Question about digital cameras

[wingzero2309]

Digital cameras are all rated by how many megapixels, 2mp, 3.2mp, 8mp, etc.

So say I were to finally make the switch, from regular cameras (35mm film) to a digital camera

How many mp's would I need to get at least the same quality as a camera that uses 35mm film?

Also, if the quality of a picture taken with a 35mm camera was 'converted' to megapixels, about how many megapixels would a photo taken by a disposable camera be?

[Sparticus]

This helped me buy mine.

http://www.pcmag.com/category2/0,1874,5,00.asp

[tommie gorman]

Looks like one of the pages I read when I reviewed my first one also.

I actually went for the Kodak P850 for my first digital.

Powerful 12X optical zoom lens

3.3X digital zoom

Image stabilization

5.1 MP sensor for prints up to 20

[wingzero2309]

well, i'm getting a new phone and it has a 2mp camera, and I was just wondering if thats going to be "enough" to take at least disposable-camera-quality pictures

and if not, what would be 'enough'.  i'm basically looking for the cheapest digicam i can get that wont be a downgrade from disposable cameras

[dlewis23]

well, i'm getting a new phone and it has a 2mp camera, and I was just wondering if thats going to be "enough" to take at least disposable-camera-quality pictures

and if not, what would be 'enough'.  i'm basically looking for the cheapest digicam i can get that wont be a downgrade from disposable cameras

a 2mp camera phone will not be close enough to take disposable-camera pictures.

Film is 30mp so your not going to match it in a digital camera unless you spend 20 grand. but if you want really good lookin 5x7 or 8x10 shots then do not go less then 5mp.

[wingzero2309]

a 2mp camera phone will not be close enough to take disposable-camera pictures.

Film is 30mp so your not going to match it in a digital camera unless you spend 20 grand. but if you want really good lookin 5x7 or 8x10 shots then do not go less then 5mp.

oh, wow, so 30mm technically is better than a digital camera.  i always thought digital cameras were supposed to be like faaaaaaaaar more advanced than ones that use film.

alright, thanks for the responses guys, this clears up alot of what i thought about digicams, lol

[tommie gorman]

I believe low end digital starts at 3mp. I could be wrong. 2 is pretty low. But they do not expect you to blow it up much. Mp is more for expanding without becoming blurry. The pics should be fine for very small pics.

I remember a friend of mine e-mailed one to me from his phone. I posted it, before the pics got bigger in here. But don't expect it to be very big before it gets blurry.

But it should do what you are saying. Also it will probably limited on the number of pics you can take. And no adjustments. For real pics you will need a real camera. Camera phones are mostly for fun and convenience.  

Just my thoughts. But you will also be able to e-mail them to your self on the spot.

[fikester]

More mp may be better in some cases, but do not be fooled by thinking that is the only feature to choose the camera by. Optical zoom, expandable memory , ISO, size and many other features make the camera as well. For personal use, my Sony P-51 which is a 2Mp. is still doing the job some 5 years later....as someone mentioned the 2Mp as a rule will not allow much over a 5x7. I did this year buy the wife a Sony T-50, which is a 7Mp......its still under the tree.

[dlewis23]

oh, wow, so 30mm technically is better than a digital camera.  i always thought digital cameras were supposed to be like faaaaaaaaar more advanced than ones that use film.

alright, thanks for the responses guys, this clears up alot of what i thought about digicams, lol

yea film is quite better. Kodak has a 33mp camera but its quite expensive and the file sizes are rather large.

[monsnet2k8]

I Bought my Sony DSC-F828 Almost 3 years ago for $1000 and i love this camera as it gives me almost perfect quality pictures other than a purple haze that appears on some pictures where something shinny is on my shots...  I'm sure that anyone can find it now for about $400  The battery life is great and the quality is excellent for the price.

The DSC-F828 has a very good bundle. Inside the box, you'll find:

    * The 8.0 effective Megapixel Cyber-shot DSC-F828 camera

    * NP-FM50 InfoLithium battery

    * AC adapter / battery charger

    * Shoulder strap

    * Lens cap w/retaining strap

    * Lens hood

    * USB cable

    * A/V cable

    * CD-ROMs featuring Pixela ImageMixer software, USB drivers, and Image Data Converter

    * 159 page camera manual (printed)

The F828 is the first Sony camera that does not include a memory card. So you'll need to factor this into the purchase price. The F828 can use Memory Stick and Memory Stick Pro cards, as well as CompactFlash. Yes, you read that correctly -- the F828 has a CompactFlash Type II slot. This is great news for people who are switching from a CF-based camera. The largest Memory Stick Pro card is 1GB, while there's a 4GB CompactFlash card now available (the F828 is FAT32 compatible, thus supporting those huge cards). You can use the Hitachi (formerly IBM) Microdrive without issue, as well.

The DSC-F828 uses the same NP-FM50 battery as the DSC-F717. While it's no longer the "king of batteries" (it's been surpassed by Minolta and Olympus), this 8.5 Wh battery still has plenty of juice. Sony estimates that you can take about 370 photos (around 185 minutes of shooting time) in record mode, or spend a whopping 470 minutes in playback mode. Using the power-hungry Microdrive will reduce the battery life a bit.

Do note the usual pitfalls of a proprietary battery like the FM50. First, it's expensive ($60 a pop). Second, if you run out of juice, you can't just stuff in a set of AA alkalines to get you through the rest of the day.

When it's time to charge the battery, just plug in the included AC adapter and wait for 2.5 hours. You can also use the AC adapter to power the camera -- which is recommended whenever possible.

[Dark06]

go with nothing less than 5 mp 3.2 is fine but u can edit it as much as 5 mp

also look at the flash when trying it out if your gonna take some pics in the dark or porly littet areas

some cameras u have to b like 2-3 ft and i'll hardly comeout cause the flash aint good

see if u can get a bright flash

go with a cannon,sony cybershot if u can afford it or if your looking more at 100-200

go with a hp camera there the nicest in the low end cameras

for some reason hp sucks at making high end cameras

so if your looking for an 8+ dont get an hp

another importand thing to look at is the memory card style it uses

if u can get one that uses SD the better cause those are the cheapest type of memery cards around and are very universal

most sonys uses sony stick duo

which i can tell u is quite espensibe type

a gig runs at$40 while a gig on an sd card runs at $20-25

[fikester]

Heres an article that gives a few pointers about buying a digital camera....and yes I do realize its dated Nov 3, 2006.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/125645-1/article.html