of course, sometimes the pictures just ain't that great to begin with, and you only need a small portion.  I really only "need" 1600x1200, but by all means I'll take anything more.

I have no desire for even two second movie capabilities - if I wanted movies I'd buy a decent camcorder.  Just really good big photos, a good lens and perhaps a few focus helpers.  The cameras listed seem more than apt for my means - I'll just need to stock up on memory is all.

PS: Looking at the two cameras proposed, despite the lower zoom, I have to say I opt for the A95.

[Craig.]

Skorp, I would imagine the A95 being a newer camera aswell, so thats always a plus. Remember to get out and try before you buy as a digital camera can be very much a personal choice as to what works best for you. I know for the photography i do 3x zoom wouldn't be enough therefore i would have a problem looking for a cheaper model with the longer zoom. It sounds as though 3x zoom is enough for you so theres pleanty to choose from for good prices.

[Hagar]

Some good advice here. Depending on what you want to take photos of I imagine the A95 would be ideal. Even a cheaper 3 MP model is capable of at least 2304 x 1728 resolution but higher resolution settings use more memory. The file size of the downloaded images is also a lot more. Images are very memory intensive & take up a lot of drive space. I have a remote hard drive specifically for keeping my photos on. Since getting my first digital camera a couple of years ago I've taken several 1,000 photos, far more than I'd previously taken during my whole lifetime.