Need advice for digital camera.

[Captain Einstein]

I have a 35 mm camera but, for my next cruise on the Millennium in Europe, I would like to buy a digital camera.
I did a little research but there exist so many models that it is difficult to make a choice! I want a small one, easy to use and allowing to do panoramic photos.
Please, can you give me your opinion on the Canon Powershot A80, or Nikon Coolpix 4500 or...another small models? I would like to know if some models are better than others or easier to use etc...
Many thanks to all of you.

Captain Einstein

[Paul Schlosser]

Visit a camera store and try different models. When you actually hold the camera in your hands you'll quickly find one that just feels better. Some like small cameras, some like larger cameras that look and feel like their old 35mm camera.

This [url="http://www.dpreview.com/"]web site[/url] has great reviews and buying advice.

[Shelley G]

We bought the Canon s400 before our cruise to Alaska last year. We were very pleased with the pictures. We bought the photo printer to go with it. I see you are from Canada. We are from Toronto and bought our camera at Henry's. They are very helpful there and included some extras because we bought the camera and printer together. The camera fit comfortably on my husbands belt or easily in my purse.
Shelley

Until my next cruise
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[dougnewmanatsea]

First, I second the recommendation of DPReview as linked above... I have not seen anyplace, on the web or in print, that has such comprehensive and consistently excellent reviews. However, understanding them requires a crash course in digital photography terminology first (the site has a glossary which could help). When I first came upon it I was utterly bewildered; I was pretty well versed in film photography terms but half the time I had no idea what the reviewer was talking about.

I'd also agree that it is indeed very important to go to a camera shop and try out the cameras in question; the "feel" of a camera is very subjective and buying one sight unseen is not a great idea. Buying online can save you a lot of money (but make sure you're buying from a reputable place; there are a lot of online camera shops that are most definitely not recommended) but make sure to try out in person first. What looks good on paper does not necessarily feel good in person.

It is not easy to figure out just what kind of digital camera you need as there are simply so many of them out there and most people simply aren't familiar with all the techno-babble... It's harder to buy a digital camera than to learn how to use one. It would probably help would be to know what kind of 35mm camera you use.

The most important piece of advice I can give is, [I]do not be blinded by the number of megapixels the camera's sensor has[/I]. Without question, [I]the[/I] biggest mistake that people make when choosing a digital camera is to first consider how many megapixels a camera has, before looking at anything else. This would be like choosing a car based on how many horsepower it has; it ignores many other much more important factors. In theory more pixels means sharper photos but in reality this is not necessarily true at all. I would not go so far as to say that the number of pixels a camera has is completely irrelevant but it is most certainly made out to be far more important than it is.

Doug Newman
Cruise Critic Message Boards Host
e-mail: shiploverny AT yahoo DOT com

[LynnObie]

I also recommend the DPReview site linked above. Another one I have found very helpful is[url="http://www.steves-digicams.com/hardware_reviews.html"]Steve's Digicam Reviews[/url].

I currently own a Canon S400, as Shelly also chose, which gives great results *and* is small enough to be truly pocket size. I understand it has recently been replaced by the s410. It has a 3x optical zoom which is the equivalent to about 36mm - 108mm on a 35mm camera. For most shots this is ok, but I decided I also wanted a digital camera with LONG zoom capability like my 35mm SLR & just bought a (black) Panasonic DMC-FZ10 with 12x optical zoom Leica lens. This lens has the 35mm equivalent of 35mm - 420mm.

The Canon A80 you mention and the S400 / S410 as well as my new Panasonic are 4 Megapixel cameras that can yield excellent print quality up to 11x14 should you ever want. If you want the capability of printing excellent quality 4x6 or 5x7 photos, a 2 Megapixel camera is fine. 3 Megapixel will usually give excellent quality up to 8x10. As Doug mentioned, don't base your decision solely on Megapixel ratings.... check out sample photos available at various sites including the links provided. The examples I gave are only basic guidelines. I have seen some 2 Megapixel cameras that can yield excellent results on up to 8x10 prints.

I can tell you, for the most part, I have been very impressed with the quality of the Canon line and with what I have reviewed on my newly purchased Panasonic. There are many good options out there under various brands. Just do some homework.

[url="http://www.pbase.com/cameras"]Another helpful link [/url]allows you to search for photos taken with various camera models.

Lynn Obie

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=ff0000&cdt=2004;5;21;16;0;00&timezone=GMT-0800[/img]
Until 14 day Summit - San Diego to Alaska


8/1995 HAL Noordam, 6/2000 Carnival Ecstasy, 2/2002 HAL Maasdam, 3/2003 HAL Statendam, 1/2004 HAL Oosterdam, 5/2004 Celebrity Summit, 5/2005 Celebrity Infinity

[CharlesB]

>> "...easy to use and allowing (me) to do panoramic photos" <<
====================================
Panorama photos can be produced by software programs that take a group of individual photo "segments" that you snap while "panning" the camera in slightly overlapping horizontal "steps," so that your desired panorama is captured in a series of digital pictures. Then just process them on your computer with "stitching" software that automatically produces a visually seamless panorama.

I use Canon Photo-Stitch, which came on the CD with my Canon digital camera (together with Canon Easy Photo, their photo manager program). It is simple to use, and very effective.

For example, I have taken 5 or 6 sequential (overlapped) photos and Photo-Stitch merged them into a panorama, then had Photo-Stitch print them on 8 X 10 photo paper (it used 8 sheets for an approximate 180 degree view). The resulting panorama (when the borderless prints were joined edge-to-edge, and mounted) was impressive.

I believe there are other photo stitching software programs available, so you can probably just concentrate your digital camera research on finding a camera having features that meet your needs, and address panorama photos as a post-processing issue easily handled by software that can stitch together a smooth panorama view from a sequence of pictures taken by any digital camera.

Charles B.

[tuggers]

I, too, am looking for a new digital camera to replace my canon GS something 3.2. I want a true point and shoot, pocket size as I am not very cameram literate. Any suggestions?

Until the Zenith! Second X Cruise In Two Months!
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=800080&cdt=2004;4;11;16;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

[Captain Einstein]

Many thanks to all of you for your interesting responses. I'm sure they will help me to make a good choice! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Captain Einstein

[cruisersdm]

I bought a Nikon Coolpix 4300, 4 megapixel,for Christmas 2002. The pictures are of wonderful quality and the camera is very easy to use. I bought an extra battery and a 160 compact flash card. I have yet to have to use the extra battery at one time, but I make sure that it is fully charged when I'm ready to take pictures.

[LynnObie]

Tuggers,
You may want to look at [url="http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/s410.html"]the Canon S410[/url] review, specs, sample photos, etc. here. Amazon sells this one for $355 with no tax and free ground shipping. I have had excellent service from several Canon cameras and currently own the S400. If you want a reportedly decent pocket size camera with lower cost and fewer features, you may want to also look at [url="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000AQFUR/ref=ord_cart_shr/104-4237936-4091116?%5Fencoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER"]this one for $165.[/url] Whatever you decide on, you will definitely want to buy a 2nd memory card since the starter card that comes with most cameras is good for only about 20 or so shots before downloading pics. Be sure to check which card type you need to fit the camera you are buying. Some of the links already posted above may also be of help to you.

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by tuggers:
I, too, am looking for a new digital camera to replace my canon GS something 3.2. I want a true point and shoot, pocket size as I am not very cameram literate. Any suggestions?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Lynn Obie

[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=ff0000&cdt=2004;5;21;16;0;00&timezone=GMT-0800[/img]
Until 14 day Summit - San Diego to Alaska


8/1995 HAL Noordam, 6/2000 Carnival Ecstasy, 2/2002 HAL Maasdam, 3/2003 HAL Statendam, 1/2004 HAL Oosterdam, 5/2004 Celebrity Summit, 5/2005 Celebrity Infinity

[nealberk]

Personally I find that the optics of the camera and how it processes the pixels are far more important than the number of pixels. I opted for the Nikon 995 when I bought my camera two years ago. It was a bit more expensive than the Canon and Olympus (also very good brands!) but I loved the swivel design.

I also opted for the slighly larger model. I find the ability to hold it steady in one hand more than makes up the size differntial between it and the smaller cameras.

You might want to look at the publication Popular Photography. It has comprehensive reviews and very good guides for beginners in how to select a camera.

You can see my pictures from my cruises at [url="http://www.hollandAmericaVeendam.com"]www.hollandAmericaVeendam.com[/url] and [url="http://www.celebrity-century.com"]www.celebrity-century.com[/url]

[dougnewmanatsea]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by nealberk:
[B]You might want to look at the publication Popular Photography.[/B]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Frankly I find DPReview's digital camera reviews rather more comprehensive than those in any of the magazines, though I did read Popular Photography when I was using film and found their film camera reviews to be excellent. I think it all comes down to space limitations; a review like the ones on DPReview would simply be too long to print in a magazine.

With a digital camera there are many more things to look at than a film camera, that traditional reviews don't cover that well. There is a lot more testing etc. involved as the digital capture part of the camera adds a whole new aspect.

That said, for what they are, Popular Photography's reviews are pretty good; they give a quick description of the camera and its performance without diving into all sorts of test graphs, etc. For people not interested in the more technical aspects of a camera's performance, they could be just the ticket. As I said their film camera reviews were, to me, very useful - they are also much longer than the digital camera tests.

Of course it's never good to base your choice on just one source; for instance I respect both DPReview and Popular Photography but their opinions of the recent Sony DSC-F828 were very different. As well as Popular Photgraphy, for a second opinion I also find [url="http://www.imaging-resource.com/"]The Imaging Resource[/url] very useful; I think it is less focused on the top-end advanced cameras than DPReview, which for most people is probably a good thing. It also features a very good area called [url="http://www.imaging-resource.com/WB/WB.HTM"]Dave's Picks[/url] which offers suggestions on various cameras that are suitable for different uses - though the list has gotten longer and so perhaps a bit less useful over time.

Doug Newman
Cruise Critic Message Boards Host
e-mail: shiploverny AT yahoo DOT com

[gkm]

Captain Einstein,

I also have the Nikon 4300 and have had wonderful luck with it. We took the Northern Europe cruise last year and I took over 700 pictures with the camera that turned out beautiful. I have enlarged and framed several of the pictures and the quality is wonderful. I'm just a point and shoot person, and found the camera easy to use. Good luck with your search. It can be very confusing! [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif[/img]

Garry

Century Western Caribbean - 6/5/2004 [img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=191970&cdt=2004;6;5;16;30;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

Galaxy Transatlantic - 9/3/2004 [img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=191970&cdt=2004;9;3;17;00;00&timezone=GMT+0100[/img]

click <a href="mailto:gkm278@comcast.net">here</a href> to send me an email

[tuggers]

Doug as I said I am truly looking for a point and shoot. that's the problem I have with the GS it has too much 'stuff'. I like to take pictures on the cruises and especially nice closeups of people I meet. Currently they come out too bright or something.

Until the Zenith! Second X Cruise In Two Months!
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=800080&cdt=2004;4;11;16;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

[carol459]

Einstein and Tuggers,
We have two digital cameras, an Olympus C730(3.2 megapixel,10x optical zoom) and an Olympus D-390 (2.1 megapixel, 3x digital zoom).
3.2 megapixels is minimum for printing out 8x10 photos, if that is what you want. For 5x7 and smaller and for emailing, the D-390 is just right. Both of these cameras have a bunch of different settings accessible by a series of menus. We are taking both to Alaska on the Mercury(sailing 5/17) in addition to 3-35mm cameras. We are looking forward to taking a ton of photos.
Hope you find what you are looking for.

Carol

12/2004 Spirit(Mexico)
09/2004 Paradise(Panama Canal)
05/2004 Mercury(Alaska)
02/2004 Regal Princess(Hawaii)
01/2004 Ecstasy(Mexico)
12/2003 Ryndam(Sea of Cortez)
09/2003 Paradise(E. Carrib)
02/2003 Conquest(W. Carrib)
05/2002 Elation (Mex.Riviera)
[url="http://www.gifs.net/animate/img/boat.gif/img"]http://www.gifs.net/animate/img/boat.gif/img[/url]

[Live2Cruise4ever]

So, does anyone know if you can burn a cd of your photos from your card on the Celebrity Millennium? I need to know if i need to buy another card or if i can just have the photo shop download my photos onto a cd for me, for a hefty price if they do. Thanks. Rose

[Faygelah]

On the Constellation you can burn a CD off of your camera using the computer lab on deck 3. I'm pretty sure they have the same facilities on the Millennium.

[dougnewmanatsea]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by carol459:
[B]3.2 megapixels is minimum for printing out 8x10 photos, if that is what you want.[/B]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Not trying to get into an argument here that's not even about cruises, but the fact is the importance of megapixels is grossly overrated. It is very possible to make nice 8x10 prints from a camera with less than 3 megapixels.

For viewing on a computer screen, resolution is almost irrelevant anyhow as you are going to downsample the image to a much smaller size.

Doug Newman
Cruise Critic Message Boards Host
e-mail: shiploverny AT yahoo DOT com

[navigator]

For some great advice on choosing a digital camera without the technobabble on many sites go to [url="http://www.kenrockwell.com"]www.kenrockwell.com[/url]. Ken is a professional photographer who emphasizes the importance of the photograph, not just the hardware, ie megapixels, white balance, etc.

[LynnObie]

Tuggers,
I'm not familiar with the GS. Is is film or digital? Any of the pocket size digitals, including my Canon S400 & newer S410 *can be* truly point & shoot if you just keep the default settings. I rarely change settings on my S400 but can if I choose. Most of the settings require wading through various menu screens, so you can just forget they are even available and shoot away! One thing you *will* get if you take this approach is a camera with excellent optics that delivers great picture quality. You might want to get your hands on one at a store to see how unintimidating and easy to use it is if you just leave the menu buttons alone.

Lynn Obie

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by tuggers:
Doug as I said I am truly looking for a point and shoot. that's the problem I have with the GS it has too much 'stuff'. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

[Captain Einstein]

Navigator,
Many thanks! The web site of Ken Rockwell is very informative and interesting [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Captain Einstein

[tuggers]

Lynn Obie the GS series is digital supposed to be professional quality. Iam going to try to sell it as it's a very good camera, just too involved for me - like I said, I'm a point and shoot girl!

Does anyone know if there are true bargains in any caribean ports or are we better off buying these cameras in the good ole US of A?

Until the Zenith! Second X Cruise In Two Months!
[img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=800080&cdt=2004;4;11;16;00;00&timezone=GMT-0500[/img]

[nealberk]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Live2Cruise4ever:
So, does anyone know if you can burn a cd of your photos from your card on the Celebrity Millennium? I need to know if i need to buy another card or if i can just have the photo shop download my photos onto a cd for me, for a hefty price if they do. Thanks. Rose<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

With the price of cards these days, it is far easier to slip in a new card rather than burn the pictures to a CD. Besides, there are some interesting horror stories about burning CDs elsewhere on this board.

[celem]

This [url="http://cruise-forums.com/forums/read.php?f=46&i=4096&t=4096"]thread[/url] discusses the same topic and may be of some interest,

[garykool81]

I purchased Canon's "low end" Digital SLR version of the popular Rebel series of cameras for about $999, including lense.

I realize this is a bit much more most people to cough up for a camera, but the photos that it is capable of taking are absolutely maginificent.

I posted some pics taken inside of Galaxy on a recent cruise:

[url="http://www.cruise-addicts.com/picturepost/view.php?uid=2192"]http://www.cruise-addicts.com/picturepost/view.php?uid=2192[/url]

Without purchasing a camera that has a feature for adjustable shutter speed, etc. (how long the eye stays open for), you'd never get shots like these in dark interior rooms, or be able to take lovely shots of the ship at night.

Just a thought...considering you never pay for developing roll after roll of film, an excellent camera that is a little more high end sometimes serves as a wise investment.

Then again, I also take a lot of photos...much more so than most "normal" people :-)

Gary Kulash
[url="http://www.badelephant.com"]www.badelephant.com[/url]

Carnival Holiday 8/02
NCL Majesty 1/03
NCL Norway 5/25/03
NCL Sea 7/03
Celebrity Galaxy 3/04
Celebrity Mercury 10/04
HAL Zuiderdam 12/04