Top 5 Daily Questions About Cameras

Will buying a new camera provide better photos or is it just me? I have a ultra compact Canon SD10. I love the size of it, I take just ok pics with it. It needs a new battery. I can buy a Canon SD1100 for $200. Will this provide any sort of significant upgrade in shots? I know that it's going from 4 megs to 8 megs, but I don't need super huge prints. Will buying this camera create significantly better pictures for me, a point and shoot type, who doesn't really know what he's doing? Or should I just keep the old little camera and get a new battery? Side by side comparison here. Thanks for you thoughts. - 23 hours ago

Suggestions and research sites for DV camera? I am beginning a for-work acquisition research quest to determine the best route to go for getting a video camera. We have already ruled out high-end, 640x480 is fine. We do need advanced fiddly controls - white balance, exposure, that sort of thing. A digital connection that allows us to direct-capture to hard drive is a requirement. On or off-board audio recording does not matter, but I would tend to err on the side of audio-in-jacks for outboard mics. Mini-jacks are fine. We will be using the camera to create short marketing-support videos which will not require outside shooting or the use of models or actors. Think simple product demos. First decision point: should we even look at still-and-video point and shoots? I lean away, thinking that the fiddly controls won't be sufficient. Second decision point: any pointers to that evergreen of the obsolescence-oriented geeks-n-gadgets publishing market, the current-models comparison for miniDV cameras? Thanks very much and I look forward to your wisdoms. - 9 days ago

I'm looking for a companion point and shoot camera to my much-loved SLR. I'm looking for a camera with a super simple (even dumbed down) interface, a small size so I can keep it in my purse at all times, the ability to easily shoot short movies (very important!), and as cheap as possible. What I don't care about: photo quality. Any suggestions? - 2 weeks ago

I'm wondering about Medium Format 120 film processing and printing for a Diana Camera? I love the way photos from the Diana Camera look, and I'm looking for a fun creative outlet. I am wondering if this will work the way I think it will... after shooting a roll of film, can I take it to a photo developing place and just have the film developed, then use a flatbed scanner that will do film and negatives to scan to my mac and print myself? I am not interested in handling chemicals etc. so I can't develop the film myself. If this will work, any suggestions for the best inexpensive scanner?If this won't work - what options do I have or am I stuck just paying a lab to develop and print? - 3 weeks ago

Autofocus no longer works on my Nikon D50, nor on my Nikkor 18-200 VR lens. This morning I noticed that my D50 was refusing to autofocus. I could manually focus just fine. I assumed it was the 18-200 lens, so I swapped it for a cheapo Nikkor 50mm prime, which has a different type of AF mechanism, and it would not autofocus either. Secure in the knowledge that the D50 AF had given up the ghost, I went to the camera store (Precision) here in town and had them take a look at it. To my total dismay, the repair guy says that he tried my lens on another body, and it doesn't work, AND that he tried another lens on my body, and that doesn't work either. He tried cleaning the contacts for me, but was otherwise completely stumped. What could possibly cause the AF to croak on both the lens and the body at the same time? Am I totally screwed? Has this happened to anyone before? Had any luck shipping your camera back to Nikon for repairs like this? I'm really, really bummed out. - 3 weeks ago