Simplistically, the quality of cameras is measured by the number of megapixels and by the strength of the optical zoom. (The more megapixels, the clearer the picture, in general. The cheaper cameras are generally 1 megapixel cameras, but they go all the way up to 5 and 6 megapixels and thousands of dollars.) The least expensive digital camera with more than 3 megapixels and a 2x optical zoom is probably the Kodak DX3900, which goes for $299 at Best Buy. You can also buy a "dock" for about $79, that allows you to transfer the pictures directly to the computer with the touch of a button, and without taking the compact flash memory device out of the camera -- a great feature for the computer illiterate. The dock also automatically recharges the camera batteries. Most cameras don't come with much memory, something like 8 mb, so it will only hold about 8 high quality pictures at a time, so you might want to buy a bigger compact flash device to go with your new camera...128 mb will probably hold more than 100 pictures and costs in the $60 range (more for Kodak brand).
If I had a bigger budget, I might have gotten an Olympus, which is supposed to be better in low light situations. If you have a smaller budget, check out the cameras with fewer megapixels. A camera with 2 megapixels is probably sufficient for an internet doggy photo. Go to Google.com and search for "2 megapixel digital camera reviews" and you'll get a lot of hits. You can do the same with 1 and 3 (or more) megapixels. One big ticket item that I have that is great for dog pictures and soccer game shots is a video camera that allows you to make still pictures. It is very helpful for trying to get pictures of wiggly puppies -- you just video them and then go back through the video you took and press a button to get the picture you want from the video. The picture is saved to a memory stick, and you can download the picture onto your computer with a special floppy disk. I have the Sony DCRTRV730 digital 8 handycam; the pricetag is about $900 (it was a gift!), and another $80 for the special floppy disk, and a few more bucks for extra memory. Best of luck, Leanne ----- Original Message ----- I am on the hunt for a digital > camera. I am very computer illiterate, and I will be doing nothing but > sending shots dogs through the Internet. ========================================================= "Magic Commands": to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL to start it up gain click here: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 1999 by its original author.
