I’m asking my parents for a digital camera for Xmas, and since they’re the kind that likes to shop early (real early), they want to know which one I want soon. I’m torn between two models, the Kodak Easyshare CX7300 and the FujiFilm FinePix A330. (Links go to the Amazon pages for each.)
Things that are important to me in a camera:
rechargeable batteries
price under $200 (preferably under $150)
black and white setting
small size, light in weight
automatic flash
a self timer (though I think most of them come with this)
ability to take non-blurry pictures of moving objects
Things that aren’t so important:
video/audio
fancy zooming (though I’d like a little zoom)
Right now I’m swaying toward the Easyshare because it’s so much cheaper and you have to buy a special flash card for the Fuji one which is more expensive than a regular flash card. But I tried the Fuji out in a store, and really liked the feel of it. I don’t know if it’s worth paying so much more because of that, though, since I tried the Kodak one out also and liked it almost as much. I’d really like to hear from people who own these cameras (or another one I might not have thought of).
Also, I’m a little confused about the battery situation in digital cameras. The two cameras I linked to don’t come equipped with lithium batteries, right? It didn’t say so in the specs, but I’m a little surprised they wouldn’t come standard, since most people would prefer these batteries over alkaline ones. Also, they don’t come with rechargers, right? Again, they didn’t say so, but I would think that would be included. Actually, I thought that a digital camera would plug into the wall just like a cell phone or MP3 player, but then I see you have to buy a special dock, which I am assuming is for charging. Do I need to buy the dock if I want to recharge the battery? I’m just so behind on technology; I’ve never used a digital camera before.
Also, how many pictures can I store on 16MB of memory? How many can I store on a 256MB flash card?
Let me preface this by saying that I know nothing about those two cameras in particular. I do own a digital camera though. I did a good amount of research before buying it. This was two and a half years ago, so price versus performance has definitely changed. Also, I’m not a photographer. I just take some party pictures a few times a year for me and my friends amusement and take some for web pages or eBay.
I have a 2M pixel Sony. My maximum picture size is 1600x1200 pixels. I keep the camera on this setting. The images look great in prints up to 5x7. I have also done some 8x10’s recently that look ok. I can put about 70-80 images on a 64M memory stick. I’m sure you can do the math for the memory sizes you mention. Naturally, if you take pictures in lower resolution, you will fit a lot more on a memory stick. Most of the newer cameras are greater than 2M pixel now, so I’m sure you could set the resolution higher than 1600x1200 and end up with fewer pictures on a stick.
My camera has 3x optical zoom and 2x digital for a total of 6x zoom. Honestly, only count the optical zoom. If you use digital zoom, it reduces the image quality unless you are under your maximum resolution. In other words, if I was taking pictures at 800x600 (smaller resolution), using digital zoom would not hurt my image quality. Since I only use 1600x1200, it will hurt my image quality.
My Sony has a IR autofocus lamp to help focus at night. This is important for me since some of my pictures are night shots at outdoor parties. A friend has a newer Fuji without this option and his camera doesn’t focus well at all in the dark.
I use nickle metal hydride batteries in my camera and have three sets. Mine are Rayovacs purchased separately from Best Buy for about $20 with the charger. They work great. How quick it goes through them depends on how much I’m using the flash. I’m guessing I can get 40-50 flash pictures on one set if I’m careful about how long I leave the LCD on. The LCD seems to be a big drain on the batteries. The battery configuration is the biggest weakness with my camera though. It only uses 2 AA batteries. This causes the flash to take longer to charge than my friend’s Fuji that uses 4 AAs.
You also mentioned taking motion shots. I don’t think entry level digital cameras are very well suited for this. There is a definite delay when you take a picture. I do have some motion shots from a NASCAR Nextel Cup race that turned out great. I have others that are blurry or simply missed due to the delay. It will most likely take getting used to your camera before you have much success with motion shots.
I’m not sure if any of this helps you at all. I would recommend doing some research online and then looking at the cameras in person. Some were way too small for me. My Sony was on the large end of the scale. More optical zoom is a good thing. If you plan on taking any night shots, you will want the autofocus illuminator.
I recently posted a thread asking for digital camera advice and decided to go with the Canon Powershot A75. You can get it for less than $200 (mine cost $172), takes AA batteries (I got recargeables at Radio Shack) and CompactFlash cards for storage. And it has a number of smart shooting modes, including one for quick-moving objects.
I’m afraid I don’t have any experience with either of the two specific models you mention. All I want to add is that the Nikon Coolpix range is just excellent in every respect, and you can’t really go wrong with them. (I have no commercial interest whatsoever.) Precisely because it’s a *range * of cameras, you can choose the one that best suits your budget and preferences.
Background: I have a 4 year-old Sony that is the greatest camera ever made, but sadly, the thing’s falling apart. At work I went to the other end of the spectrum and used the supposedly mighty F707 which sucked ass. We also had a mish mash of other cameras all around the kind you’re looking for. I’d stay away from Kodaks and Olympus’ as they are difficult to use (especially the Olympus - every model I’ve seen required three or four people to figure it out) and, at least for the Kodak, really pissy when it comes to downloading the pictures. Sonys also tend to do odd things to colors (either waaay too cold or waaay to warm, but generally they make people look pasty pink).
My girlfriend was looking for a camera and we decided on on the Sony P series (IIRC). I talked her into it based on my happiness with my old Sony, but the thing would not take a decent picture (nothing we could do would make a sharp image. I tried all settings and in a variety of lighitng conditions). We took the damn thing back and got a Powershot A60 and the thing is awesome. Great photos, relatively easy to use (the Sony and Kodaks would beat it in this category) and the battery life is decent. Download to computer via USB cable.
But anyway…
Check out http://www.steves-digicams.com/ for more specifications than you could care about. Get to the last page and see the photos it takes. Steve is very considerate and generally takes pictures of the same thing with different cameras so you can really see the difference.