ozstamps

Help! What of these extras do I HAVE to buy when I order a digital camera?

Never had one and I better enter the 21st Century I guess.

US prices are way lower than here so I will have one mailed to my Alabama Hotel, as I'll dodge sales tax most likely that way.

Something small like this Canon seems about right for me - all US stores have them but this price seems pretty good:

http://www.tristatecamera.com/lookat...u=CANPSSD110EK

$240 or so. Maybe I'll go higher in price and get the 5 Meg. For basic use is there really any difference?

Indeed are Canon's the go or is something price comparable far better? Someone here may well know that.

But they list a TON of extras I can buy as well. Does a klutz like me need ANY of this stuff?

I'll re-phrase that. The 256 Meg of memory looks like a no-brainer at $30. In fact the 512 Meg at $50 looks even smarter I suppose, but no idea if I need that much. I do not take videos etc, which I guess chews it up?

As these just one little plug in chip for the memory? One little chip does 512 Meg? And you just leave it in there until it is all full up with images etc?

I guess a spare battery pack makes sense at $40 ... how do they stay charged? Not into this stuff. So these cameras do not have $8 Lithium batteries like you get on regular small SLR zooms?

The AC adapter will be useless to me if bought in the USA, and do not know if I need one anyway.

And how a carry case can be $25 sure beats me!

Anything a general happy snap leisure traveller MUST order off this list?

Thanks in advance, and sorry for the novice questions - all new to me this stuff.


Recommended Accessories:
Mfr/Name Price Add to
Basket
128MB SECURE DIGITAL (SD) MEMORY CARD $22.99
256MB SECURE DIGITAL (SD) MEMORY CARD $29.99
32MB SECURE DIGITAL (SD) MEMORY CARD $29.99
512MB SECURE DIGITAL (SD) MEMORY CARD $49.99
64MB SECURE DIGITAL (SD) MEMORY CARD $24.99
NB-3L REPLACEMENT BATTERY PACK F/POWERSHOT SD-10, SD-20, SD-100 & SD-110 DIGITAL CAMERAS $39.99
Canon - DIGITAL ELPH DIGITAL CAMERA ACCESSORY KIT 2 FOR POWERSHOT SD100 & SD110 $54.99
Canon - ACK-900 AC ADAPTER KIT F/POWERSHOT SD-100 & SD-110 $64.99
Canon - CB-2LU REPLACEMENT BATTERY CHARGER F/NB-3L BATTERY $44.99
Canon - NB-3L REPLACEMENT BATTERY PACK F/POWERSHOT SD-10, SD-20, SD-100 & SD-110 DIGITAL CAMERAS $49.99
Canon - WP-DC10 UNDERWATER HOUSING F/POWERSHOT SD-100 & SD-110 DIGITAL CAMERAS $164.99
USB 6-IN-1 FLASH READER for SD/MM/MS/SM/CF & Microdrive $19.99
DELUXE DIGITAL CAMERA CARRYING CASE $24.99
Lark Books - THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHAEL FREEMAN (PAPERBACK) $19.99
Mack - 3 YEAR EXTENDED DIGITAL STILL WARRANTY $39.99
SanDisk - 1GB SECURE DIGITAL (SD) MEMORY CARD $79.99
Vidpro - QP-109 AC/DC 110/220V RAPID BATTERY CHARGER FOR CANON NB-3L BATTERIES $39.99

FlyinHawaiian

OK, let me take a stab at this, and I freely admit I might not be the best qualified to answer, so I will gladly stand corrected by others.

I have a Digital ELPH S400 which is very similar to the one you are looking at. To date, I am very happy with it other than I find the flash is too weak for indoor photos unless you are about two meters or less from the subject (trying to do my metric conversion).

Memory - I have three memory cards for mine - 32MB (stock), 256MB and 512MB. At 4 megapixels, each shot is about a MB large. I believe 4 megapixels can be blown up into an 8.5" x 11" image with no distortion. I like to swap my cards around every day or so when I am taking photos, so I don't loose all of my photos if the card fails or the camera is stolen. SD memory is on a small card the size of, well, a postage stamp.

Battery - The ELPH series has a proprietary rechargable battery that you can charge in the camera with optional (and expensive) kits, Mine also came with a charger that you plug into a U.S. type wall socket and the battery slides in. I'd suggest getting an extra battery. I took about 75-100 shots on one battery, but I tried to avoid flash photos and using the LCD screen, both of which are battery killers.

Case - I went to a department store here (Target) and bought a small nylon case for about $5. I don't like buying cases from the OEM - I don't like others to know what brand of camera they might be stealing.

Hope this helps.

birdstrike

That's why the US has a much larger GNP than OZ.

I bought a 4Gb CF card for my camera.

Pay up, or be known as a Galah,

LeoB

Go to http://www.dpreview.com/

Pick any of thr "Highly Recommended" cameras and you can't go wrong.

Leo

bp888

ozstamps, Just a word of caution on the memory cards: I have the S400 which looks the same, at least from the photograph, as the model you're considering and it uses CompactFlash memory cards not SD! AFAIK, most Canon cameras use CF.

As far as accessories go, I have a spare battery, two CF cards (512MB and 256MB), a Canon-made camera case with a belt-loop (for that geeky look ), a card reader, a second slightly larger camera case (no brand) to contain the charger, reader and spares and a mini-tripod.

underpressure

I would bite the bullet and get the 512 card out of the gate. Also get a spare battery and the charger if it is not included.

I don't know if the canon offers this but I have a NIKON Coolpix (2nd one, due to an upgrade) and have been really happy with it. The thing that I love is the adapters that are available. 2X zoom and wide angle lenses that fit into an adapter that screws on to your existing lens. They are really handy when you are on holiday. You can also put filters on the adapter (UV, Ir reduction, etc)

The cases are a toss up. If you are carrying lots of accessories, the OEM case is worthless.

I had also read a good article this past weekend on the mega-pixel story, more isn't always better, the crux of the article was that some of the more petite cameras are boasting 5/6 mega-pixels that are worthless. They are actually smaller and slower diodes that really don't do much. this article supports that story. http://www.marius.org/fom-serve/cache/55.html
and http://www.shutterbug.net/test_reports/0404sb_sigma/

jfe

These are all the add-ons I have for my camera

I bought a Canon S50, absolutely wonderful (5MP, but it uses Compact Flash, which is also cheaper)

In addition to the charger that it came with I bought a quick charger that also connects to the cigarette lighter

4 extra batteries (ebay and very cheap)

A 8 in 1 memory card reader, no reason to have to plug in the camera and faster transfer

A leather case

Memory, 1GB ($50), 2 128MB, 1 32MB cards. The one gig stores 700 pictures in super fine mode at 5MP

And I will buy the underwater housing next time I go to the beach. I got the excuse for buying this one after a wave soaked my wife's purse and killed my old Kodak 2 MP camera when we were in South Beach

pdhenry

Whatever memory type your camera uses (I see there's some discussion about that) your should spend $10-20 on a USB reader for that type of card. It takes up less room than a camera-to-PC cable and you don't need your camera battery to transfer pictures to a computer. I have a Zio reader for SmartMedia and one for SD. Each of them works in Windows XP without requiring any drivers.

SAT Lawyer

SlickDeals notes a good deal on 512 MB compact flash memory today.

YYZC2

This was true until the new line of SD-compatible ELPHs came out. You can tell which is which by the model name; hence the SD-110. On the other hand, I used to like the way the you could easily discern the camera's resolution from the model name... my D320 has a 3.2 MP res, your D400 is a 4.0 MP... what relevance the "110" part of the name has is unknown to me.

Anyway, I carry two 128 MB cards with me. For my 3.2 MP jobbie, they hold 72 pics at the absolute highest resolution. I've never filled both up simultaneously. I wouldn't mind a bigger card, but it's not necessary for me.

The two things I could not live without are my Lowepro camera case and my two extra batteries.

SoManyMiles-SoLittleTime

You're paying quite a premium for the Elph sized cameras. Here's why:

Compact size requires greater engineering achievement, and something gives (in particular, take a look at picture quality reviews, particularly for the 5MB version).

Proprietary battery.

Lack of options (UW case, lenses, etc.).

2X zoom.

Here's an alternative:
Think about the Canon A75, A85, etc. cameras. Larger form factor, uses regular AA batteries (so Oz charger not a problem).

Canon A series has a screw mount on the lens, allowing lens accessories.

Underwater housing available.

Lower cost.

3X zoom.

Oh, and did I mention it uses REGULAR AA batteries?

----------------

My daughter has the Canon A65 (2m-pixel), and the film version of the digital elph. She (and I) find the small size of the Elph too small, with difficult to use buttons. She (and I) find the somewhat larger size of the A65 easier to use.

GadgetFreak

I have an older 3.2 mp Canon and just love it. I take virtually all of my photos in the raw mode which is the best resolution. They take about 2.5 mb each. So a 512 mb card will hold about 200 images before it needs to have them transeferred off. Which size to get depends on the number of shots you typically take and whether you want to always have a computer around. If you typically take a couple pictures a trip and always have a computer handy you dont need much memory. I take a lot of photos (I took about 35 rolls of 35 mm film (24 and 36 exposure) on my first 1 week visit to Oz) so I bought a 1 gig drive for mine and have filled it so I would definately go for the 512 mb but it depends on usage patterns. Ditto for the battery I would say. The other stuff (case filters, etc.) is optional and you can get the case for less as has been pointed out.

jfe

Here are some of the pictures I took at the PHX do this weekend.

Great resolution, and it can make movies also

jan_az and Viajero Joven at Ah So! Restautant
jan_az, Viajero Joven and jfe at Ah So! Restautantj
myefre and jfe at visited Rawhide, myefre was hiding
sunset at Rawhide
myefre after a few drinks
myefre finds love
myefre goes rock climbing
jfe goes rock climbing
myefre and jfe at dinner
A very boring home movie

left to right. myefre, jfe and TravelManKen at the El Paso BBQ, which BTW we didn't even eat there, poor TMK had to run all over the place to get the PHX, and got there a little late. I blame it all on America West

left to right. myefre, TravelManKen and Viajero Joven at the El Paso BBQ

We got great seats when we got to the game, although technically those weren't our seats, and they kicked us out of there at halftime

After skipping breakfast and lunch, TravelManKen comes to the rescue with food

You can see the exciment out of a Seakawks vs. Cardinals game, but in our defense, we were hungry


Did I mention that my camera has an awesome zoom , and besides, I am sure you are tired of seeing our ugly mugs Click here, Click here, Click here

lalala

extra battery, bigger memory card, usb reader, case. Yup, all expensive, all necessary unless you are willing to spend time deleting pics and wishing you had bought a disposable.

I found a olympus kit (I have an olympus camera) that allowed me to get a nice leather case, a battery and card reader for about 80 bucks. These accessory kits are often a better deal.

If you end up not getting new bigger memory cards, remember, they have these everywhere even Alabama. Target, Walmart and drug stores carry these things in perfusion.

lala

markbach

Be careful with this... most credit card companies will throw up a bright red flag when shipping to a Mail Boxes Etc, office building, hotel, etc. It just screams of fraud. (And especially if you are using a non-US credit card). You may want to call your credit card company and/or the merchant you are buying from to let them know what you're doing beforehand.

FYI, I had a Canon A70 and I replaced it with an A80 a few months ago. I've also used the Elph series (S400, S410, S500) and I highly recommend all of them. Personally, the fact that the A80 uses AA batteries was the deciding factor for me over the S410 when I was researching. I've found that the additional weight is actually nice, as it's easier to stablize than the smaller elphs.

Definitely get a set of spare batteries or two, and at least 512MB of storage. I have 2 x 256MB CF cards, and I've only run out of space once before I could get back to my computer to upload photos. (And that was close to 300 pics at the largest/highest quality settings). The only other accessory I'd recommend is a clear plastic scratch protector for the LCD screen - I think a pack of 12 runs about $5 at Staples.