I need a digital camera

[gonzo]

Originally Posted by Nymph

OMG talk about a major blonde moment...

I forgot I bought my hubby a digital this past Christmas Fugifilm finepix s5700 it has 10x zoom, so I will try that one first, and if it's not closeup enough, I'll start looking for something better.

Gonzo, I need a smiley with blonde hair...I seem to be having these moments more frequently.

Sare, thanks for your advice, and jogging my memory

Are you shooting stuff for Ebay?

Ill look for the smiley

[Nymph]

Originally Posted by gonzo

Are you shooting stuff for Ebay?

Ill look for the smiley

NO, this is nothing for sale. I just need to get nice closeups of birds for a mainstream site I want to do...mainly hummers & finches.

[sarettah]

Originally Posted by Nymph

NO, this is nothing for sale. I just need to get nice closeups of birds for a mainstream site I want to do...mainly hummers & finches.

A Hummer site is mainstream??

[gonzo]

Ask Darci what she bought.

[Nymph]

Originally Posted by sarettah

A Hummer site is mainstream??

Get your mind out of the gutter!

[Hell Puppy]

What's your budget?

If you can spend at least a few hundred, get a Nikon D40.

If you're looking for something cheaper and more of a snapshot camera than can easily fit in your pocket, I really like Canon's Digital Elph's.

[Nymph]

Originally Posted by Hell Puppy

What's your budget?

If you can spend at least a few hundred, get a Nikon D40.

If you're looking for something cheaper and more of a snapshot camera than can easily fit in your pocket, I really like Canon's Digital Elph's.

Ohhh, the Nikon looks sweet

I don't really have a budget for this...it's a what mamma wants, mamma's gonna get type thing

I finally found out what a SLR is (had no idea when Sare mentioned it), and I do like that concept. I could get different lenses for around the house shots & family stuff, and more powerful ones for my hummers, and any other biz things I might need. Cool stuff going on with that.

[Hell Puppy]

I personally almost always have a snapshot camera in my pocket. Right now it's the Canon SD800IS. These things are point and shoot and take a great pic. I like this particular model currently because it offers High ISO settings and image stabilization. Translation: it shoots very well in low light.

The technology and image quality in the small snapshot cameras is very impressive. For a couple of hundred bucks you can take a pic that is ALMOST as good as a Digital SLR.

Almost...

I use a Nikon D70 as my personal DSLR. Now it's a bit more of a pain to lug around, so I tend to only break it out for important occasions or challenging shooting situations. But everytime I do, I'm reminded that "almost" as good means "almost as good in ideal shooting situations". The more challenging the lighting, the more there's no substitute for DSLR, a good speedlight and high quality lens.

These cameras typically come with something like a 28-80mm lens. That's enough to back out and get a wide angle of a group of people standing in front of you, but also reach out and get about a 3X zoom to pull something in close. Want to do those macro shots, sports or shoot the fleas on your neighbors cat, there are lenses out there to do all of the above. Whereas with a snapshot camera, you're stuck with whatever is built in.

And in challenging lighting conditions, you cant match an SLR. A human with some basic knowledge of photography will be able to pull out a better shot than the little chip in the snapshot camera.

Long response, but just sharing some perspective.

Bottom line advice I give everyone is that if you want something just for quick snapshots that is convenient to carry, look at things like my little Canon. If you're shooting in more challenging environments, have aspirations toward semi-pro work or you have an artistic itch you want to scratch, go for a Digital SLR.

Nikon D40 is an excellent entry point these days. They have other models depending on just how much capability you need. You also cant go wrong with the Canon Digital Rebel series.