cameras
My sister has been looking at cameras, and I thought that maybe if I posted here, I’d get some feedback from some people who got one for Christmas or have been searching too 
She’s looking for something in the low price range ($175-250ish), and so far we’ve looked at the Nikon CoolPix2000 and then we’ve checked out the Kodak EasyShare CX4230 and the others in the series around that. She doesn’t want a teeny tiny one, because she’d like to be able to hold it without worrying about breaking it. Zoom is important to her, and she likes the ones with the LCD screens on the back. I’m suggesting a camera that uses cards (CompactFlash, SD Flash, and the link) over disks.
She likes the idea of the Kodak kiosks where you can stick your memory card in and print pictures from right there. I told her about Ofoto, too. These two things would make it so a photo printer wouldn’t be necessary.
So if you have any feedback or ideas, we’d love to hear them Thank you!!!
Comments
HP also makes a camera that has a dock now. my sister got the HP620 for christmas - it has 2.1 megapixel resolution, a dock can be purchased seperately, optical and digital zoom, and it also takes 30 second video clips. You start with 8mb internal memory, but it’s expandable with Secure Digital cards. It’s $199 at staples, and you can usually find a coupon for $50 off a $200 purchase if you look around. My camera is the HP Photosmart 315, and has the same resolution, not as good of a zoom, no dock, and doesn’t do video.. but i’m looking to upgrade this summer.
good luck camera shopping, and have a great christmas!
Posted by: C. | December 25, 2002 07:07 AM
Ours was in that price range. Sony DSC-P30 (Like GeekGrrl’s but an older model). It’s got digital (ick) and optical zoom (yay!). I love it.
Posted by: Lisa | December 25, 2002 08:02 AM
I can’t vouch for the older model part, but GeekGrrl’s camera is very nice. She’s used it more than I have, but it’s definitely a quality camera.
Posted by: milbertus | December 25, 2002 11:59 AM
I’m hoping to get a new dc myself sometime soon, so I’ve been doing quite a bit of research as of late and came across a few helpful links such as: Eopinions Top 10 Digital Cameras, PCWorld Top 10 Digital Cameras, MSN’s Top 10 Digital Cameras, and Amazon’s Top Selling Digital Cameras.
I also found this article extremely helpful. It lists the Olympus Camedia D-550 and the Fuji FinePix 2650 as being two that consistently make the top ten lists for beginner-esque cameras.
Hope that helps! Happy shopping!
Posted by: Kathy | December 25, 2002 04:06 PM
I *LOVE* my Olympus, and the 1.3 megapixel versions are now quite reasonably priced. Jason got the 2.0 version for Christmas this morning from Santa (my parents) and while the zoom isn’t as good as mine, the pictures are just as clear. And with Smartmedia, you can put the card in the kiosks.
I looked at the Kodak for him (I know you like yours a lot) but while the camera itself that I was looking at was $100, it was $80 more for a dock! It made more sense for me to get him an Olympus that is compatible with mine. (Mine is the D-460 zoom. His is the D-580.)
Posted by: Christine | December 25, 2002 10:14 PM
Just read Kathy’s comment - my 460 is over a year old now, so it’s the dino version of the 550 she mentioned. Also, Mike has the 510 and he really likes it too. Yeah, yeah, I’m sold on Olympus ... but I would trade it in for a Canon G3 in a heartbeat! LOL!
Posted by: Christine | December 25, 2002 10:15 PM
Both Sony’s and Kodak’s are notorious for sucking battery juice. If you go with one of those, you’ll be changing batteries a lot.
I reccomend any of the FujiFinePix cams, they are very inexpensive (especially on ebay, where I got mine) and they take great pics. Very easy to use, battery life is stellar, and I’ve even dropped mine a couple of times and it’s still ticking away like usual. Good luck!
Posted by: Danelle | December 27, 2002 10:28 AM