Pepsiman Loc: New York City

Try the Nikon L28...

medavis43 Loc: Folkston, GA

Panasonic makes good Point and Shoot cameras. And Samsung has some that would work for you.

wlgoode Loc: Globe, AZ

Check KEH for top notch used cameras.

Bram boy Loc: Vancouver Island B.C. Canada

there is no such thing . any new camera for a $100 or les is crap at best . you have heard that saying you get what you pay for . well any camera that is only $100 is going to pack it in after the warrenty is up for sure . a hundered
$ camera is a throw away . at the first little problem you might as well toss it.
don't spend money fixing it no matter how little it cost . it will two bit you to death . when I first got my first steady job , I cleared $125 every two weeks . and bought a $250 DSLR . so that was a months wages clear for me . today that is less than what a person on the same job makes in a day . so in effect
your looking for a good camera for approx. four hours of work wages . I suggest you up your $ by at least $400 to $500 total . you can find a fixed
len's. fuji , Sony , samsong , point an shoot for that , but $100 is a joke

Bugfan Loc: Toronto, Canada

It seems to me that you don't really need a "good" camera. What you seem to need is a camera that is able to capture images with sufficient detail that will enable you to paint afterwards.

I'd suggest that just about any camera at any price will give you that capability. I'd select something that has sufficient battery power to enable you to take the pictures you need before getting back to a charger. I'd probably get a couple of memory cards too for storing them.

I'd go for a camera that has a modest zoom, maybe a 3x or up to a 6x. I'd go for a camera that allows you a relatively high ISO setting, maybe up to ISO 3200 for those pictures that have poor light.

And you'd probably want something that fits in your pocket so you're not carrying a lot of weight.

These are fundamentally all tools as opposed to designs to optimize image quality. The artistic things will come from your hands of course, not from the camera. So get yourself an inexpensive camera with a resolution of maybe 16 mega pixels and the above tools. And use the money you save to buy more paints and brushes with which to be ever more creative.

Cinderella

Check out your Sam's club or walmart store i bought a canon sx150 with wifi built in it. Came with a card and case for 229.00 i love it and it was easy to set up the wifi so you can send them straight to your computer from the camera.

skiman Loc: Ventura, CA

That make it a whole different story. Taking a picture to be the model for your paintings can be done for $100-200. But to take display pictures of your finished work to me would require a better camera and lens (of course it is very subjective as to what is acceptable display quality).

OleJohn Loc: Lost

"KEH" is OK...

jthelw Loc: California

I absolutely agree with Kuzano's advice about purchasing a used Canon S 90-120 series if it's available in the $100 range. I have a S110, a newer model with touch screen and wifi, but rarely need those features. What I do value is Camera Raw and the ability to use automatic or manual modes.

larryb123456

WOW, thanks again for all the info. To be honest, I don't understand a lot of the terminology, being a *complete novice* to photography.

The paintings and drawings I plan to sell online will be small -- in the range of 12"x12", 12"x16", 16"x16", 16"x20", and up to about 18"x24" maximum. (These sizes are much smaller than the sizes of the paintings I make for myself -- to enter in local juried exhibitions.)

So, I know that I'll have to get up close to these small paintings to capture *all* the fine details, in making the images for internet display. And I know that a tripod, as well as good lighting, will be essential.

Would it be possible to list the *characteristics* of the camera that I need to buy to accomplish my purposes? Like mega pixels, range of zoom, ISO (whatever that is), etc. -- in simplified form, to help me "get my ducks in a row".

Honestly, I'm confused, now, by all the information that has been provided. I'm going to have to do a lot of reading to understand the basics.

I think if I had a list of *all* the *essential characteristics* of a camera to take clear, detailed pictures of the small paintings described above, then I could study and find out what those characteristics mean, and I would make sure that the camera that I'd buy would meet the ranges of those essential characteristics.

Of course, when I got ready to buy, I'd double-check with you all to make sure that I'm choosing correctly, for my needs.

I sure hope my rambling makes some sense. (I feel like a retard in a room full of geniuses. -- lol)

As I said, I'm prepared to spend $250, or so, to make sure I get the right camera.

Many Thanks,
Larry

Papa Joe Loc: Midwest U.S.

Larry, I can imagine how confused you must be after all the many suggestions. The solution is quite simple: In the price-range you have set, you can do very well with (I suggest a Canon), point & shoot, (P&S), camera. It will focus close enough for the work you wish to do and give good, sharp, accurate reproductions. Check out the Canon P&S line. I think you'll find one to suit your needs in that price range and I'm sure you'll be happy with what it will do. You really don't need all the 'bells and whistles' many have suggested. Keep us posted... just a good camera that will focus on your work and reproduce accurate photos. Any good P&S camera will do that.

larryb123456

Thank you so much, Papa Joe, for your excellent summarizing statements. You make it sound so simple -- thank you.

I now know that I have much to learn about the basics of photography. And that's where I will start, with the reading/studying. Once I get a feel for the basics, I'll go back and re-read the posts on this thread, and I'm sure I'll understand them better. And if I don't understand some points in my reading, I'll be sure to ask all you knowledgeable people for clarification.

Canon point and shoot (P&S).

I have some questions, at this point, Papa Joe.
Will I need a lens with the camera to achieve what I want to do now?
Or will the Canon P&S, by itself, be sufficient?
Suppose later that I want to do fine-art photography.
Can I then get a lens to put on the Canon P&S, or will I have to buy a new camera to accommodate the lens?

Thanks again.
I appreciate it.

Larry

eospaddy Loc: Liverpool UK

funny reply, i like it !

eospaddy Loc: Liverpool UK

my advice would to spend as much as you can afford, now if that's $250 dollars you wont get much but if you consider second hand you should do ok ! and for your budget you should be able to afford a second hand DSLR body and kit lens and you will be so happy you did this over a point and shoot camera, if you have more pixels it will help when it comes to cropping your pics retaining the detail ( as long as you have your subject in focus ) i would not worry about ISO for now its the sensitivity of light on the sensor ( the bigger the ISO number the more light you will gain ) but at the expense of digital noise when using a high numbered ISO, if you like pics with blurred back grounds and your subject nice and sharp then you need to know that a point and shoot wont do that at will for you ! you need a camera where you can change the Aperture ( the size you set your lens to be open! open wide or closed up small ) this gives you better control, and also shutter speed your camera should allow you to choose what speed for any given scene, and most cameras even point and shoot will let you change the I.S.O ,

so to cap off / try buy a camera where you can change the ( aperture / shutter speed / ) and also a note to remember more pixels does not mean a better image its the optics ( lens ) that makes the biggest difference/ but the more you have the bigger your art pics can be without loosing detail, for the size you mentioned for possible prints anything around 8 mega pixels would be ok a few more wouldn't go a miss if you can get it, i have a 4 mega pixel point and shoot and it takes beautiful images as good as my dslr kit lens but i cant change the fundamentals on the camera but with my dslr i can / there is some expensive point and shoot cameras that allow for aperture and shutter speed changes/ like the canon G10 / G11/
G12 super point and shoot it would suit you very well ( you could afford a second hand canon G11 ) / there is also some great bridge cameras with amazing optical zoom ! optical zoom is true zoom and digital zoom is cropping into the pic ( stick with optical always unless you need the extra reach from the digital zoom.
you have done the right thing in asking for advice first and the more you investigate possible cameras the more you will learn ! good look with your adventures ! it would be nice to see some of your work on here when you are up and running !

Papa Joe Loc: Midwest U.S.

Larry, most P&S camera are 'self contained' and you don't add or change lenses, but yes, the P&S will do what you require. It's amazing what an imaginative person can do with 'just' a P&S. When you progress to the stage that requires a camera with various lenses, etc. you'll know it, but for what you have described, a good P&S will suffice nicely. Keep us posted. The Canon SD 890 (older model) P&S I use, and like most, will focus extremely close if you need to do close-up's of joints, knobs, or whatever. You'd be amazed at what you can do with a nice P&S and a well-lighted subject.