what to look before buying a digital-camera

[hellomotto]

Look I am going to buy Canon S2 IS digital camera . But at the showroom before taking a particular model what r the things I should look for so that I can be sure that I am getting right product as well as product right ?

keep one thing in mind, MegaPixel isn't everything. Look for the other 2 most important features, Shutter lag time, & colors

4 MP is enough for home use, even 3.2 MP is good enough for home prints, so.... good battrey life & the save-reload time, after each photo taken should be considered more

[knaadhan]

always check for a good optical zoom...digital zoom is useless...check for the pictbridge technology....most importantly it shouldnt have a proprietary rechargeable battery...they will black out when u want to urgently take a photo...select a model which accomodates normal alkaline batteries which u can recharge externally...canon uses Compact flash cards which are eaily available so no prob...

[mod-the-pc]

Look for the following features

• Various available white balance settings
• Image stabilization (get along with shaky hands)
• Red eye reduction (Can do that using software, less work if its in camera)
• Video capture resolution (for those occasional ones)
• Electronic/Optical viewfinder (the LCD becomes faint in bright sunlight)
• Manual Focus
• Macro mode (for high detail pics of very near objects)

[hellomotto]

No actually what my question was somewhat different . Actually I have fixed the model ( canon s2 Is)..........and I know all its specifications , but at the shop the particular piece I will receive what r the things I will test at the shop to get sure that with what i am going home is error free and OK

[suave_guy]

check whether all the picture modes are working and specially the macro mode

check whether the optical zoom is working properly(will check the lens mechanism)

check the digital zoom also, no harm..

check what kind of batteries this camera can use for the future use

check whether the charger(is available) is working fine and if incase they are providing the dock than check for that also

make sure the package contains the cds and USB cable

take a short video also

if incase you have a SD card than take it with you and check it by inserting it into the camera and see if its able to detect the memory card

check whether the flash light is working properly, generally there are different modes for flash also for eg auto flash, fill flash etc

check whether the viewfinder screen is working fine(no dead pixels or any physical damage)

check whether white balance and exposure settings are working effectively or not

hope this helps...

ENjoy...

[hellomotto]

thanks a lot suave_gay , any more suggation ??

[ymhatre]

keep the focus of the camera on a medium/fast moving cieling fan.... then snap it....
IF the image comes with the blades of the fan straight enough then its lens is cool....
if the blades appear lot curly then lens are not tht good....
also consider macromode factor.....
keep the focus of the camera very close at a flower or any thing which is fine n minute... then snap it....
if the flower or object looks very clear n natural then its good camera...
rest all is suggested....

[mangemayur]

hellomotto ,
Go for the S2 IS ... its the Best in its range... S3 IS is also out (the major difference is S3 IS is the 6 MP)
I got the S2 IS around 3 months back.... and i m in love with it.... the quality is superb man.... 12 X of optical zoom, the lense and ....
the only thing i found missing was the shutter speed in manual mode. it give max 15 Sec of exposure in the manual mode... which i wanted to be on a bit higher side.
make sure that u go for atleast 2300 mA battries (Rechargable) along with it... i had got one extra pack also.... the camera is power hungry but with 2300mA X 4 Cell, i could took 100+ photos with the flash..

you can go for more review / Comparision on http://www.steves-digicams.com/

[Drizzling Blur]

An other informative thread, im looking to buy a camera form the Canon Powershot series, will keep all these points in mind and decide what to buy.

[zombie]

Another S2 IS fan. Good to know. I have been using S2 IS for 4 months now. And trust me its a beauty. I am kind of into aviation photography. It test you and your camera to the hilt. Fast shutter speed and lower lag times are a must. And a good viewfinder always help if you are out in the sun as LCD wont be any good. So my piece of advice is take a shot of an aircraft coming in to land...zoom so that it fills the frame from nose to tail...click it and then check out the picture.

[alienspiesu]

hey guys i was lookin for info on buyin a cam,, got a lot frm here// thx 2 u all...

[Tech Geek]

Originally Posted by alienspiesu

hey guys i was lookin for info on buyin a cam,, got a lot frm here// thx 2 u all...

you did not post the link properly