After the last installment you should have a basic understanding of digital cameras. So now I’ve picked out a few digital cameras that I can comfortably recommend.

Semi-Professional
Olympus C-5050 Zoom
List Price: $699, Street Price: $570

This is commonly praised as one of the best digital cameras Olympus ever made. It’s 5 megapixels, accepts compact flash cards and xD-Picture cards, and comes with rechargeable batteries and a charger. Also, it will save images in TIF format which preserves color quality and resolution. However, if you can wait until December 10th, Olympus is releasing the C-5060 Wide Zoom, an upgraded version of the 5050.

Cannon PowerShot G5
List Price: $799, Street Price: $550

This camera is very, very comparable to the Olympus 5050. It’s also 5 megapixels, and the lens has very similar specifications and quality. However, it doesn’t come with the battery charger, and it can’t save images as TIFs. But the LCD can swivel all the way around for self-portraits.

High End
Olympus C-740 Ultra Zoom
List Price: $449, Street Price: $350

It has 3.2 megapixels and a 10x optical zoom. Great optics and great Olympus features (like saving images in TIF format). Also, in addition to the large LCD on the back, it has a small LCD behind the viewfinder. So you can see all the readout information through the viewfinder without draining the batteries by always running the big LCD.

Minolta DiMAGE S414
List Price: $400, Street Price: $260

4 megapixels for under $300 is a steal. Like the C-740 it can save images as TIFs, but only has a 4x optical zoom. If you want an excellent camera and to stay under $300, this is probably the one for you.

Mainstream
Canon PowerShot SD100
List Price: $350, Street Price: $280

This is a very small camera which takes solid 3 megapixel pictures. It’s only 3.4 inches by 2.2 inches by .94 inches, which is roughly equal to a big stack of business cards. It’s perfect to throw in your pocket to take to a party or on vacation.

Nikon Coolpix 3100
List Price: $350, Street Price: $270

Again this is a very good camera for the money. It also 3 megapixels, has a 3.2x optical zoom, and is easy to use. It’s smaller than the Olympus C-740, but you still can’t quite drop it in your pocket like the PowerShot SD100.

Accessories to Consider

High capacity memory card: You’ll probably want at least 64 MB of storage, which is usually enough for about 30 pictures at very good quality.

Rechargeable batteries: Digital cameras devour batteries, so having two sets of rechargeables is very handy. Also, they’re cheaper in the long term and more environmentally friendly.

AC Adapter: An AC adapter is useful if you will frequently use your camera indoors to document stationary objects (like models or art projects).

External Card Reader: This is basically a disk drive for the camera’s memory card. It plugs into a USB port and is extremely convenient for transferring your images, especially if you rely on computer labs. All cameras will come with a cable to connect it to the computer to transfer the images. These cables are super easy to lose, plus the computer may have trouble recognizing the camera. External card readers are usually easily recognized and are very handy.

Camera Case: A little case to protect the camera and carry all your gear is extremely handy. But don’t go overboard, the more compact and inexpensive the better.

If you still can’t pick out a camera here are some more recommendations based on which school you’re enrolled in.

Architecture

Hopefully, your closeted desires of grandeur won’t compromise your unyielding practicality. Check out the Minolta DiMAGe S414 and Olympus C-740 or if you dare the Olympus 5050.

Art

The Olympus 5050 and Canon G5 are all black. Need I say more.

Arts and Sciences

Need a camera to capture all those awesome frat parties? Then you’ll probably want something small and easy to operate under shall we say, compromising conditions, preferably with a powerful flash. Look into the Canon PowerShot SD100 and the Nikon Coolpix 3100 and 3500.

B-School

Well since you’re in the B-school you’ll need a camera that’s really simple to use, but also has a lot of “bling-bling.” And while gluing rhinestones onto a camera may make it look “cool” it will void the warrantee. So check out the Canon PowerShot SD100 and the Sony Cyber-shot U Digital; it comes in 4 colors!

Engineering

The C-740 has a lot of neat-o features and a very powerful, long zoom lens. Plus, it’s just tricky enough to use that when a pretty girl wants to borrow it you’ll get to talk to her to explain it.

Sources for great prices:

CNet.com (http://shopper.cnet.com) has a very good price comparison feature. But I’ve found consistently the best prices from Buydig.com (http://www.buydig.com) and from Digitaletailer (http://www.digitaletrailer.com).

Popularity: unranked [?]

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This entry was posted on Monday, November 17th, 2003 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Cadenza. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.