This is the tough part IMHO, especially without a zoom lens. Most people don't realize what an adaptable tool the human eye is. Its a very wide angle lens that also lets zoom in a bit (or at least ignore a lot of stuff). Working with a prime lens (no zoom) you are limited to a certain limited field of view, for that matter all lenses limit you a certain amount, but with a zoom you can change how limited.Originally Posted by beyond words
The human eye vs. a camera doesn't end their either. The human eye ignores certain things that cameras will pick up on. Light that you may think of as white, isn't always white. Florescent lights for example are actually a greenish color. This is what white balance corrects for. Auto white balance tries to replicate the human eye is best as it can, it usually does this well enough for most casual photographers, but there may still be odd color casts.
The amount of light in a scene is also a huge factor. The human eye adapts very well to low light situations. Cameras can do pretty well, but something that you see fine with your eye may look dark in a photo. You want to talk about a fast lens (one that lets more light in), the human (and other animals even more so) eye is a super fast lens and with a huge depth of field (everything is in focus). Canon, Nikon, Olympus and all the others wish they could make a lens like that.
Cameras adapt to less light reaching the sensor by lengthening the exposure time. With fast motion this can mean blurry pictures.
None of that was meant to discourage, just to explain. Now I'll give my suggestion on a camera or rather what to look for.
First off you are 100% right that lens motion (both zoom and focus) as well as the LCD screen are big drains on battery life. Some cameras allow you too turn the LCD off. I have a Canon S2IS point and shoot, it allows the LCD to be flipped in (protected) and turned off. However the viewfinder is in actuality also a small LCD screen, smaller drain, but still a drain. So a camera with a similar set up may be a good idea for you.
As far as zoom is concerned, I don't know of any point and shoots that have prime lenses. You could get a digital SLR (usually more complicated and expensive), attach a prime lens and shoot in Auto mode. Or you could buy a point and shoot and not use the zoom, leave it one focal length.
Or what you should really do (and I think others will echo this statement) is read some of the wonderful reviews on here and find an easy to use camera that also has good battery life. If you don't want to spend a lot to replace batteries, do not buy a camera that uses Lithium Ion, these batteries have a shelf life regardless of the amount/type of use (around 2 years), but they do tend to last longer before needing a recharge. Instead look for something that either uses NiMH or AAs and buy a few sets of rechargeable (NiMH) AAs (not that expensive). I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the battery life on many current cameras.
USB is pretty much standard, but if you find one that you like that doesn't have USB, card readers are very cheap these days. I actually saw (on clearance) an SD reader for $2 a few months ago. A card reader is usually a more efficient way to transfer the images anyway, plus it doesn't drain your camera's battery.
Also go bigger than 2 megapixel, there is a reason that camera is no longer made, thats roughly the resolution of a camera phone.



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