Expert: Abe - 12/16/2007

Question
We have used 35mm cameras for years. Now I would like to buy a Basic Digital Camera. We are retired in our 70's and just take mostly pictures of people and scenery. I prefer to spend $175-$200. My neighbor camera buff girl recommended a Kodak EasyShare but I looked on computer and there is about 20 models.   I will not be printing the pictures.

When I do buy one, what accessories must I buy to get started?  I don't understand this megapixel business.
A fairly good camera with ease of operation.  THANKYOU

Answer
Hello, and thanks for your question!

You are right, there are many choices out there and it is very difficult to make sense of it all.

First off, let's begin by addressing your photographic needs. It sounds like you aren't trying to become a professional photographer, but rather would like to take social/scenery snaps. It looks like you're looking for a good, but not too fancy, point and shoot digital camera.

With that in mind, let's stay within your budget, and even keep below budget so that there will be some extra money left over for a memory card (the digital equivalent of film). This is the only accessory you'll really need.

You won't be needing a lot of megapixels. Anything over 6 million megapixels is little more than a marketing scheme. Digital point and shoot cameras were introduced to the public in the late 90's with under 1 megapixel (and produced some decent images) and have now turned toward 12 megapixels at the "high end." The problem is, more megapixels in smaller cameras actually produce more image "noise" (much like film grain, but much, much uglier). The only real advantage to having a lot of megapixels is when we want to print very large. If you'll be viewing the pictures on your screen or printing less than 8x10 inch prints, in reality, you'll need no more than 4 megapixels. However these days, it's virtually impossible to find a camera with less than 5-6 megapixels. As long as we stay below about 8 megapixels, we'll have good image quality and we'll also have the added benefit of smaller digital file sizes, which consume less room on your memory card and computer's hard drive, less battery drain, and improved camera speed (less information, i.e. pixels, to process).

Now that you have a better understanding of what you'll need (a point and shoot digital camera with 5-8 megapixels), let's look at the choices in your price range.

Kodak makes some very affordable cameras, but image quality generally isn't particularly strong. Images tend to be "noisy" (again, like film grain, only worse) and less than sharp. Alternatively, Canon seems to be producing some of the better point and shoot cameras. My suggestion for you is a Canon PowerShot A570 IS Digital Camera. I would buy this at buydig.com (currently selling for $148 with free shipping to the USA). This camera has 7.1 megapixels (more than enough), a 4x zoom, and an image stabilized lens to help avoid blurry images. You'll need to buy an "SD" memory card. I would recommend a 1 GB sized card, which should hold a few hundred pictures. You can pick one of these up for about $25-35 anywhere. No special kind is needed - just a plain, cheap one will do fine.

The camera will come with cables to connect the camera to your computer, where you can empty your images from your SD memory card onto a free program like Picasa (one of Google's free services -- www.picasa.com).  Or you can use the supplied software, but it's generally a larger file size and not as easy to use as Google's Picasa program.

The camera will have what are called "scene modes" to help you out in particular situations - like fireworks, landscapes, action, portraits, etc. This camera also has an "Auto" mode where all you are required to do is point, and shoot. That will be fine for 80-90 of what you'll do. For the rest, the manual gives some helpful tips on when and how to use the scene modes. I wouldn't worry about those too much for now. Just use Auto mode and let the camera do the rest for now. As your skills grow, you'll be more comfortable with the cameras more advanced features, if you decide you need them.

I hope this helps. If I can help you further before or after your purchase, please feel free to contact me again. No question is too basic, so ask away!

All the best!

Abe