digital camera

[Guest]

I want to look about for a new digital camera but i'm useless at technology. So i was hoping people could recommend any.

thanks in advance

[Freaker]

That completely depends on how much you are willing to spend. Are you looking for something to take really good pictures with, or something to put in your pocket and take with you everywhere? A compact camera, or a proper DSLR that can take stunning pictures, but will be huge to carry around?

[hr]

I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days attack me at once.

[box_of_delights]

I can absolutely recommend FujiFilm cameras - particularly the FinePix F20 model and above. I'm not sure what the latest incarnation is called, but they have progressively become F30, F31, F40 and so on. My F30 cost me about £90 from Amazon.com last year and people are always amazed by how good the photo quality is. Video quality is also superior. Indeed, my father bought the F20 model as a result (the only difference being a minimal reduction in ISO rating and a slider button instead of a knob selector).

They are renowned for a high ISO rating which means great shots in low light and tend to have at least 7 MP. Another bonus is an internal lithium battery, so you don't need to buy AA batteries all the time to charge it, you just plug it in and charge to get several days worth of use - I only charged it once or twice on a three week holiday sightseeing last yr.

From readings I've done, the general concensus is that you don't need any more than 6-7 megapixels if the camera has an optical zoom lens of x3 because the lens physically won't be able to accomodate any better photos with any higher megapixels... so don't be too hung up on having 10 MP or anything like that unless the lens is up to it.

This site is amazing for reviews if you have an idea of a camera you like:

http://www.trustedreviews.com/digital-cameras/

[harmless loony]

I agree with box_of_delights' suggestion. I bought a Fuji FinePix f40fd and it's been an absolute joy to have!

The picture quality is brilliant even in low light. You can use the automatic settings or opt to set manually instead. The video quality is good too and it picks up sound quite clearly. I have started to take photography a little seriously so this camera has been good to practice with. (I'd eventually like an DSLR but not until I'm absolutely certain that I want to continue to practise photography as it is quite an expensive piece of equipment).

However, it all depends on what you want to do with the camera - if you just want to take pictures of friends on nights out then a 5/6 megapixel camera without all the gadgets will do just fine. If you want to get serious about photography but not so seriously professional then some of the higher end cameras eg: some of the Finepix ones will do.

I would strongly suggest that if all you want to do is point and shoot pics of friends then there's no point in getting a seriously expensive camera.

Oh and finally - shop around - there a lots of different places that sell cameras so once you've chosen your model compare prices before you shell out.