Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hello all,
im thinking about getting a digital camera but i have a few questions. I think im specifically looking at a nikon coolpix 2100. Do any of you have one and if so how do you like it? I am by no means a photagrapher so I dont need the top of the line equipment. I just want to be able to take some pics of my herps and other stuff that may interest me along the way. Is there a big difference between 2 and 3 megapixels? Would 2 mp be sufficient for what I want to do. I have read some reviews and it looks like a pretty good camera but I just wanted to hear some first hand info. Thansk a lot. EP

I'm not familiar with the Coolpix family of cams - but I have had a few different digital cams so far, and here's what I've found...

If you don't plan on doing any special photography - don't pay for the extras! Having lots of bells and whistles and controls on a camera seems like it would 'be nice to have'; but if you don't ever use the features they become more of a nuisance than anything else, especially when your trying to get over the learing curve. Point-and-shoot cams are much more affordable and will give you what you want unless your really into photography.

As for the hot topic of resolution, that is, the effective pixel density in a cam (megapixels) - that all depends on what you plan on doing with the pics AFTER you take them. For example, if you want to print 8x10's - get at least a 3mp cam. On the other hand, if you plan on taking pics to view on your computer only - well, by all means, a 1mp cam will do the trick for you.

Keep in mind, that a lot of people might say that the lower end (1mp) cams aren't worth it. Well, those are probably folks who are really into photography. Also, the quality of any picture you take is ultimately up to - you, the photographer.

I have a 6mp cam, though I normally only shoot in 1mp mode for pics that I know I'm only going to use for things like posting in forums (ie, kingsnake!), email, and stuff like that. On the other hand, if I know I'm going to want to crop and/or enlarge parts of the photo, then I definitely push up to the higher resolution.

So just consider what you want to do both from the point of taking the pictures and from the point of displaying the pictures.

Hope this helps a little.

- Mark

>>hello all,
>>im thinking about getting a digital camera but i have a few questions. I think im specifically looking at a nikon coolpix 2100. Do any of you have one and if so how do you like it? I am by no means a photagrapher so I dont need the top of the line equipment. I just want to be able to take some pics of my herps and other stuff that may interest me along the way. Is there a big difference between 2 and 3 megapixels? Would 2 mp be sufficient for what I want to do. I have read some reviews and it looks like a pretty good camera but I just wanted to hear some first hand info. Thansk a lot. EP

For the most part, I agree. But my impression is that you'll get much better 1 megapixel pictures out of a 3 or 4 megapixel camera than out of a 1 megapixel camera, simply because the 3 or 4 megapixel camera is going to have better optics and whatnot. The megapixel difference itself isn't that important for a lot of stuff, but there's a lot that comes with it...

Patrick Alexander

I agree with you that the optics play an important role in the quality of a picture a camera can produce. Though I think it's independant of the resolution of the camera (that is, the optics and the pixel density of the ccd). Of course, typically the higher resolution cameras also include higher quality optics - thereby exponentially raising the price of the camera.

As a side note, to support your notion that optics are important, I use a 1MP digital camera at work that takes absolutely excellent pictures - this is, I believe, in great part due to the way above average optics the cam is fitted with.

The trick with camera shopping, I guess, is to try and pick the right combination of options that will deliver just what you're looking for without paying for tons of options that you'll never use.

- Mark

>>For the most part, I agree. But my impression is that you'll get much better 1 megapixel pictures out of a 3 or 4 megapixel camera than out of a 1 megapixel camera, simply because the 3 or 4 megapixel camera is going to have better optics and whatnot. The megapixel difference itself isn't that important for a lot of stuff, but there's a lot that comes with it...
>>
>>Patrick Alexander

I belive optics are the majority of a cameras' quality, for picture output. I chose a Minolta Dimage 5 camera, because it has the EXACT same 7X optical zoom as the Minolta Diamage 7, but at a lower price. The Dimage 5 is a 3.2Mpixel camera, and the 7 is a 5Mpixel camera. Both produce great razor sharp images. The other consideration, is the amount of image compression the camera does after it takes the picture. The more comression, the more pictures you can fit on a memory card, but the lower the quality.
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