What is the best digital camera for ebay?
Could someone recommend a good digital camera for ebay use?
Could Jeffsey please help me some more with this answer.
I want to only spent 300 – 400 on it.
Please advise, you seem to know alot. I also am limited to the bestbuygov.com website for purchase.
Thanks
For ebay then you would likely be taking pictures fairly closeup and indoors. Then you really don’t need a particularly good telephoto (zoom) feature, just a standard one (3x) is fine.
What you really do want is a good macro lens (closeup). You also want a camera with a optical image stabilizer (to reduce blur). Finally, you’ll need something that will produce vibrant and correct colours indoors, so you need one with a good white balance indoors as well.
So put it all together, you should expect to spend at least $200 on the camera alone. Trust me it is well worth it. Visit a proper camera store where you can try them out. Expect to have over 30 models to pick from as well as knowledgeable sales staff.
How to tell if they’re knowledgeable? Ask them about the types of image stabilization. There are 3, digital, lens shift, and CCD shift. Digital is not a feature, it just forces the camera to take the picture faster so it sees less blur, but its standard (called HighISO) and can make pictures noisy (like staticy). Lens shift will move the lens to compensate for shake (Very Good). CCD Shift moves the sensor to compensate for shake (Also Good). Every camera has digital, whether they advertise it or not. Most Nikon and Panasonic cameras carry Lens Shift, (AKA MegaOIS, IS, or VR)
You’ll also need a good white balance. White balance is how the camera interprets colour and varies depending on the type of light there is. The image on the screen should look natural when you try it out, not yellowish, greenish, or blueish. If it doesn’t do good colour, you can still set it manually in the camera or tell it the type of light present. Even better, bring something vibrant and colourful with you and take a photo of it. Check to make sure the colours come out accurate and not-overdone. Panasonic is very vibrant (but not overdone), Nikon tends to be what you would normally see, and Canon varies a little.
Finally, you need a good macro mode. You’ll use it for closeups a lot. Try it out in the store, a good one will get you to within a few inches of the lens (zoom off). Also, check for distortion. Bring a piece of graph paper with out, take a picture and see if the lines are still straight and clear for the most part. Beware if the lines curve or become very blurry at the edges. Panasonic, Canon and Nikon usually have good lenses for this.
So, now that you know what you need, heres a few I recommend. Note that the Panasonic FS3 is usually around $200 and is the lowest price camera I recommend. Prices and availability will vary depending on region.
Panasonic TZ5
Panasonic FS3
Panasonic LZ18
Panasonic LX2
Nikon S600
Nikon S550
Nikon P5000
Canon SD1100
Canon G9
Just a note on the cameras above. Since you never told us what else you would use it for, budget, or the type of camera you prefer, I just listed some general options which are compact. Ask the camera store to show you what they have that would work too. Just make sure you try them out before buying.
Oh and some eBay picture taking tips. Try to take the photos with natural light. Natural light brings out all the colours in whatever it is you have. You can host the larger images somewhere else, instead of paying all the obscene ebay picture prices. If the camera you get has an eBay mode, don’t bother, just regular mode with MAcro works better. Avoid the flash. Its washes things out, instead maybe add a desk lamp, or even a piece of white paper to reflect light from a window will help. It takes a bit of work, but good picture sell things better.
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