Hi im new here and came across this forum through Google :)
Im a total Camera Noob and know nothing about digital cameras...ive been looking to buy one for a month now ....So i need ure expertise people :thumbsup:

Ive come accross this camera and read the review from this forum...

HP Photosmart 945 Digital Camera
http://forums.photographyreview.com/showthread.php?t=3503

I was impressed with the camera but before i rush into it id like to know what would be the better/equivalent choice??
I have around $500 Aus to spend (roughly $400 US)

Also noob question..Does more MP = Better pics .????

(the camera will be mostly used to take pics of cars)

Thanks for the help in advance Much appreciated :)

I didn't check out the camera you linked to, but to answer your megapixel question, more MPs gives you higher resolution, not better image quality. Sometimes cameras with higher MP are worse than comparitive ones with lower MP because more MP means more tiny little light sensors on the same sized big sensor. So if you have more, the little light sensors get smaller and there could be more noise. So dont go for one camera over another because of MP, unless its like a 2 to 8 MP difference. But in the 5-10 range, unless you are going to print posters of your pictures, it doesn't matter so much.

Wow! That's one of my first digital camera reviews. It's from 2004! Nice to see that people are still looking at it :)

That camera is pretty old now. I think you can do much better. Thanks for including the exchange rate so I know how much you have to spend. I don't know if the camera prices are actually equivalent in Australia, though. I think a lot of stuff costs a bit more there than here. In any case, if you've got $400 US, you should have a lot of options. I think the sweet spot for digital cameras is now $300-400 US. And one of the areas newer cameras have improved is image quality. Noise reduction technology improves every year. And one of the problems I had with the HP 945, and HP cameras in general, is image quality. A newer camera will definitely deliver better quality photos. Another area where cameras are much better is speed. If I remember right, shutter-lag was a major issue with that camera. Sure, I took a good action photo. But I have a lot of practice and the light was good. For most people and most situations, the results will not be as good. A newer camera will have much, much less shutter-lag and you'll do a lot better with action photos than you would with the HP 945.

Tell us some more about what kind of pictures you plan to take. Do you want to take pictures at car shows, auto club meets, or do you want to shoot at the track? Do you want a camera that fits in your pocket or are you willing to give up convenience for more features?

By the way, the review you found was in our archived review section. Here's a link to our new review section, with current digital camera reviews:

Digital Camera Pro Reviews >> (http://www.photographyreview.com/proreviewscrx.aspx)

The HP you looked at would be in the "super-zoom" category. Take a look at our pro reviews for the Canon PowerShot S3 IS, the Kodak EasyShare P712, and the Panasonic Lumix FZ7. Those have similar features to the HP 945, but better image quality and performance. And here's a link to a lot more reviews, specs, etc. for super-zoom digital cameras:

Super-Zoom Digital Camera Reviews & Info >> (http://www.photographyreview.com/sf-6/befid-7185/nm-10/pgnum-1/mapid-/sb-/so-/keyword-/productlistcrx.aspx?dnatrs=at_least_5_0_megapixels -price_range_330_590-at_least_10x_zoom)

That's a lot of information for you to digest. But now you're looking at the most recent stuff. I'm sure you'll have more questions. We'll be here to help :)

Thanks Photo-John for the help :)
Basically most of the fotos will be of club-meets, Car shows, and Fotoshoots of cars....There wont be many track/action shots. And id also like to use it to take fotos of scenery/landscapes etc when i go on holidays but its main purpose will be fotos of cars.
Convience is really not a problem for me... i dont mind if the camera is a large size thats ok.

So im guessing 5MP-8MP is a good start for the fotos im looking to take?
And do the bigger lenses take better fotos?
In the "Digital camera Pro Reviews" are they the top 3 you would recommend??
And out of the "Super zoom Digital Camera Reviews" would Top 3 would you recommend?
I read through the reviews and looked at the sample pics but id like ure expertise rather then some dodgy salesman who doesnt know anything lol
Thanks again for the help... :)