Seeking digital camera advice

[Frank Lee]

I've never been much of a photographer but am finally getting the urge to join the rest of the world in having a digital camera.

I have a GE A835 in the box, got it for $87, but am holding off on opening it up until I've learned something from the experts~! If I can do better it is still returnable.

Yes I know this GE is considered an "entry level" unit but it seems to have enough features to make it better than a toy. I also like that it takes regular batteries and not some funky expensive camera-only battery.

So?

[Daox]

Depends what you're gonna use it for. No need to get a fancy camera if you're just taking relatively close shots of things and don't want super crisp pictures.

[Bicycle Bob]

I'd return it just because it is from GE. It is substantially cheaper on Ebay, too. If you want to take pictures outdoors, you probably want an optical viewfinder. In sunlight, the view screens are barely good enough to help aim; you have to crop the shots later, loosing maybe half the megapixels. The other big consideration for me is how fast I can access the various controls. Scrolling through menus can get tedious, and cause missed shots.

[Frank Lee]

Who's better than GE and why?

Yes I'd expect most of my shots to be outdoors. I'm looking at the ease and convenience of downloading to computer. And being able to take zillions of shots and throw the bad ones for "free", unlike film where all the junk has to be paid for so you see what you have.

I'd like for the pics to be halfway decent. How do they compare to film cameras- regular Joe Blow film cameras?

[Bicycle Bob]

HP, Fuji, or Canon, among others, are more than marketers in the camera biz. Yes, throwing out the bad ones is key. One way that pros get their results on film is by wasting an awful lot of it. Computer software for viewing, editing, and sorting the collection is half the battle. Transferring is usually very simple even without special docks. Just hook up a USB cord, switch on, and click OK. You will probably want to crop pictures and change the exposure fairly often.

Digital cameras just don't have the range of film. When shooting slide film, you have to have the exposure pretty close, compared to print film. Digital is even worse; even with the options to tweak it one way or the other on the computer, light or dark details will be missing.

BTW, that one still picture behind me took a day and a half of professional studio time, mostly messing with the lights.

[Frank Lee]

Thanks Bob!

I guess I'll shop around some more.

I want to be able to post pics of my awesome custom Tempo! LOL

[Bicycle Bob]

The best thing about digital, for me, is that I can keep it handy and use it when I see good light on a nice scene. For awesome pictures, sunrise and sunset can help. Study the lighting in good pictures - direct sun won't bring out the detail at all. Partly cloudy days are best. Happy hunting!

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by Bicycle Bob

BTW, that one still picture behind me took a day and a half of professional studio time, mostly messing with the lights.

You mean the picture of the yellow vehicle in your avatar? Did you ever post about that? I wonder about it every time I see it.

Frank: I don't know what you plan to use the camera for, but FYI, all the shots you've seen me post since summer 2008 are from a second hand 2 megapixel Kodak Easyshare 2x optical zoom camera I got for about $35 on eBay. Everything before that was taken with a bronze age 1mp Kodak.

I'm no expert - all I knew was I wanted an optical zoom, and something that would take regular rechargeable AA batteries.

[TestDrive]

Originally Posted by Frank Lee

I have a GE A835 in the box, got it for $87, but am holding off on opening it up until I've learned something from the experts~! If I can do better it is still returnable.

I'm sure no expert, but know a little.

Hate to do anything to promote WallyWorld (WalMart), but if you buy your camera there, it can be returned even if opened (provided everything is there) with no restocking fee. I think the time frame is 90 days. (At least that was the policy last fall.)

Couldn't find any reviews of GE A835 at Digital Camera Review sites I trust

Digital Photography Review
Steve's Digicams

Based on the GE A835 feature list it doesn't appear to be an unreasonable choice, but no way to know how logically the controls are laid out nor the quality of photos it produces. Really good to be able to try it out before your money is gone for good.

Last fall I bought a Canon A590 IS and am happy with it. It has 4x optical zoom vs 3x for the GE. Optional Wide Angle Len and External Flash are available as add-ons.

There are plenty of modes available on the mode dial.
(Center between on/off and shutter button.)

The ones casual users like us will be most interested in are:

1. Easy (Red heart inside camera outline below AUTO)
   ...Flash: On/Off
   
2. Auto
   ...ISO:Auto/Hi Auto
   ...Shooting Mode: Single Shot/Self Timer
   ...Picture: Various Sizes & Compression
   ...Focus: Normal / Macro
   ...Flash: On/Off
   ...LCD: On/Off/Info Overlay
3. Movie Mode (4 possible size, frame rate, compression combinations)
   ...a) 640x480 @ 20 frames/sec - min compression
   ...b) 640x480 @ 20 frames/sec - max compression
   ...c) 320x240 @ 30 frames/sec
   ...d) 160x120 @ 15 frames/sec
   
4. All those other modes* EXCEPT P, TV, AV, M.
   ...* "Huh? What? How the ### am I suppose to remember what
   ......all those goofy icons mean?" No problem. If the LCD is set to
   ......Info Overlay, the names of each mode is displayed large letters,
   ......in plain English on the LCD:
   .........Portrait
   .........Landscape
   .........Night Snap Shot
   .........Kid's & Pets
   .........Indoor
   .........Night Scene
   .........Sunset
   .........Foliage
   .........Snow
   .........Beach
   .........Fireworks
   .........Aquarium.

Here is a review at Steve's Digicams.

I bought my A590 IS for about $140, now they're down to about $120.

[Bicycle Bob]

Hi Cap'n.
That yellow trike, the Car-Cycle X-4 is mostly an experiment in frame/suspension integration, and overall packaging. The Car Cycle

I'd agree that megapixels are oversold, unless you are relying on only digital zoom. 3:1 optical zoom is pretty versatile and easy to find.