Digital Camera

the Best Digital Camera Under 200 Dollars

2011-11-10T10:02:00.000-08:00

I am assuming found this article because you are having a hard time finding the best digital camera under 200 dollars as I recently did. With all of the technical jargon that gets tossed around the greasy sales world, it has become very hard to stay focused when searching for your new camera. With the holidays around the corner, everyone is looking for the best value for the lowest price...I used these exact three steps to find the best digital camera under 200 dollars when I recently purchased a digital camera for my mothers anniversary trip (and yes, I did go over my budget a little with the extra memory cards...love you mom).

Step 1: Figuring out what you need

The best digital camera under $200

A mistake I commonly see, are buyers being sucked into buying cameras that are beyond what they really need. Some questions to ask yourself before you start shopping:

* What's your budget?

* What do you need the camera for? (Taking Snapshots, Video, or Professional Photography)

* What conditions will you be mostly photographing in? (indoors, outdoors, low light, bright light)

* Will you largely stay in auto-focus, or are you learning the art of photography?

* What type of features are you looking for? (Optical zoom vs. Digital zoom, external flashes..)

Ask yourself these questions prior to buying your new camera and you will be ready when you need to decide what type of zoom you want.

Step 2: Deciding how many Mega-pixels are needed

Mega-pixels are not as MEGA as they used to be...

One of the main features used to sell digital cameras is how many mega-pixels a digital camera has. When digital cameras were initially released (and selling for excess of $300-400 for a basic model), the mega-pixel rating of the camera was actually a very important statistic. As most cameras then, they were at the lower end of today's camera functionality and even a 1 mega-pixel increase was a significant upgrade. I would recommend a 10 MP camera if your spending over $100

Step 3: Do you require any extras?

It's always nice to have an extra memory card or two. maybe rechargeable batteries?

Do you remember how big of a pain it is to run out of space on your memory card right when you arrive to your destination (usually really far from the nearest computer to load your pictures onto)? You need to think if any additional equipment would benefit your individual need for a digital camera. Here are some of the most common additions to keep in mind come checkout:

* Camera Case

* Memory Cards

* Spare Batteries/Recharger

* Tripods

* External Flashes

If you're learning the art of photography:

* Reflectors

* Lenses

* Filters (and other lens attachments)

Digital Camera Photo Editing Software

2011-11-10T09:59:00.000-08:00

Many people who now own digital cameras both professionals and amateurs are looking for a good quality digital camera photo editing software program that they can use with it. The reason they choose to get such software programs is because at times they may find that the image they took wasn't all it could have been and so in order to improve it they will need to edit. One of the most common problems that many people using these photo editing software programs for is to remove red eye.
Below we are now going to take a look at some of the various different digital camera image editing software programs that you can buy online or at your local computer or camera retail outlet. All of these programs are ideal for both professional and amateurs to use in order to make changes to photos as and when they need to.

1. Kodak Easy Share Freeware - This is probably one of the most well known of all editing software programs for use with cameras and is very simple and easy for anyone to use. Even those people who have only recently got their digital camera.
2. Image Force - Is actually a free photo editing software program. It allows you not only to edit the images you have taken but will let you transfer the pictures from your digital camera to a scanner. Through the use of this software a person is able to not just modify but enhance the look of the images they have taken.
3. Picture Shark - Yet another free software program which also allows you to write on the photos you are editing. Plus it comes with many of the features that are to be found in other standard photo editing software packages today.
4. Picasa - This is a free software package from Google, so it is certainly one that you are going to trust, plus it is also the smartest of all the photo editing software programs we are discussing in this article. It lets you save your photos dependent upon what size they are and is also allows you to name them. Because of this when it comes to actually retrieving and locating them when you need to edit them you will find this much easier to achieve. With this particular software once it has been installed on to your PC all you need to do is take the photos already stored there and then begin editing them by dropping them directly into the area called "editing" of this program.
Above we have mentioned a few of the good digital camera photo editing software programs now available. Although the ones above are free there are some like Adobe Photoshop you will need to purchase before you can actually download and install them on to your computer.

KidiZoom Plus 80-077341 Digital Camera

2011-11-09T09:24:00.000-08:00

It is not only adults who love taking pictures but many children enjoy this hobby too. Children nowadays love taking pictures of interesting objects or people and see the results on their LCD screen. However, the camera that you use is probably not suitable for them. Children need a special camera for their new hobby such as the KidiZoom Plus 80-077341. This camera is manufactured by VTech Electronics North America, LLC and comes as an outstanding digital camera for kids. In addition, it has also achieved a TopTenREVIEWS Gold Award. The camera offers 2 megapixel resolution and ample storage capacity. It even comes with an SD card slot for additional memory. This product is very impressive due to its design, ease of use and features.

Design
This KidiZoom Plus 80-077341 is made of plastic so it is quite comfortable to hold and it does not break easily. The buttons are larger than those on most digital cameras for kids. Large memory is offered in this camera to reduce the effort to transfer pictures to computer. The SD slot is another nice feature to provide additional storage space. The camera requires AA batteries to operate and it is convenient to use them since they can be obtained almost anywhere. How about the LCD display? The 1.8" display is big enough for children to view their pictures. The camera is also pretty light weight; it is only slightly over one pound.

Ease of Use
Every aspect of this camera is specially designed for children. The grip, large buttons and two-eye viewfinder are designed to be easy to use. The KidiZoom Plus 80-077341 also has the ability to shut down automatically after some minutes without use. This feature is helpful since children sometimes forget to turn it off. A battery icon is also displayed on the screen so kids will know when to change the batteries. In short, kids will find it very easy to capture precious moments using this camera.

Features
Another nice feature you will find in this camera is the video recording capability. By using this cute camera, it is possible for your children to create digital videos. Since children also love playing games, this product also comes with fun games. A photo editor is also available so that children can edit pictures or give special effect to them easily.

Nikon Coolpix L24 Digital Camera

2011-11-09T09:20:00.000-08:00

The Nikon Coolpix L24 Digital Camera is a must have for a compact, travel size camera that gives high quality photographs.
Nikon's Coolpix L24 comes in three colors; black, silver and red. It is palm-sized, weighing only.4 pounds. This is wonderful when traveling light. Keep it in your purse or briefcase and always have a camera accessible. The L24 Coolpix makes an awesome back up camera you can easily keep stashed away. This Nikon camera is also easy to use. Young and old can take great pictures with its automation. This is an excellent point-and-shoot camera that those who do not have a lot of technical camera knowledge can easily use.
Nikon Coolpix L24 cameras are equipped with 14.0 Megapixels, giving superb image quality. With the higher megapixel, you have the ability to enlarge your favorite photograph up to a 16x20 while still maintaining a sharp, crisp image. You will be able to make awesome edited and enhanced photos with images from your new Nikon Coolpix camera. It is equipped with a 3.6x optical zoom-Nikkor lens. You will be able to capture much more with your wide-angle shots. Capture great photos up close as well as from a distance with this digital camera. The fast focus on this digital camera is helpful with your action shots or if you have kids who find it hard to sit still. With a large, bright 3.0" LCD you can easily view and share that awesome picture you just took. The large LCD screen is bright and can easily be seen in poor lighting situation. Enjoy viewing you pictures and videos directly on your camera.

The Nikon Coolpix L24 comes with a video mode as well. This is convenient when wanting to capture short video clips when you are not able to have a dedicated video camera available. You can easily upload your video to facebook and share with your family and friends.
The Coolpix camera is powered by two AA Batteries. As long as you carry extra batteries with you, you will never be stuck without power. Other batteries have to be recharged causing downtime of your camera.
The Nikon Coolpix L24 digital camera is an excellent point-and-shoot camera, however, it does not give the flexibility that a Nikon Digital SLR camera will give. You cannot really compare a point-and-shoot digital camera to a Digital SLR camera. It would like comparing apples to oranges. If you are looking for a high quality, compact size digital camera, the Nikon Coolpix L24 Digital Camera is an excellent choice.

Camcorder And Digital Camera

2011-11-04T13:20:00.000-07:00

Digital cameras made impressive advancement in the video recording world. Now you can buy still digital cameras, even DSLR cameras that feature HD recording. Therefore, you might be asking yourself why you need to use a camcorder by any means.
Besides keeping me hired, there are many good reasons why a camcorder remains the better option for recording in every life's reminiscences in movement.
Video Quality
Many digital cameras are featuring the 720p resolution, but few smaller ones will complement the much higher quality of 1080p recorded by average camcorders. If you wish that your kid's first step to appear sharp throughout the years (or otherwise till HDTVs are changed with something much better), you cannot surpass a devoted camcorder.
Even in the normal definition of video, the gulf in value could be essential. Standard definition camcorders can shoot video in a better bit rate compared to a conventional digital camera.
Lenses

The lens of the camcorder can give you a more powerful zoom, delivering better magnification. Even though there are numerous cameras that have long zooms available on the market, they cannot surpass the 30x or 60x lenses on a few camcorders.
Oftentimes, still digital camera lenses don't even work in recording a video. When they do, they won't work quietly, just like the lenses of a camcorder. When you are zooming and filming using a still digital camera, it is possible to remove the noises in the zoom in the course of recording.
Media Options
Still digital cameras record their video clips using memory cards. Camcorders also record to flash memory cards, however, they also can record to built-in hard disks that provide additional recording compared to your biggest space storage device. You can even save your video clips right to any DVD media for your ease of playback on the DVD players.
Audio
The built-in mics employed by camcorders are better than those on still digital cameras. You can find even more complex sound recording choices on camcorders also, like the power to zoom to the origin of a sound immediately. Several camcorders can also record multichannel audio sound.
Video Controls

Several sophisticated camcorders allow you to modify the viewpoint, the speed of the shutter and also the white balance to adjust the image. However, you cannot implement the same thing when recording videos using a still digital camera: It is just a point and a shoot and shoot gadget.

SVP Digital Camera

2011-11-04T13:10:00.000-07:00

With the age of digital imaging, nearly every (shallow water) diver can be involved with underwater photography. This review is of a true beginner camera outfit. The Chinese made, SVP Acqua digital outfit includes the camera system and waterproof case for under $100. There are obvious limitations and we'll cover them in this review.

Don't expect professional results with this camera, but you'll be surprisingly pleased with the versatility this little compact outfit provides. With all the features you'd expect to find in popular brand 'point and shoot' cameras, this compact system will easily fit into your BCD pocket. The specifications are listed after our review comments. Since the factory marketing brochure supplied these, we cannot confirm or dispute them.

First of all, before using this camera... view the enclosed DVD instruction manual provided with the camera. There are many features and settings that you'll need to know before you get out on the water to use your camera system. We've used many different brands and all seem to have some logical settings and some not-so-logical procedures. Like most 'point and shoot' cameras, there is a delay between pushing on the shutter and having the actual shutter operation. After you become familiar with the operation of the camera and the features you're ready for the underwater part.

Like any housing, you need to keep the housing clean and free from sand or grit that could create a leak. Since the main seal is not really an o'ring, I was very careful to clean the surfaces with a cotton tip (Qtip) and apply some o'ring grease to the surface as well as a thin film on the seal itself. The seal is sort of a wedge shape, so it should provide a good positive pressure seal. The clean part is more for all the little control buttons that allow you to change settings of the camera underwater. We'll get into the best settings we found when using the camera underwater.

When they say the housing is good to 15 meters or around 33 feet, they are not lying. Not that we were trying to flood the housing or anything, but at 60 feet the camera is not operational because the pressure is squeezing the controls and shuts the camera off. At 40 feet, you might get the camera to work, but don't count on changing the settings. At 35 feet the camera seems to work fine with all the features and settings operational. For many divers, this will be too limiting because most of your dives will be deeper than 35 feet. However, keep in mind that the red/yellow/orange end of the spectrum is filtered out beyond this depth too.

The camera and housing combination are well matched and easy to operate. With the clear plastic housing, you can easily see the settings on the camera. Like most digital displays certain angles are more difficult to see, but with the proper shading and angle everything is visible on the 2 inch screen. Even though you can change the lens focal length from wide angle to zoom, we kept the setting on wide angle for the dives during the whole process because of the water. Keep this in mind for all underwater photography; stay close to your subject and use the widest angle possible for better results.

For the still shots, the camera was set for the strobe to fire with each shot. This uses up your batteries faster, but if the subject is closer than 8 feet, you'll have better imaging and color. The best results were our macro shots where we set the camera for 'close-up' and used the flash. When using the movie mode, you'll be impressed with the sharpness of the images, but don't expect high quality audio. The housing must absorb a lot of the sound as much of the underwater audio is muted. More than likely, you'll edit with some musical background anyway.

The color balance was a little off. We did change the settings according to the instructions and the results were that the color balance was a little on the blue side for topside shots. This was not an issue for the underwater shots as the greenish tint of the water was eliminated. Most of the color balance issues can be handled in the editing phase.

The claim of being 12.0 mega pixels is a little deceiving because this is the 'hardware interpolation' not the 'image resolution' which is 5.0 mega pixels. All in all, we were not disappointed in the quality results of the better pictures. However, some of the shots showed camera shake even with the built in flash. This means that the shutter does adjust for the amount of light, so it's important to squeeze the cameral and hold it as still as possible.

We used an 8 GB SD card because we expected to take a lot of video and had ample memory space for two dives. We didn't use the provided USB cable because we use a card reader to our laptop and then back up the memory to a portable hard drive. The power source uses two triple A Alkaline Batteries, so it's not a problem having new batteries for each dive. We didn't use the 'voice recorder' feature, but from our underwater video experience, it would not be recommended inside the underwater housing.

Mega-Pixels And The Best Camera For You

2011-11-04T01:36:00.000-07:00

We have all read and heard the ads; this camera has 12.2 mega-pixels, this one has 14.4 mega-pixels, and of course the price of the camera reflects how many pixels are on the sensor. The questions arise, "How many pixels do I really need", and "What is a mega-pixel anyway?"
Simply put, a mega-pixel is one million pixels per inch. A pixel is a single point on an image with a particular color and brightness, and by grouping these points together an image is formed. The size of the pixels in relation to the picture determines how sharp the final image will be and how much the image can be enlarged before quality suffers. Take any image and zoom in enough and eventually the pixels will be visible as blocks of color or shades of grey. The size and amount of pixels in an image also contributes to the size of the file.
With the many choices available, pixel quantity is a major factor in determining what camera is purchased, and by listening to the ads, only the most will suffice. In actuality, the most important thing to consider when buying a camera is what it is going to be used for. If you plan to make poster size pictures to hang on your wall, then yes, the ads are correct and you should spend the money for at least 14.4 mega-pixels, if not more. However, if you have a blog and want to post pictures to it, or any website for that matter, than 14.4 is extreme overkill; in fact, any camera you buy today will be extreme overkill for web-based pictures. Screen resolution is listed as horizontal pixels X vertical pixels per inch, so a screen set at 1280 X 1024 will have 1,310,720 pixels per inch, or just over 1.3 mega-pixels. Any higher resolution will be lost as the computer translates the file into an image to be viewed on-screen, and the wasted file size will slow the file transfer, especially when sending via email. The same goes for digital picture frames which usually have an even lower resolution than a monitor.

Other factors need to be considered along with pixel quantity. ISO measures the light gathering ability of the sensor, and a higher ISO allows photos in lower lighting environments, but with a loss in picture quality; with a higher ISO, the pictures will start to look grainy and the colors will be less vibrant. Most point and shoot cameras have a preset ISO setting, usually 400, and a camera with adjustable ISO is more expensive, but frequently worth the extra price. Of course, the optics are the most important feature of a camera, either film or digital, and no matter how many pixels the camera has, if it has poor optics, the only result will be very faithfully rendered blurry pictures.

"Mega-pixels" is the current sexy byword for camera manufacturers and retailers, and while important, it is only one facet what must be considered with any digital camera purchase. More importantly, having a good idea as to how the camera will be used is the most important datum in deciding what camera to buy.

Choosing a Digital Camera for Your Hobby

2011-11-04T01:28:00.000-07:00

Are you looking for a digital camera? Choosing a new camera for the first time may sound scary especially when there are so many options out there to look at. So, how can you get over the nervousness when it comes to choosing a digital camera for yourself? Well, here are some quick tips that you might want to keep in mind when looking for the best digital camera to purchase.
The first thing to think about is your budget. As much as you would like to get your hands on the top high-tech professional camera, if you don't have a budget then, the bottom line, is that you can't have it. Having a budget means you need to control yourself when it comes to choosing a camera because you must stay within the boundaries of the amount of money you have set aside for the purchase. This will help you keep from spending more than you can actually afford.
Second, you should decide on the level of photography you wish to practice. When it comes to choosing a new camera you need to remember that there are two types of cameras today. One is the point-and-shoot and the other is the D-SLR. Most cameras that you find in the market today fall on the first category because they are designed for the convenience of casual photographers. D-SLR, on the other hand, is more expensive compared to the point-and-shoot and usually comes with separate lenses. The upside to this is the fact that you can actually get better quality photos. You need to keep these things in mind when choosing a digital camera so you can plan better on which one to purchase.

Third, get more information on the level of resolution that you will need. Since you are already looking for cameras in the current market, you will come across those with resolutions ranging from 3 megapixels all the way up to 22 megapixels. You need to determine the best resolution you need when it comes to choosing a camera, especially if you are planning on enlarging the photos or altering it as well.
Fourth, when it comes to choosing a digital camera it is best that you look into the type of camera lens it has. Keep in mind that optical zoom lens allows you to take different types of photos such as portrait, telephoto, landscape and the like. If you are going to choose a camera that has a fixed focal length then your options are limited.

And finally, when choosing a camera, you need to hold it in your hands. There is always something about the way you hold the camera that can help you decide whether it is the perfect one for you. Feel free to try as many digital cameras as you like while keeping the first four tips in mind. For sure, when it comes to choosing a digital camera, it won't take you too long to find the right one for your needs.

Packing Cheap Digital Cameras for Travel

2011-11-03T12:09:00.000-07:00

When you spend hundreds or even thousands on your photography gear, you want to do all you can to make sure that after your next flight, it's going to arrive where you are in one piece. Even if you only have a cheap digital camera, how upset will you be when you find the lens is broken or the zoom is bent? You want to be able to record your vacation in some way and if it ends up breaking, you're out of luck.

You may be tempted to check in your camera and optics gear when you get to the airport, but don't if you have the option to bring it on the plane (and it isn't too much to carry). Often when baggage is handled, it isn't made clear to those putting it on the plane whether it is fragile or not. Baggage handlers tend to toss bags on to planes, assuming most of them are full of clothing. If you absolutely must check your equipment in because it is just too much stuff to carry with you, there are a few things you can do to ensure it gets to your destination safe and sound.

First, use bubble wrap excessively. DON'T get stingy with the bubble wrap. It'll work wonders in protecting your camera lenses and other gear from getting broken. There's a reason why people ship so much with it! Also, look into gear bags that are made specifically for protection. They often have a very soft and protective inside a good sturdy case on the outside. Make sure all your lenses are well covered, so tape those covers on if you have to because they often slip off on their own, especially when jostled around.

If you can load all your camera and optics gear into a carry-on bag, that's even better. When packing a backpack full of stuff, keep the lenses at the very top. This will keep the weight from the other items present from crushing them. It also just gives you easy access to them if you want to take some impromptu pictures on the flight itself. You should always check your bag's straps to make sure they are in good condition and not worn. Once a strap breaks, that could mean a broken camera when it falls to the floor. So always be on top of the condition of your bag.