« So let us then try to climb the mountain, not by stepping on what is below us, but to pull us up at what is above us, for my part at the stars; amen. »
« So let us then try to climb the mountain, not by stepping on what is below us, but to pull us up at what is above us, for my part at the stars; amen. »
I have a Dimage Z1, and I'm very happy with it. If you have a look at my gallery all the pics from "Nature's Christmas Lights" onwards, except "Metamorphosis" and "Keeping Lookout", were taken on it, which will give you some idea of what it can do. Plus points are the zoom, obviously, and the speed (switching on and zooming and autofocussing) which is better than other digitals I've tried or been told about. Minus points - the autofocus isn't brilliant in low light, and according to reviews it's supposed to suffer from chromatic aberration ("purple fringing") on night shots, which I haven't tried yet. Also 3.2 megapixels is fine for desktop images (largest image size is 2048x1536 which gives you chance to improve composition by cropping and still end up with 1600x1200) but may not be enough if you want to print your work at 10"x8" or A4 size. For a thorough review and set of sample photos for this or any number of other cameras I'd recommend the Steve's Digicams website www.steves-digicams.com. If you still want one after that I hope someone's prepared to spend quite a bit of money on your birthday present.... I look forward to seeing your pictures!
Sure, I'd recommend the Dimage 7hi, but it's relatively complicated with many options. Also, even at 5 megs, it's expensive.
The Dimage Z1 seems close to the best for the price. Drop subtle hints to your parents like torn out ads from magazines, etc., in their mashed potatoes.