kdfinns.RemoveThis@ywave.com wrote:
> So, my question is, What is the difference in the plastic or glass
> lens?
Glass will be less affected by heat, more durable, and when it comes to the
exposed front element, is less easily scratched. Plastic is lighter and cheaper.
> Does a viewfinder work better than a point and shoot?
Well first, most "point and shoot" cameras have viewfinders - a viewfinder is
the little glass window you put up to your eye to frame the picture. In most
P&S cameras, it's just a small window with a lens that gives you a view similer
to the one the camera will see. On fancier cameras, particularly "single lens
reflex" (SLR) cameras, a set of mirrors and/or prisms direct the actual view
through the camera lens into the viewfinder, so you see EXACTLY what the camera
will see. (Alright, for you nitpickers, ALMOST exactly, but the differences
aren't important for this discussion).
What you're probably thinking of with a P&S is the LCD on the back that gives a
live view of what you're going to shoot. Whether that "works better" than an
optical viewfinder is entirely subjective - there are definite advantages and
disadvantages to each. Which works better FOR YOU is something you need to
decide for yourself.
> Can I buy a card for more memory for most cameras.
I'd say 99.999% of digital cameras sold today support interchangeable memory
cards. The only thing to be aware of is what TYPE of card(s) it takes, and how
easy those will be to find and what they'll cost. Most Sony cameras, for
example, use only Sony's Memory Stick cards, which tend to be more expensive
than other formats, and sometimes less available. xD is another format you'll
see around, but they aren't all that common either, and as such also tend to be
a bit more expensive.
Most common - and usually most price-friendly - are Secure Digital (SD) and
Compact Flash (CF) cards. Being more popular, they also tend to have more
selection available (more brands). SD cards currently max out at 2GB; CF at
4GB. Cameras that accept CF-II format cards (a "thick" version of CF) can also
use "MicroDrive" cards - ultra-tiny hard drives) that are currently available up
to 16GB... but I offer that only as informational, they're also quite expensive
and many have reported reliability problems with them.
> I'm told that more memory makes the delay factor better.(?)
The main thing that affects "delay factor" (how long you have to wait between
pictures) is the camera's design - whether it has any built-in buffer memory,
and how fast it can write to the card. The faster the card you get, the faster
the camera can write to it... but only up to the maximum capability of the
camera. My Canon 300D, for example, doesn't seem to work much faster with a 12X
CF card than with a 4X card (I suspect its own write speed maxes out at 8X), so
spending the extra money for an 80X card would be pointless. A newer camera
(350D, 30D, etc.) may make better use of the available speed.
> Do most cameras take videos as well.
I wouldn't say "most"... it's a feature that costs more to include and requires
a lot more memory than just taking stills, so it's something that can be
excluded for those who don't need it to save on the price.
> Hopefully, I'm not the last person on this planet to get it.
You asked some intelligent questions... that puts you WAY ahead of some people
>> Stay informed about: buying a camera 
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