Mine isn’t that old, but I didn’t research it carefully, and I’m tired of seeing blurry pictures all the time (especially with the knit items not too bad with dd, but still).
What should I look for in a digital camera? Is there one (or a few) features that you believe a camera MUST have? Keep in mind I’m on a quite limited budget, especially at this time of year.
Here’s what I did. We had an older digital that worked OK, but had very little in the zoom feature. We were going on a trip and wanted something that would enable us to take pictures from a longer distance. I went to Kodak.com and looked at their refurbished models. (BTW, a guy I work with got his the same way, and he got his a year before we did and neither one of us has had any problems) The refurbs still carry a warranty, and since it is actually from the Kodak website I tend to think they’re a bit more thorough than someone not identified with the product name (i.e., someone that refurbishes a lot of stuff).
Anyway, we’ve had great luck with ours, and we got it for at least $75 less than a new model with less features.
Might want to check it out. I know some people are leery of refurbs, but I’m sure they’ve got a toll free number you can call and talk to someone about any fears or questions you might have.
Good luck!!!
I got my refurbished Kodak camera through Overstock.com and it has worked well for quite some time. That’s another place to look. The best advice I got was that while the computerized gizmos (lovely technical term) are similar from one camera to another, it’s the optical stuff (another technical term) which determines the quality of the camera. I hope someone comes here who can translate that for you - I often feel like I’m guessing when it comes to purchases like that. But brands like Kodak and Cannon are good bets.
If you are on a limited budget and are only in the market for a point-and-shoot pocket-sized camera, go for a Canon PowerShot. (There are usually 3 or 4 on the market at once, but any model is fine.) They are small, easy to use, have some top-quality features and are usually of a reasonable price. I have one that is now almost 3 years old and it takes excellent pictures. Everyone in my family has one, too, and I’ve never heard of someone who did not enjoy using a camera from that line.
Sorry to not give specifics. I’m not affiliated with Canon in any way, but I am definitely a very happy user.
I’ve had several cameras and I find that indoor shots are usually the hardest. It’s hard to hold the camera still enough at the slower speeds required indoors to prevent camera shake. Look for a camera with image stabilization (IS) to help that. It’s not a cure, but it does help. Using the flash helps to make clearer photos indoors as well.
I have a Canon Powershot A710 IS and it’s not too bad, but it still works better outdoors. My daughters both have Canon SD850 IS and love them.
Here’s my favorite camera review sites.
http://www.steves-digicams.com/
http://www.imaging-resource.com/
http://www.dpreview.com/
Hmmm…you said your budget isn’t big…
I have the Canon Coolpix P80, and I love it! It’s been on sale ever since the Christmas season began, but I don’t know if it’s still too many $$ for your budget.
I love this camera! It takes great pictures and has quite a few features.
For me, the ability to zoom in is the biggest thing I looked for before purchasing. I also like the macro feature, which allows me to take close-up pictures.
Well, I went with the Canon PowerShot A590IS 8.0MP. It has an image stabilizer that works 2 ways, so hopefully that will be some help at reducing the blurriness of my pics of my dd and knitting when I want it close up.