As a slightly-amateur-ish photographer, I keep up to date on what’s going on with digital cameras. I read the blogs on the internets, know what’s coming out when (within reason), and the like. And because my camera went kablooey recently I’ve been researching a new one. I have just one thing to say: buying a digital camera is a nightmare. There are thousands of reviews out there, kajillions of sample images, lots of user reviews, lots of opinions, lots of dorks, lots of intelligent people… it gets conflicting and overwhelming.
I certainly have a newfound appreciation for Kodak through all this. While Kodak doesn’t really have anything that meets my wants and needs, they are selling easy – literally – with their EasyShare series. I’m not surprised they’re doing pretty well, because the whole digital camera thing can get overwhelming. Selling an “easy” camera, a dock, and a printer is smart.
The bottom line is that you can spend weeks and months researching this stuff, only to find something that’s outmoded or due to be replaced any moment. Or you can just get a camera and take pictures.
(Oh, and I’ll be going with two cameras, ultimately – a DSLR later this year and a nice Lumix for now.)
Posted in Consumer Commentary
COD January 16, 2007, 12:59 pm
We bought a Kodak digital camera last year and have been very happy.
Merle January 17, 2007, 1:43 am
What do you think of the Panasonic DMC-FZ7 6MP? That’s the one I’ve been looking at. I take few outdoor pictures. It’s mostly for images of craftwork, so a good zoom (and stabilization) is essential.
And it’s dirt cheap compared to the $640 one I bought in ’96. That one had a whopping 16M of memory…
Paul January 17, 2007, 1:53 am
Funny you should ask Merle, as the FZ7 was one of the two Panasonics I was considering. The other was the TZ1, which I opted for.
The reason I didn’t go with the FZ7 was size and nothing else. I think that if you want something between a point-and-shoot and an SLR it’s definitely the way to go!
Andy January 18, 2007, 3:40 pm
My wife got me the FZ7 for Christmas and I like it a lot. It is big (but light), but the 12x zoom is very cool. I’ve been waffling for some time on really small vs big zoom, and she made the decision for me. I guess I’ll get her a small one as a gift and be set.
I consider dpreview.com the best place to get info on cameras, but if you think selection is overwhelming, the level of detailed reviews and specs here is daunting to say the least.
Merle January 20, 2007, 7:33 pm
Paul, Andy: good to know, thanks. I’ll hold out for the FZ7 to go on sale. Always nice to have personal reviews!