Digital cameras 101

[nosmoking]

Hi everybody!

The following is my situation in which I need some advices so I can take a final decision:

I fixed myself a ~350 EUR(420USD)budget to buy a digital camera and a multifunctional printer(both for personal/home use and not for professional matters).

After reviewing some market prices, I came to the conclusion that I would allocate 200 EUR for the digital camera and 150 EUR for the printer.

Now, my doubts are when choosing the brand for my purchases (as I want both products to be the same brand).

The balance is between HP and Canon. I like and trust the performances in these two domains of the both brands.

The thing is that when I am buying something, I choose the brand that pioneered that category, for example: Nokia/Motorola(but Nokia is much better than Motto;P)for mobile phones, Samsung for LCDs, IBM for Computers, etc.. I think you get the idea which is simple- the main activity that got up a company should always be their forte point, no matter that other companies reprofiled on the same domain as that's an economic trick on how to make money nowadays.

Anyway, getting back to my dilema, I know HP as printers and Canon as digital cameras. But I want both of them to be from the same brand.

Please let me know your opinion on this matter, what choice would you think best, why and maybe some model recommendations.

Thank you!

[Mike54]

Hi nosmoking and welcome to the Q&A Board. We generally don't like to recommend a specific brand of camera (and in this case printer) as everyone has different needs. For example you didn't indicate what your needs were as far as print size, the volume of printing you intend to do , etc. nor did you indicate your needs specific to the camera.
I would suggest visiting the printer and printing forum @ dpreview for information on printers, etc. and their camera reviews to get some information about HP and Canon cameras. You might also take a look at the printer reviews @ stevesdigicams though I personally think you'll get more diverse input at dpreview.
I wish I could point you to the perfect match but I learned the hard way that it's very important to do your own research to avoid disappointment.
If I told you what I would do based on my needs and it didn't work out I might find that you were out looking for me. :-/

One thing I will tell you is that I wouldn't necessarily lock myself in to one brand for both. I'd go for the item that best fit my needs in each catagory.   If they both turned out from the same brand, cool   if not, oh well.

[ShutterbugGail]

As Mike said, we don't make recommendations, however I can say that both HP and Canon manufacture fine printers. As to cameras, it's acknowledged that Canon is one of the leaders in the field. In fact, if you take a quick peek at the top selling cameras at Amazon (link near the bottom of each Q&A Board page) you will find that Canon cameras are consistently the predominant top sellers in every class. There is a reason they are listed there so often.

As to compatibility, if you find a digital camera and printer that are each PictBridge compatible, they should work fine together even if not made by the same manufacturer. When looking for a printer, if you want to print the best quality photos, make sure you buy a photo quality printer, preferably one that takes individual color ink tanks rather than a single cartridge. The printer may be a tad more expensive up front but individual tanks will save you money in the long run (see article on Inkjet printers for reasons why).

Related reading

PictBridge:
http://www.digicamhelp.com/what-is-pictbridge/index.htm

Inkjet printers:
http://www.digicamhelp.com/inkjet-printers/digital_photo_printing.htm

[pentachris]

Hello all.  I've been lurking here for a few months, but decided to register and post because I saw a new roundup of multifunction printers over at Tom's Hardware Guide a few days ago.  THG is a great site for computer news and reviews - in their printer reviews, they evaluate not only the quality of the printer and the prints they make, but they also try to determine how much they'll cost you in the long run with ink purchases, etc.  I thought it might help nosmoking make a decision.

Check out the reviews here - the Canon and the HP both did well.

They post printer reviews periodically, so look in their archives for more, if you'd like.

(Personally, I like Canon printers.  But that's just me.  )

[ShutterbugGail]

Great info pentachris!

Even though you've been lurking, we offer a welcome to the Q&A Board! Thanks so much for sharing and we welcome your participation.