Question

recommendations for a camera gift for missioanries.

Asked by: anushahanna

Our friends from Church are going off to the mission field. Can you please give input for a good balance between features and price, that we can get for them, so they can update us with pictures as they are able to.

Also, could you list what are the features to look for in a good Digi Cam.

Thanks

This Question has been solved and asker verified All Experts Exchange premium technology solutions are available to subscription members.

Subscribe now for full access to Experts Exchange and get

Instant Access to this Solution

  • Plus...
  • 30 Day FREE access, no risk, no obligation
  • Collaborate with the world's top tech experts
  • Unlimited access to our exclusive solution database
  • Never be left without tech help again

Subscribe Now

Asked On
2009-08-13 at 18:39:23ID24651796
Topic

Digital Cameras

Participating Experts
2
Points
500
Comments
11

Trusted by hundreds of thousands everyday for fast, accurate and reliable tech support.

  • "The time we save is the biggest benefit of Experts Exchange to Warner Bros. What could take multiple guys 2 hours or more each to find is accessed in around 15 minutes on Experts Exchange." Mike Kapnisakis, Warner Bros.
  • "Our team likes having a resource that is more secure than just using Google and most experts using this service really know their stuff. It's nice to look here first versus using Google." Dayna Sellner, Lockheed Martin
  • "Anytime that I've been stumped with a problem, 9 out of 10 times Experts Exchange has either the accepted solution or an open discussion of the potential solution to the problem." Kenny Red, eBay Inc.

See what Experts Exchange can do for you.

Got a question?

We've got the answer.

Experts Exchange has been collecting answers to technology questions since 1996…3 million and counting! If you have a question, chances are we already have your answer.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Need individual assistance?

Our experts are ready to help.

If you can't find the exact answer you're looking for, ask our exclusive community of 50,000 experts. You’ll get a personalized answer from a trusted professional.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Want to learn from the best?

Read articles from industry experts.

Thousands of free tech tips, tricks, how-to’s and tutorials are available in our peer reviewed articles section. See for yourself how smart our experts are, no login required.

Screenshot of an Article

Working on a long term project?

Store your work and research.

Save solutions to your questions, answers you’ve discovered through searching plus helpful articles in your personal knowledgebase for easy future access.

Screenshot of Experts Exchange Knowledgebase

Access the answers to your technology questions today.

Subscribe Now

30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.

What Makes Experts Exchange Unique?

Members of the expert community talk about why the experience at Experts Exchange is different than what you will find anywhere else.

Trusted by the world's most respected brands.

image of each brand's logo

Faithfully serving IT professionals since 1996.

Experts Exchange Logo

Try it out and discover for yourself.

Subscribe Now

30-day free trial. Register in 60 seconds.

Related Solutions

  1. NT5 Cam
    Is there a web cam / capture card with drivers that work in NT5?
  2. Digi Cam as Web Cam
    Hi, I have a canon s50 digi cam..can this be used as a web cam
  3. digital camera
    If there is a section on digital cameras, I apologize because I missed it. I am looking to purchase a camera and am interested in this model, http://www.nikonusa.com/template.php?cat=1&grp=2&productNr=25535, the CoolPix P2. It allows for wireless transfer to a home ...
  4. CAMERA REPAIR
    I have a $400 Minolta digital camera, which suddenly stopped working. I need to get it repaired. Anyone know a reliable vendor for repairing digital cameras?

Free Tech Articles

  1. WARNING: 5 Reasons why you should NEVER fix a computer for free.
    It is in our nature to love the puzzle. We are obsessed. The lot of us. We love puzzles. We love the challenge. We thrive on finding the answer. We hate disarray. It bothers us deep in our soul. W...
  2. SCCM OSD Basic troubleshooting
    SCCM 2007 OSD is a fantastic way to deploy operating systems, however, like most things SCCM issues can sometimes be difficult to resolve due to the sheer volume of logs to sift through and the dispe...
  3. Migrate Small Business Server 2003 to Exchange 2010 and Windows 2008 R2
    This guide is intended to provide step by step instructions on how to migrate from Small Business Server 2003 to Windows 2008 R2 with Exchange 2010. For this migration to work you will need the fo...
  4. Create a Win7 Gadget
    This article shows you how to create a simple "Gadget" -- a sort of mini-application supported by Windows 7 and Vista. Gadgets can be dropped anywhere on the desktop to provide instant information, ...
  5. Outlook continually prompting for username and password
    There have been a lot of questions recently regarding Outlook prompting for a username and password whilst using Exchange 2007. There are a few reasons why this would happen and I will try to cover t...
  6. Backup Exchange 2010 Information Store using Windows Backup
    There seems to be quite a lot of confusion around the ability to backup Exchange 2010 using the built in Windows Backup feature. This stems from the omission of this feature prior to Exchange 2007 s...

Cloud Class Webinars

  1. Avoiding Bugs in Microsoft Access
    Alison Balter takes and in-depth look at avoiding bugs in Access. In this webinar you will learn about using the immediate window to debug your applications, invoking the debugger, using breakpoints to troubleshoot, stepping through code, setting the next statement to execute, ...
  2. Top 10 Best New Features in Visio 2010
    Scott Helmers gives live demonstrations of the top 10 new features in Visio 2010. This webinar will teach you how to create compelling diagrams by adding shapes to the page with a single click, linking the shapes in a diagram to data in Excel (or SQL Server, or SharePoint), ...
  3. IT Consultant Business Secrets Revealed
    Michael Munger, Experts Exchange tech pro and IT consultant, pulls back the curtain on his very successful businesses and answers question on every IT consultant and business owner should know about. He shares secrets on what he did to solve the 5 most common problems in IT, ...
  4. Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
    Quest CTO, Mike Billon, gives an overview of the steps involved in building a dunamic disaster recovery plan. Through case studies and an examination of software/hardware tooles for monitoring and testing, you'll gain a better understandin of where you are, where you want ...
  5. Organize Your Visio Diagrams with Containers and Lists
    Scott Helmers uses cross functional flowcharts, wireframe diagrams, data graphic legends and seating charts to teach you: how to ustilize all three new structured diagram components in Visio 2010, the best practices for organizeing shapes in previous version of Visio, how to organize ...
  6. How to Us Objects, Properties, Events and Methods in Microsoft Access
    Alison Dalter gives an in-depbth look at objects, properties, events and methods in Microsoft Access. In this webinar you will learn about using the object browser, referring to objects, working with properties and methods, working with object variables, understanding the ...

Join the Community

Give a Little. Get a Lot.

Join the community of experts here and help other tech pros by answering question in your area of expertise. You can earn FREE access to all Experts Exchange's premium features and resources.

Join the Community

Answers

 

by: lherrouPosted on 2009-08-13 at 19:09:10ID: 25094793

anushahanna,

I'm going to recommend what is sometimes called an all-weather camera. These are cameras that are water resistant (which makes them more dirt/dust resistant as well), sometimes have some shock protection, etc. Digital Photography Review (THE best digital camera review site) did a group review of a number of these cameras. The link below is to their summary page, but you might want to look at other elements of their review as well.
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q209waterproofgroup/page17.asp

In general, features to look for... optical zoom, LCD and optical viewfinder, image stabilization, built-in flash, brand name (there's never a good reason to buy a camera from a company no one ever heard of, no matter how good it sounds. If they built good cameras, people would have heard of them). Depending on where they are going, and access to power when they are there, they may want to have a camera with readily available AA batteries rather than having to recharge a battery unique to the camera (although this is rare to find, and all of the cameras on the all-weather list I gave you use their own unique battery).

I hope that helps. Feel free to ask if you'd like additional suggestions or commentary on any camera you might have in mind.

Cheers,
LHerrou

 

by: anushahannaPosted on 2009-08-13 at 19:47:36ID: 25094926

lherrou
Thanks for the detailed and thoughtful answer.

Let me ask you this. If you were to go to a third world country for an indefinite time, what camera wold you get. I trust you judgement in this.

thanks.

 

by: anushahannaPosted on 2009-08-14 at 06:06:48ID: 25097520

lherrou
I went through the good reviews of..
Canon D10, Panasonic TS, Pentax W60. I see that they all seem to average $300 retail online.. not sure about the stores..

I am weighing these options based on the place where they will live: hot humid dirt-easily-filled tropical place. also they have 5 young children (8 through 1 year old)

Of these three, any recommendations on which one will be the most sturdy/durable.

Is it surprising that sony does not compete well enough with these products (i thought they were the industry leaders)..

 

by: eviningPosted on 2009-08-14 at 06:26:16ID: 25097696

another point to consider is type of, cost, and availabilty of storage media like compact flash or SD card, etc. obviously they would want to carry a good supply of these. if you watch websites like www.benbargains.net u will often see good deals on diff types of storage media, and often on cameras also

 

by: lherrouPosted on 2009-08-14 at 06:56:40ID: 25098050

anushahanna,

Any one of the top three (Canon Powershot D10, Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS1, Pentax Optio W60) would be a great choice. Target has the Powershot D10 for $319.99, so you don't have to wait for mailorder, etc. If you needed to go cheaper, but stay with the All-Weather types, the Olympus Tough 6000 runs about $100 cheaper than the top models (best place to order online is http://www.bhphotovideo.com) while still holding it's own.

I don't know why Sony or Nikon hasn't decided to compete in the all-weather digicam arena. Both of them otherwise make excellent products. The only major manufacturer I haven't shot with is Pentax, currently the digicams I own/use are made by Nikon, Fuji (X 2), Olympus, and Sony.

Evining is correct in suggesting at least one extra memory card for the camera, and perhaps an extra battery as well.



 

by: anushahannaPosted on 2009-08-14 at 07:50:45ID: 25098635

Thanks for the tip on the memory & battery.

Is the performance/rating between Olympus Tough 6000 and the rest huge or narrow, in your opinion?

thanks

 

by: lherrouPosted on 2009-08-14 at 08:02:05ID: 25098760

Overall, I'd say the Tough 6000 is a pretty good camera for it's price range. I like the retractable lens cover, and the compact size. It's certainly going to be more than sufficient for emailing photos home, making normal 4 X 6 prints, etc. You won't want to blow up the prints to poster size, but then again, that's true of all the cameras on this list.

 

by: anushahannaPosted on 2009-08-14 at 08:14:12ID: 25098896

how about ruggedness. any experience with it? for normal bumps and scratches etc.

thanks much.  you have made it much more easier than if i had walked into a store.

 

by: lherrouPosted on 2009-08-14 at 08:18:03ID: 25098947

I haven't used the Tough 6000, just handled one at a tradeshow. However, Olympus has been making rugged consumer point-and-shoots for longer than any of the others, and their prior models hold up pretty well.

 

by: anushahannaPosted on 2009-08-14 at 08:29:30ID: 25099090

Tough 6000 does appeal to me..

I see diff names for this camera.. do you think it is all the same..

Olympus Stylus Tough-6000 10 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 3.6x wide-angle optical
Olympus Stylus Tough 6000 Digital Camera, 10 Megapixels, 3.6x Optical, 5x (shock-absorbtion)
Olympus Stylus Tough 6000 10MP 2.7" LCD Digital Camera (Blue)
Olympus STY6000/ WHT 10 Megapixel Stylus Tough-6000 Digital Camera

 

by: lherrouPosted on 2009-08-14 at 08:40:45ID: 25099242

Yes, those are all the same, but of course, the second from last has the blue cover, and the last one has the white (WHT) cover). It's also available in yellow and orange (for some reason yellow seems to be cheaper than blue and white). Check what's included in the package as well.

20120131-EE-VQP-002

3 Ways to Join

30-Day Free Trial

The Experts

98% positive feedback on 31,087 answers since March 2000. angeliii is a Microsoft Most Valuable Professional for his work with MS SQL Server & Develoment.

He has also proven his knowledge of Visual Basic Programming, PHP Scripting and Oracle Databases.

The Experts

97% positive feedback on 10,752 answers since July 2000. lrmoore has more than 18 years experience in the networking industry.

The six-time Mircosoft MVPs specialties include firewalls, virtual private networking, and network management.

Testimonials

"...and excellent source for support... Kind of like having your very own IT dept." Electriciansnet

Testimonials

"I was apprehensive at signing up at first. However... it has already made my life as an IT administrator much easier." JaCrews

Testimonials

"WOW! You guys have great, active, and knowledgeable people on here." moore50

Business Clients

Business Clients

In the Press

"If you’ve got a question... Experts Exchange can supply an answer.”

In the Press

"...an invaluable aid for both IT professionals and those who require tech support."

In the Press

"where IT professionals provide quick answers on just about any topic"

Business Account Plans

Loading Advertisement...