Right Decision?? NIKON 4100 or ??????

[RogueAngel]

Okay,
Hopefully I made the right or semi right decison.
For Christmas I received an HP Photosmart M305 camera.
After some searching, and reading, the feedback was not of the upmost respect for this camera. I decided to trade in, or upgrade.
I settled on the NIKON Coolpix 4100. This allowed me to lay out a little bit of xtra cash while upgrading (I think).
I just got it, and was wondering aloud if I made the right decision, or should have, could have done better. I got the camera for a decent price.
A little about my entry into Digital camera world.
EXTREME novice.....Will not be printing my own photos......photos mainly of casual use, kids sports, home, fun type. MAYBE later on some side work, nothing special.
If I print pictures they will be done locally, no bigger than 4x6 (standard print size, right)
Perhaps the emailing of photos, and the burning onto a disc.
Other tahn that, nothing more.
So, how did I do?
Honestly, I have not even taken it out of the box, just started reading the manual, in CASE I were to return this one!! LOL

[Photo-John]

I think your camera will be fine. You can check the Top 200 list and camera reviews here to see if there's something the community likes better. I'm sure there is. But the reality is that most compact digital cameras will work fine for what you want to do. Kids sports is the one thing that will be tough. But that will be tough with any compact digital camera. Getting good pictures of your kids playing soccer is more a matter of learning the right technique than having the right camera.

[RogueAngel]

[B]I thank you for the reply. I have posted this same query on a few forums, and this is the first, non satirical response I got. Let alone one of the only respones I received.
Thanks, I'll play with the camera, but I was just hoping that in the price range I paid..219.00 (less the trade) that I made a quality choice. That was my concern.
Also I wanted to hear from other owners on their views.
If you have one, I would like to hear your critique, tricks, and assistance in using the camera.

[Photo-John]

Sorry you didn't get the help you were looking for. Generally, "What camera to buy," questions are sort of hard to answer. There are so many options and camera choice can be pretty personal. They're also one of the most common questions. Sometimes people get tired of answering. But I want this site to be a place where anyone can come and safely ask any question. I think you deserve a respectful and useful answer, no matter who you are and what your question. And I think you'll find that the community here is a little friendlier and more encouraging that most online photography communities.

The bottom line, in my opinion, is that you've already got the camera and it should work fine. As you learn more you'll figure out what's missing or doesn't work for you. Then you' might look for a new camera. And then you'll be more able to make your own decision about what camera to buy. But for now, just take pictures and enjoy the Nikon. And make sure to post a review in the reviews so that other people will benefit from your experience

[trog100]

stop worrying about making the "best" choice there is no "best" boat.. there is no "best" car.. there is no "best" camera.. in fact there is no "best" anything..

most mid range (cheaper) cameras are much of a muchness.. there are dozens of different ones.. they are all aimed at a particular target market such as yourself.. they all perform in pretty much the same way.. as John says fast action sports type shots are their main weakness.. so is the built in low power flash.. but its a weaknness they all suffer from..

a few years ago u would have gone down your friendly local camera shop and ask the guy behind the counter for a camera to suit your needs and he would have given u one and off u would have trotted a happy and contented snapper..

hmmm.. now we have the internet and the world is our oyster.. say no more.. he he

trog100

[Photo-John]

a few years ago u would have gone down your friendly local camera shop and ask the guy behind the counter for a camera to suit your needs and he would have given u one and off u would have trotted a happy and contented snapper..

hmmm.. now we have the internet and the world is our oyster.. say no more.. he he

trog100

You're absolutely right. The Internet is both a blessing and a curse. It's the "too much information" syndrome