Digital Cameras -- Responses and Finding

[Cheryl Dwyer <dwyerc -at- VISUAL -dot- MCTEC -dot- COM>]

My recent query as to information/experience with digital cameras brought
many responses (thank you!), including requests for posting a synopsis of
my findings.

These are the recommendations I received (or figured out on my own):

1.  "Surf the 'net" for "digital cameras" and their related names.  I
discovered comparisons, product info, specific ads, and
other related product information (most were fairly up-to-date).  I
downloaded pictures, imported them into my types of documents (Word and
FrameMaker), fiddled w/their resolutions, and printed them for
comparison; then I called the companies and got information on local
dealers, prices, etc.
2.  It seems it's a matter of taste as to whether the output on the
low-end models was good enough for tech manual production:  several
people with the same camera simultaneously recommended it for shooting
pictures to use in the tech manuals or else said the resolution was not
good enough to do so.
3.  All said most of the cameras they used had resolutions good enough
for web sites or on-line documentation, but printing was sometimes not as
good as they'd like. (The resolution was not good enough for expensively
printed brochures; they still used a professional photographer for those
product shots.)
4.  Some questioned the validity of spending ~$1000 (US) when it could be
semi-obsolete within months, replaced by something better and cheaper,
recommending instead that we use a good 35mm and either:
(1)  Scan the pictures into the system.
(2)  Have them developed into CD ROM format (this would seem rather
expensive, especially for just a few shots at a time).
5.  Five reasonably priced ($600-$1000+) cameras were mentioned by users
(and on the 'net) more often than others:  Kodak DC40, Kodak DC50, Casio
QV-10, Apple QuickTake 150, and Chinon ES-3000.  (The QuickTake 150 and
the DC40 were developed simultaneously and are virtually identical, but
Kodak's resolution is better.)
6.  The comparisons I read determined there is no ONE camera with the
best of everything:  Kodak's offerings have better resolution, Casio has
an LED viewer/previewer, etc.

It all seems to come down to a matter of preference.

We decided on the DC50...will let you know in a couple of weeks how well
it work for our needs.  Thanks again for your input.

Cheryl Dwyer

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