my 1st digital camera but which one to buy

[I've left]

Jane
Whatever camera you get remember that for the insriptions to show up best you want the sun to be shining on the stone at an angle so that the shadows show.
So since most stones face East you should be taking the shots about one to two hours before noon.

Bryan

[jane l]

thanks Bryan i will make a note of that very useful. 
jane

[millymcb]

Get a Canon Ixus every time ... dont know the current cost ... but I've got two ... they have served me very well indeed over the last month in sticky humid heat on the Equator ... and took around 1400 pics plus about a dozen little videos ... all on a 4 GB card ... see my blog for some of the results from Kenya !

Canon for ever !!    (And no, they aren't paying me !)

Absolutely agree about the Canon Ixus - we've had every model for years and I can't fault them.  That is what I went out to buy - but came home with my lovely Lumix   Would have been equally happy with either of them though. My brother just got the latest Canon and it does look fab.

Make sure you check out the controls for changing settings etc on whatever you buy and make sure you are comfortable with them.  I had a nikon once and (probably because I was so used to the canon ixux) I could never find anything in the menu.

Milly

[sallysmum]

Jane
Whatever camera you get remember that for the insriptions to show up best you want the sun to be shining on the stone at an angle so that the shadows show.
So since most stones face East you should be taking the shots about one to two hours before noon.

Bryan

I never knew that - ty Brian!

sallysmum

[Redroger]

Why not go for a high grade camera phone? Combine the two articles in one, less to carry, and I believe there are now phones available with 5mp cameras which should be enough  to produce an acceptable image.

[jane l]

thanks gosh -so many things to look at and think of . the trouble is it always takes me ages to choose anything so this is going to be harder than i thought -but still all very interesting and positive stuff. thamks again
Jane

[[Ray]]

Hiya

For once I don't agree with RedRog........ 

I think that you should go for a reasonable cheap to mid-priced model, that Kodak or Ixus sound alright.

THEN

Evaluate whichever one over the spring/summer/autumn.

THEN

Ask OH to get you a soooooooper one for Xmas. 
You'll know what you want by then   
Won't you? 

You can always give this one to kids/sis/g-kids/agedaunt/wotever

Ray

[BumbleB]

My advice, as a very amateur amateur would be to make sure it's got a viewfinder (and that's not easy or cheap)!!  It's all very well having these screens on the rear of the camera for indoor photographs, but outdoor photography is horrendous if that is the only view you have of the subject, and especially so if the sun happens to be shining, you can't see a thing via the screen!!

BumbleB

[jane l]

oh no bumbleB -not  something else to think about  but thanks anyway] 
jane