Digital camera purchase, need opinions. I am trying to decide

[alfredo]

on which camera to buy. I have narrowed it down to the Canon G5-Canon A80-Canon Digtal Rebel- Nikon5700.

which one would you recommend.

[GOPisEvil]

1. Can't help you with that choice, but I'm very happy with my Fuji.

I have the F-401. I've had it for a year, and it's very simple to use.

[bif]

2. Olympus C5050

I love this camera. I owned a couple of Nikon slrs for years and have been into photography for ages. So it was a big leap into the digital world. I really like this camera. It's easy to use and takes incredible pictures. Check out cnet.com for reviews by the pros and people who actually own the cameras. I bought my camera through there (They shop a ton of stores) and saved $200 by buying on-line. Good luck.

P.S. Don't buy anything less that 5 megapixels.

[Maddy McCall]

3. I have a canon G2...LOVE IT!

Not a single problem with it. Have made some pretty great photos with it.

I would LOVE to have a G5. You can't go wrong with any of the Powershot G-line cameras by Canon.

[Gato Moteado]

4. it depends...

the digital rebel is an SLR that will use the same canon autofocus lenses that their film SLR cameras use. this is a huge advantage if you already own a canon SLR. the other cameras you mentioned are not SLRs and won't allow you the flexibility of changing lenses.

so, you have to figure out if you want the compact size and ease of use of a snapshot camera or the flexibilty of an SLR. the SLR, because of the optics on the changeable lenses, will also offer a sharper image.

also, price is another concern. the canon digital rebel comes with an 18-55mm lens and if you want longer focal lengths you'll have to buy additional lenses and depending on which ones you buy they can be costly (especially the image stabilizer zooms, which i recommend). the snapshot cameras are probably significantly cheaper.

the digital rebel is an excellent bargain, in my opinion. the price of the camera and the lens is $999.99 at almost any store you go to. canon also makes the 10D which is a 6.3 megapixel SLR camera, like the rebel, but it is sturdier and has extra options that a professional photographer would take advantage of and it's about $1500 for the body only. you can save a few bucks going mail order for either of these, but i'd be careful as not all mail order dealers are reputable.

right now canon is the only major camera manufacturer that offers a 6 megapixel SLR for under a grand (the 6.3 megapixel rebel). if you wait until the end of this month, nikon will have the 6.1 megapixel D70 for the same price (body only). if you're already invested in nikon equipment, this will be the way to go because the D70 will use nikon autofocus lenses.

personally, i recommend spending the extra bucks and getting the SLR (either the canon digital rebel, canon 10D or the nikon D70). olympus and minolta are also making digital SLRs but I don't know enough about them.

hope this helps.

[alfredo]

5. I have an EOS RebelX already.

will the lens work on the Digital EOS too. Oops just noticed that it is the EF, so it will work. I have the 75~300 zoom too. I have the feeling the Rebel digital may be the way to go, but the G5 looks mighty good too.

I like the A-80, but not completely sold on it yet.

[Gato Moteado]

6. since you already have the lenses.....

i'd get the digital rebel if i were you (or the 10D). some stores will sell the digital rebel body only for about $899. since you already have the lenses, you won't need the $999 rebel kit that comes with the 18-55mm lens.

something else that's cool: the canon lenses you have for your rebel will actually have about 60% longer focal lengths when used on the digital rebel. so, your 75-300 zoom will really be a 120-480 zoom when you use it on a digital rebel!

also, if you have a fry's store in your town, they have a sale on the flash cards right now. you can get a 512mb flash card for $119. when shooting the digital rebel using the highest resolution jpg files you can get about 150 pictures on a 512mb flash card.

[bif]

9. Costco has the 512 cards for around $50

[Gato Moteado]

13. seriously?

i was there over the weekend and the largest ones i saw were 256mb and they were about $60 i think.

[bif]

15. Sorry. It was the 256 for $49

http://www.costco.com/frameset.asp?trg=subcat%2Easp&catid=79&subid=2109&hierid=2246&log=&NavTop=

[Gato Moteado]

16. that's still a good price

i would have bought a 512 from them if they had them because i like supporting costco as much as i can. their business practices are far superior to walmart and the other discount houses. i was there over the weekend and they only had the 128 and 256 flash cards.

[bif]

18. I bought a 512 on the net for around $95

It's a Viking and works just fine. If you look around you can find some pretty good deals. The 512 might have been ffrom Mac Mall in the sle area of their site. I support Cosstco as much as I can. Excellent beer and wine prices.

[Gato Moteado]

20. thats a great price....

i picked up a sandisk 512 from fry's for $119 over the weekend and i think it has a $20 rebate. anyways, i'd have no problem buying flash cards via mail order....cameras are a different story.

[never cry wolf]

11. I did a quick pricescan check

Pretty decent site, IMHO. You can get the Rebel body only for under $700.

http://www.pricescan.com/SearchResults.ASP?Category=digiphoto&SearchString=canon+digital+rebel&SearchType=all

[Gato Moteado]

14. good price but.....

....look at the vendor ratings of the places that sell it for less than $700. i wouldn't buy anything from a place that's rated 1.5 stars out of 5 by customers. that's taking a big risk. the camera might not have a USA warranty or it might have other problems.

that said, there are some reputable mail order places where you can save a significant amount of money.

[Florida_Geek]

7. My friend just brought

http://www.centraldigital.com/cen.cfm?fuseaction=cen.CartAdd&product_id=2514&back_id=2514 and at 316 not bad.

[SoCalDem]

8. LS443 ...Kodak.. I love it

:)

[radwriter0555]

10. Kodak easyshare 4300, LOVE. IT. EASY to use, EASY to download,

lots of options for picture content and quality....

LOVE. IT. Bought TWO. (one was for a project)

they're about $299.00, look for bundled deals and DON'T use the Kodak software if you have a newish PC that has XP on it, for quick, idiot-proof downloads.

[Caution]

12. Digital Rebel

phenomenal camera.

[alfredo]

17. Unless I get money troubles between now and tax return

I will get the Rebel Digital. It just seems the best for the money.

I am such a stickler for sharp images due to my film camera background, anything less would be a settling for less.

thanks for the help, and continue the discussion on cameras, and accessories. I need that type of help too.

[curse10]

19. I personally love my Olympus D-560

it's fabulous :-)

[alfredo]

21. I know very little about Olympus digital cameras. I just saw the

Nikon 8700 digital. It is an 8 mega pixel camera for the same price as the Canon digital Rebel. It is still new, so no good reviews yet.

[Gato Moteado]

22. here's a preview of it

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0401/04012805nikoncp8700.asp

looks nice, but you don't have the flexibilty of changing lenses.

8 megapixels, though! i wonder when they'll reach the limit. there are some 13 megapixel cameras out and i think canon has a 20 megapixel camera coming out. i wonder how much is overkill.

supposedly 5.0 megapixels = 35mm film resolution. pretty soon we'll be able to match medium format resolution in a 35mm sized body. unbelievable.

[alfredo]

23. That's the downside. I want to see a few pro reviews

before I'd consider it. Extra lenses are not as important as image quality. The lens provided covers what I have on my Canon 35 mm. No need to change lenses.

I have time to see how it stacks up, and what users have to say about its quality and ease of use. I see criticism of the 5700 for having a steep learning curve. I learned pre user friendly Linux, I can handle some mental gymnastics.

[Mrs. Venation]

24. Bertha Venation And I Have A Nikon Coolpix 885

and we love it. It's hard to beat Nikon for quality cameras.

[JCMach1]

25. Sorry, sticking with analog 35mm for photography and CHEAP

digital camera for portable fun.