Looking For a New Digital Camera

BillT · Jul 26, 2012

I have recently retired my old antique Kodak. As old as it was and somewhat problematic, I kept using it until earlier this month when Kodak dis-contunued their Gallery.

I am looking for a camera to replace it, without losing a lot of good things that the Kodak had, although I prefer a different brand this time.

I have a small antique auto salvage yard and I need to take pictures now and then. I usually only take about 5 to 15 at a time.

What I really liked about the Kodak was the Dock. After taking some pictures, I would just drop it in the Dock, hit 1 button and all the pictures would automatically load. I could then simply view them all on a good size screen and drag the selected ones over to the Send Box. It also automatically unloaded the camera and gave it a re-charge, all at the same time.

Pretty much simple and quick. Also quality good enough to be pretty happy with.

My wife has a Panasonic Lumix FH 22 that I have been using temporarily. Although I'll admit that I'm a slow learner, I find this camera more complicated and much slower to use. Also slower to process when sending them out in an E-mail. Also has what I find to be not the best user-friendly software, compared to my Kodak anyway.

Looking for a replacement camera that would have most or all of the good qualities that the Kodak had. Something even better would be great.

Any info would be appreciated.

Bill

amolitor · Jul 26, 2012

I think an iPhone or iPad would suit you just fine. The apple idioms are a little funky, but once you dig your way through them it can be pretty much as you describe. Plus, then you have an iPhone, or iPad!

No dock, you'd have to use a wireless network, or the relevant cell phone network.

BillT · Jul 27, 2012

I've been learning a little more about them and good things too, but I'm still going to try to stay with a regular digital camera for now. But so far, I am having a little bit of a hard time trying to find a good replacement.

Bill

Johnboy2978 · Jul 27, 2012

I might also suggest an iPhone for you. It sounds like you want an average picture that you can just just plug in to your pc and have it wisked away to email. It doesn't sound like you are doing anything other than shooting on an auto mode and you don't appear to be doing any manipulation after the fact. The iPhone does have a rather impressive image quality to it, considering it's a phone and not being sold as a camera. I guess just about all of camera manufacturers have some sort of a basic point and shoot camera without on their lower end. Keep in mind, all cameras have an auto mode as well which will make all the decisions for you and you just have to point and click. The Auto mode on the cameras today are really quite good for the most part, particularly if you're shooting outdoors. As for emailing, you can take the SD card from any camera, open it on your PC, select all images and send to email if you don't want to do any processing with them.

For a nice point and shoot, I'd recommend the Canon G12. It has really nice image quality as well as having all the advanced features that you would find on a DSLR camera. It's there if you want to learn to use it in the future, and it still has a really good auto mode if you just want to leave it on that. You can buy them now for $379 at B&H or BestBuy. It's packed with features and is a very capable camera. Like I said, the auto mode works well until you get to the point that you want to do more with it (or not).

Solarflare · Jul 27, 2012

Just for the record, I think the G11/G12/G1 X are totally superflous kinds of cameras.

They are as expensive as a entry level DSLR, but have a smaller sensor and no exchangeable lens.

They are somewhat lighter and somewhat more compact than entry level DSLRs, but they are still far too bulky to be transported in anything less than a bag.

IMHO: get a nice real point and shoot like the Canon S100 or get a "real" camera (DSLR or one of these new system cameras). Dont waste your bucks on overfeatured and overpriced point and shoots.

Real p&s cameras can be transported at the girdle and taken anywhere.

BillT · Jul 30, 2012

Appreciate the replies. I'm still checking in to all the suggestions.

I'm really surprised that now that my Kodak camera is pretty old and the Gallery Program now closed, looking back I can say that it was a better all around camera than I realized. I'm still presently using my wife's Panasonic and it is still more time consumming and believe it or not, I'm finding the quality to be not as good.

Bill

sm4him · Jul 30, 2012

Just about any Canon Powershot. I had several of them before finally upgrading to a DSLR last year and I have nothing but praise for the quality of the images. My last one was a Powershot a630--that thing got dropped, stuffed down into my purse, carried absolutely everywhere, and still just kept right on working and producing as nice an image as its operator would allow it to.

Even won three ribbons in a local photo contest that included entries from much more advanced photographers with DSLRs. That's not bragging--my shots at the time were just lucky--but it IS a testament to the quality the camera was capable of.