I want to buy a digital camera...help please?!

newish2this

We are going to Florida in May and I am thinking of purchasing a digital camera and joining the twentieth century.:rolleyes:
I have never owned one before and really don't know where to begin

There seems to be a lot of offers on at the moment and found this one

Hitachi HDC861E 8MP Digital Camera


but would be grateful for any advise or if anyone knows of a better camera, I would appreciate you help!!:o

geewhiz

There's plenty better camera's about but they won't be that price, for a first digital camera that looks like a great deal and you will get very decent results using it.

unrich

If you know anybody that has a camera ask to have a look and ask them what they like and dislike.

Make a list of what you need and then think about budget. What kind of zoom? Will you be away from the mains for more than a day or two? How many pictures will you take before you can download them to a PC? Do you want a viewfinder as well as the screen at the back?

Will you print at home, print online or take them to a shop to print?

Also add in cost of decent AA rechargeable batteries and a charger (unless you get li-ion battery) . And the cost of a memory card (or two). 8MPixel pictures in a fine jpeg take up 4MB so you'll fit about 250 on a 1GB memory card. You should be able to get one for £10 or so.

A bag to fit all the stuff in.

newish2this

Wow, thanks unrich!
Do cameras do all that?????:rolleyes:
At the moment, I have a very basic 35mm camera which you point and shoot! Therefore, I'm looking for quite a basic starter digital camera but obviously I want it to take good quality pictures!:o
I don't have that good a printer so I will probably save most pictures on the pc and just get a few developed elsewhere.

I didn't realise that there were so much to cameras.... :rotfl:

isofa

What camera threads are common here, why not do a search.

Also have a look at reviews on https://www.dpreview.com and various other sites, then compare prices at https://www.camerapricebuster.co.uk

I doubt the Hitachi will produce very good results IMO. The optics are poor and the ISO range very limited.
Optics are much more important than the number of megapixels - I've posted about this along with others at length recently!

newish2this

thanks,
Would this one be a bit better? Seems to have good reviews?

http://www.johnlewis.com/230419008/Product.aspx

isofa

I'd have thought so, but I don't know much about those models, Have a look at the Canon Powershot range too, and in the back of digital camera magazines they pick the best buys in each price category!

Just make sure you get some high-capacity NiMh rechargeable AA batteries for it, otherwise it'll cost a fortune to run!

rdpro

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/119010

seems a good offer for a first-time camera, or

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/128231 for a few more quid

amonra

Make up your mind which camera you want, then wait till you get to America. You will save abot 50% on UK prices.

newish2this

amonra wrote: »

Make up your mind which camera you want, then wait till you get to America. You will save abot 50% on UK prices.

:rotfl: Must admit, I had thought of this but cos I'm not very techie, it would take me the full holiday to learn how to use it!:o

Red_Rose_Exile

For a cheap and cheerful point and shoot, then rdpro's suggestion of a vivitar is an excellent one.

This was taken on the 3945s costing £45 inc P&P off flea bay



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