Can anyone give some info on those super cheap digital cameras?
We bought a nice digital camera for about $450. But my son always seems to have it when I need it.
Now, all I need it for is to take pictures of items I’m selling on auction sites (Ebay, auction arms, gunbroker.com, etc) that’s it. That’s all. I don’t need a camera for anything else.
Then I see this camera advertised: http://www.officemax.com/max/solutions/product/prodBlock.jsp?BV_UseBVCookie=yes&expansionOID=-536879944&prodBlockOID=536951896
now, for 19 bux I assume it’s junk. But…well? Is it really? Would I be able to use it for taking a picture or 2 for Ebay?
For the limited use that i need it for, why should I have a 500 camera if this 19 one does the trick. Can anyone give me infor on these super cheap digital cameras?
That link wasn’t working, but my suggestion would be to check out Walmart. I saw some pre-packaged digital cameras there last weekend for ~$30 or less. They’d probably do the job.
You are the only one who knows how you used your camera. My guess is a 2 megapixel camera is more than enough. A simple 640x480 mat even be enough.
What quality pictures did you post: 640x480, 800x600, etc? Get a camera that give at least that quality level.
Since you mention auction sites, do the buyers ever ask you for more pictures? Do they want close ups of flaws or markings? If so, you may want a camera that will take marco shots. Again, only you know how you use the camera.
I agree that it does not sound like you need a $500 camera.
It’s 2.1 Megapixels, but the camera is sharp as all hell. I am very impressed at how Canon managed to get such good optics on such a small digital camera. Uncompressed, your images are 5.5 MB, and the camera is exactly the same size as a pack of cigarettes. I’ve had mine for two years and am still very much impressed by it. The only complain I have is that if you use flash, the batteries tend to go quickly. Spare batteries are helpful. Otherwise, it’s as perfect a compact digital camera is ever gonna be (with the exception of the higher megapixel versions like the s200. The S110 is 2.1 megapixels but also has MPEG movie capability. Actually, it shouldn’t cost that much more.) It’s also a beautiful design, IMHO, and takes better pictures than models from Fuji costing twice as much.
Give it a shot. In terms of price for quality, I would say it’s the best deal out there.
I have a ‘PenCam’ (I got it free with my mobile phone) - it looks totally different but the spec (and I suspect, some or all of the internal electronics) is very similar:
Advantages:
Cheap
Very compact, convenient
Takes passable photos (if the conditions are right)
Disadvantages:
Has no screen to review images - you can clear memory en bloc, but not individual images.
Consumes power to maintain image memory even when turned ‘off’ - batteries don’t last too long
Uses AAA batteries (which are more expensive that AAs here)
No flash - poor performance in low light - domestic artificial light is often too dim for the camera (it simply refuses to take a picture if the light is poor).
Optical viewfinder suffers from bad parallax - images are off-centre (not a problem if you are downloading immediately).
The images are OK as snapshots to email or put up on Ebay (depending on what it is you’re selling - the low quality of the image may, in some circumstances, conceal minor flaws in your item and get you a bad feedback if you don’t mention them in the blurb).
Dont frustrate potential buyers with poor quality photos. I pass on items that have bad pics. I figure if the person cant get a decent pic of the thing for sale then I probably dont want to do business with them. But thats me. Dont get the el cheapo camera.. You cant tell if any pictures “take” until you upload them onto the PC. Its still better than waiting for an SLR cameras photos to come back from the photo place and then scanning them in. I guess I would get a lower end 2.0 MP camera for around 150 and use that for this purpose. Then you could trade cameras and get the one back from your son.
I use a Fuji 1.3 megapix & it looks great! I use it for all my ebay auctions too. These are digital, you know, so you can change the picture in an image program easily.
Make sure your computer has USB ports if you get a USB camera. & spend another twenty bucks on a media card reader that lets you transfer more easily your photos to your computer. With a card reader
(I think that gateway.com has a dazzle 6 in 1 for $20 after rebate) you can transfer files to another computer too.
I have a cheapo Kodak digital, 640x480 resolution. It sucks, it has no flash, works poorly in low light, I can’t see the pictures until they’re uploaded. I am afraid to use it for anything important, because none of the pictures ever come out good.
I, of course, spent much more than $19, so I feel truly ripped off. You might be able to make it work for you, and it’s not much dough to give it a shot. Just figure on having to light the object VERY well before you take a picture.
Using a crap camera is a false economy. People will respond better if they can see clear images. Look for a used 1.3mp camera as they seem to be falling in price but will give you excellent results. My main digital is a Minolta Dimage 7 but I still use my Canon A10 frequently.