Digital Cameras Ratings

I am a photographic and computer enthusiast and having these two elements come together is a delight for me. So, I have all the very expensive stuff, including KODAK’s $20m commercial digital cameras. So, I know what qualityis and how much it costs. Bottom-Line as starters, the DC280 makes greatcolor shots with very suprising Hi-detail. The Advertisments say”good” for 8×10 photos, however, as a very picky guy, when youget past 5×7 print sizes, the pictures start to turn fuzzy. But the 5×7prints are shockingly clear with brilliant colors. But, so what, how manyprints does one make larger than 5×7 anyway. This camera is easy to use& small, and I carry it on vacation locations, when I don’t want tocarry my larger and heavier commercial camera. I was truly shocked at theexcellent picture quality of the 280. ALSO, KODAK includes great software,so after a picture taking day/nite, one can easily connect to the yellowvideo plug on your TV (or Hotel TV) for a slide show of the daysactivities. I would recommend purchasing a 64MB memory card with the camerapurchase, so you’ll get plenty of picture opportunities (75+ shots) withouthaving to worry about using up memory. In other words, since you can eraseshots you don’t like, take MANY, MANY shots and pick the best ones you likefor printing or e-mailing. I bring my laptop with me on trips, so in theevening, I can copy the photo-files to the hard disk, and erase the cameramemory card, in preparation for the next days photo activities. KODAKprovides serial, USB cables, and software to accomplish this simply.Definitely do NOT buy a digital camera with less than 2,000,000 pixels.(The older models, presently having good sale prices, are technology of 2/3years ago, and you’ll wish you spent the extra money for this camera). Since KODAK has been the color business for 100 years, (well…50+years)its no surprise that they have created an electronic imager (the CCD Chip)with the BEST Color quality and detail. This is a must have, you’ll not bedissappointed. If you have another few hundred dollars, check out the SONYor OLYMPUS dye-sublimation printers, which produce actual photo qualitycontinuous tone prints up to 4×5 sizes; These printers are not dot-matrix’swith all the little dots. The camera and the printer makes for a greatcombo family gift for under $2m, that anyone in the family can use withouthaving to even turn on a computer, as the printer prints directly off thecamera memory card. SO that you don’t make yourself craze, and since itsslightly different than a typical film point and shoot camera, be sure toread the instruciton booklet, before pushing all the buttons. Thedocumentation KODAK gives you is very easy to understand, so take it slowwhen you open the Box for the first time. It’s so intuitive to use, afterthe first 2 outings, you NOT need to keep going back to the booklets.JLW/991203.

Product Description
Kodak DC280 offers startling picture quality and brisk performance that can improve any business image. Fast, responsive and flexible, Kodak DC280 Zoom digital camera is the perfect business partner. The 30 mm to 60 mm lens, with 2x optical and 3x digital zoom, is ideal for all kinds of business uses. Superb picture quality and lightning-speed performance let you document and communicate faster, and more productively. DC280 Zoom processes data quickly so you won’t be left waiting between shots. You’ll be more productive and take advantage of more opportunities.Kodak DC280 Zoom delivers stunning two-megapixel (1760×1168) resolution. Make sales and marketing materials sparkle with detailed, brilliant pictures. Document your work quickly and efficiently. You’ll have enough resolution to make sharp, vividly colorful prints. The camera features familiar, user-friendly design. It looks, feels and behaves much like a traditional camera. There’s less of a learning curve, so you can put the DC280 to work immediately. Full USB support is provided for faster downloads. Less waiting and faster results, with USB that lets you download up to 10x faster than serial interfaces. Optional Picture Authentication Software ensures the integrity of your digital pictures by allowing you to create images that clearly show whether or not they have been altered.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Kodak DC280 2MP Digital Camera w/ 2x Optical Zoom

I purchased the Nikon CoolPix 3700 after much research and chose it over the Canon S400.I’ve been extremely satisfied with the quality of the pictures and videos.This camera was rated #1 Best Buy by PC World and for good reason.

Pros:
-rediculously light and very sturdy
-has a long, narrow shape that is more natural in your hand and your pocket as compared with the more square Canon S400 and other Nikon Coolpix cameras
-almost NO SHUTTER LAG, a big plus when photographing people who don’t like to hold still for too long.
-EXCELLENT PICTURE QUALITY, 3MP is PLENTY for most uses.
-takes such great videos (with sound) that it might just replace your video camera.
-easy to set up and fairly straightforward menus
-uses SD memory which is generally better than CF.
-pretty good battery life, recharges fast, most users probably won’t need an extra battery.
-if you need it, Nikon’s tech support line is very helpful (toll-free and 24/7!)

Cons:
-Performance in low-light isn’t great, but that is the case with most other cameras of this type.
-No case included and only comes with 16MB SD card.A leather case and 256MB SD card will set you back about a hundred bucks.(256MB is the ideal size, I recommend Panasonic SD cards because they record at 10MB/s)
-on/off switch and zoom buttons are awkwardly placed/shaped, should be switched, takes some getting used to.
-included USB cord is a bit fragile, I had to get a replacement from tech support
-3x optical zoom isn’t much.If you want a lot of zoom go 10x.

Overall a great camera with the best performance in this price range.Highly recommended, it’s really a hidden gem.Perfect as a first digicam or for someone who wants to upgrade.

Product Description
Nikon’s Coolpix 3700 Digital Camera combines 2048×1536-pixel (3 megapixel) images with a 3x Optical Zoom-Nikkor lens for spectacular prints as large as 11″ x 14″. The 15 versatile Scene Modes auto-set the camera for great shots in standard shooting situations such as sunsets and portraits. Record a short movie with sound or add a voice memo to your still images. Or use the voice activated shutter release to take self-portraits. Turn on Date Imprinting for a reminder date and time on your pictures. Incamera cropping lets you edit pictures before you download them. Use the included NikonView software for Nikon’s amazing One-Touch Red-Eye Fix™. The sleek, ultra-compact design and allmetal construction with brushed aluminum finish makes the Nikon Coolpix 3700 a beautiful addition to any pocket! Ships with everything you need to get started; camera, rechargeable battery and charger, Nikon Coolpix Starter Memory Card, cables, and image editing software, including NikonView. The Nikon Coolpix 3700, it looks sharp and shoots smart!

Click Here to see more reviews about: Nikon Coolpix 3700 3MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

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this camera takes wonderful, striking photos, good color, excellent macro mode, compact design. i haven’t spent enough time yet studying the modes and the quality of auto makes me put it off. it is a battery and memory hog.the 16 mg card that comes with it is not even close to being enough, i would recommed a 64 at least, 128 would be preferred, or both. a battery charger andone at least rechargeable battery is a must, two batteries would be preferable for more than casual shooting and to keep up with more memory.
as my fourth digital camera, it is impressive and will last me i hope until there is a digital slr with 4+ megapixels for around $1000. shop around for the best price of course.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Nikon Coolpix 885 3MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

First off, let me say that this camera is incredible, and worth every penny.I’ve owned mine for about a week, and I’ve taken some incredible photos that look like they came out of a magazine (and I’m an amateur at best).

Now, let’s get realistic about the camera.I want to provide enough factual information to allow people to make their decisions about whether or not this is the right camera for them.TheCoolpix 990 has tons of great points.Most notably, it’s 3.34 megapixels (3.24 effective), and thus produces top-quality images with incredible sharpness.Another thing that was had me sold was the fact that you can go into full manual mode with this camera.You can choose either shutter priority, aperture priority, or full manual (including fully manual focus).This aspect of the camera should appeal to the professional or “artsy” photographer who wishes to customize the camera to get the exact effect they want.

After you upgrade the firmware to v1.1, the speed of certain camera operations are a bit faster, but the camera is already originally very fast.Reviewing photographs in “Play” mode is a breeze, and there’s not much delay when paging through them.

Buy rechargeable NiMH (nickel metal hydride) batteries and a charger before your camera ships.The alkaline batteries that ship with the camera will die within hours,guaranteed.Also, grab the amazing Maha C204F charger.It allows you to leave the charger plugged in with batteries in it indefinitely, without ruining the batteries at all.The charger will save you several hundred dollars in batteries.

A few drawbacks about the 990 (yes, they do exist): BSS (best shot selection) feature is kind of weak.It’s supposed to let you take 10 shots and it chooses the best (”the one with the most detail” I believe the manual says, whatever that means).On some occasions it has actually chosen blurry photos over the sharp ones.I’ve no clue how this works, but Nikon needs to reevaluate this function.And a warning: don’t rely on this camera for good long-exposure shots.Shutter times of 4 seconds and longer in a dark setting will sometimes show a lot of noise in the photograph.This is a very noisy camera (audibly and graphically), so try to limit your exposure times.Also, please note that you will NOT be able to access the “info.txt” file that people in other reviews have mentioned.Yes, the camera saves all photo details (shutter speed, ISO, flash, aperture, etc.) to a file called “info.txt”, but you CANNOT access the file unless you’re using a card reader.The NikonView software will only let you pull photos from the camera, nothing else.

I’ll conclude this here because I could rant on for a while on other great points.The camera is truly amazing, buy it now.Yes, it has drawbacks, but no camera is perfect–and this one comes pretty close to perfection.This camera is comparable to the Olympus C3030, so check that out as well.The features of the C3030 are similar, and in some ways the camera is a little better (the movie mode actually records audio!), and a little worse (uses SmartMedia only).

Click Here to see more reviews about: Nikon Coolpix 990 3.34MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

First i want to dispell any misconceptions: just because this is a CD-based digicam does not mean it’s big, slow, loud, and a battery hog. It’s not exactly tiny, but it’s not huge either. It’s about the same size as a 35mm SLR with a small normal lens. It’s as fast, if not faster, than digicams without moving parts. You can’t hear the disc spinning unless you’re in a quiet room and you actually put your ear up to the camera and listen carefully. The rechargeable battery that comes with it lasts over 2 hours easy (or well over 200 shots). Not bad for a cam with a CD burner and a huge LCD.

The pros:
Carl Zeiss lens. Name brand lens known among professionals for its high quality.

Big fat beautiful LCD. Its impressive. Several people can gather around and watch movies or images taken with the camera.

It can record movies. I know a lot of digicams can do this as a bonus feature, but lets face it no one uses this feature because most digicams [are bad] at taking movies. NOT THIS ONE. it takes very good movies. so you’ll actually use the movie feature. about 6 min of video (640×480) with audio on a 156MB CD. There is a good mic and good speaker (for playback).

The MENUS ARE GREAT. A lot of people overlook this detail. What do i mean? well, digicams use menus for changing settings. with most of them, the menus are confusing and stupid. like you have to dig through 2 submenus and hit ok 5 times before you can change the image size/resolution. not this camera! the menus are clear and simple and there are no submenus! even a novice can pick this up and figure it out without studying an instruction manual. for example: to change image size/resolution you simply hit the image size button push up or down (theres 5 different sizes) then thats it. also there buttons for commonly used things like changing flash mode and switching to macro (close up) mode. i also love the jog dial. this is for manual focus as well as for changing the shutter speed and aperture on the fly WITHOUT ANY… MENUS! you have to actually use the camera to appreciate how important this is.

the infolithium battery that comes with it is nice. it tells you EXACTLY how much time you have left (like 113min instead of a stupid little meaningless battery icon). if you want another battery, (strongly recommended) its expensive though. it’s nice to be able to use the camera without constantly worrying about how much battery life is remaining.

CD-RW discs cost next to nothing. its very cool to be able to take a disc out and pop it into any computer to view images. it comes with usb cable and a/v cable for tv viewing. no remote control though

the built-in flash is very good. range is little over 16feet. not bad at all for built-in. there’s a hot shoe if youre hardcore and want to get a bigger flash.

The cons:
expensive proprietary rechargeable batteries and no streaming USB. whats streaming USB? with it you can hook up a digicam to your computer and use it as a webcam on steroids. not many digicams have this feature though. WHY?????????

you will not be disappointed with this camera. now click yes this review was helpful! >:O

Product Description
Sony’s MVC-CD500 Digital Still Camera features massive 5.0 megapixel resolution (effective) with a Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar 3X optical/2X digital zoom lens and the ability to write to inexpensive optical media. The incredible photos and MPEG video clips you take are saved directly to 156MB CD-R/RW media, measuring only (8 cm) in diameter and readable on most CD-ROM equipped PCs. This incredible camera features a broad range of advanced features such as Multi-Point AF (Auto-Focus), Hologram AF, Continuous AF Mode, Multi-Pattern Metering, Pre-Flash Metering, and an advanced shoe for your flash attachment. Giving you all you need to create the most compelling images you’ve ever seen.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Sony MVCCD500 CD Mavica 5MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom