My poor old 33mm is on its last leg (the pictures get crappier and crappier) and I'd like to get a digital camera. However, I don't want to pay an arm and a leg for one, either.

What's a good inexpensive (I know they're ALL expensive, but I mean the lesser of the evils) digital camera that takes decent pictures that I can upload to my pc?

Thanks for any advice!

When I bought mine 2 years ago, the salesperson told me a couple of things that I believe are still true. Find a camera that uses standard memory cards~not proprietary cards. That way, you can buy less expensive memory cards. If you buy a brand that only takes a certain one (like Sony) then you are captive to buy their brand of memory cards and you might end up paying more. And if they decide to discontinue that type, you're out of luck.

But at least a 5 megapixel camera. Less than that and you won't get good photos and anything more is for professionals.

If you print, use photo paper (or your colors will fade over time).

We bought one before Christmas, and it's excellent and has gotten many high reviews! It's called the "Kodak Easyshare C433" and it has the optical zoom and lens, and it is a 4 megapixils, and we got it at Walmart for $99!! I would highly recommend it for just an everyday picture taking camera, because the quality is extremely good as we have developed several pictures, and my family wanted to know what kind of camera we were sing. The picture I have in my siggy area is downloaded from it. Good luck!!!

I bought my older granddaughter one for Christmas. It's a Sanyo and I got it at Walmart. It was on sale for under $100!

It's a 5 megapix with a 3 X zoom. The display on the back is either 2.5 or 3 inches.

I bought one for myself a little over a year ago. I got it for the quilt shows. It's a 4 megapix and takes pictures just fine. The display on the back is rather small. (1.5 or 2").

I didn't know about proprietary cards like Alinnel mentioned. Mine doesn't take a proprietary. I'm glad I didn't get caught in that expensive loop. I just bought a San Disc and it's been great. Walmart has their own brand as well. I got a 1 Gig card for my granddaughter's camera for about $20.

You will want to look at rechargeable batteries as well. Digital cameras chew through batteries. We got a 15 minute charger from Fry's. I think it is a Ray-O-Vac brand. Most rechargers will take a couple of hours. I have a 16 hr recharger as well as the 15 minute one. The batteries last about the same amount of time, so go for the 15 minute one.

Most digitals come with the built-in software to allow you to put it on the PC.

All that said, be prepared for a lousy booklet. It tells you what all the controls are, but not much more than that. You may want to get a digital photography book from the library. It will help. I wouldn't buy one until you know which book(s), if any, that help you the most.

Good luck!

Thanks for the advice, everyone, it's much appreciated.

The only thing that concerns me about having a digital is I like having the actual photos in my hand rather than being 'trapped' inside the digital or stuck on a computer. Because I have photo albums that I like to fill up. So I'm guessing if I get a digital, in order to have the actual photos, I have to print them all out myself???

The best part about a digital camera is that you can take dozens of photos on one subject and then print only the best, thus saving your money!!! you don't have to print them yourself. Most photo developing places will print your digital photos for you, but it is cheaper to do it yourself if you have a good quality printer (many cameras also have small printers to print 4x6 prints right from the camera).

It's really easy to upload your pictures to a photo developer like Shutterfly or York - and they will mail you your prints - I think it's around 20 cents each, plus they are always sending me offers for 20 free.

I've also uploaded them to Walmart and Target and picked up my prints in an hour.

I was really hesitant in the beginning too, because I wanted to HAVE the pictures in my hands. But now I am a convert!

Thanks girls!

I have a Kodak EasyShare too (can't remember the model) that I bought 2 years ago. It's great. What I did was to go to Best Buy and similar stores and look at what they had, hold it, see how hard it was to work, etc. Then I went online and found the same camera for less, and packaged with an extra memory card and a battery charger! You definitely want a non-proprietary card and a rechargeable battery. We had one at work that took AA batteries, and even the rechargeable ones of those didn't last long. I bought a second battery so that when I travel I always have a fully charged spare in case mine runs out when I'm away from hotel room. You'll be a convert quickly, I'm sure.

I have a Kodak Easyshare as well and love it. I got it over 4 years ago (not sure exactly when) at Wal*Mart for over $200. It's a CX6330. It's just 3.1 megapixels, but it still takes very good pictures. Printed with my HP All-in-One printer on photo paper, they're actually better than the ones I paid huge bucks for that the hospital had taken of my son at birth.

And you can crop and red eye reduce at those machines before you print, too. I've always heard that you should buy the most megapixels that you can afford. I have a 3 megapixel. My pictures are okay. My parents have a 6 megapixel and my sister has a 5 megapixel. Their pictures are definitely better quality. The higher megapixel cameras have gone down in price and now are cheaper than what I paid for my 3 megapixel one a few years ago. Mine is a Kodak EasyShare and I like the features. One thing I don't like about many digital cameras is the delay after the flash before the picture is snapped. My 3 year old nephew is fast and I mostly get the side or back of his head because he doesn't wait long enough.

Kodak easyshare - which comes in a variety of different models in a wide range of prices is by far the easiest to use... and takes great pictures too!

Just a comment about AA batteries: The nice thing about cameras that take AA batteries is that you can take them pretty much anywhere and not have to worry about if the store is gonna have the kind of battery you need or if there is a place to charge your camera by plugging it in. If you plan to travel with it, or even take short trips, a camera that takes AA batteries may be the way to go.

Awesome advice and a question: does the Kodak Easyshare take standard memory cards?

Also, what model of Easyshare is good?