Digital Camera Questions!

[shannon08]

So I am pretty clueless when it comes to digital cameras and my boss just gave me the company credit card and told me to order one??? What do I get? Its really just for taking pics to put onto our website and for other things around the office. Nothing too big or formal...HELP!!!

[Umbra]

Cnet.com has a good listing of cameras with ratings. I'd go with a three mexapixel, 128 Mb memory card(at least), and 3x optical zoom(no to digital).

[Mad Dawg]

I recommend a 5 megapixel minimum. The reason is that at 5 megapixel you have enough pixels to crop HD resolution (1920x1080) in either direction. This will be useful as more and more HD displays fill the market, as they will be the "slide projectors" of the future. Already most HDTV's come with a memory card slot so you can take the card out of your camera, put it in your television and look at the pictures on the big screen.

3X optical zoom is pretty standard for handhelds. Anything above that is a bonus. Digital zoom is worthless, don't even pay attention to that number.

Batteries are a consideration, but it's personally preference. I like cameras with rechargeable Lithium Ion batteries. Some people like cameras that use standard batteries.

Lens quality, imaging chip and memory type are other things to consider. I prefer Canon and Nikon cameras for the quality of their components, and both manufacturers use either Compact Flash or Secure Digital memory. Both are relatively commonplace.

[shannon08]

Thanks for the help, I used Cnet.com and Epinions.com and found a high rated Canon Supershot model. I only got a 3 megapixel but I think it will work for what they need it for. Its good to know that I can find help on anything from QLC!!

[RealDeal]

I have a 7 megapixel Sony -- I would never think that Sony would take good pictures but they salesperson at Ritz Camera and Best Buy both recommend the camera and have been really pleased -- the pics turn out great!

[SunDevil]

I like this camera. Except in North America it is silver.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Panasonic/panasonic_dmclz2.asp

This is the same camera, but 1 MP less and $20 cheaper

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Panasonic/panasonic_dmclz1.asp