Advice for buying a camera?

[The Old School JPS]

In a thread on the football board, WildcatRick posted some great game photos. A couple of us inquired about the camera used. Rick posted this about the camera:

"I use a Nikon D1H camera. For someone interested in buying a camera I would suggest either a Nikon D40, D50 or D70. Canon also makes something comparable but I'm unsure as to the models. Price range for those I've mentioned is some where from $500 - $1000 for a camera body and one lens."

I didn't want to take that thread off topic, but I was interested in continuing the discussion.

Does anyone have any advice for buying cameras? Two questions come to mind:

1) best options for great picture quality;

2) best options for a digital camera that does not take forever to take a picture after you push the button (I have a lot of trouble getting good shots of my young daughter due to those looooooong delays).

Thanks in advance!

[UKhoov]

Go to www.dpreview.com (http://www.dpreview.com) (Digital Photography Review)

It is a website that is a review for all things digital cameras. It even shows you the different pictures a certain camera takes and how well it works in different settings etc.

I always suggest reading up on what to look for when buying something (especially electroinc).

I bought a snap and shoot (or something along those lines). Which sounds like a good option for you since kids do things at the speed of light. Most of these from power on to picture run between 2-10secs. depending on settings.

The 3 things I did before buying my camera:
1. Know what you want and dont want (sounds easy but digitals have a zillion options)

2. Know how much your willing to spend

3. Research the differences and read alot of reviews (there are tons on the web)

HOPE THIS RAMBLE HELPS!

[UKS2H]

http://www.steves-digicams.com/

go there and look around at steves reviews. it is the best review site on the internet for digital cameras.

i have bought several of these, and I personally believe you need to really sit down and think how much or what you are going to use a camera for, before just buying what looks snazzy or like a bargain. a lot of people spend 500 dollars on fancy cameras when they can do what they want with a 150 dollar camera.

if you want pictures like rick posted, you are going to have to pay out the ***, i would say.

[Josh]

Kodak makes a really nice camera that prices in at around $200-300, if I'm not mistaken. I can't remember the number of it though, but I've seen it in action, and it's a quality camera. I just wanted to let you know that there are some really nice deals out there for you to have some great pictures.

[NashvilleUK]

For years, I've always loved www.megapixel.net . I always thought it was probably the best out there.