. . . can we also talk about cameras?

I know there are plenty of Photographer Divas on this board. I'm in the market for a new digital camera that is light and maneuverable enough that I can carry it with me on my scoot, but that takes shots good enough to blow up to 8 x 10 or 11 x 14.

What kind of camera do you use? Would you recommend it?

Thanks!

are you looking for a point and shoot?
or a DSLR?

one thing to keep in mind is that just because it has more megapixels, doesn't mean that it's better. more mega pixels just means that the resolution will look good the more you blow it up. so... 8mp will make a mural size photo look ok.

that's all i got stored in my brain...

I have a Kodak easy share with a computer dock / charger.....it takes beautiful pix ! Got it at Walmart for about $125.00 about two years ago.

I really like those Canon ELPH cameras, they are nice and small & slip into a pocket.

My daughter & son-in-law had the first generation of Canon Powershots with 7 or so megapixels, but that camera is pretty bulky & heavy. They recently got one of the ELPH's and I am impressed with it..

I have a Fuji Finepix, it is small & handy, but with only 3.5 megapixels, photos lose their clarity when enlarging or shrinking.
It 's pretty good for regular sized photos, but I would prefer something better to make avatars and enlarging.

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Susan
2006 Vino 125 Lapis Lazuli

I strongly recommend the Panasonic Lumix FZ5. It's got a 12x optical zoom, plus a Leica lens. It's been called the "best kept secret of photojournalists" and I regularly blow up my shots to 11x14 and could go bigger with no problem. It's gyrostabilized so you can actually use the max zoom and still get a great shot. And, it's about $300 and small enough to put in a coat pocket or purse.

I bought this camera when, after comparing photos between myself and my boyfriend after a trip to the wild animal park, I realized I was taking some pictures that happened to have some tigers in them, while he had pictures of tigers' eyelashes!

The Lumix is really a great camera. And it has a great warranty. Got one last year. Had trouble about 4 months after I got it. Sent it back and it was repaired for free and returned within a few weeks. No problems since. In this day of manufacturers expecting you to upgrade every year it's nice to have someone stand behind the product.

Karen

Yep. And the pictures come out better than the ones taken with my mom's Olympus digi-cam that she paid a little more than twice as much for. The only camera I've ever used that took better photos than my Lumix FZ5 was my boyfriend's $2500 Nikon d-SLR with an equally expensive lens, and you can't take that camera anywhere without a lot of preparation. It takes great photos, but it's huge and heavy. The lumix fits in the glovebox of my vespa.

Thanks for the tips. I've been looking at the FZ18 on-line, and the FZ50. Have also been seriously considering the Canon G9.

Crystal just bought a Canon S5 IS and loves it, but the reviews on the photo forums I consulted didn't think the quality of photos it produced was very high.

Reading the comments on Crystal's girlbike blog was what made me think of asking here about the cameras you all use.

Denise, can you send me the links to reviews you found in a PM or email? I never saw anything about the photos not being high quality (I wouldn't have purchased it! )

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I just ordered a Canon S3 to replace my HP point & shoot. The HP has taken some great pics over the years but I'm ready for a little more in the way of manual setting options. I asked over on Dgrin http://www.dgrin.com/index.php and got some great responses that helped me pick.

Nevermind...I got my S3 and it was waaaaay too complicated for me. I'm just not that techie and it came with FOUR manuals AND a DVD.

I returned it and will be looking for something a little more intuitive.

i have a canon power shot A95. they have newer models now, but it's not complicated and takes good pictures and videos.

I will be picking up a Nikon D80 real soon- I can't wait!

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-Eugena

I got a cheapo pink Nikon from chinamart, er I mean walmart online. I have lost so many cameras that I just didnt want to put another 6 or 7 hundred into another only to replace in in 2 years.

Depends on your price range and what you really plan to do with the photos too. If you want <$200, then the Canon ELPHs are a great deal and fit into front jeans pockets; there's a Sony that's about the same size that is also great... suggest getting 7 megapixels and above.

And while it might be tempting to get the 14MP tiny camera, there's going to be a fair amount of noise. The Lumix is also fantastic...

However, I'm saving my next pennies for one of the Sony Alphas bodies to supplement my Minolta lenses.

Check out http://www.imaging-resource.com/ and dpreview.com for great reviews and comments.