Advice on Buying a New Camera

I'm looking into buying a new camera. This is going to be a long-term investment, obviously, that I would like to have for everyday use, but the major reason I'm purchasing a new camera is for a trip that I'm taking in October. I will be going to Tanzania (East Africa) to live for 10 months and planning on doing a lot of additional traveling while there.
I'd like to buy a camera that is relatively compact and easy to travel with (so that I can store it easily in a bag to conceal it). My price range is anywhere between $300-$700. Obviously I would like a camera that offers excellent picture quality - I would like everything to be bright, colorful, nonblurry, etc.
The critical thing is that I know NOTHING about cameras or photography, so I'm ultimately most concerned about getting a camera that is relatively easy to use (I'm willing to put some effort into learning, but I won't have a ton of time) and that can make my photos look (semi)professional FOR me, without having to be a professional.
I definitely want a digital camera, but I don't know whether I want a compact or a bridge. I'm assuming that a bridge digital camera offers higher quality photos, which is very important to me, but I'm concerned that it may be more difficult to use/learn, will be less convenient for snapping quick photos, and will be bulkier to travel with. But then I'm concerned that a compact camera won't give me the professional quality photos (at least without the expertise/effort needed) that I'm looking for.
Could anyone offer me some advice based on the information above about brands, types, specific cameras, etc - anything at all will be GREATLY appreciated!

My opinion of bridge cameras is that they offer all of the disadvantages of an SLR (bulk, large size) without any of the advantages (interchangeable lenses, large sensor), and some additional disadvantages (point-and-shoot superzooms almost universally suffer from severe distortions.)
For point-and-shoots - I'd suggest a higher-end unit like the Canon G12, it's Canon's flagship P&S, and is the P&S the pros tend to go for when they can't carry their beloved SLR.
If you have any intention of doing wildlife photography - get an SLR kit along with an additional telephoto lens, such as a 70-300 f/3.5-5.6 lens. You'll need the reach AND the fast autofocus for wildlife.
*disclaimer* I am not now, nor have I ever been, an employee of Best Buy, Geek Squad, nor of any of their affiliate, parent, or subsidiary companies.

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I'm thinking of buying a new camera. Does anyone know if can I process RAW images from a Nikon D5100 or Nikon D3200 using IPhoto on a OSX 10.5.8?

I'm thinking of buying a new camera. Does anyone know if can I process RAW images from a Nikon D5100 or Nikon D3200 using IPhoto on a OSX 10.5.8?

I think you'll note that Google found the list for 10.8, amazing, isn't it
No, neither are supported for Raw on 10.5.8
You'll need 10.6.8 minimum for the D5100
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3825
and for the D3200 you'll need 10.7.4 plus compatibility update 3.1.3
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4757
Bear in mind that you may also need to update your version of iPhoto too.

I need advice on buying a new computer and monitor.

Without going into huge detail, I am ready to buy a new desktop for my photography hobby. I am still running
CS3 (hoping that will work with Windows 7?), Corel Paint Shop Pro X (yeah, I know I have really old software, but I
don't feel the need to upgrade just yet), Picasa, and all the software that comes with my Canon 40D. I take all my pics in
.raw and then edit/convert. I have a 1 terabyte eternal drive where I store my photos, but editing from that source is S-L-O-W.
Someone mentioned on another site something about aneSata drive. Need more info. (I want an easy way to backup my
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With the external drive, I can put it in my safe deposit box.)
I want a monitor (preferably not widescreen) that will be accurate with color and not have a glare, maybe 20" or so. I print photos at home on my HP Photosmart printer, but I also have some printed professionally. I would like recommendations on monitor calibration gadgets/software
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This computer will have MSOffice 2010 on it. Will have quite a few other softwares on it that are currently on my old pc.
We don't watch movies on the PC or do any gaming so the video card will mainly be used for photography and some light video use. We do skype.
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I know I want a wireless mouse/keyboard. Currently have Dell Speakers 5/1, which are decent enough for my use, as long as I can connect them to my
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Also want 4 or more USB ports on the front or side, as my PC location is not suitable to use the back ports easily.) Thank you!

picture-me wrote:
Would like to stay in the range of $1500-2000 if possible.
I've taken quite a "non-standard" approach to this... a little while back I purchased a powerful Dell Precision T5400 workstation that's come off lease from eBay, then populated it with good hardware. Result? Dual quad core Xeon 3.16 GHz 16 GB system with 3 TB of internal RAID disk storage and a good modern video card for about $1500. This is a system that would have sold new for probably $6,000 just a few years ago.
I didn't have to buy any of the external stuff (monitor, backup drives, keyboard/mouse, etc.) because I upgraded from an existing workstation and was able to re-use all that stuff, plus one 1 TB drive from the old system - which I then sold for $700 to recoup some of the cost (total outlay was then only $800).
I describe the system and how I put it together in some detail here:
http://forums.adobe.com/thread/827500
This is a far more powerful system than anything I could get new for the same price.
Just a quick glance at eBay and I see that some T5500 workstations are becoming available for reasonable prices now. I see, for example, a dual quad system with 12 GB of RAM for a Buy It Now price of a hair over $1000.
-Noel

Advice about buying a new hard drive

I have a TOSHIBA Satellite L25-S1216. I have not been able to boot into Windows XP for 3 years using the factory Recovery and Applications/Drivers DVD and the Fully Recover procedure on the back of the DVD packae. I have been using Linux for the past 3 years. Ubuntu SMART test disk utility tells me I have 20 bad hard drive sectors. I have concluded I should buy a new hard drive, since mine has 20 bad sectors. My current hard drive is ATA-6, so I know I need a PATA compatible hard drive. I'd like to increase to maybe 60 GB from the current 40 GB. I'd also like to go with a solid state drive, but there don't appear to be many PATA compatible solid state drives.
And I don't want to get too complicated or expensive; I want to stay with my current Windows XP. Not sure if a SATA PATA interface adapter would work to allow me to use a SATA solid state hard drive or not. I know (from reading knowledge base posts) there is also the potential problem of the older BIOSs not recognizing the newer Advanced Drive Format drives.
QUESTION: Does anybody have any advice about buying a hard drive that would work for me? How can I be reasonably sure a hard drive I buy is compatible with my computer?
Thank you,
Bob
Solved!
Go to Solution.

either get a pata drive (you can get larger than the stock 40gb) or use your $ towards a more current new/used laptop. pata ssd would be a waste and I doubt adapter would work. also, ms is dropping support for xp so it would be a good time to upgrade to something with a more current os as well.
L305-S5955, T9300 Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 60GB SSD, Win 7 Ultimate 64-bit

Searching for advice on buying a new camcorder! PLEASE HELP!

I currently have a JVC Everio and it just is way too difficult to get to work with my new iMac. I would like to buy a new, somewhat affordable, camcorder that takes great video of my nine month son AND is easy to download with the basic Apple video processing system. PLEASE HELP!!

hey there BuckeyeHoov,
i hesitate to make any sort of recommendation on a specific cam as specs change, models are discontinued & replaced. i have always liked & used Sony, but i've had my cams for several years & the features that made them quite workable are no longer offered in most consumer cams by any maker. sorry, but beyond the previous suggestion to look @ Canon, Panasonic, Sony to see what they offer, i can't be more specific. i have noticed that BestBuy doesn't seem to carry as many as they used to & many of them are only available on-line, very similar @ Circuit City. take a look @ their websites, checkout the user reviews & see if they have anything in their brick & mortar stores you can go touch. again, get a MiniDV tape-based cam w/ FireWire=i.Link=IEEE 1394. someone else may have a cam pref to post.
good luck.

Advice on buying a new MacBook

Hi, I am planning to buy a new Mac Book for my personal use - I teach, train and do presentations on my technical stuffs. Please advice me on which MacBook / laptops best fit for my requirement.
I am reading most of the messages in Apple forum and quite scared of getting faulty Mac Notebook. Please advice me on this to gain confidence.

No doubt other Mac owners will contribute their opinions, but I'd like to set a bit of perspective for you. These forums are intended for people to come here and post their problems, so by nature what you're going to see will indeed be problems. The many thousands of Mac owners who are having no troubles have little reason to post to a technical support bulletin board, so just reading here will give you a skewed perspective on the issues. Quoting another regular contributor to the Discussions, "Trying to judge Macs by this forum is like trying to judge the health of a community by looking at the hospital ER".
There can be problems with any system and yours could fail at some point. The strong likelihood, though, is that you'll have no problems with your system whatsoever, particularly if you take care to give it a proper environment - low static, high quality power protection (no $15 hardware store special surge protectors), etc. - power problems are the number one cause of chronic computer problems. I've owned at least eleven Macs over the years, and have only had a hardware problem with one (a bad hard drive in a Mac SE more years ago than I care to admit).
As to which model and configuration to buy, you really haven't provided enough detail about your needs for anyone to make a really informed suggestion, but perhaps this web page will help:
http://guides.macrumors.com/Buyinga_MacBook_versus_MacBookPro
Regards

Need Photoshop advice before buying a new computer

Hi Folks ....
My computer is 6 years old. I'm starting to get the "blue screen of death" periodically so I am buying a new computer.
I currently own Photoshop CS2.
Here are my options.
I can buy a new computer and make sure I have Windows 7 Ultimate so I can use CS2 on it (in XP mode).
Or I can buy a new computer without Windows 7 Ultimate and upgrade to CS5.
My real question is, when I buy a new computer, is it okay for it to have integrated graphics?
Will Photoshop run okay on ingrated graphics, or should a buy a machine that comes with a graphics card installed?
Any help will be appreciated.
Regards and many thanks,
Mark

That's ggod news that I can run CS2 on Windows 7.
Yes, it will be a desktop PC so I will make sure I configure my new PC with a graphics card.
Thank you.

Advice on buying a new Mid-2010 iMac

I'm going to buy a new iMac and I'm trying to decide between two configurations:
1. 21.5-inch/3.6GHz i5 (Dual Core)/8Gb RAM, or
2. 27-inch/2.8GHz i5 (Quad Core)/4Gb RAM
Both model cost almost the same (number 2 configuration is slightly pricier).
Number 2 configuration is very appealing for it bigger screen and better graphics card, but I'm not sure if a 27-inch screen will fit in my working space.
Any thoughts are welcome.

Well, I'd suggest going to Apple's site, getting the physical dimensions for both systems. Then find some old cardboard boxes or something so you can make them out to be roughly the size of each system. That way, you can get an idea of how they will look where you're thinking of putting whichever one you get. If the 27" fits, I'd definitely give that one the nod. RAM will only get cheaper third party, especially since we're in the immediate aftermath of the latest price fixing bust of RAM makers. It'll probably be 2-3 years before they start jacking prices up again. You can add more RAM to the 27" later for a lot less than Apple will charge you. You could replace them a couple times over for what Apple will charge you. But, if a 27" is going to be too big, none of that really matters.

Advice on buying a new internal hard drive

Could anyone advise me on internal hard drives? My present one is dead and i am looking at buying a new one. I really havnt got a clue as to if im looking at pc only drives or they are all mac compatable. (The links i am using will service me in Ireland) I have a few good sites but i want to make sure that I have the right drive for my mac. I have the 13" Macbook 1st generation. Im looking at a few drives from these sites, with these particular drives:
http://www.jigsaw24.com/default.aspx?ITEM=JIGSX632ANA&AD=Y
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=343402
http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.aspx?sku=341973
http://www.pixmania.com/ie/uk/719219/art/samsung/hm16hji-hybrid-hard-drive.html.
I am hoping that someone could look these over and advise me if any, or all would work on my macbook. If so, i will buy one asap.
ALSO I was thinking of getting an optical drive. My now broken one, was a standard cd-rom drive which played dvds(Combo Drive). I want to now buy an optical drive that can burn dvds(As advertised on apple.com: "Superdrive"). Is there technical limitations by fitting one of these into my macbook?

Any of those hard drives will work just fine. Just pick the capacity & speed you want. And Seagate makes good drives, as does Samsung. Make sure they are 9.5mm height. (almost 99.9% of current laptop drives are.)
Replacing the optical drive requires you to open your laptop, which might be difficult depending on your comfort level. If you can open your Macbook with its millions of screws, you'll be fine. Instructions are here: http://www.ifixit.com/MacBook-Parts/MacBook-8x-SuperDrive-New/IF185-040
The optical drive must be slot loading, and must be the ultra slim type (Height must be 9.5mm.) Most optical drives are slightly thicker (12.7mm), and they won't fit.

Advice on buying Used/New Macbook Pro

I'm giving some serious thought to buying a macbook pro unibody and I'm trying to decide on whether to buy a near-perfect used machine as opposed to a new one. I'm after a 13" and have no interest in anything larger... actually wish there was a netbook-sized mackbook. And truth be known, if the iPad had a iSight camera built in, I would probably be heading down that pad. The macbook will mainly be used around the house and occasionally at wi-fi enabled off-site locations. We're also eligible for a educational discount, so if I buy new... that comes into play.
If I buy used, I would have to see the machine in person locally, watch it run, use it... and know that it's hopefully still eligible for AppleCare if ownership is transferred? I'd also want the original sales receipt and I might like to opt for one on one because even though I've had my iMac for over a year... I'm still learning.
Having only owned a couple of IBM ThinkPads and a WinBook way back when... I was just curious about whether the mackbooks are reliable and sturdy (my ThinkPad has a titanium frame), and whether its worth it to score a great deal on a gently used one that is loaded with more memory and/or larger HDD and possibly a bunch of apps or spend the same for a base model?

"... whether its worth it to score a great deal on a gently used one that is loaded with more memory and/or larger HDD and possibly a bunch of apps or spend the same for a base model? "
1. What do you feel is a great deal and where have you seen one?
2. Anyone who sells you a machine with third party apps needs to give you the original disks or you are both in violation of SLA's. Keep that in mind.
3. If you buy a used machine and the owner touts it has Applecare you need to make sure he/she purchased the AppleCare from Apple or AASP. Otherwise it's not transferable to you.

Need advice on buying a new laptop

My only specifications are I'd like a HP, light weight, not a netbook, mostly for internet use. I will use it a little with Word, Excel and Publisher for projects here and there. I'd like to stay under $700. If I can stay in the under $600 range then I'd more than likely get the extended warranty.
Also, would it be better to get directly from HP?
Any advice is appreciated!
TIA,
AnGee

It looks like IBM owned part of it in 2005.
IBM became the owner of 18.9% of Lenovo in 2005 as part of Lenovo's acquisition of the IBM personal computing division.[12] Since then IBM has steadily lowered its shareholding in Lenovo. In July 2008 the IBM shareholding went below the 5% reporting disclosure threshold.[13] In February 2009 the CEO Bill Amelio was replaced with Yang Yuanqing.[14]
Didn't Acer buy gateway and e-machine some years ago?
**If you like my answer then click the little Star under my username.
**If my response answered your question then click the Solved button. Thanks

Advice Needed::Buying a new laptop

OK, I am in the process of purchasing a new laptop and cannot seem to decide between a Mac or PC and what features to look for. Here's some information on me to help: My current laptop is a HP Presario from 2006, has Windows XP, 15-in screen. It has slowed beyond belief and after four years I am ready for a change.
I will be entering graduate school for my Masters in Forensic Science and next year will be attending law school. So, I need a laptop that will last through both and provide me with an the amenities I will need.
I am on the internet frequently, I like to watch videos on-line, but do not play games. I would like to have a feature to edit photos and videos, and I want my new laptop to have a built-in webcam. I am completely open to suggestions.
I have used PCs my entire life, but recently the Mac has been suggested to me by several people and I am intrigued to see some other peoples opinions.
Thanks!
juliane a{Removed per Forum Guidelines}

PC, but get a good one, the reason people think macs are better is because the stnadard mac will cost $2000 and have $700 worth of parts
when a standard laptop PC will be $1000 and have $480 worth of parts... so people just compare performance.
anyways
you want
windows 7 64bit
4+gb of ram/memory
400+GB hard drive if possible
and you want a video card if you wanna edit videos i would say. under graphics look for something that is NOT intel accelerated graphics
i would get a desktop though

Advice for buying a new 2013 iMac

I work with Adobe Premiere, Photoshop and Illustrator.
1.) Will I benefit from upgrading to the card with the extra GB of video memory? OR is this really only going to be benefiical for video games?
2.) Will I see any noticable speed increase by upgrading from:
3.4GHz Quadcore Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.8GHz
vs.
3.5GHz Quadcore Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 3.9GHz
Thanks in advance.

I also spend most of my day in Adobe apps (InDesign, Illustrator, and Photoshop), and I've just moved from an i7 machine (a Hackintosh) to an iMac with the 3.4GHz i5. The i7 was overclocked to 4.3GHz.
Generall speaking, once the app is open, performance on the i5 seems similar to the i7. The i7 used SSDs, and opening Photoshop, for example, would take 2 to 3 seconds. On the i5 with the standard 1T hard drive, it takes more like 20 seconds. Unless you are doing some heavy duty 3D rendering in PS, I would think that the i5 would be adequate for you.
I'll be adding an external SSD to the iMac in a few days in order to speed up file access.
On the graphics card side, the i7 used a 1G Radeon, and the new iMac has the 2G nVidia. I don't think there's a significant performance increase for Photoshop and Illustrator, at least from a 'how it feels running' perspective.
Perry
KidPub Press

Importing video on G4 MDD using newer cameras

I have always used dv tape and firewire to import to my older mac. I am looking buying a new camera and most have only mini usb, hdmi, component outputs. All seem to use usb 2.0 connections. Can I import to IMove6hd via usb 2.0? If so, I will need to buy a hub supporting the hdsc cards. Any advice. I will eventually (this year) upgrade to a newer mac. Any advice? I am looking at the Canon HFM30. I have one last edit project before that will happen.
Steve

Yes, I have firewire. That's what my old tape camera used. Its the new cameras that all like to export via usb that I am asking about. I looked at several camera, all have mini usb to usb. Its difficult to find a mini usb to a firewire 400/800. Does IM6 import via usb?
thanks

I have Photoshop Elements 12 for both PC and Mac (I use both). I have a new camera, Nikon D810. I downloaded the latest version of Camera Raw, 8.8. My D810 is listed as a supported camera model. However, when I try to open a raw photo in Photoshop Element

I have Photoshop Elements 12 for both PC and Mac (I use both). I have a new camera, Nikon D810. I downloaded the latest version of Camera Raw, 8.8. My D810 is listed as a supported camera model. However, when I try to open a raw photo in Photoshop Elements, I keep getting the message "Could not complete your request because the file appears to be from a camera model which is not supported by the installed version of Camera Raw. I have tried reinstalling Camera Raw many times, and have tried to open many different raw files in Elements, and still get the same error message. Please help.

How did you try to install ACR 8.8. The only way I know of that works with Elements is to use the Updates Choice on the Help menu.
There are two charts supplied by Adobe that explain your RAW dilemma. This one tells you what your camera needs: http://helpx.adobe.com/creative-suite/kb/camera-raw-plug-supported-cameras.html This one tells you what version of software you need: http://helpx.adobe.com/x-productkb/global/camera-raw-compatible-applications.html
In your case, the Nikon D810 needs Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) 8.6 or Lightroom 5.6. (Congratulations on buying a new camera!)
To get to that level with Photoshop Elements, you will need to replace your Photoshop Elements 12 with version 13. Adobe caps ACR updates on version 12 at 8.5.
The most convenient way to get around it without spending any money is to use the FREE from Adobe DNG Converter. Download and install it from here for FREE: http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/thankyou.jsp?ftpID=5855&fileID=5890 Once it is installed you can convert your D810 raw files to an Adobe RAW version with the .DNG file extension that most, if not all, versions of the various Adobe software programs can use. That includes old versions of Photoshop, Elements and Lightroom. DNG converter can be used as the tool to move your files from your memory card to your computer, is efficient, will convert in batches and is completely lossless. There is no risk of any image quality degradation or RAW functionality.

Advice on Buying a New Camera

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