This may sound like a "how about them Patriots" type post.
The current event is that I am looking to buy a digital camera (for the first time). Any advice??
Marcia
Marcia,
Your choice should depend upon several factors:
How familiar you are with cameras/photography;
What kinds of pictures you want to take (snapshots, portraits, landscapes, micro-closeups)-- the more technical or detailed your photos are to be, the more particular you must be in shopping;
How large an instrument you want to carry;
Do you want to process your own photos or drop them off to be done?
How much you want to spend.
You definitely want glass lenses, not plastic, for quality of reproduction.
I am particular about lining up my shots (the LCD screen is for seeing what you
got, not what you're going to get), so I'm partial to an SLR (single lens reflex), which shows you through the lens itself what you're shooting, as opposed to a viewfinder which only approximates what the lens will capture.
But a good LCD screen (large, with lotsa pixels) is important for deciding whether you caught what you were after or need to shoot again.
As for the photo itself, the more pixels the better-- that's what gives you definition. E.g. camaras in phones are cheesy & their photos don't bear enlargement. The more pixels your camera promises, the better you can enlarge.
Also consider magnification: there are two kinds. A telephoto (zoom) lens will give you, say, x3 magnification (the number varies, check the packaging info). Then you have the capability for electronic zoom, which can add another x4, x5, or more. Personally, I want as much of both kinds as I can afford.
All the major brands have a good product. Olympus, Canon, Minolta, and several more who have been in the camera business for a long time. Some of the electronics companies are making a lot of cameras these days: Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, etc. I am not as familiar with their products, but haven't heard anything bad about any of them.
Consider checking "Consumer Reports" before you shop.
Good hunting,
al
P.S.-- How about them Bengals