I am looking to purchase a digital camera in the medium quality range with resolution of 6-8 mega pixels. Is the Kodak a reasonably good choice? I don't plan on adding lenses. Or should I simply plan on a Nikon or Cannon and spend the extra money? The camera will be a general purpose camera with subjects ranging from nature closeups, to landscapes, to typical indoor shots of people. Is the lens quality an issue? Speed? I need advice. Any advice would be appreaciated.

The best bet would be the Pansonic DMC-FZ7 deal.
It is a 6 mp, 12x zoom with a Leica Lens. Very fast response & a large screen.

Panasonic DMC- FZ7
1 GIG SD card
Card Reader
Case
Cleaning Kit
Extra Battery
All for only $349.99

The response is the main issue that has kept me from buying a P880 already. Everything else seems to fit.

I'm an old Nikon SLR guy (manual focus) who got married and got away from the photography activity. All my Nikon bodies still work just fine as do the lenses. I've had a few things published and at one time considered myself pretty adept at nature photography in the 35mm format. The basics have not changed much, just the format to heavy emphasis on digital these days.

I definitely want to be able to work in the RAW format if I choose. Kodak has their own "raw" format that doesn't seem to be very accepted.

I do appreciate the advice and I hope others chime in with their recommendations.

RAW formats seem to vary by manufacturer. Olympus has it's own, too. If you use Photoshop, you need to download the right plugin for the version you're using.

Dick

Doug, I appreciate your opinions. What do you think of the Panasonic DMC-FZ50 with 10.1 mp maximum resolution? Is it basically the same camera with increased resolution or do you loose some features (or gain) relative to the DMC-FZ7?

The response time seems pretty good on the Panasonic cameras in general. That is my biggest irratation on a little Pentax 3 mp camera that I use a lot for work situations. And it is the biggest negative on the Kodak camera. Any thoughts?

The main difference is the MP and in reality that makes no difference unless you are making images bigger than 16x20

If this is not for a christmas present, do you expect prices to be less prior to christmas or if I wait until January to buy. Since you are in retail and know how things work, what is your advice?

In the competative market place of digital cameras and the internet the days of "holiday sales" are long gone, not to mention that we give 24hourcampfire members special pricing all year anyway. Prices fluctuate slightly when new models come out, however, you can wait for that and then wait again for the next new model. The best time to get a new camera, or anything for that matter, is when you want it and have a use for it.

The only things I can state as fact is that every January first, whether it is needed or not, Swarovski and Leica have price increases.

I own and use a P880 and it has been an excellent camera for me in my change over to digital from film. Keep in mind that I used to use Hasselblad and Sinar cameras. For the price I don't think you can beat the quality and the number of features on the camera, and at the 8 Megapixel level you can make prints up to 11x14 that are superb.

The reviews show that the P880 is a little slow when you depress the shutter button. That is a big concern of mine. The Panasonics don't have the hot shoe, (edit>> oops; yes they do from the specs listing but it is covered with a plastic lid.) so I can add a more powerful flash. I have to ask myself just what I am going to use this camera for and whether or not the reported slower response is that important. For general shots, I rarely use a tripod, but the nature stuff frequently required a tripod and control of the depth of field issue. I am almost convinced to get the Panasonic; just have to think about it some more. Hey, if I think too long, there will be another model out to ponder.... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

The best thing about the Panasonic line are the Leica lenses.

I went looking in person at the Panasonic cameras yesterday. I wanted to at least handle one prior to buying or making a final decision. Well the store said they sell very few and I would be much happier with a Nikon D80 since I can use my old lenses (manual focus) if I choose. Looked at Sony's and now I'm just confused. The FZ7 does not have a hot shoe and does not have the RAW format option. Problem is I simply don't trust the shop... I know that the Nikon D80 is a wonderful camera; but at a substantial cost increase over the DMC-FZ50 (10.1 mp) Panasonic model.... as Data said on Star Trek... computing, computing, computing ..... darn, I'm in a loop; approaching point that I can not make a decision.

I need to go back an reassess my present photographic objectives, not think in terms of pie in the sky cameras necessarily, consider Sony's, Fuji, Kodak, and Panasonic. I am not going to play professional photographer any time soon.

Why not give us a call and pick our brains?