Keith? Anyone?

[Babymischief]

What`s the difference between a digital zoom and optical zoom, am getting DH a digital camera for Xmas and need help please. Also what is a split screen? and why do they all have film mode when we don`t need it cos we have a camcorder? Thanks.

[Keith]

Short version:-
Optical zoom is the one you want to look for. Forget digital zoom altogether (doesn't matter if it has it, just don't use it)

Long version:-
Optical zoom uses lenses to make objects appear larger.... a bit like using a telescope. So the more optical zoom the better ;-) 3x better than 2x etc.
Digital zoom just takes a photo and cuts out the centre of it then enlarges it using guesswork to make it SEEMED zoomed.

Split screen... never used it, but I've seen it on some olympus digitals. It seems to take 2 photos, and displays half of one on one side and half of the other on the other side. Seems a bit pointless to me but whatever ;-)

Film mode.... well it's all about convergence of the two devices into one. Digital cameras are getting better at video, and camcorders are getting better at taking still photos. Neither matches the other yet.. but one day soon we're almost certainly to have one device that can do both jobs as well as we need it too! at the moment though, movie mode is just handy for little few second movies to show people.

[Babymischief]

Ah! Thank you Keith that has really helped me to decide XXXXXXXXXX Licks!

[Keith]

No problem.... feel free to post if you have other questions.. it can be all confusing with so many models out there

[Shogun]

Have you seen a model that you like yet?
I bought a cannon powershot A85 to take to Florida. It is a very good camera, 4 million pixalls. What ever you get check out bigger memory cards.:D (cheese)

[JuniorMickey]

and for something slightly less in price, I recently bought the Canon A75 which is a 3.2 megapixel with a 3x optical zoom. :) I LOVE it so far!

[Shogun]

Good camera but it has been replaced by the A85. There might be some A75s still around.

[Babymischief]

Am looking at a pentax optio 30, it has 3.2 megapixels, 3 X optical zoom, 1.5" screen, movie mode, SD card compatible for £149.38. Don`t want to go above the £150.00 price range. Just want, need something adequate for good clear no messing shots, don`t want,need a David Bailey model excuse the pun!

Some come with SD card compatible, some with MMC card compatible, some with both! and then some are XD-picture card compatible, but those ones look expensive to run? What do you think I should get?

[Keith]

Good camera but it has been replaced by the A85. There might be some A75s still around.

Which itself has been updated to the A95 ;-)

[Babymischief]

Oh nooooo.. what`s a flash card and are ther any other cards I need to know about, and should I get one?...he may just get some socks!

[Keith]

Am looking at a pentax optio 30, it has 3.2 megapixels, 3 X optical zoom, 1.5" screen, movie mode, SD card compatible for £149.38. Don`t want to go above the £150.00 price range. Just want, need something adequate for good clear no messing shots, don`t want,need a David Bailey model excuse the pun!

Some come with SD card compatible, some with MMC card compatible, some with both! and then some are XD-picture card compatible, but those ones look expensive to run? What do you think I should get?

Actually that's a pretty good choice!

Myself... I MAY prefer the A75 that JM mentioned (you can get it for 150ish from www.parkcameras.com a very reliable uk camera company) mainly because it'll take compact flash cards which are cheaper than SD cards.

BUT... there's nothing much wrong with that pentax optio 30 as far as I know.. it's a good choice.

[Shogun]

3.2 megapixals will give you pics you can print up to about A3. Saw a lovely pentax about £400. Would fit nice in a top pocket. Thought about it for SB but got old canon S20 fixed so she nicked the A85.
Pentax should be a good make (they were in the old type camera).
Memory cards sold with cameras tend to be a bit small so it is worth getting as big a memory card as you can afford.:)

[Babymischief]

Soooooo if I get a 3.2 mega pixel which 512 MB card do I buy? One for a 3 mega [pixel or one for a 4 mega pixel?...socks are looking good right now? And what is a flash card please? Thanks for the help, really really DO appreciate it, you all know I`m a numpty on these things.

[Keith]

Actually the size of the card is unrelated to the megapixels except to say that, more megapixels takes more space on the card ;-)

So you just ned a 512MB SD card

A Flash card is any kind of card that has FLASH MEMORY on it.. there are different types like SD, XD, compact flash, Smartmedia etc... which you need depends on which your camera will use. The pentax needs SD the canons usually need compact flash

[Babymischief]

Thank you for all the help XXXXX Can go shopping 2moro now XXXXXXXXX Hugs and licks XXXX

[JuniorMickey]

Hummm...A75 is easy to find around here

[Keith]

Yeah it's still pretty easy to find in the UK too... they're stunningly good value too IMHO.

[JuniorMickey]

I paid $175 at Wal*Mart for mine

[GraciesMom]

Help! I am still confused!

I drug through every electronic store today, the most optical zoom I could find was 20x; is that decent?

I found a couple of camcorders that also had a digital camera, but they only had about...3..not sure, those mega things :blush: I know my husband's camera has more than that. Do any of the digital camcorders with cameras have more than that?

HELP!

[Keith]

20x optical zoom on a digital camera is *excellent*! 10x or 20x on a digital camcorder is usually standard. Make totally sure it's optical not digital <G>

camcorders don't take digital still photos as well as digital cameras. Not by a LONG way (at the moment). They do just fine for small photos on the web etc. but print them out and they tend to look rubbish next to a printout from a digital camera.

Each year, camcorders get more megapixels for still photos and digital cameras take better and better videos however right at this moment, if you want something to take the best photos you can, you need a digital camera and to take the best video, you need a camcorder.