Digital Camera

[patman]

Would like to buy an inexpensive one...

I used to draw and paint, and I thought an inexpensive digital camera might help me capture images, say, on a walk.

1. Do they come with the software to print? can you shrink and enlarge?  Can you do stuff like lay a grid over the photo?
2. Can you print to plain paper? As in could I print from my office computer to one of the big printers we use for tax returns? (I understand this would not be a "photo" quality print)...photo quality would actually be of secondary importance to capturing the image and manipulating it easily.

I have no clue...help me out here.

[dadagoboi]

IMO it's better not to depend on the camera for image manipulation.  Plenty of free programs that will allow you to do that and print from your computer.  GIMP is a fairly complex Photoshop alternative and Picasa relatively simple.

[Pilgrim]

Would like to buy an inexpensive one...

I used to draw and paint, and I thought an inexpensive digital camera might help me capture images, say, on a walk.

1. Do they come with the software to print? can you shrink and enlarge?  Can you do stuff like lay a grid over the photo?
2. Can you print to plain paper? As in could I print from my office computer to one of the big printers we use for tax returns? (I understand this would not be a "photo" quality print)...photo quality would actually be of secondary importance to capturing the image and manipulating it easily.

I have no clue...help me out here.

1) Agreed, you want to do image manipulation on a computer, not in the camera.  MUCH more capability and less headache.  Yes, they come with print software - but all you really need are drivers to talk to your computer. Ability to lay a grid over the photo will depend on the editing software you use, not the camera or the computer.  

2) Yes, absolutely.  The printer doesn't care what paper you feed it.  Results will last longer and look better on photo-quality paper, but that's up to you. If you're going to print to a large format printer, I recommend shooting at the highest quality (most pixels) possible, so that you have more image pixels to put on the paper.  The resulting image will look better.

I have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS5 and it's an amazing camera that fits in a pocket. it has a 12 power Leica zoom lens, plus additional digital zoom (up to 16x) if you want to use it.  I bought a model one step down (10x zoom) for my daughter and she loves it.  

The Panasonic has been a great camera - optical image stabilization, 12.1 megapixels, and light and easy to carry.  It comes with a photo editing program such as the one you asked about. The only downside is that it doesn't use a standard USB cable to connect to the computer, but it comes with one and you can buy backup cables on Ebay.

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMC-ZS5-Digital-Stabilized-2-7-Inch/dp/B00395YA90  (Note that there are a number of used cameras in this Amazon listing, starting at $100.)

[Dave W]

Yes, you can print to plain paper.

The camera will come with some sort of image manipulation software, but as Carlo said, there are better alternatives. Some are freeware, some not, some are complex, some easy to use. Also, you can do quite a bit of editing online, without any separate software. For example, Photobucket (which a lot of use) has pretty extensive image-editing software.

[the mojo hobo]

I also have a Panasonic camera that I have had over a year so it is no longer available. It was about half the price of the one above.  I don't know if it came with software, I'm using Photoshop essentials that came with a previous Fuji camera. What made me choose the Panasonic was the fast response; when you hit the button it takes the picture. Read the reviews on Amazon, they will give you a good idea of what people like and dislike about the cameras. And B&H is another good place to shop. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

[Lightyear]

The missus is an avid digital photographer.  I just checked with her and her favorite point and shoot is the Panasonic ZX series.  She's currently using a ZX9 but told me that they are up to ZX20 or so.  She sells her camera's on Amazon Marketplace, constantly I'm afraid, and her's are always in like new condition - think we all have gas?   The woman has had more camera's than Imelda Marcos had shoes

She uses Picasa, Google, and something called Pixler Express, which is web based, for editing

You can print to anything with varying degrees of quality.  Paper plays a huge role - even on an inkjet.  The wife gives her pictures as gifts and uses Snapfish to order prints - a 5x7 on nice paper is something like 39 cents.

A web site she likes for research and information is:  Steve'sdigicam.com

[Pilgrim]

A web site she likes for research and information is:  Steve'sdigicam.com

That's a good site.  http://www.steves-digicams.com/camera-reviews/

Another is http://www.dpreview.com

[Highlander]

GIMP is a freebie but like Photoshop takes time to learn the principles...

I still use an old Micrographix Picture Publisher 8 but only on an XP PC... simple rules for basic work...

Digital is a true joy and it's still reasonably exponential with the improvements... take lots and lots and instant gratification...

[patman]

Thanks to all of you for your help!

[daan]

Hah. I was a photographer in a past life, way before digital. I do have a digital camera now, it's the bottom of the line Nikon SLR (a D-40 which they stopped making about 5 years ago) Used FILM cameras used to hold value pretty good, but used digital stuff is worth about what used computers are. My point being, you can get a used SLR style camera for about what a new digital "point and shoot" would go for, but it will take much better pictures. My biggest issue with P&S's are the "lag time"- you hit the shutter button and it takes a couple seconds to actually fire, and by then your subject moved or whatever. An SLR will fire a lot faster, plus they just work better in lower light than P&S'es. If size is an issue (when isn't it?  ) some SLR's are ridiculously small these days compared to the old film ones. I had to get an extra battery grip for my D40 because it was so small it was hard for me to use. You can get a "prime" (non-zoom) lens that's pretty small, it'll let much more light in than the zooms will, and the whole rig wiill fit in a pocket, so I've taken a "real" camera (body, lens, flash) into places my film gear would have been hard to get into, and gotten much better pictures than from a P&S (or a phone camera for that matter) Plus most digital cameras now have "image stabilization" so you can hand hold in much lower light than you used to be able to, I haven't had to use my tripod in years.
Of course this probably didn't answer any of your questions... as far as editing software, I've only ever needed to use the free one that comes with Microsoft Office ("MS Photo Editor"?) so I've never even felt the need to actually BUY a program for that. As far as printers go, for less than $100 you can buy a cheap printer, feed it "photo quality" paper and get decent results (just don't get them near moisture or direct sunlight!) But it's just so ridiculously cheap to upload your images to Snapfish or the like, and they mail you back prints on "real" photo paper. We truly are living in a "golden age" for photography, as far as ease and convenience. But I still miss my darkroom!
I've always looked at www.kenrockwell.com for reviews and stuff, but apparently lots of people disagree with him, so take that for what it's worth.
Oh and as far as "megapixel count", a frame of 35mm film is the equivalent of about 25MP or so, and any place that can develop film will put your images on a CD (or the web) so you don't even need to BUY a digital camera if you don't already have one.

[Highlander]

Definitely agree with the "lag" issues on some of them , which is somewhat frustrating - first digital was a Fuji 602z until I "lost" the viewfinder - present is another Fuji S1600 - both suffer/ed with this issue...

I'd definitely prefer a decent SLR with interchangeable lens capability, but...

Last "film" camera was a Pentax Super A... still got the beastie... even still got my Zenith E and an old TLR, and some fold up family pre WWII cameras... and a "Brownie" for a shelf item...

[Aussie Mark]

Digital?  Build your own camera .....

http://www.messynessychic.com/2013/06/06/the-reclusive-peeping-tom-photographer-and-his-cardboard-camera/