[Pi rules]

Hello!

I found this digital camera that I believe will go on sale soon at a store near me for only $70 with a printer after rebates. I'm not too experienced with digital cameras and I don't have one, so I would like one (preferrably cheap ) that would work, but I don't really need a high end one. I notice that it doesn't say anything about optical zoom, so how much would that affect the quality of the pictures? It also seems to be too cheap to be real. It is 5.1 MP for only $130 normally, so what is the catch (besides no optical zoom)? Also, how much of an effect does no optical zoom have? I only have a film camera right now and would like to get a digital one, but I don't have to get the best. If I don't get this, I probably won't buy one for a few years.

Does anyone have any advice?

Edit: Added camera model to the title in case anybody searches for it.

Edited by Pi rules, 18 November 2005 - 02:03 PM.

[Advertisements]

WOW, you've found a very nice camera! The specs look great! The digital zoom is usually worthless, since it is not a true zoom, but with such high specs, it may not make the picture that worse. I'd definately go for it.

I don't see any catch. This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime awsome deals. I searched high and low for the perfect digital camera. It took me 6 months, but I found an excellent one. Just had to have patience.

Edited by computerwiz12890, 16 November 2005 - 06:10 PM.

[computerwiz12890]

WOW, you've found a very nice camera! The specs look great! The digital zoom is usually worthless, since it is not a true zoom, but with such high specs, it may not make the picture that worse. I'd definately go for it.

I don't see any catch. This is one of those once-in-a-lifetime awsome deals. I searched high and low for the perfect digital camera. It took me 6 months, but I found an excellent one. Just had to have patience.

Edited by computerwiz12890, 16 November 2005 - 06:10 PM.

[Pi rules]

That's the best response I've gotten about this camera. I know that optical zoom is important, but like you said, it's 5.1MP, so a little bit of digital zoom (or cropping with Photoshop Elements) should be kind of a replacement, although not quite as good, right?

How detrimental would no optical zoom be?

Thanks for the response.

[computerwiz12890]

How detrimental? Hard to tell, but the specs of the camera that you're looking at is about 6 times as good as mine. And the 3 times digital zoom on mine, even when holding the camera really still and in good lighting, blurs everything in the distance. A zoom-in of something not too far away, say 8 meters away, is not too bad. And since the camera that you're looking at has specs about 6 times as good as mine, I'd predict that it's won't be detrimental at all.

My digital camera is a 2.2 MP with the highest resolution being 1800 X 1600. Both of those specs are what you look at for the quality of pictures (the higher of each, the better). My camera has both optical and digital zoom, and I REALLY notice a difference. I don't think you'll have to worry about digital zoom with the high specs of that camera that you're looking at.

Edited by computerwiz12890, 16 November 2005 - 06:22 PM.

[Pi rules]

Thanks!

I'll post back if I get it (day after Thanksgiving). There are just so many good deals then, it's hard to choose.

Edited by Pi rules, 16 November 2005 - 06:36 PM.