im looking to buy a digital camera with my tax returns and wanted to know what specs to look for (pixel, zoom, etc.). it will mostly be used for snapshots, with the occasional pro stills a la nightshade. any advice? also, looking for something compact and in the $300 price range. thanks.

 

Find one that allows full manual control.

Pixel count for that price range should be a minimum of 4.3 or better even.

Play with it for a while in store before you buy to make sure it is something that is comfortable for you.

Take a memory card with you to shoot some shots on and take home to see the quality....or you can ask them to put one in the camera, shoot some shots, and have them burn them to disc (yes if you ask they many times will do this).

 

$300? Canon A95.

In your $300 point and shoot range:

-With 4mp you will be able to print 4x6s really well.
-Youre gonna get about 3x optical zoom
-With the A95, you have control over the shutter / f-stop / white balance. Along with an Auto Mode and serveral "scene" modes.

 

I never had a client ask us that... but it is a great idea! Although as a retailer I would be afraid that he would come to the store for advice and help but go buy it online or something.But maybe we should start offering that to the indecisive clients....

 

I concur. Thats an excellent idea about taking a memory card with you. The only problem with that is that they may take different cards, ie xd, cf, etc.

On a side note, if you find a decent point and shoot you are interested in, read some online reviews on it before making the purchase. www.dpreview.com is a good site for this.

 

what is shutter speed? is it important/necessary?

 

Shutter speed is the amount of time the sensor or film is exposed to light which creates the image, so yes it is important and necessary in order to make a picture.

Control over shutter speed allows you to get creative with the camera and your shots. In low light shooting the shutter will have to be open longer in order to get light to the film or sensor to make a legible image. In bright light the shutter will have to be faster so you don't overexpose the image which will cause it to become very light or "blow out".

You use shutter speed and aperature to control these effects on the shot.

Aperature is the measure of the amount of light allowed into the camera during the exposure. Think of it as a circle of black and the aperature is the size of the hole you cut into it in order to see through it.

Aperature will also allow you to shoot at faster shutter speeds or slower shutter speeds depending on what you have it set to or what the camera decides is needed (in auto modes).

 

What ever happened to buying a Pentax K1000 and a 50 mm lens and learning the basics on a basic camera, instead of trying to access manual functions through a bunch of menus on a gizmo?

Anyway here's a basic intro.

http://www.silverlight.co.uk/tutorials/index.html

 

It is time consuming and expensive. h:

 

Under $100 on ebay...