SeriusBlack said:very useful thread, chokaay. In everyone's opinion, which is the best way to choose a DC for nighttime shooting? I bought a Kodak 3.1MP (need to look up the model) & it only fares well when there is so much background lighting. I've never taken it out to the baseball field at night, but that would prob be a good start. In clubs (yes I go to clubs...), the pictures are just so-so & that's with quite a bit of lighting. Does going up to 7MP or more help, or does it depend on the camera. Also, do u think a zoom lens would be of any benefit in this case?? Thanks!

No, those factors will not influence nightshots. You should find a camera that has a strong AF light, longer flash range, and/or Night Mode setting. If your camera has manual controls, you can also tweak your camera to take better low-light shots by increasing the ISO (at the expense of quality) and/or prolonging the shutter time (at the expense of blurring the picture... tripod is recommended). You can also read reviews on the cameras you're interested in, and see what the reviewer has to say about night shots with that particular camera.

Do not buy a Kodak DX4900. The plastic battery doors quit latching and per Kodak its not a defect. Though these are all over eBay for $25.00 now. I originally purchased for $400.00 three years ago.

My .02 on the new Panny FZ7 !!! Love it ! I was an Olympus fan, until I was ready for a super zoom one, but they failed with putting a model with IS. The reviews pointed me to the FZ7, and a little shopping around (just over $300 - thanks to FW !) make me do the jump.

What a difference !!! Even night shots or low ligth are amazing !

Great post! Thanks!

great links in the thread.

I love the buying guide [ buying guide ] at Digital Photography Review.

The people at this site are professionals, and their reviews are much more in depth that at other sites. Check out your camera at this site before purchasing. They have forums devoted to different brands, as well as SLRs versus point-and-shoots.

i want to maximum resolution of digital camera,about 10 mega pixles,so its possible?

I'm a newbie to this site, but I had a few thoughts on this subject that I wanted to throw out there.
First, it is very true that more megapixels do not guarantee a better picture. Sensor size, lens size, image stabilization and lens quality make a difference too. Even newer processing chips can help in some situations, especially bad lighting.

In the above posts, and on many forums people still talk a lot about the drawbacks of proprietary flash memory cards for cameras. But all memory card prices have come down. For someone on the low end of the camera market, this still can make a difference, but in the midrange it is in my opinion not so important anymore, unless you decide to shoot RAW images* Even with a 6MP camera or so, in highest JPG mode a 1GB card can store about 300 pictures. And, the price range (worst case) for a 1GB ranges from around $20 for CF and SD, to around $40 for Memorystick and xD. You can get better deals on all, but my point is that if you just need 1 or 2 cards, it is only a $20-40 surplus for Memorystick or xD- so if you find a Sony camera you like I think it can be a fine choice.

* Shooting RAW is usually slower and takes up a lot more space in memory cards, but it gives you a little higher quality and most importantly lets you make many decisions about exposure, etc. after when you can sit at the computer instead of on the fly.

Be a little wary of Steve's Digicams as Buzzy implied. I love his 3D view of cameras, but he almost never really condemns a camera, and basically finds something good to say about every camera. Another thing is unfortunately, a lot of the reviews on Amazon or Epinions of cameras are pretty useless. Many of the bad reviews are from people who are just not techie enough to understand any digital camera, and many of the good reviews are from people who just aren't very picky. If you have broadband, I would look at a lot of images taken with the camera you are considering. I like the DPreview forums for reviews and comments usually from a little more experienced users.

And one final warning. The demand on eBay for digital cameras is really high and they tend to sell for a lot more than they are worth. Older models often have subtle drawbacks, and reviews for cameras are often a "snapshot of a period in time." A camera that has great reviews a few years ago may not be as good as a camera with great reviews today. You might get a lot more solid construction (more metal, etc.) on an older camera, but you tend to lose out on speed, battery life and in-camera noise processing. Cameras sold as new often aren't, or aren't US models with warranty. Also a lot of the dealers that show up on the low end of price comparisons sites are hard to deal with- they call you and say the warranty will be extra, the battery and charger that come with the camera will cost extra, etc. If you refuse to buy extra stuff some will say the item is out of stock, and they sometimes send non-US models.
If your credit card company is good at taking your side on disputes, and you don't mind fighting/haggling it may work out, but it is probably easiest to try to research your seller by asking a place like this, checking resellerratings.com and the BBB, and checking the internet for complaints.

Scrimpin said:Can someone give me a quick recommendation for a reasonably-pricd digital camera that you know for sure does NOT have a delay between when you push the button and the picture actually gets taken? I now own my second digital camera and I've had the same problem with both. I hear it's quite common, but I have to wait a full five seconds and sometimes I lose the picture. Surely some camera maker has fixed this problem. Thank you!


A lot of the delay in most cases comes from the focus. Sony and Canon are better than most, but your best bet may be to get a camera with a manual focus. Once you set the manual focus, most cameras will take pictures quickly. A site that gives good tests of the speed of various camera functions is http://www.imaging-resource.com/ .
Here is an example of the info:
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/A510/A51DATA.HTM
Another possibility is to half-press the button to focus before you want to take the picture, and then press it when you are ready.

The thing that Amazon is good for is if you can find someone who knows what they are talking about. Especially when the camera is first released and there are no reviews out yet.

It's also sometimes good for little tidbits of info (global voltage charger? adapter size for lens attachments?)

The user reviews and [manufacturer name] Talk forums at dpreviews.com can be useful in the same way, but you have to read a lot to find the good stuff.

CNET has comments that are just wrong too often to take them seriously. You really have to doublecheck what they say.

As Drumple notes, buying an older model is rarely a real bargain, except maybe for the best of the last generation when you get a good deal ... cameras are still getting better rapidly in terms of processing, power consumption, features, interface, etc.

Lots of new models will come out in the next couple months. Anyone thinking of spending serious money should keep an eye on dpreview for announcements of what's coming out.

Has anyone bought or used a Nikon s7c? I have short time to return an unopened gift (a decent Canon 7mp complete pkg), and have been drawn to the s7c since I saw it 6 months ago. Up to date technology, but especially like the wifi. I usually wouldn't go for flatbody, (old school on lenses I guess). But the write up on this looks mighty fine.
Thank You.
Thanks for the thread Chokaay.

Its very useful thread for novice users.
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