Questions to help me decide.

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micah

Limp Gawd
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Jan 28, 2003
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Hello
The wife and I are talking about switching from film to digital camrea. I have spent hours looking online for a avg of how many pictures they get per MB. The reason I am asking is I am pricing out things and am not sure how big of a memory I want to buy. I want to be able to go on vacation and not have to worry about running out of room and all of that stuff. I know that different settings will change how many pictures they will hold. I want to be able to have so that I can get good looking pitures from them so I would say a high setting will be needed.

The Camrea I am looking at right now has 3.2mp and I understand that with that I could get nice picture to 11x14 in size. So that should be fine for me as a first camrea (in digital that is) Do you all think that a camrea with 3.2 is ok for the type of pictures I will be taking ? I am not a pro and I do not need a top of the line camrea. I am getting a sony as one of my laptops is a sony and has a card reader built into it. That will just make it that much more easyer to deal with them on the road and such.

Also should I maybe buy more than one in case something happens that way I do not lose all of the pictures ?
Can a card site for a while (maybe a few weeks up to a month) without losing the pictures stored on them ?

Well thanks for your time and any replies I get to this.
 
I know that different settings will change how many pictures they will hold. I want to be able to have so that I can get good looking pitures from them so I would say a high setting will be needed.

Go to dpreview.com or stevesdigicams.com for more detail on file size on different settings on your specific camera.

The Camrea I am looking at right now has 3.2mp and I understand that with that I could get nice picture to 11x14 in size.
Depends. But for IMHO 2-3.2mp good for about A4 print size. For prints larger than that you are kind of pushing it. It will look just fine if you view it from a certain distance.


Do you all think that a camrea with 3.2 is ok for the type of pictures I will be taking ?
What kind of pictures? Just regular vacation picture should be fine. The only problem with most mainstream consumer camera is taking picture under difficult dark lighting condition


Also should I maybe buy more than one in case something happens that way I do not lose all of the pictures ?
A good idea but it is not that often for those memory card media like memory stick to get damaged.

Can a card site for a while (maybe a few weeks up to a month) without losing the pictures stored on them ?
Yes, as long you dont drop it into a water, put a magnet near it or something like that.
 
Keep this in mind:


1. What's more important than the "3.2" is which 3.2. 3.2mp cameras range in price from $100 to $700 and there is a huge variance in image quality, even within ones in the same price range.


2. If you need allot of memory and you're on a budget it would be best to invest in a camrea that uses compact flash as that is the cheapest format. The 256mb card I have right now I paid $20 after rebate.
 
He's thinking to get Sony so I would assume==>memory stick.

IMHO most 3.2mp "point and shoot" has about the same quality for casual users from brand like Minolta/Sony/Canon/Nikon/Olympus(on the $300-$400 range). Only pro-users will scrutinize the image quality part. All inherit the same problem - weak flash and grainy image @ ISO 200+.

For 3.2mp - 256mb will hold a lot of images.

For higher mp like 6mp and above - the storage requirement is getting ridiculous. I always bring 4 x 512mb and 1x 1gb cf when I go out and shoot on a trip plus a 20gb image tank for just in case i fill the all the cards up.
 
Originally posted by wolfio
He's thinking to get Sony so I would assume==>memory stick.

IMHO most 3.2mp "point and shoot" has about the same quality for casual users from brand like Minolta/Sony/Canon/Nikon/Olympus(on the $300-$400 range). Only pro-users will scrutinize the image quality part. All inherit the same problem - weak flash and grainy image @ ISO 200+.
Click to expand...

Well that's what I'm saying. Sony's lower end consumer cameras are not the best in image quality IMO. Just look at comparison images at www.imaging-resource.com .

And you are being generous with the ISO200 remark. MANY of these entry level cameras are grainy at ISO100 and even BELOW.
 
Great replies and great links. Thanks all. I think I will be fine with the one I am looking at. I am not really into taking pictures big time or anything. We just take them like most people do to have memorys of our past. I am not worried about someone saying "Oh that picture looks bad you must have not used the best camrea made to take it. And if someone did I would tell them to get the hell away from me lol. We just want something that we can take nice looking pictures with that are as good or real close to reg film pictures. I am not talking big ones also I am talking just reg size pictures here. If for some reason I need better ones I still have a very good 35mm camrea that I can use. I am just looking at digital as it looks so much easyer to carry on a trip. No 20 rolls of film to worry about just some small little sticks of memory :)
 
well at some point people have to start realise - those small point and shoot camera with all the features - the company who made them have to figure out how to pack the whole electronic gizmos into one small frame body while trying to maintain certain quality usability and cost effectiveness.

One thing is sure that small image sensor size that being used in those camera is the cause of poor quality images shot @ higher iso.

For most people who are looking to buy entry level digital camera - they wont look for the best quality image but good quality image for everyday use combined with easy to use function and easy to carry. Sleek design is a plus for them.

For printing - those image noise wont show at all from my past experience with my dimage7i.

Maybe the best image quality @ a certain price range is the best to put it.

And it's not like you are going to use for a professional work or make your portfolio or something.

IMHO for those mainstream entry level digital camera market - I think it's more biased preference used by most when making buying decision.

For a pro-level digital that's a different story. It's understandable when the buyers are very critical when comparing the camera to suit their needs.
 
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