Comments on: Photoblogging the Old-Fashioned Way

By: KF

KF — Wed, 18 Aug 2004 22:52:04 +0000

Thanks, all, for the suggestions. A pal of mine is letting me play with her camera over the weekend, so I ought to get a feel for what I like and don’t like about it. I’ll keep you posted…

By: Jake

Jake — Wed, 18 Aug 2004 14:07:45 +0000

If you’re buying a camera for photoblogging, you don’t need 5 megapixels. I just spent about $130 on a 2 megapixel camera, because it’s small, the image quality is adequate, and if/when I break or lose it I’ll just be out $130.

That said, if I wanted to use it for important images I might ever print out on big paper, I would deeply regret not going for, at least, a 3 or 4 megapixel cam.

By: ogged

ogged — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 22:48:05 +0000

Agreed on the Canons. Also consider the “Elph” Canons, like the S500 and S410–you’re more likely to carry around a smaller camera. Just be sure to get your hands on the cameras you’re considering before you buy, to see if they feel right to you, and if you like holding and using them.

By: Shasta

Shasta — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 22:12:24 +0000

There are several great cameras in the Canon PowerShot series that fall within your price range. If you did a bunch of shopping around, you might be able to find a PowerShot S60 for under $400, though it would be tough. Still, it’s a great 5-megapixel camera. The PowerShot A80 is a 4-megapixel camera that might also be good choice, and you should be able to find one of those for under $350 (no more than $400, certainly). The PowerShot A75 is a versatile 3-megapixel camera that you could probably buy for under $250, and chances are that it would do everything you needed it to do. I think people focus a little too much on megapixels sometimes, but really, unless you need to be able to print out high-quality photos larger than 8x10 or so, you don’t need a particularly high megapixel count.

I am also a big fan of the Nikon Coolpix series; my own camera is a Coolpix 995 (which they don’t make anymore). Unfortunately, I have heard people grumble about the low-light performance of some of the lower-end Coolpix cameras. My mom has a Coolpix 4500 and loves it. The 4300 might also be a good option for you. However, I would probably choose a PowerShot over any of the Nikons in the 3000 series, and I’d definitely choose a PowerShot over any of the Nikons in the 2000 series.

By: KF

KF — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 21:37:43 +0000

I suppose I’m willing to up to $400. Which seems, on cursory looking-about, to cover pretty much anything except an SLR. If I can keep it down closer to $300, though, that’d be ideal.

By: Shasta

Shasta — Tue, 17 Aug 2004 21:26:00 +0000

Do you know about how much you want (or are willing, anyway) to spend on a camera? I can make some recommendations, but it would be helpful to have a ballpark figure in mind.